Relative Failures The Lives of Willie Wilde, Mabel Beardsley and Howard Sturgis by Matthew Sturgis

 

Imagine being the sibling of the brilliant, fantastically talented and charming Oscar Wilde. How would you handle it? What would you do? Willie, Oscar’s older brother, started off well - he was also handsome, brilliant, engaging and considered likely to become a great success. There were actually more hopes for him than for Oscar! However, laziness was his downfall, and the man who used to sing at the piano with a drink nearby, holding a cigarette, descended into drunkenness and debt. He did, however, contribute greatly to his brother’s success in the early days, spruiking Oscar’s many talents and creating an aura around him.

The delightfully bohemian Mabel Beardsley, who trailed around in long evening dresses with trains in the daytime, also had a tough time competing with her talented brother. However, she managed to become a minor actress, and a society hostess, listing famous people amongst her friends. I found Aubrey and Mabel’s conversion to Catholicism especially interesting, considering their flirtation with ‘free love,’ and liking for decadence, but it was easy to understand why it suited them, considering their love for art and beauty.

I didn’t find Howard Sturgess as interesting as Willie and Mabel. However, although he struggled to live up to his fantastically successful older brother at the time, he had the last laugh, because his novel endures, unlike Julian’s forgotten works. 

This book captures the cultured, artistic and free-spirited atmosphere of the era, and the questions that it asks about siblings, and success and failure are fascinating.However, it was a bit long-winded for my liking.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.