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Overview
During his many travels in search of health, Stevenson gathered not only a literary fame but also an extended family of hangers-on. Years of restless wandering in Europe and the US (California, Saranac Lake, New York, Hawaii) led him finally to tropical Samoa, where he found not only wellbeing, but a release of the passionate potential that had been in him from his chilly beginnings in Edinburgh. What might have been a veritable paradise in his last years, however, was marred by the eccentric behaviour of his wife, California-born Fanny Osbourne. As he came into his own, she retreated into paranoia. Yet such was his loyalty to her that he allowed himself to be trapped in a situation that grew more untenable.
Synopsis
This is the story of Robert Louis Stevenson, a compelling read that examines the fascinating and complicated life of the author behind such favorites as Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Years of restless wandering led Stevenson to travel across the United States from New York to San Francisco, finally settling in tropical Samoa. This comprehensive biography focuses on his work, travels, and relationships with his extended family of hangers-on. It sheds new light onto his relationship with his American wife, Fanny Osbourne, whose retreat into paranoia and eccentric behaviour lost Stevenson his chance to find real happiness.