The Rossettis In Wonderland: A Victorian Family History
'The decadent glamour of Dante Gabriel's life, and the quiet renunciation of his sister Christina's, may be well known, but in The Rossettis In Wonderland Dinah Roe brings their siblings, Maria and William Michael, into view. Roe explains that Maria's decision, at 42, to enter an Anglican sisterhood was bravely self-defining. She also shows how William Michael negotiated the criticism of his errant older brother, writing to him on the occasion of the macabre burial of his wife and model, Lizzie Siddal, "you have acted right on both occasions." An intertwining family biography is a hard task but Roe brilliantly makes a larger picture to frame the genius of Dante Gabriel and Christina.' The Times 20111015