This week in First Impressions, readers are commenting on Natural History, a unique collection of linked short stories by Andrea Barrett that focus on women and science.

Our Editor's Choice review covers Inventing the It Girl by Hilary A. Hallett, a biography of the groundbreaking novelist and screenwriter Elinor Glyn. Read the accompanying Beyond the Book article on fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon and browse other articles in our People, Eras and Events category.

We also have a fresh lineup of books for members to request, and a new Wordplay!

With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts

BookBrowse Publisher

Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.

"Natural History is a wonderful set of stories interweaving the lives of some of the characters who appear in Andrea Barrett's previous works. The time frame stretches from the Civil War era to modern times and the collection focuses on women, family relationships and the love of nature as well as an appreciation of science and the world around us... Traditionally, many of the most talented teachers have been intelligent, very well-educated women who were unable to pursue advanced degrees or occupational advancement due to societal expectations. The main character, Henrietta, is such a woman. She leaves the university setting and returns home to a small town in Central New York where she influences many lives in her role as a teacher and as a mentor to her nieces and former students. Her love of science and experimentation lives on in the interests and occupational choices of future generations." - Linda M. (Ocala, FL)

"I have not read the author's previous work, but easily followed the stories' progression. There is a grace to Barrett's writing that will not be easily forgotten and I look forward to recommending Natural History to my book club." - Elizabeth T. (Bradenton, FL)

"I thoroughly loved the book Natural History. I hadn't read anything by Andrea Barrett for 25 years, since Ship Fever. I am so impressed with her latest that I now plan to read all of her books. I just fell for Miss Henrietta Atkins. What a personality." - Cheryl J. (Pebble Beach, CA)

In concert with Natural History, next week, W.W. Norton & Co are republishing Andrea Barrett's National Book Award-winning Ship Fever.

Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available. Request at bookbrowse.com/arc before end of Saturday, September 17.

Books are provided to U.S. resident members free of charge with the understanding that they'll do their best to either write a short review or take part in an online discussion forum (depending on whether the book is assigned for First Impressions or the Book Club).

Join BookBrowse, or renew a lapsed membership by the end of this Saturday (the 17th), and you'll have the opportunity to request the book of your choice from these five titles--if you request just one title you have a very good chance of receiving it; if you request two or more titles, you will definitely receive one of them.

If you've ever read a romance novel or seen a film (or, at this point, seen a parody) featuring scattered rose petals, a sensuously draped tiger skin rug, or a woman holding a rose between her teeth, you can thank novelist and screenwriter Elinor Glyn. Her long and groundbreaking career spanned the transition from Victorian repression to Edwardian excess, and she wholeheartedly embraced the storytelling potential of the early Hollywood years, all while navigating a thorny path of sex and women's sexuality, breaking taboos at every turn.

Hallett, who is a professor of history at Columbia University and whose first book, Go West, Young Women, interrogated the sexual politics of the silent film industry, unsurprisingly incorporates and documents an incredible amount of research in this first significant biography of Elinor Glyn.

Fans of celebrity biography will find much to celebrate here, as many of Nell's remarkable circle of friends and acquaintances — including Rudolf Valentino, Sarah Bernhardt, Daisy Greville and of course Clara Bow — have cameos. ... continued

Learn about interesting and notable figures, time periods and occurrences from the Beyond the Book articles in our People, Eras and Events category.

BookBrowse members have full access to every article in the category, but many are available for non-members as well, such as the article linked to Inventing the It Girl, "Fashion Designer Lucy Duff-Gordon." Some other articles you can peruse include:

Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win the book of your choice or a 6-month membership to BookBrowse!

The answer to the last Wordplay: I I A I Wind T B N G

Meaning: One person's misfortune is often another person's good luck

The British have lots of sayings drawn from the sea, and in particular, the navy. In the days of sail, a battle could be won or lost on a change of wind direction.

An early reference is found in John Heywood's 1546 book of proverbs (An yll wynde that blowth no man to good, men say). But this early version doesn't have the twist found in current usage - that something that causes harm to one person/group is probably benefiting someone else (such as an El Nino year that can bring much needed rain to some parts of the world, but catastrophic floods or droughts to other parts).

It is possible that Shakespeare was the first to use it in this way when he included the phrase in his 1591 play Henry VI. ... continued