THE MYSTERIOUS MISS MARIE CORELLI

Marie Corelli, born Mary Mills or Minnie Mackay, (no one knows which) in 1855, wrote more than 30 romances and died in 1924. Teresa Ransom sets out to tell what she has learned about Corelli; the result is an endlessly detailed account of an author who is unknown to today's readers. Judith Boyd tries in vain to keep the listener interested in a basically unattractive character. The sappy tones of Corellis wheedling and strident shrewishness when things are not going her way hardly seem romantic. Still, Corelli's mystical tales enchanted Victorian audiences, even Queen Victoria. This exhaustingly researched biography may be of interest to scholars of the Victorian Era, if not to today's readers. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]