I was delighted to learn that someone had taken on the huge task of writing a print biography of Elsie. Such a project would be so much more time-consuming than compiling a web-archive such as this.
The author, David Slattery-Christy, tells us in his Forward that what follows is, of necessity, a blend of the available facts and his imagination. Elsie’s early life is particularly lacking in documentary evidence, so the degree of imaginative in-filling was obviously going to be greatest at the start of the book. I do wonder then, why the author chose to commence his narrative at the moment of her birth.
Once past the opening chapter we quickly move into the familiar series of events that constitute what we know of Elsie’s brief career on stage. This is a short book, under 150 pages for the actual biography. (The remainder of the volume consisting of complementary images and reference material.) However, within those pages the characters around Elsie are capably brought to life. The facts we have, events, dates, and a few contemporary quotes from friends and admirers, are developed into a very readable narrative. The mixture benefits from the addition of a little dramatic spice, the plot line centring on Hodder for example.
I admire David Slattery-Christy for taking this on. Especially in light of the minimal factual material available to him. It is a good, dramatic, read and you will end up knowing Elsie by the end.
'Anything But Merry' on Amazon by David Slattery-Christy. (Authorhouse, 14 January 2008, 260 pages)
Follow this link for Author's web site