Beatrix Potter

A Life in Nature

By: Linda Lear

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

In this now classic biography, Linda Lear offers the astonishing portrait of an extraordinary woman who gave us some of the most beloved children's books of all time. Beatrix Potter found freedom from her conventional Victorian upbringing in the countryside. Nature inspired her imagination as an artist and scientific illustrator, but "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" brought her fame, financial success, and the promise of happiness when she fell in love with her editor, Norman Warne. After his tragic and untimely death, Potter embraced a new life as the owner of Hill Top Farm in the English Lake District and a second chance at happiness. As a visionary landowner and a successful farmer and sheep-breeder, she was able to preserve the landscape that had inspired her art.

Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature reveals a lively, independent, and passionate woman, whose art was timeless, and whose generosity left an indelible imprint on the countryside.

©2007 Linda Lear (P)2019 Tantor

Delightful to know more of a classic life

This lady was so much more than her little books! It was illuminating to hear how her life was shaped and how she chose to influence her world.

Fascinating text and excellent narrator

For fans of Beatrix Potter, this book is a gem. It brings to light this remarkable woman's life, from childhood to old age. It emphasizes her skills as a scientific illustrator at a time when women were excluded from artistic and scientific training, and emphasizes her preeminent role in the creation of the National Trust Lands of Britain. Excellent narrator.

A Well-rounded Portrait of a Remarkable Woman

Not only is Ms. Lear's biography of Beatrix Potter clearly well-researched, well-written, and thoroughly captivating in the portrait it paints
of the remarkable artist, story-teller, naturalist, and country-woman that Miss Potter / Mrs. Heelis was, the work is beautifully presented by a reader with a voice, accent, and diction that perfectly agrees with its subject.

I love this book!

This is a must read for admirers of Beatrix Potter’s life and work. I read Linda Lear’s brilliantly researched book several years ago and and became fascinated with Beatrix Potter. I enjoyed the book immensely, and now I’m discovering it anew through this audio version. The story sheds so much light on a woman whose life well lived made an incredible difference in the lives of others, not only in her day, but well into the present.

Detailed biography of a fascinating life.

This biography skillfully uses primary sources, including extensive quotes from the subject’s correspondence, to paint a captivating portrait of a unique woman who seems have lived several lives in one lifetime. From her unhappy childhood to meticulous study and illustration of mycology, readers get insight into the experiences that led to her unexpected success as a children’s book author and illustrator. In her later years Potter married against the wishes of her overbearing parents and followed her heart to the British countryside. With her earnings from book sales, Potter purchased her own farm and went on to become a prominent land owner and one of the founding forces behind the land preservation efforts of the National Trust. Brilliantly written and read, this is the definitive biography for Potter lovers.