At the turn of the nineteenth century, ten-year-old James Miranda
Barry enrolled as a medical student in Edinburgh, the start of a
glorious career as a military surgeon. Across the Empire, Barry achieved
fame not only as a brilliant physician, but also a legendary duellist
and a celebrated social figure. But James Miranda Barry was also a
woman. Her greatest achievement of all had been to 'pass' for a man for
more than fifty years.
Patricia Duncker's novel tells
Barry's story for the first time, in a richly inventive and entertaining
tale of dark family secrets, adultery, questioned paternity and
colonial history. It confirms her rare talent as a writer of profound
ideas and immense storytelling power.