Joe Carstairs was renowned in the 1920s as an 'invert' who smoked cheroots and dressed as a man, as an heiress to the standard oil fortune and as the fastest female speedboat racer in the world. In 1934 she disappeared to embark on a course even more ambitious and she bought an island in the West Indies and created her own kingdom, founding and ruling a colony of 500 black Bahamians. On the island of Whale Cay, Joe Carstairs fiercely guarded her privacy and exercised absolute power. She demanded obedience and moral virtue from her people while herself continuing to live exactly as she pleased. and though she entertained actresses, duchesses and priests, she reserved her greatest love for her boats, her cars and the enigmatic Lord Tod Wadley.
Details
| ISBN | 9781857023602 |
|---|---|
| Copyright Date | 1997 |
| Publication Date | 1997 |
| Publisher | Fourth Estate |
| Format | Hardcover |
| No. of Pages | 224 |
| Language | English |
| Notes | Winner, 1998 Somerset Maugham Award. Shortlisted, 1997 Whitbread Award for Biography. Biography of Marion 'Joe' Carstairs. |
| Genre | Autobiography/Biography; Award Winner; History |
| Subject | Eccentrics And Eccentricities; Landowners; Lesbians; Millionaires |