McMahon, Katharine

PERSONAL: Born in London, England. Education: Attended Bristol University.

ADDRESSES: Home—Hertfordshire, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Crown Publishers, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd., London SW1V 2SA, England. E-mail—katharinemcmahon@lineone.net.

CAREER: Writer, educator, and lyricist. Royal Literary Fund, Hertfordshire, England, fellow, 2001–03, project fellow, 2003–04, advisory fellow, 2003–05; also Royal Literary Fund fellow at University of Warwick, Warwickshire, England; has taught in secondary schools and performed in local British theater; has given talks and readings to libraries, festivals, and on the British Broadcasting Corporation's BBC Radio Four.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

A Way through the Woods, Sinclair-Stevenson (London, England), 1990, Bantam (New York, NY), 1992.

Footsteps, Flamingo (London, England), 1997.

Confinement, Flamingo (London, England), 1998.

After Mary, Flamingo (London, England), 2000.

The Alchemist's Daughter, Crown Publishers (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of lyrics to the theatrical songs "Checkout Lil" with Eric Angus; "Secret Tower" with James McConnel; and "Girls' World" with Jenny Bennett.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A novel set in 1727 inspired by the life of Voltaire's mistress; a contribution to the biography of educationalist Dame Kitty Anderson; and a history of six Roman Empresses.

SIDELIGHTS: Katharine McMahon is an English novelist and author of the historical novel The Alchemist's Daughter. The author tells the story of Emilie Selden, an eighteenth-century woman who, contrary to the times, was raised to be a scientist and an intellectual by her alchemist father. Emilie eventually falls in love with Robert Aislabie and foregoes her training to follow the traditional path of a woman, serving as a wife whose husband's wishes come first. Emilie leaves her father's Buckinghamshire home, which breaks her father's heart and leads to his death. Eventually, Robert and Emilie return to her father's estate, and Emilie soon learns that not only does her husband have many secrets but so does her family.

Anna M. Nelson commented in the Library Journal that The Alchemist's Daughter "reveals both intellect and emotion," adding that the "character-driven novel is absorbing." A Publishers Weekly contributor observed that the author "doesn't shy away from the Enlightenment's darker sides, giving this popular historical a satisfying gravity." In a review for the Washington Post Book World, Diana Gabaldon commented: "Selden finds that knowledge is no substitute for experience. But Katharine McMahon packs a lot into this beautifully crafted historical novel: an engaging, accessible plot, lavishly furnished with period details and intriguing characters, and a fascinating look at the shift from the medievalism of alchemy … to the deductive logic of the scientific method." Kristine Huntley, writing in Booklist, concluded: "Historical fiction lovers will find themselves swept up in McMahon's gripping tale."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2006, Kristine Huntley, review of The Alchemist's Daughter, p. 58.

Independent (London, England), February 10, 2006, Roz Kaveney, review of The Alchemist's Daughter.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2005, review of the The Alchemist's Daughter, p. 1294.

Library Journal, January 1, 2006, Anna M. Nelson, review of the The Alchemist's Daughter, p. 99.

Publishers Weekly, December 19, 2005, review of the The Alchemist's Daughter, p. 38.

Washington Post Book World, February 12, 2006, Diana Gabaldon, review of the The Alchemist's Daughter, p. 3.

ONLINE

Bookreporter, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (April 23, 2006), Pauline Finch, review of The Alchemist's Daughter.

Royal Literary Fellow Web site, http://www.rlf.org.uk/ (April 23, 2006), brief profile of the author.