“New Perspectives on a Feminist and Literary Icon”: a review of The Very Secretive and Passionate Stella Miles Franklin by Alexandra Lapierre by Gretchen Ayoub
The Very Secretive and Passionate Stella Miles Franklin
by Alexandra Lapierre
Translated from the French by Tina Kover
Europa Editions, 2026
This impeccably researched biographical novel, the story of Stella Miles Franklin, most known for her book My Brilliant Career, brings the reader into the heart and soul of a woman who was light years ahead of her time. Franklin packed many brilliant careers into one lifespan - social activist, feminist, author, battlefield nurse, and as a housemaid and retail worker to gain firsthand experience on the daily injustices working women endured. Lapierre weaves this multi-faceted life story together in a way that leaves the reader eagerly anticipating what this incredible woman will do next, a woman who remains true to her Australian heritage and to her writing. She is also deeply human - she grieves those she has lost, has many romantic relationships, and is a tireless advocate and faithful friend.
Stella’s mother, Susannah Franklin, is omnipresent throughout the book, whether Stella is in Australia or on the other side of the world. Their relationship is uneven and tempestuous. She notes that for her mother, “Destitution had made her meticulous about the details. It was her way of surviving.” Although there are constant flashpoints between them, we can see that despite her contempt and cynicism, Susannah wants her daughter to succeed in a way that was not available to her. The relentless criticism of Stella’s life is Susannah’s way of expressing her own frustrations at being consigned to a life of poverty, an unfulfilled marriage, and constant grief and loss. The mother-daughter conflict is a theme familiar in literature; it is expressed here in a way that enables the reader to have compassion for both Susannah’s frustrations and Stella’s paradoxical need for her mother’s approval.
There is so much to learn about in this novel - the social, economic and political climate of Australia at the turn of the century, the horrific effects of the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906 which occurred the day before Stella arrived in the United States, the unfair and often brutal labor practices women endured in the United States and abroad, the Settlement House Movement in Chicago and other cities, the dismissal of women by the literary establishment, the harsh realities of nursing to wounded soldiers in unthinkable conditions during the first World War. These history lessons are made more impactful by following one woman’s singular journey through the many events that shaped the political and cultural landscape in the first half of the 20th century. Stella’s experiences in these years are deeply intertwined with the difficulties realities of life - her inconsolable, immovable grief when her beloved sister Laura dies, resulting in her “leading a kind of double existence now, and there was no respite in either world”, the constant uphill fight for the rights of impoverished working class women, the back breaking physical and emotional demands of working as a nurse on the front lines of war, the many literary setbacks.
This novel is a thoughtful portrayal of the permanent imprints of poverty and class. So much of Franklin’s life was a contrast in navigating the divisions between the haves and the have-nots. Despite the admiration and support of so many well-established, well-connected people in her life, we see the effects of poverty from the beginning pages with what she describes as “the humiliation of being poor” to, later on, the “Bohemian life and penury at age 50.” She notes, however, later on in her life that “the dubious path of sophistication I tried so hard to travel never brought me anything but moral upset and spiritual poverty.”
Taking on the social, literary, and economic patriarchy was a consistent theme of Franklin’s life, a tribute to the women whose shoulders we stand on in today’s world and a stark reminder that nothing can be taken for granted. Her qualities of risk-taking, refusal to conform to the social mores of the day, and courage are as important now as they were back then.
There is much to take away from this novel- an historical portrait, grief and the family ties that bind us together, a refusal to back down in the face of a seemingly insurmountable establishment, and the searing resolve that made Franklin get up every morning and continue, despite the world saying no. Lapierre gives us a fascinating story told in a very readable, engaging manner.
Gretchen Ayoub is a success coach at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an editor for MicroLit. Her essay "Coltrane and Grieving" was published in the Chicago Story Press in March 2026, and she has written reviews for MicroLit, NetGalley, and Consequence Forum. She was awarded first place in the Writer's Digest annual competition in the Memoir/Personal Essay category in 2023 and Honorable Mention in the Humor category in 2024. In Spring 2027, Gretchen will have an essay collection published by Apprentice House Press.