'Potter's marvellous voice, captured in letters and journals, comes through loud and clear ... Lear gives us much to consider about this unfamiliar and remarkable woman' Daily TelegraphBeatrix Potter's books are adored by millions, but they were just one aspect of an extraordinary life. This captivating biography brings us the passionate, unconventional woman behind the beloved stories: a gifted artist and shrewd businesswoman; a pioneering scientific researcher; a powerful landowner who conserved acres of Lakeland countryside; a daughter who defied her parents with her first tragically short engagement and who, finally was given a second chance of love and happiness.