Who is Sylvia?

"For four years Lynley Hood was obsessed, or possibly possessed, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner. This ... diary is a record of Hood's experiences and reflections as she pieced together the multi-dimensional puzzle of Sylvia Ashton-Warner's life for her award winning biography, Sylvia! Hood reveals the fascination and complexities of the biographer's search; the highs of extraordinary discoveries, the lows of confusion and doubt, the frustrations and intrigue of the New Zealand literary scene and the author's own development as a solitary full-time writer "--Back cover.