For the historical lead-in, Goodings maintains a careful, stately tone, like the voiceover in a prestigious BBC period drama about ladies: The House of Elliot, but for books. The story is one of artistry, ambition, activism and a fierce desire to marry the three.

... Goodings would become the Publisher at Virago, one of the most influential and renowned presses of the 20th century. A Bite of the Apple tells the history of over 40 years of the publishing house, through its books, its characters, its finances, and its drama. It is part memoir, part history, and part an exploration of feminism, publishing, and the place of literature in affecting social progress.

Lennie Goodings, one of Virago’s earliest employees, draws on memories of her 42-year career at the press as well as the testimonies of fellow 'Viragos' and authors, from Angela Carter to Angelou, to capture the 'hot flame' that fuelled their fast-growing project.

... pensive and surprisingly poignant.

The old-style publisher’s memoir, which reached its high-water mark between about 1920 and 1950, was a relatively staid affair.

In her debut memoir, Goodings charts the company’s history and offers observations on not just 'the march of feminism,' but also editing, reading, so-called post-feminism, and more. Much of the book reads like an expanded catalog of Virago titles, with dozens of examples of the authors and books they publish, and the tone can be self-congratulatory and defensive.