Where Madness Lies: The Double Life of Vivien Leigh

By Lyndsy Spence

What it’s about?

Vivien Leigh was one of the greatest film and theatrical stars of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Her Oscar-winning performances in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire have cemented her status as an icon of classic Hollywood.

From 1940 to 1960, Leigh was married to Sir Laurence Olivier, and together they were considered the royal couple of British theatre. Indeed, their romance and acting partnerships captured the imagination of the public around the world
Behind the scenes, however, Leigh’s personal life was marred by manic depression which remained undiagnosed until 1953. Largely misunderstood and subjected to barbaric mistreatment at the hands of her doctors, she would also suffer the heartbreak of Olivier’s infidelity. Contributing to her image as a tragic heroine, she would die at the age of 53.

Unlike previous biographies, Where Madness Lies begins in 1953, when Leigh suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalised. The tragic story unfolds as she tries to rebuild her life, salvage her career and save her marriage.

Featuring a wealth of unpublished material, including private correspondence, bestselling author Lyndsy Spence reveals how Leigh fell victim to the draconian medical practices of the day and suffered due to her circumstances. It’s a timely look at just how far we’ve come since the early days of mental health treatment.

What I think:

I’ve loved Vivien Leigh since watching Gone With The Wind as a teenager, so Lyndsy Spence’s new biography was on my Christmas list.

The structure of this is really interesting. The main focus is the period from 1953-1967 where Leigh suffered her breakdown to the end of her life. Her mental health and career are declining and her marriage is failing. The earlier parts of her life as told in a series of linked flashbacks. Some reviewers have found this confusing, however I thought it worked really well. It allows Spence to connect different parts of her life and show the profound influence that her most celebrated roles as Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche Du Bois, had on her reputation and psychologically for her whole life.

One of the most startling things about the book is the sheer amount of work Leigh does while suffering from severe and largely untreated bipolar. It’s testament to her talent and the affection and power the Oliviers had in the theatre world that so many of colleagues adapt and accommodate her behaviour in an effort to support her. Leigh herself is often embarrassed and ashamed of her behaviour and when well tries to make amends.

Her relationship with Olivier is explored in depth. They both stay largely unhappily married as their careers and reputations are so entwined. Affairs and artistic temperament on both sides are juxtaposed with the passion and romance of their love story. Both Leigh and Olivier were married when they met and both left young children to pursue each other and their acting careers. As the passion and success began to wane, they both needed different things that they were unable to give each other.

I was particularly struck by the impact that aging had on Vivien. Renown for her beauty, years of insomnia and excessive drinking (linked to her mental health), and smoking took their toll and she is fully aware of that.

I would say that this is not a book to read if you know nothing about Vivien Leigh. The flashbacks give you glimpses of her childhood, first marriage and early career, but they are not the focus of the book.

I really enjoyed this. It’s well-written and researched. The writing is fluid and it is clear that Spence has a real connection to her subject.

This was a great start to my 2025 reading and a book I will now doubt reread in the future.