Lopokova, born Russian though partly of Scottish descent, was a mainstay of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in the years before and after the first world war. Not a grand ballerina in the tradition, say, of Karsavina, she was ideally suited to the more modern ballets then being composed and staged. Her charm and wit shine through the essays in this collection, but after she married the great economist JM Keynes she devoted her life to his well-being especially after his heart attack in 1936. The contributors agree that her care was instrumental in helping him to survive the war years when his contribution to financial negotiations with the Americans and Canadians was crucial to Britain's survival. ( )