The winner of Britain's prestigious Whitbread Prize and a bestseller there for months; this wonderfully readable biography offers a rich; rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British aristocracy and the intimate story of a woman who for a time was its undisputed leader.Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana; Princess of Wales; and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774; at the age of seventeen; Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying one of England's richest and most influential aristocrats; the Duke of Devonshire. Launched into a world of wealth and power; she quickly became the queen of fashionable society; adored by the Prince of Wales; a dear friend of Marie-Antoinette; and leader of the most important salon of her time. Not content with the role of society hostess; she used her connections to enter politics; eventually becoming more influential than most of the men who held office. Her good works and social exploits made her loved by the multitudes; but Georgiana's public success; like Diana's; concealed a personal life that was fraught with suffering. The Duke of Devonshire was unimpressed by his wife's legendary charms; preferring instead those of her closest friend; a woman with whom Georgiana herself was rumored to be on intimate terms. For over twenty years; the three lived together in a jealous and uneasy ménage à trois; during which time both women bore the Duke's children—as well as those of other men.Foreman's descriptions of Georgiana's uncontrollable gambling; all- night drinking; drug taking; and love affairs with the leading politicians of the day give us fascinating insight into the lives of the British aristocracy in the era of the madness of King George III; the American and French revolutions; and the defeat of Napoleon. A gifted young historian whom critics are already likening to Antonia Fraser; Amanda Foreman draws on a wealth of fresh research and writes colorfully and penetratingly about the fascinating Georgiana; whose struggle against her own weaknesses; whose great beauty and flamboyance; and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant; astonishingly contemporary figure.
#101764 in Books 2005-01-25 2005-01-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.94 x .97 x 5.18l; 1.03 #File Name: 0375708200480 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Doubly interestingBy JayliaPowerful and ambitious cousin queens at a time when kings ruled Europe; I found this dual biography of Elizabeth I and Mary; Queen of Scots deeply and doubly interesting. By depicting both personal histories the context of each queen’s life is contrasted and enriched; and Jane Dunn’s thoughtful; vivid writing captures the ethos of their world; the distinctness of their temperaments; personalities and skills; and the subtleties in their conflicted relationship.Charming; headstrong; and persuasive; Mary became Queen of Scotland at birth and was raised as the pampered future bride of the Dauphin in the French court of Henry II and Catherine De Medici. Insightful; wary; and skilled in the art of negotiation; Elizabeth was very young when she lost her mother Anne Boleyn; and the taint of illegitimacy threatened her freedom; life and reign.Both Elizabeth and Mary were descendants of Henry VII and their rival claims to the English throne made them adversaries; but as kinswomen and fellow queens on an island outpost of a continent governed by men they had a natural bond and connection that each felt. Elizabeth Mary takes the queens from birth until Elizabeth's 1588 defeat of the Spanish Armada the year after Mary’s beheading and fifteen years before Elizabeth’s death. It’s a fascinating; stirring; and poignant story that’s well told in this book.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Scholarly; lucid; and readableBy OpossumWhat a wonderful history! Dunn takes two of the most mythologized and romanticized women in English history and turns them into living; breathing women who are the products of their own personal makeup; their rapidly-changing societies; and their vastly different upbringings. Elizabeth emerges as even more remarkable than the myths make her out to be; but also far more interesting and multidimensional. Mary is treated with equal sympathy and respect; although it's clear that her personal flaws and the sheltered; cocooned life she grew up in combined to make her dangerously shallow and self-absorbed. Very different from Elizabeth; who had to fight for her legitimacy and her very survival from an early age; with no protectors and no weapons but her own wits; and was intellectually and temperamentally suited to become the great leader that she was.The contrasts in their childhoods; education; and personal histories are paralleled to fascinating effect. I enjoyed Dunn's references to contemporary accounts and the subjects' own writings; which added a sense of immediacy to the story.This is a scholarly work but it's lucidly written and immensely readable. Where Dunn draws insights into the characters' thinking and motivations; it's done intelligently and on inference from the historical record; it's not modern-day psychobabble. I've read many popular histories of the Tudor era and I can say that this was as entertaining to read as any of them and far more insightful.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy FernandoGreat portrayals of two sovereign Queens with everything to lose; doing all they can to remain in power.
