About this title: Winner of Britain's prestigious Whitbread Prize, Foreman's bestselling work--soon to be a major motion picture starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes--is a penetrating, marvelously written account of Lady Georgiana Spencer. Two 8-page b&w photo inserts.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780812979695ISBN:0812979699
Description: Good. 285-U Books rated "Good" may have some notes, underlining, or highlighting. These books also may contain the previous owner's name, stamp, sticker, or gift inscription, or may be library discards. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"Sex, intrigue and adultery in the world of high politics and huge wealth in late eighteenth-century England. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, was one of the most flamboyant and influential women of the eighteenth century. The great-great-great-great aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, she was variously a compulsive gambler, a political savante and operator of the highest order, a drug addict, an adulteress and the darling of the common people. This authoritative, utterly absorbing book presents a mesmerizing picture of a fascinating world of political and sexual intrigues, grand houses, huge parties, glamour and great wealth -- always on the edge of being squandered by the excesses and scandals of individuals.
This is an extremely well written biography of a quite extraordinary woman. I have to admit - having read some wonderful historical and other biographies this year - this won't be amoung my favourites, I think that was because I didn't actually like any of the people in it. However the research and detail is first class, and I learned a lot about Gerogiana and 18th century upper class life through reading it. I was amazed at just how political she was - apparently a not unusual thing for aristocratic women in the 18th century - she was very influential and popular, and was in part responsible for some important political deals. Her love of her children comes across strongly, and that is the one thing that makes her a little sympathetic, in all other arfeas of her private life she was a disater. Running up huge debts - then lying about them, having affairs and worst of all allowing the dreadful Lady Elizabeth Foster the place she enjoyed with her family. All in all it was an amzing life, and Amanda Foreman has done an excellent job in bringing her to life."
"As a historian, I very much appreciate the amount of research and the talent it took to write this book, which began as Amanda Foreman's PhD dissertation at Oxford. While Foreman tries to convince the reader of Georgiana's special spark, as it is, as well as her innovation and uniqueness in her time (the late Georgian period in London), I couldn't quite buy it. Again, perhaps it is the academic in me, trained to look through the argument to the facts of the issues. I didn't find Georgiana to be particularly likable, a good role model, or even extremely entertaining. She was mildly interesting. I just didn't buy Foreman's conclusions that she was a precursor to all women who became in politics from that time forward, or that she was courageous, or extremely intelligent, or even a great mother. I read this right before taking a trip to London, though, and if you're interested in the history of the city or the history of the nobility in England, you'll probably enjoy this book. Just be aware that it is written much like a dissertation, meaning that Foreman strings together episodes from Georgiana's life supported by snippets of letters and newspaper articles."
"I originally read about the existence of this book in an article in Vogue magazine, shortly before the movie The Duchess was released. This biography provided the basis for the screen play for the movie. I found the movie to be 'eh' but this book provides a multi-layered and well researched account of Georgina's life. Unlike some biographies Foreman gives us the good, the bad, the ugly, and the redemptive aspects of G's life. That being said - there is a lot of information to wade through and I think that is why I gave the book three stars rather than four. There were parts of the book which I had to force myself to slog through.
Georgina, the Duchess of Devonshire, through Foreman's telling, becomes a woman who is not only the trend setter of her day in both fashion and entertaining but is a first rate politician who understands the working of party politics before 'party politics' as we understand it today existed. She campaigned for her chosen candidates and helped to affect change in the government - all this in a time when women's places in society were generally in more of a private domain.
We also experience G's foibles, follies, and tragedies in such a way that she is a character who exacts sympathy rather than pity or contempt. I believe this is due to Foreman's writing and choice to present much of the information in G's own words (letters, diaries, etc).
Overall I enjoyed this biography and definitely recommend it to anyone who saw the movie as that was a sad and pitiful attempt to tell the story of a woman who, really, defied definition and the pigeon holing many women in history usually endure."
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