| Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (Modern Library Paperbacks) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 67 reviews)
Sales Rank: 4184
Category: Book
Author: Amanda Foreman
Publisher: Modern Library
Studio: Modern Library
Manufacturer: Modern Library
Label: Modern Library
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0375753834
Dewey Decimal Number: 941.07092
EAN: 9780375753831
ASIN: 0375753834
Publication Date: January 16, 2001
Release Date: January 16, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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 menage a 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.
Amazon.com Review
Georgiana Spencer was, in a sense, an 18th-century It Girl. She came from one of England's richest and most landed families (the late Princess Diana was a Spencer too) and married into another. She was beautiful, sensitive, and extravagant--drugs, drink, high-profile love affairs, and even gambling counted among her favorite leisure-time activities. Nonetheless, she quickly moved from a world dominated by social parties to one focused on political parties. The duchess was an intimate of ministers and princes, and she canvassed assiduously for the Whig cause, most famously in the Westminster election of 1784. By turns she was caricatured and fawned on by the press, and she provided the inspiration for the character of Lady Teazle in Richard Sheridan's famous play The School for Scandal. But her weaknesses marked the last part of her life. By 1784, for one, Georgiana owed "many, many, many thousands," and her creditors dogged her until her death. Biographer Amanda Foreman describes astutely the mess that surrounded the personal relationships of the aristocratic subculture (Georgiana and the duke engaged for many years in a menage a trois with Lady Elizabeth Fraser, who inveigled her way into the duke's bed and the duchess's heart). Foreman is, by her own admission, a little in love with her subject, which can lead to occasional lapses of perspective, but generally it adds zest to a narrative built on, rather than burdened by, scholarship, that is at once accessible and learned. An impressive debut, in every sense. --David Vincent, Amazon.co.uk
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| Customer Reviews: Read 62 more reviews...
 Will turn you into a history buff! November 16, 2008
AMAZING read! I have never been interested in History of any sort before and afte reading a bit about her on Wikipedia I couldn't wait to learn more! She is fascinating, flaws and all! This book gave a wonderful outline of the time period, the rulers in charge and the goverment, but loaded with interesting facts and how her life had impacted so much of that time period. It proved to me that times were not too different back then as they are now with sex, drugs, affairs, addictions and celebrity obsession. I couldn't put this book down and after finishing it you'll want to look for book on her fascinating friends and aquaintences as well! It's a must buy even for the uninterested in history, couldn't tell you the dates of the civil war type of person
Wonderful readable biography November 13, 2008
This is a wonderful biography. I was somehow worried it would be boring. However, the author manages to narrate Georgiana's life and times in such a way that I could not put it down, and read it in less than three weeks' time.
There are already may good comments, so I will only add something that the book does not mention. The case is that a portrait of the Duchess had also a interesing story to be told. In the XIX century Adam Worth, a real-life Moriarty, stole Gainsborough's portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire - and later returned it. It is mentioned in "The Napoleon of crime" by Ben Macintyre. I remember that Macintyre quotes a XVIII century sailor who said somethink like "I could lit my pipe with the starks from her eyes".
Other excellent biographies of women in the middle of their age's politics (in fact, a couple of much maligned queens) worth reading are "Wu: The Chinese Empress Who Schemed, Seduced and Murdered Her Way to Become a Living God" by Jonathan Clements and "Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman" by Stephen Zweig.
Simply an excellent book November 12, 2008
Georgiana had a fascinating life complete with adventure, intrigue, heartbreak, vast wealth and opportunity and of course, great beauty. In short, she makes for a great subject. But this book is also well-written and researched. I read if on a beach vacation and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. It was fun, plus very informative.
Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire November 12, 2008
I bought this book after seeing the movie. The book is so much more in depth and captures the spirit of an amazing woman. Georgiana was a woman ahead of her time in many areas however her political prowess is to admired. In the true spirit of all women her life was a tapestry of joy, pain, sacrifice and success. Ms. Foreman's biography is written in a knowledgeable and thorough manner but it reads like a story. Her style of writing kept me engaged and captivated.
 Incredibly Dry October 14, 2008
Based on all the glowing reviews, I was expecting a fascinating read. But this book was anything but exciting. I found it really hard to get into the story. About halfway through, I finally gave up and just skimmed the rest of the book. This reads more like a history book than a biography. The author goes into a lot of detail, but she fails to get into Georgiana's head. I'm giving this 3 stars because the author did an incredible amount of research. But it's too bad her writing style is so dull. At the end, I couldn't understand why this book was written or why Georgiana was supposedly such an intriguing person. Hopefully, the movie does a better job of making Georgiana seem like a real person.
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