A pretty girl from a titled, extremely wealthy family is sold off to an older man with an even more aristocratic title and loads more money as a brood mare. She is told he loves her, what 17 year-old wouldn't believe that? It isn't true, he just wants a mother for his future son and heir.

As she grows a little more mature she discovers twin passions - fashion and politics, which being a woman, she can only comment on, not vote or act herself. Combining those into a glittering salon for the wealth More...

Reading Ms. Foreman's biography of Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire is no short of a serious addiction. I can't sleep, rest, or do anything, I can't put down this beautiful book!

What is most admirable of Foreman's work is her attention to detail; not only about Georgiana but also the court and culture of the time period. You get an in-depth glimpse into the sordid, extravagent life of the ton, the top 1,200 socialites in London, of which Georgiana reigned as queen.

I saw a few reviews describe th More...

For those of us who love to read, hearing about an exciting movie adaptation makes us want to read the book. We, the few and the proud, will sit on our literary high horses and wait to finish the book even if it means the movie is no longer in theaters. I am one such reader and this is one such book. I saw a preview and was immediately drawn in, but as soon as I realized it was based upon a prize-winning biography, I immediately ordered a copy. I had high expectations, which I am glad to report More...

Beautiful, passionate, but lost. That story didn't have a happy ending in the 18th century, either. This story is rather depressing at times, but vastly amusing and interesting otherwise. To say this woman led a fascinating life is an understatement. She did ridiciulous, stupid things, and the author is a little bit overly tolerant of these mistakes. (She said herself she's in love with Georgiana a little.) So you have to take the somewhat rosy picture of Georgiana's character being painted with More...

I normally don't read historical books, but found this interesting, almost novel-like. I do love this period in British history, and Georgiana was an amazing woman: politically savvy, socially powerful, and intelligent. But I think because of my lack of passion for historical texts generally (I mostly read fiction), I found the book a little dry and also confusing at times (there were many, many "characters" and despite the family trees at the beginning of the book, it was hard to keep them all More...

British Aristocracy - 18th C. Unabridged.



From wiki: Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer) 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806 was the first wife of the 5th Duke of Devonshire, and mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire. Her father, the 1st Earl Spencer, was a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her niece was Lady Caroline Lamb. She is an ancestor (via her illegitimate daughter Eliza Courtney) of Sarah, Duchess of York. She is also related to Diana, Princess of Wales, who was More...

Having seen the movie before reading, I was expecting the same seedy love affair between the unhappily wed but wildly popular Georgiana Spencer, great aunt to the late Princess Diana and Whig Party up-and-comer Charles Gray. As in her real life, the affair was hardly a chapter’s worth of material

What started as a dissertation for her graduate studies for the author, quickly developed into an 18 –month, 450 page study on not only the life of Lady G, but an historical briefing on women, power, pol More...

The title of the biography and the jacket blurb would lead one to believe that Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is about Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. But I think the biography was less about Gerogiana and more about the politics in Georgiana’s time. I realize that Georgiana was very involved in the Whig party, but the book as a whole droned on and on about England’s political scene.

And while I personally find politics fascinating, in this book the Duchess of Devonshire, the most popular per More...

After finishing "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Foreman, I have come to the conclusion that the flaming youth of the 1770's and 80's were just about as wild a bunch that could be. It seems that the generation of aristocrats who came of age in the decade and a half immediately before the French Revolution liked to live life at the edge. Fashions were extreme, homes were elaborate, and fortunes were gambled blithely away. Traditional morals and religious practice were given a public n More...

This is proving to be a very fascinating read! Very political, very sexual (not in a broad sense but with underlying tones.) It appears that Princess Diana's great aunt, seven times removed, set precedent for her niece on eccentricities. Although I loved Diana, she was a bit of an oddball. However, I do find that I am falling in love with Georgiana, as well. A free spirit, a romantic and a brave lady. CAn't wait to finish it! Stay tuned!

Okay, so I have about fifty pages to go and cannot seem to More...

I found this at a used bookstore a month or so ago, and have barely made it past the "notes on the politics of the time" in the preface. But I went to a movie yesterday and saw a preview for a movie called "The Duchess" staring Keira Knightly, so I need to read it before the movie jades me!!
I studied 18th century British portraiture and political cartoons in depth when I studied abroad my junior year of college, so I expect to find this really interesting.

------------
Update: finished!

Wow, Forema More...

I got bored and frustrated in the middle with all the hysterical insecurity and massive gambling debts, late-night partying leading to infertility or miscarriages, but by the end, particularly after the Duchess replaced drinking, drugs, and gambling with chemistry and mineralogy, I really liked the book. Certainly well-written and meticulously researched, it left me musing once again on the constrictive lives of intelligent, articulate, dynamic women in extremely misogynist, patriarchal times.

having watched the new film "the duchess" which was apparently based on this read, i was once again reminded of the sad life of a seemingly powerful woman who really behind closed doors had no power at all -- at least not over what really mattered.

the film paints a more sympathetic heroine charging her excesses and decisions to the actions of her duty-devoted mum and unfeeling and at times cruel husband. and it tended to focus more on the intertwined relations of georgiana, her husband, bess and More...

This was a tough one to get through. The book was too long. I think it was more about politics than Georgiana. I think the author should have had a more narrow scope. Is this a book about Georgiana? Or, is it a book about England’s political scene during her life time? One or the other please. There is definitely interesting history in this book. And Georgiana’s life is worth reading about. I just think the author could have done a better job. Georgiana lived from 1757 to 1806. She lived thru th More...

As with a lot of old biographies, there are hundreds of names to remember, dates, and events. If you ever were lacking in your knowledge of 18th century english and French history, you can gain a lot by this book. Dense, spotted by correspondences that were ressurected by historians, this book is only saved by the juicy gossip, vices, and big blunders these people made. Of course women were trapped in their lives as nasty mistresses or sad wives, but a few are noteworthy. A great biography but s More...

This book really took me by surprise. It's not candycoated historical fiction, it is a really exacting portrayal of Georgiana. The author has tons of (interesting) quotes and footnotes, and relies soley on facts to paint a RICH portrait of the french revolution, the whig party etc. REALLY GOOD!

fun fact I learned from this book: apparently, while giviing toasts during the men-only portions of fancy dinners, english politicians would relieve themselves into chamber pots in the corners of rooms, w More...

I wouldn't have sought out this book if I hadn't seen the movie "Duchess" on a recent transAtlantic flight. I remember, vaguely, hearing about the book when it was first released in 1998, when much was made of the similarities between Princess Diana and her ancestor, the subject of this book, Georgiana Spencer. This notion of their similarities was reason for me NOT to read the book---hadn't we already had way too much of the Spencer family in recent years, without going back a couple of centuri More...

This is an interesting time in British history. We Americans tend more to focus on our revolution and its luminaries. Most of us connect with British history before and after this time. There was a lot going on in Britain, as Foreman documents as she tells the tale of Georgiana Spenser, whose brother is an ancestor to Princess Diana.

Parallels to Georgiana's life and Diana's include being emotionally needy while trapped in loveless marriages. Both marriages came with privileges and constraints. B More...

If you're not interested in reading about politics in 18th century England, than I say, with absolute certainty, that "The Duchess" is not for you.
While the writing was very informative and precise, I did find myself starting to skim the sections that would describe the Duchess's role and influence within the politcal structure of her time. And believe me, there were a lot.
While the movie (under the same title) hints upon her involvement within the Whig Party, it chooses rather to focus on her More...

Many books gain public attention when Hollywood transforms them into motion pictures starring celebrities like Keira Knightley or Rachel McAdams. Only then do some books, good for their own merit, make their way off the bookshelves with newly produced covers featuring beautiful faces. The Duchess, originally titled Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire but changed to match the movie title, was written by Amanda Foreman and published in 1998. Though it was a New York Times bestseller, the biography of More...

This is one of those books that you are depressed when you get to the end of it. I believe this is Amanda Foreman's first book and it will likely be her best work when her career comes to an end. The movie with Keira Knightly, the Duchess, is based off of this book.

It's the biography of the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, a descendant of Princess Diana. She is one of my favorite historical figures, alive in the 18th and 19th centuries. I don't know how Foreman collected so m More...

I enjoyed The Duchess, a biography of the 18th century Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, written by Amanda Foreman. This biography was thorough. It follows her life ranging from birth to death, including all the changes in culture, politics, the arts, and so on that influenced her and that SHE influenced. Georgiana was a fascinating person whose loves, addictions, bravado, and natural elan made news at times on a daily basis. She was an extremely visible political campaigner, a compulsive gamble More...

Katie Felitsky
ms. brooks and ms. sims
january 7, 2013
english 10

This is the award winning biography from 1997 and Whitbread Prize winner. This book is set in the late eighteenth-century in Britian with the main character being Gerogianna. Georgianna starts her fame by marrying one of England's richest and most influential aristocrats, the Duke of Devonshire. Launched into the world of aristocracy she quickly becomes a fashion queen and influential in that matter. Later down the road she quickly be More...

For anyone who has ever thought that being born rich, beautiful and loved would lead to a happy life I recommend this book. Georgiana Spencer was born in 1754, the first child of an extremely happy marriage to the rich Earl Spencer. She was doated on and well-educated and married at 17 to the Duke of Devonshire who proceeded to ignore her!

Georgiana lived at the very climax of the Age of Reason, was heavily involved in Whig politics (which sympathized with the American War of Independence). She More...

f I hadn’t enjoyed Foreman’s A World on Fire I probably would not have picked Georgiana off the second-hand bookstore shelf. So glad I did. Am looking forward to her next bio-history.

At first glance Georgiana resembles an 18th C version of Lady Diana Spencer, the late Princess of Wales. She was Diana’s great-great-great-great aunt and they had a host of traits in common. Each married a man who did not love her and brought an unseen “third party” to the altar. Both were fashion icons, subjects of More...

شوفته كفيلم وسحرني ،، وقعدت طول اليوم غضبانه منها

هي كانت بنت عيلة غنية ومتعلمة كويس جدا وذكية اوي

تنبض بالحيوية ،،
ويجبروها على طريقتنا من الزواج من الدوق

اللي كان كل همه انه يخلف ولاد وطبعا بيعمل علاقات جنسية مع ستات كتير

الدوقة كانت بتلعب قمار وبتهتم بالازياء جدا لدرجة انها كانت ملفته في جميع الحفلات


زواجها جلب لها التعاسة لانه ايه فايدة انك عايشة مع واحد مش بتحبيه ولا شبهك في التطلعات وكمان متطلب

وماعندوش ادنى من الحنان او حتى التفهّم

القاصمة انه نام مع صاحبتها


وكان بيرعى ولادها الصبيان من راجل ت More...

A good, very thorough biography of a fascinating woman - Foreman is lucky to have had access to hundreds of letters written by Georgiana and her colleagues, so we get to see the historical figures telling their stories in their own words (something I'm not used to, being more fond of Tudor-era history). Also interesting was how many of Georgiana's letters don't survive, and why. She had some Victorian descendants who, due to being Victorian, took it upon themselves to clean up their ancestor's i More...

There aren't many biographies that I've read again and again.

I first read this exquisite biography many years ago, way before the release of the film starring a miscast Keira Knightley. I was browsing in a bookstore and was drawn by the cover of this book, which showed Gainsborough's arresting portrait of the Georgian celebrity, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, and whose notoriety in her day rivalled that of her famous descendant.

Foreman tells Georgiana's story with vigour, but also with More...

The duchess is a fantastic true story about the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and her life after the arranged marriage. She is a very corageous woman who stood firm and made her personal beliefs known throughout her lifetime, with a poinant role in politics. She was a model of sophistication showing pure elegance and decadence of the era and portraying a enigmatic model within society. She may have been unhappy in marriage but her affair was suposedly to help ease her distress which sadly only More...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down. While reading it, I felt transported into Georgiana's world. I often found myself thinking about the book throughout my day and enticipating when I could next pick it up. Amanda Foreman created a clear picture of the kind of woman Georgiana was and the time period during which she lived. I did not expect the heavy focus on the politics of the day, but I surprised myself by actually enjoying the political aspect. This book increased More...