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Dec 11, 2011

Petra X rated it:

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 fo More...

13 comments like (17 people liked it)

Dec 01, 2008

Lindsay rated it:

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 rep More...

2 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jun 11, 2007

Kelly rated it:

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...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 01, 2009

Sandhya rated it:

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 k More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 24, 2010

Jen rated it:

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 More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 14, 2009

Christina rated it:

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 More...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2008

Elena rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 01, 2008

Adriana rated it:

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 g More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 05, 2009

Courtney rated it:

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.

-- More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 24, 2009

Colette added it

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.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 28, 2008

Terri rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 14, 2008

Kellie rated it:

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 liv More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 20, 2009

Angela rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 09, 2008

Esme rated it:

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 More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 25, 2009

Laura rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 09, 2012

Jenn rated it:

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...

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Oct 31, 2010

Catherine rated it:

An extremely well-researched and well-written biography, this book affords the reader a fascinating peak into 18th century aristocratic life. I simply could not put it down. I also appreciate Foreman's delicacy in recounting the lives of her subjects. She does not pass judgment on either the cultural mores of the time or her subjects' somewhat questionable moral choices, but rather relays the facts and allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. The book is also packed with fascinat More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 09, 2010

Margaret rated it:

This is one of the best biographies I've read in a long time. Georgiana was one of the most prominent women in 18th century British society. She began as a social hostess and leader of fashion, before becoming active and influential in the world of politics; she was also a talented writer (Foreman quotes some witty poetry) and, later in life, interested in geology, amassing an impressive collection of rocks. Lest this make her sound a paragon, she was also highly insecure, addicted to gambling, More...

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Feb 26, 2010

Brigid rated it:

This book gives a thorough portrayal of an interesting figure in British political history. After reading Eric Ives' biography on Anne Boleyn, I was struck by the much greater amount of original source material available for Foreman's book on Georgiana two-and-a-half centuries later. Georgiana is a complicated person, as are most, and Foreman treats her as such. The author's command of the history of the time period and fluid style make this a deeply engrossing read. The only fault I found was i More...

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Aug 25, 2009

LindyLouMac rated it:

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7244...

I would probably not have chosen this title myself as something I would enjoy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Recently passed on to me by my daughter when she was clearing her bookshelves, this is history made palatable. Originally published in 1998 as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, it has now been republished because of the recent film. Prior to reading this I only knew the very basic facts about her, mainly that she was like her descen More...

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Aug 18, 2009

Meredith rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 18, 2009

Holyn rated it:

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 an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 24, 2010

Adrienne added it

AKA the book that The Duchess starring Keira Knightly was based on. Georgiana lived during the late Georgian and early Regency periods, so having all that Heyer under my belt makes the book that much more interesting, because I recognize people and cultural references. It was really interesting as portrait of the excesses of the lives of the Quality back then, including how many lives were ruined by gambling addiction and debt, the emergence of the popular press relating glowing praise and scath More...

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Apr 07, 2011

Sigrid rated it:

Throughout the book, the people who knew Georgiana describe her as almost hypnotically compelling. Over and over again she is described as a person who one simply must forgive, simply must agree with, simply must make allowances for -- simply must adore. Amanda Foreman had a considerable challenge, constructing a biography that could adequately represent Georgiana in such a way that we, the readers, might also fall under her sway.

I think Foreman has clearly succeeded.

Of cou More...

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Mar 17, 2010

Trish rated it:

Amanda Foreman's biography of Geogiana, Duchess of Devonshire, was an excellent read. Thorough research, clear language, and Foreman's ability to place Georgiana's story within the social and political context of the period makes this one of the strongest biographies I have ever read.

As for the readers who think that Foreman's book is too focused on the politics of the era, I think they need to re-read the biography and understand the role that politics played in Georgiana's life. Po More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 20, 2009

Christy rated it:

I must admit that I only read this after watching the movie twice, being fascinated by the Duchess's story. Georgiana was one of the most significant figures of her time, influencing fashion, society, and politics. The Duchess was an intimate friend of Marie Antoinette and Prince Regent, and helped to bridge the gap between political factions in parliament. She designed dresses, she lent her support to elections, she was mobbed by fans and every move she made was closely followed by the newspap More...

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May 12, 2011

Patti added it

Really loved this - it paints a fascinating portrait of a woman who was far ahead of her time, and one of the first tabloid darlings. Georgiana Spencer Cavendish had a serious gambling problem and lost most of her money, she was a bit of a laudanum addict, drank too much and had an eating disorder. However, she also was active in politics, wrote plays and poems, studies minerals and astronomy, and did far more than just sit around being decorative.

What I found most interesting was t More...

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Apr 20, 2010

Kate rated it:

I had not realised how much influence Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire had over Whig politics in the late 18th and early 19th century (she lived from 1757 to 1806). As the author says at the end the current ways in which history is written completely bypasses those women like G and what they did. Another interesting historical note about what we know now is the fact that the original source material has been altered or thrown away by family or others who did not approve of what was portrayed More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 16, 2009

Ali rated it:

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 More...

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May 14, 2009

MAP rated it:

I strongly recommend reading this right after coming off of a novel about a serial killer that murders people by breaking their bones. That makes his biography of -- as my friend Claire put it -- "really bad people doing bad things to each other" seem really not so terrible.

That said, it's a well researched biography with some very interesting facts thrown in.

There are only a couple issues I had with it: one -- Georgiana is known for her devotion to her childre More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

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