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200th out of 725 books
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580 voters
Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill
London, 1673. With her family ruined by war, penniless thirteen year old Sarah Jennings is overjoyed to be chosen as a maid of honor at the bawdy Restoration court of Charles II. She soon wins the trust of Lady Anne of York, a lonely princess who becomes one of her staunchest allies. And though Sarah's beauty stirs the desires of the jaded aristocrats, she wants a grander...more
Paperback, 379 pages
Published
August 1st 2006
by NAL Trade
(first published January 1st 2006)
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Duchess is the story of Sarah Churchill. It's based on her actual memiors and is pretty accurate, but still fascinating, which is always nice!
Sarah is an admirable woman - very ambitious and strong willed. I loved her story.
This is the second of Scotts books I've read, and I'm currently reading a third. I am very impressed by her writing! Her attention to detail and her fact-based character development is really a treat to read! Anyone that's dabbled in historical fiction should check out her w...more
Sarah is an admirable woman - very ambitious and strong willed. I loved her story.
This is the second of Scotts books I've read, and I'm currently reading a third. I am very impressed by her writing! Her attention to detail and her fact-based character development is really a treat to read! Anyone that's dabbled in historical fiction should check out her w...more
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From Publishers Weekly:
"Sarah Jennings's ascent from poverty as a 13-year-old to the highest echelons of late 17th- and early 18th-century English society has all the trappings of supermarket tabloids: intrigue, treachery, deceit and sexual scandals. In this first-person telling, Scott takes a near-scholarly approach but maintains the thrills as Sarah and her equally ambitious husband, John Churchill, risk charges of treason (and thus, their necks) to ensure the crown for Anne Stuart. Sarah and...more
"Sarah Jennings's ascent from poverty as a 13-year-old to the highest echelons of late 17th- and early 18th-century English society has all the trappings of supermarket tabloids: intrigue, treachery, deceit and sexual scandals. In this first-person telling, Scott takes a near-scholarly approach but maintains the thrills as Sarah and her equally ambitious husband, John Churchill, risk charges of treason (and thus, their necks) to ensure the crown for Anne Stuart. Sarah and...more
Usually, this is a book I would have liked a lot, but somehow, it just didn't grab me as much as I thought it would.
This novel tells the story of Sarah Churchill and her machinations to secure a position for herself and her family in 17th century English court. At first her actions were easily understood in the context of wanting something better for her children, but in the end her manoeuvering simply seemed to be cunning and distasteful. (Sarah Churchill was an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchil...more
This novel tells the story of Sarah Churchill and her machinations to secure a position for herself and her family in 17th century English court. At first her actions were easily understood in the context of wanting something better for her children, but in the end her manoeuvering simply seemed to be cunning and distasteful. (Sarah Churchill was an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchil...more
Sarah Churchill was a fascinating woman and this book captures her spirit. What I loved about this book was the romance between Sarah and John Churchill and the glipse into English history during the reign of Charles II, William and Mary and Queen Anne. Sarah Churchill rose from poverty to power through a friendship with Queen Anne when they were both young girls. Also I discovered the fact through her daughter Anne's marriage into the Spencer family that Diana, princess of Wales, was a descende...more
Sarah Churchill was a celebrity in her own right. Strong, intense, ambitious, loving, intelligent... basically all of the positive feminist terms can describe her outright. Scott intricately weaves Churchill's own memoirs with a penache for historical fiction. What does this mean? That you will not be able to put the book down.
Instead of the usual focus on sex and lost popular in the royal courts and novel covering such; Scott instead focuses on the ambitions and struggles of Sarah Churchill. T...more
Instead of the usual focus on sex and lost popular in the royal courts and novel covering such; Scott instead focuses on the ambitions and struggles of Sarah Churchill. T...more
This novel sticks to the facts known about the Sarah Churchill for the most part; it does assume a lesbian relationship with Queen Anne. The book is a fast read and a kind look at a woman quite unpopular in her own day. The book does emphasize her long relationship with John Churchill as a marriage for love, very unusual in its day. Sarah Churchill comes across as aggressively ambitious, politically savvy with an unusual head for business, one who navigated the intrigue of the English court and...more
This is a fictional biography of Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlboro, the ancestress of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill. I watched the BBC mini-series before I read this book, which was excellent, and a nice intro to the Churchill family history. The author did a very good job recounting this very interesting woman's life in a fictional form. She clearly did a lot of research, and for the most part the novel stays loyal to historical facts, which is what I liked about it, in addition t...more
I've read many books about women striving to be the King's favorite. This book is about becoming the Queen's favorite. Sarah was a commoner, but earns herself a spot in King James II's household. Sarah and a young Anne become close as thieves and Anne only trusts and loves Sarah. Anne is shy while Sarah is beautiful, outgoing and cunningly smart. The author takes us through a passionate affair, dethroning of a King and ultimately Anne becoming Queen herself. John Churchill marries Sarah for love...more
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This is the story of John and Sarah Churchill from Sarah's point of view. It starts just before she joins the court and becomes companion to Princess Anne. It's along the same lines as The Boleyn Series by Phillipa Gregory - historical fiction with a strong basis in fact. I liked this novel because of its strong basis in fact and that the author doesn't shy away from showing some of the bad characteristics of its main characters. Sarah probably wasn't as sympathetic in real life as she came acro...more
As far as historical fiction goes, I thought this one was very well written and interesting. Duchess tells the story of Sarah Churchill, whose small family fortune was lost with her father's debt. Sarah, though was very ambitious and smart and rose up the palace ranks to become Princess Anne's,later Queen Anne's most trusted friend.
I looked up Sarah Churchill online and the book is very accurate about her life. She did help Princess Anne escape when opposition arrose against Anne's father, King...more
I looked up Sarah Churchill online and the book is very accurate about her life. She did help Princess Anne escape when opposition arrose against Anne's father, King...more
A fascinating story of Sarah Jennings, who rose from obscurity to be one of the wealthiest duchesses in England and took an important role in history. Through her marriage to John Churchill, a talented soldier who became the first Duke of Marlborough, and her friendship with the future Queen Anne, Sarah occupied an important place in the political power structure of late seventeenth-century England. However, she could also push too far and I felt that the deterioration of her relationship with A...more
I was quite excited to read my first Susan Holloway Scott book since I've heard so many good things out there on other historical fiction blogs. Unfortunately, my expectations did not quite meet the reality of the book. As imagined by Scott, Sarah Jennings Churchill is an engaging and vibrant woman. We first see her in the midst of one of the greatest crises of her life before backtracking to her origins and her start as a maid at King Charles II's court.
Despite her constant desire for power and...more
Despite her constant desire for power and...more
Duchess is the debut novel from historical fication author Susan Holloway Scott. Though I've already read one of Scott's other novels, I've kind of gone on a mission to read all of her books, even from the beginning. Though I typically don't read Restoration-era fiction, there are a few interesting ones out there I've read from the period and I trust that Scott won't let me down.
Duchess tells the story of Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlbrough. Born into a commoner family, young Sarah goes t...more
Duchess tells the story of Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlbrough. Born into a commoner family, young Sarah goes t...more
There are a lot of factors involved in how much I enjoy a book. Often my expectations play a big part in how I feel when I'm done reading. The subject matter of course plays a part and while the writing can be enjoyable and well researched if the protagonist is someone I don't care for that also influences my enjoyment, which is what happened for me with this story.
Susan Holloway Scott portrays Sarah Churchill as a bright, capable and strong young woman who manages to triumph in the face of repe...more
Susan Holloway Scott portrays Sarah Churchill as a bright, capable and strong young woman who manages to triumph in the face of repe...more
I really enjoyed this novel and felt like the writing influenced me like Sarah Churchill influenced Princess Anne... very effectively. Stories like this always make me really wonder- would it have been better to be poor or to live & breathe with the royals? So much sacrifice, all of the lies, the acting, the betrayal... And then the trysts. I was afraid this would be a "bodice ripper" but it was not so bad- the scenes seemed to be there for a reason. The death toll in this book is large, it...more
Spanning Sarah Churchill's life, it follows her rise and close friendship with (eventual) queen Anne of England. Sarah is a fascinating and relatable character (although I did sometimes wonder how much of her emotional life was true). She's involved in politics, passionately in love with her husband (throughout the 30 years they spent together! Unfortunately, their moments are some of the least believable in the book), and emotional support and sometime lover to the queen (I really appreciated h...more
The novel is set in the late 1600's and the early 1700's, it is the story of Sarah Churchill and it is eloquently told in the first person. Unfortunately this is the 2nd novel that I've read of Susan Holloway Scott's and it lacked the passion and emotional connection of 'The Royal Harlot'. The novel is again set in the bawdy court of Charles II but Sarah is certainly not the normal 'Lady of the Bedchamber'. Through great personal risk Sarah helps to bring Princess Anne and her husband to the thr...more
I think I have found a new chick genre: books about female royalty! This is not as good as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, but I did have fun reading it. I learned something about the bitter rivalry between Catholics and Protestant in Restoration England. I also learned that rulers are ruthless and subject to the whims of whoever has their ear. But I do love to read about real historical figures, and Sarah Churchill is among the most interesting. Rags to riches by her cleverness.
I finished this many months ago and apparently never left a review. I remember it to be a compelling drama about a proto-feminist woman of serious political clout in the royal court of late 18th-century England. In fact, the protagonist would do her descendant Winston Churchill proud! Only complaints: the depiction of her relationship with her husband had a juvenile, idyllic quality worthy of a dime-store romance; and I did not enjoy the descriptions of her sexual dalliances with the queen (who...more
Enjoyed this. A great look into the life of a determined lady of the court of King James II, and how she clung to her beliefs and to the favor of those important enough to elevate her and, eventually, her husband, to some of the most influential positions in England. Good historical fiction, and a quite insightful look into the reign of Queen Anne, as well.
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I totally enjoyed this book. I feel a little bit guilty, like I'm learning my history from Disney movies instead of in class, but it does educate the reader on late 17th and early 18th century England. It was definitely a fun read, and I will be more attuned to this genre in the future!
More risque than I was expecting; sweet marriage story, but while they did love each other, their political machinations left them less than sympathetic characters in my opinion. Their loyalty was to each other, and everyone else they knew suffered because of that.
Sarah Churchill's story is that of a clever woman and the long and supportive relationship (marriage) with 17th century military commander John Churchill. Ambition and drama. A romance that stood the test of time. Good read.
Much more of a political account than I expected.
It was interesting from a historical perspective but I could never warm to Sarah. I would, however, like to read more of John Churchill.
One other thing bothered me, given the extensive research that went into this novel, there was a major historical innacuracy in the author's note.
She writes that James Francis Edward Stuart had only one son, Charles Edward Stuart aka Bonnie Prince Charlie.
This is incorrect. He had a second surviving son by the sa...more
It was interesting from a historical perspective but I could never warm to Sarah. I would, however, like to read more of John Churchill.
One other thing bothered me, given the extensive research that went into this novel, there was a major historical innacuracy in the author's note.
She writes that James Francis Edward Stuart had only one son, Charles Edward Stuart aka Bonnie Prince Charlie.
This is incorrect. He had a second surviving son by the sa...more
I really liked this book. I love books about real people, and what their lives may have been like--after I finished I Wiki'd Sarah Churchill and read more about her! Very interesting.
I loved this book. Although it was hard to read about the struggles of having to obey a King or Queen. It was great to read about a couple who rose above everything.
Much more of a political account than I expected.
It was interesting from a historical perspective but I could never warm to Sarah. I would, however, like to read more of John Churchill.
One other thing bothered me, given the extensive research that went into this novel, there was a major historical innacuracy in the author's note.
She writes that James Francis Edward Stuart had only one son, Charles Edward Stuart aka Bonnie Prince Charlie.
This is incorrect. He had a second surviving son by the sa...more
It was interesting from a historical perspective but I could never warm to Sarah. I would, however, like to read more of John Churchill.
One other thing bothered me, given the extensive research that went into this novel, there was a major historical innacuracy in the author's note.
She writes that James Francis Edward Stuart had only one son, Charles Edward Stuart aka Bonnie Prince Charlie.
This is incorrect. He had a second surviving son by the sa...more
I am a huge fan of historical stories this story is so entertaining, I could hardly put the book down. I was slightly disappointed with the abrupt ending.
Jan 14, 2012
Jerrilynn Lilyblade
marked it as to-read
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10384948
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10384948
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Aka Miranda Jarrett
Susan Holloway Scott is the author of over forty historical novels and novellas. Writing under her own name as well as Miranda Jarrett, her bestselling books have received numerous awards and honors. With more than three million copies of her books in print, she has been published in nineteen foreign countries around the world. Her most recent historical novels have been set in...more
More about Susan Holloway Scott...
Susan Holloway Scott is the author of over forty historical novels and novellas. Writing under her own name as well as Miranda Jarrett, her bestselling books have received numerous awards and honors. With more than three million copies of her books in print, she has been published in nineteen foreign countries around the world. Her most recent historical novels have been set in...more
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