My Name Is Eleanor

by Val Scully

Imagine being the only child of a wealthy Newcastle coal czar who brings you up to expect the independent life you would have had if you had been a boy. His death makes you the richest heiress in England when you are barely out of childhood. Suddenly, you are prey to the conventional expectations of Georgian Britain. Married to an earl on your eighteenth birthday, your wealth and properties become his, as do married women have no existence in law. When he dies, leaving you with five children, you regain your wealth and liberty and start to pursue the life your father promised you. But your independence is widely resented in a misogynistic it is only a matter of time before you are brought to heel. In a world where a man's right to physically chastise his wife is enshrined in law, where even the wife of a king can be locked up in an asylum, how will you survive? Mary Eleanor Bowes was the great-great-great-great grandmother of the Queen. The whiff of scandal still swirls around her name, but to accept her notoriety is to allow her persecutors to succeed in ruining her reputation. Based closely on the recorded facts, this novel vividly recreates the story of the Courageous Countess.

328 pages, ebook

Published January 9, 2016

Reviews

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

BX Link: https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/...
Genre: Historical Fiction
Where: England
When: late 18th century
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Thoughts/Reflections: Like some of the readers before me in this Bookcrossing book ray, I had no previous knowledge of Mary Eleanor Bowes. What a life this woman led. Realizing this is a fictional account, the author appears to have stayed true to historical events, at least as far as my research indicates. I’m so grateful to have been introduced to this author and this remarkable historical figure. I did find it hard to read – it took me two weeks to finish because I found the story of Stoney's cruelty increasingly difficult to read, but in the end I felt I owed to to Eleanor to understand what she’s endured.

My favorite words:

“We all have these moments, do we not? Memories which, the moment they are formed, go straight to the heart of us and make us what we are.”

“I will just say one thing and hope that you will always remember it: People are not always what they seem.' Oh George, if only I had listened.”

“Her words have come back to me over the years, many times, and of course now I understand the truth of them. We do not know what we have until it is gone.”

“Sometimes we turn away help when it is offered in the belief that to accept it would be to admit our weakness.”

“Happiness is a thing we cannot control, and so is nature. It's surprising how often we need to be reminded about both.”

“I do fear it, but I have been through so much that I will not feel shame, only anger. And anger is a fuel.”

“Mary Morgan spoke, 'No, I think I understand. You believe you know where you are with working people.' Yes, I feel that I do. My father always did. He always said that respect had to be earned, not demanded, and he had far more respect for an honest, hard-working man than for a landed toff who didn't know which side to butter his bread.'”

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fascinating insight into the life of one of the nation’s wealthiest women in Georgian England, Mary Eleanor Bowes. What she had to endure in her marriage and how she eventually managed to escape from it makes for remarkable reading.

[Chrystyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Name is Eleanor by Val Scully - Good

The first bookray for the authors that will speak at the Durham Bookcrossing Unconvention in September 2024.

I always like a bit of historical fiction, especially when it is written around a real person and using real events. Mary Eleanor Bowes is such a person (and happens to be an ancestor of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the late Queen Mother). However, I'm not a fan of romance and I had a brief moment of concern as the first chapter seemed heading down that road and a little too fanciful for my liking. I needn't have worried, once the book got into its stride and dealing with the actual story it was fascinating.

Married at 18, widowed with 5 children and then tricked into a second marriage, what she endured and survived and the way she changed how women were treated were unprecedented. Bearing in mind this was Georgian times when men were allowed the 'rule of thumb' to chastise their wives (ie they could be beaten as long as the stick was no bigger in diameter than a thumb) that her husband treated her so cruelly that she managed to eventually divorce him is testament to what she endured and what she achieved.

Now I want to visit Gibside and find out more about this fascinating woman.

Oh. Just one thing. Be careful reading the Chapter Notes as some of the information included is in under the wrong chapter number. I ended up reading a couple of spoilers accidentally. I know it's actual history/documented fact so not really a spoiler but as this was the first I knew of the woman I prefered to find out the details from the story rather than the notes.

#review

[Kirstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A truly fascinating insight into the life of Mary Eleanor Bowes and I'm now really looking forward to hearing Val Scully speak at the Durham Uncon in September.

I have visited the Bowes Museum in nearby Barnard Castle a few times since I moved to the North East but admit I didn't know anything about Eleanor Bowes. The way she successfully fought her abusive husband and was eventually granted a divorce in those times was remarkable and she was definitely s strong inspiring woman

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Eleanor's story has fascinated me since I began volunteering at Gibside and learnt about her view the scope of the Chapel's history. While I knew the main points of her story, and had long admired her determination to gain a divorce from Stoney for the benefit not just of herself and her family, but the precedent such a ruling would set in law, I did not fully know what she had gone through following the initial grant of the divorce. Val Scully does an exceptional job of weaving the known facts with just enough fiction to pad out the story, and I particularly enjoyed being able to flick to appendix of chapter notes when I wanted to know more, or clarify which parts were imagined.

[penelopewanders]

I am not quite sure whether to add "non-fiction" here. The book is written in the first person, so obviously there's a lot of surmising and imagining (some of which is pinpointed in the afterword), with that caveat, it seems to be a fairly accurate account of Mary Eleanor Bowe's life.

One tends to forget to what extent women were second (or third) class citizens for so long, and this determined young woman suffered greatly for that reason.

I do wonder why she didn't seek to get the marriage with Stoney annulled right after it happened, but perhaps that would have led to insurmountable scandal which she was not ready to face at that point in her life. At times, I found it very difficult to read all that she endured and how helpless she was.

One slight irritation with the book was the constant foreshadowing, like a heavy-handed score in a film, droning out ominous music. At times it caused me to put down the book and pick up another before returning to it and forging on.
This is here as a bookcrossing ring (or ray?) and will hopefully travel on soon.

[Alyson Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this book - I literally could not put it down. What a marvellous writer Val is. I loved how she wove fiction around historical fact and I particularly enjoyed reading about the the local area. As a lover of the Gibside estate and the surrounding areas, it was a real joy.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very slow burn to start with, but well worth sticking with. It seemed a bit rushed at the end, trying to fill in all the missing pieces, but I enjoyed it. If the rating was out of 10 I'd probably give it 7.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in a long time. Beautifully written, with local historical interest (Gibside Estate). I loved it and literally could not put it down.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading group choice. Historical chic lit

[Helen Wilberforce · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for this riveting historical drama, brought vividly to life. This book sat on my shelf untouched for a long time. When I finally opened it, I couldn't put it down! Excellent read.

[Erica Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a life! So much to deal with after a lovely childhood. I had to stop reading at times because all the adversity was hard to read about. An amazing woman. Glad I got the chance to find out about her life. I attended an author talk by Val Scully about this book (at the UK Bookcrossing Unconvention 2024) and learnt more about her research and what she found out and how she used the information to write a historical novel. It was fascinating.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vivid fictional account of an incredible true story. Eleanor's inner world really is brought to life along with the sights and sounds of the 18th Century. A great story of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of terrible adversity.