On 8 May 1777 crowds of theatregoers could have been seen pouring
into Drury Lane for the first night of R B Sheridan's new play, The
School for Scandal. Among them was Georgiana Spencer, the first
Earl of Spencer's 19-year-old daughter, who had married the rich
Duke of Devonshire some three years before. 'When she appeared,' a
French diplomat wrote of her, 'every eye was turned towards her;
when absent, she was the subject of universal conversation.' She
was also, in her own words, 'giddy and vain' and amusing, wildly
extravagant and utterly captivating. She numbered among her close
friends Sheridan, Charles James Fox, the Prince Regent, her
husband's mistress Lady Elizabeth Foster, and the future prime
minister, Charles Grey, by whom she had a daughter. An opponent of
Pitt's administration, she canvassed vigorously on behalf of the
Whigs. Yet even such a Tory as Samuel Johnson was captivated by
Georgiana's charms and was more than content to have the Duchess
'hanging on his sentences and contending for the nearest place to
his chair'. To this delightful woman Foreman does full justice in a
highly enjoyable book - as entertaining as it is scholarly. Review
by Christopher Hibbert Editor's note: Christopher Hibbert is a
historian and author of Nelson: A Personal History, George IV, The
Virgin Queen: The Personal History of Elizabeth I, The French
Revolution and Africa Explored. (Kirkus UK)
WINNER OF THE 1998 WHITBREAD BIOGRAPHY AWARD
Georgiana Spencer became the Duchess of Devonshire in 1774 and was the undisputed queen of fashionable society, an influential hostess and an important figure in the Whig party. Yet her story is one of cruel disappointments and personal suffering.
Adored as she was by the public at large, she was incapable of satisfying her husband, who preferred instead her best friend. Her extravagances brought insurmountable debts and ignominy; her search for love brought her pain and disgrace.
This is a penetrating, beautifully written account of one of the great figures of the late eighteenth century, an icon in nher own time and a fascinating foil for our own.
“I predict a great future for Amanda Foreman. She is a scholar who matches her learning to a sense of adventure and writes with engaging vitality.
MICHAEL HOLROYD
“Well-written, extensively researched and highly readable”
STELLA TILYARD, 'DAILY MAIL'
“Not only a pungent, intimate blend of biography and history, but a provocative contribution to our understanding of women in the past”
JENNY UGLOW,'The Independent'
“Georgiana Devonshire was much the most fascinating woman of the age, and Foreman has written a biography to match her”
IAN GILMOUR, 'London Review of Books'
“Sumptuously produced, accurate and eminently readable”
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