The Duchess Countess: The Woman Who Scandalized Eighteenth-Century London Hardcover – February 22, 2022 by Catherine Ostler

Description

Author: Ostler Catherine

Package Dimensions: 25x229x883

Number Of Pages: 432

Release Date: 22-02-2022

Details: Product Description
This “f
unny, intelligent, witty, profound” (Andrew Roberts, New York Times bestselling author)
look at the stylish and scandalous
Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston—a woman whose adventurous life led to an infamous bigamy trial that was bigger news in British society than the American War of Independence—provides a clear-eyed and fascinating look into the sumptuous Georgian Era.

As maid of honor to the Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Chudleigh enjoyed a luxurious life in the inner circle of the Hanoverian court. With her extraordinary style and engaging wit, she both delighted and scandalized the press and public. She would later even inspire William Thackeray when he was writing his classic
Vanity Fair, providing the inspiration for the alluring social climber Becky Sharp. But Elizabeth’s real story is more complex and surprising than anything out of fiction.

A clandestine, candlelit wedding to the young heir to an earldom, a second marriage to a duke, a lust for diamonds, and an electrifying appearance at a masquerade ball in a gossamer dress—it’s no wonder that Elizabeth’s eventual trial was a sensation. Charged with bigamy, an accusation she vehemently fought against, Elizabeth refused to submit to public humiliation and retire quietly.

Perfect for fans of
The Duchess and
Women of Means, this long overdue and evocative biography reappraises Elizabeth’s remarkable story, and out of the past comes an incredibly modern woman who defied society’s expectations of her.
Review
“The real-life tale of Elizabeth Chudleigh is begging for a Netflix adaptation, with shades of Jane Austen,
Bridgerton, and a dash of
The Scarlet Letter.” —
The New  York Times

“Witty and engaging.” —
History Today, Books of the Year 2021

“A dazzling portrait of a woman and an age – I was gripped from start to finish.” —Antonia Fraser, bestselling author of
Marie Antoinette: The Journey

“What a superb, gripping, decadent, colorful biography that brings an extraordinary woman and a whole world blazingly to life. Filled new research, written so elegantly with empathy, passion and cool analysis,
Duchess, Countess is an unforgettable, unputdownable read that seems both modern and historical, utterly relevant today – featuring a cast of characters from Marie Antoinette to Catherine the Great, but also the life of a woman who is both adventuress and victim, who achieved vast wealth and great notoriety, becoming one of Europe’s most famous women and the star of the most scandalous court case of the century.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of
New York Times bestseller
The Romanovs

“Terrifically entertaining: if you liked
Bridgerton, you’ll love this.” —
The Week, Book of the Week (UK)

“Before there was Becky Sharp, there was Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston and the greatest social grifter of them all. She lives once again, thanks to Catherine Ostler’s captivating biography. Definitely dangerous to know, pretty bad and quite possibly mad, there’s no better fun to be had than a ringside seat at the tragi-comic circus that was her life.” —Amanda Foreman, author of
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

“Although this book is a beautifully written and deeply researched life of one of the most remarkable women of the eighteenth century, it is also a scintillating portrait of an age. Since Elizabeth Chudleigh knew so many of Europe’s most talented, fascinating and important people – as well as its most dissipated rakes – the book is populated by as wide a galere of personalities as one is ever likely to meet in a biography. The author has ransacked every archive and visited every place connected with her subject from London to St Petersburg, and the result is the first ever fair-minded estimation of one of the great adventuresses of history. Funny, intelligent, witty, profound and on occasion moving, this book sets a new standard for eighteenth-century biography writing.” —Andrew Roberts, author of
Churchill: