Customer Reviews

The Duchess

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"The Duchess" is the movie tie in version of Amanda Foreman's excellent 1998 biography "Georgiana". Except for the cover depicting Keira Knightley as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, it is essentially the same book.

Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, was born in the eighteenth century and died in the early nineteenth century, but her life was very modern in many ways. She was an open activist at a time when women were supposed to stay behind the scenes, a bold and flamboyant hostess who used her social prestige to advance her political agenda, and a beautiful but ultimately self-destructive woman whose emotions helped shape British history.

Georgiana was born into one wealthy and powerful aristocratic family and married into an even wealthier and more powerful one. The Cavendishes were bastions of the Whig oligarchy, which governed Britain almost continuously through the eighteenth century until the 1760s, when King George III forced them out of power. In opposition the Whigs became the progressives or liberals of the day, calling for curbs on the King's powers, protection for the liberties of the people, and for progress and social reform (with the ultimate aim of regaining power for themselves, of course). Georgiana was married to the Duke of Devonshire, who was retiring where she was outgoing, far more interested in living a quiet life with various mistresses than in helping to advance the Whig cause. Georgiana, frustrated with a husband who did not appreciate her, threw herself into politics, becoming a friend of Whig leaders like Charles James Fox and campaigning openly for him and others.

Georgiana's private life was complicated. She and her husband were involved in a years long menage a trois with Lady Elizabeth Foster, who was simultaneously Georgiana's best friend and the Duke's mistress and mother of his illegitimate children. Georgiana was addicted to gambling and lost enormous sums which she feared to reveal to the Duke. Eventually Georgiana herself had a love affair which nearly caused her marriage to end and forced her temporarily out of sight. Although she returned to political life after some years, her health broke down and her influence remained diminished.

Amanda Foreman has produced a work of great scholarship which reads like a novel. Georgiana's life is so fascinating that I've read this biography several times just to see what she would get up to next and how she would get out of one scrape after another. Foreman makes the good point that Georgiana epitomized many women of the eighteenth century, who were far more active and involved in politics than is generally supposed, as well as being a harbinger of the kind of power base to which women in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries still aspire.

Georgina was a women beyond her time. She had an adventureous and emotionally sad go with relationships. The author brings her to life. Read the book before you see the movie. Much more vivid picture painted of her life by the author.

This serious biographical study of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire in the late 18th century, invites us to look behind the public face. On marriage, she became a celebrity for her beauty, charm, high spirits and wealth. She also became addicted to the greatest risk of her class and era, gambling, and thus far, might seem comparable to some young Hollywood beauties of the present day. As we readers come to know her, however, we see that she had intelligence and determination. She was passionate about politics. Much more than the usual for women, she became involved in campaigning. She bemoaned the limitations of her gender. Her history reflects her era and the limited role of women, although, in her case, she pushed it as far as she could.

Much more detailed and complex than the cinematic bodice-ripper starring lovely Keira Knightley, this fascinating and thorough biography takes you up close and personal with the famous Duchess and her intriguing supporting cast of characters. Startlingly modern in her politics, passions and problems, Georgiana's story is well worth reading. She is as captivating all these centuries later as she clearly was while living. History buffs and political afficiandoes will certainly enjoy this juicy tome.

The book is very interesting and chock full of quotes and little-known historical facts. However, all of that did not make for a good read. I'm glad I read it but it's hard to recommend this book because it was laborious to read.

This biography of Georgiana, the duchess of Devonshire in the late 1700s and early 1800s is really fascinating. She came of age just at the time when the press had an inclination and the ability to create a kind of celebrity. Poor Georgiana became a short of Paris Hilton of her time. The public watched her every move, imitated her when they could. She seemed to enjoy the notoriety, when she was young, and partied until exhaustion. This well researched book revealed several problems for her: 1) She married a man who, while be brought her a wonderful position, was totally unsuited in personality. 2) She developed a problem with compulsive gambling and ended up with horrendous debts which she feared to bring to her husband's attention. 3) She had adulterous affairs which resulted in an offspring that she had to give up.

All of this within a period of not much more than 20 years, before her health and beauty faded. But she really was more than just the obvious surface society lady. She loved science (especially geology), and she was a true friend to those she loved.

I found this book to be fascinating, also, because (I hate to admit it!) I always loved those period romances (think Georgette Heyer). Reading this book was like reading one of those! Only other addicts will understand when I say things like "the book has Lady Jersey!! The Ton!! The Queen's Drawing Rooms!"

This book is worthwhile, thus, as both serious history, and as enjoyable background for other reading!

After having seen the movie, I was anxious to read this book and went out and bought it immediately. After getting into it, I quickly realized that this was about 100x better than the movie itself and covers a larger span of topics. Amanda Foreman writes an exciting biography of Georgiana and it almost reads like non-fiction. This biography is for fiction and non-fiction readers alike. I enjoyed it thoroughly and seriously recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. It's not a fast read, but you will enjoy it immensely. The duchess herself was far ahead of her time and her life struggles are parallel with those many of us face today.

I have to say that I watched the movie before picking up the book but the portrayal of the Duchess in the film was but a taste of what you get from reading the book.She lead such a interesting and complicated life that it definitely would have been difficult in choosing what to add/exclude from the feature film.The book was very politically heavy and even though it didn't really detract from the story,some of the passages tended to be long winded and a little dry.There was almost too much detail in some of the explanations about political parties and relationships and how they worked.I myself was more captivated by the passages that highlighted her personal home life such as the birth of her children and relationships with her immediate family/friends/husband.I also found the added personal correspondence of the Duchess to the various people to be an insight into who she was as a person and an added bonus to the narrative.Overall an interesting and recommended read!

This is an interesting time in British history. We Americans tend more to focus on our revolution and its luminaries. Most of us connect with British history before and after this time. There was a lot going on in Britain, as Foreman documents as she tells the tale of Georgiana Spenser, whose brother is an ancestor to Princess Diana.

Parallels to Georgiana's life and Diana's include being emotionally needy while trapped in loveless marriages. Both marriages came with privileges and constraints. Both were forced into compromises and both, like forces of nature, found ways to persevere to do what they thought was right. Georgiana was perhaps the more adventurous, but in her time there were no telephoto lenses or listening devises, only servants who, being human, could be dodged.

This is a story of aristocratic life in the 18th century. There is an austere social code. Perhaps gambling is popular since it relieves the tension. A lot depends on ceremony and reputations are very important.

Besides the fascinating portrait of Georgiana and her times, there are other interesting characters of note. One is Georgiana's sister Harriet. She suffers extreme domestic abuse as well as debilitating illness, but she is not a victim. She does not cower to this abusive husband and apparently flaunts him with affairs. The mother of these two daughters (as well as Diana's direct forebearor) hectors her daughters to standards which she, herself, cannot uphold. I presume there is a good story about her son and how he re-establishes the family's finances after Lady Spencer's reckless gambling. Some of the men, including the Prince of Wales seem to be emotionally unstable, they fall to the floor and cry.

I was very surprised to read at the end (p. 384) " women's lives... were equally susceptible to the pressures caused by class, locality, economy and age" since it appeared to me that the whole book demonstrated the vulnerability of women. A big "for instance" is how Georgiana had to accept Bess, her husband's mistress, in her home. Moderns might extrapolate a three way romance here, but if this is so, it still speaks to the power of the Duke. He could expel both of them to the continent and while he could experience societal pressure it was obviously not enough to prevent him from doing this. Bess, herself, is nothing without a male patron. Another society woman in similar circumstances is said to "starve". Illegitimate children are taken from their mothers and given to their father's wives to raise. Georgiana's marriage is essentially an official/legal bond to the Duke. She views and treats him more as a boss/authority than a loving husband. Despite her many abilities, they are not a partnership of equals.

Foreman gives a good introduction to the character of Georgiana and her times. More is needed on the pre 1800 issues so that the reader can understand what the Whigs are fighting for. They are vaguely defined as curbs on the King and some sympathy for the American colonists. After 1800 Forman introduces issues such abilition of the slave trade and rights for the Irish, which if they were part of the earlier narrative too, would have made the Whig's passion more meaningful. While this is a book about Georgiana, more on her husband, the Duke of Devonshire is warrented. What does he do with his time? How does he preserve his wealth at a time when so many are losing theirs, and how does he fit into Georgiana's political life?

This is much richer fare than the film adaptation of the book, which I saw before reading the book. The author does a remarkable job of creating a woman of flesh and blood out of all the documents and correspondence that she had to sift through and read in order to compile this eminently readable biography of a prominent and influential eighteenth century woman. It was like looking into another time and place.

The author paints a vivid three dimensional portrait of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, with all her positive attributes and foibles laid bare for the reader. The book also richly details the social mores of the eighteenth century, as well as the lifestyle of the rich and famous of that era. Georgiana's place as a leader of that stratum of society is clearly delineated within the pages of the book and makes for fascinating reading. She comes to life on the pages of this book.

Since Georgiana became a political animal and involved herself in Whig politics, the politics of the times holds a prominent place in the book. This, unfortunately, is the Achilles heel in the book, as too much time is spent on the politics of the day and some of it is dry stuff, indeed. Still, the book is filled with so many interesting anecdotes of some of the most important personages of the time, whose lives intertwined with that of Georgiana's, that the reader will stay the course and come away with a feeling of having met one of the most interesting of women of the time.