Customer Reviews

England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton

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Not every historical biography is as compulsively readable as this. If they were a lot of school children would be much more happy.

Many biographies claim to be as compelling and fascinating to read as novels, but I can't recall a single other biography I've read that's lived up to that very big claim. Kate Williams manages to strike the perfect tone between the feel of fiction prose and an informative and engaging history lesson. She grabs the reader immediately, partly due to the fact her subject is, to put it mildly, an interesting figure. But it's more than that. Williams writes in such an approachable style, and it's probably what I'd consider the absolute perfect style for writing a historical biography. There are no places interest flags in this book, so perfectly has Williams paced the material. From start to finish it's as gripping to read as the best literary novels, and it's made all the more fascinating knowing every word of it is true.

As for Lady Emma Hamilton herself, what a woman! Whether you think her bold and courageous or a gold-digging tramp, you have to give the lady credit for having her wits about her. She reminds me of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders, though Moll never hit the big time the way Emma did. Moll was crafty, it's true, but lacking the stunning beauty and obvious and unflagging street smarts of Emma. As far as fictional characters go, though, I think Moll would be as near the mark as they come.

What an amazing cast of real-life historical characters pepper this book. Not really knowing much of the hard history behind Lady Emma's life, I didn't realize her relationship with Admiral Nelson beforehand. That very likely made me even more riveted to the book, but I can't imagine any fiction being any more compelling than the truth of this woman's life. What a lot of cheek, on the one hand, but what a brilliant use of her resources, too. And I DO mean all her resources...

Whether you end up loving or reviling the woman, it's inarguable that she was hugely influential in 18th century society. How much she actually did help write history could be debated, but I'd personally be willing to bet her imprint was vastly influential. After all, the woman had the ear of so many of the elite, not to mention the heart of the national hero. Her moral scruples may not have been enviable, but her cunning is something if not to admire, at least to acknowledge as being very much out of the ordinary. However you feel about Lady Emma going into the book, by the time you're done you'll have had such a good history lesson, and an entertaining one at that, you'll ultimately know how you stand on the issue. Kate Williams presents all the facts without prejudice, and with such a flair, there will be no lukewarm reaction.

I can't imagine anyone who loves to read well-written historical prose, whether fiction or non-fiction, wouldn't find something in this book. Whether your genre is fiction, biography or history this book fits the bill. It's simply one of the most impressive, and satisfying, first efforts I've ever seen, and I can only hope Kate Williams is working on a follow-up book.

It's been a while since I've been this smitten with a work of biography, and I came away with so much more knowledge on the 18th century, a topic I already thought I knew a bit about having spent a good deal of time reading the fiction of that period, and also a burning desire to read everything else that's out there on the topic of Lady Emma Hamilton. However, whatever else I do wind up reading I know I'll consider Williams' work the benchmark by which I judge the sheer readability of the other works. The simple fact is, a book's readability determines its appeal, and judged by this England's Mistress is one of the absolute best works of biography I have ever read.

I love him, I adore him, my mind and soul is now transported with the thought of that blessed ecstatic moment when I shall see him, embrace him......I must sin on and love him more than ever. It is a crime worth going to Hell for.

Emma Hamilton on Nelson, 1804

Amy Lyon was born April 26th 1765 in Cheshire England; her name changed soon after birth to Emma Lyon. Emma's parents were poverty stricken and life was constantly tested with endurance. Emma aged twelve; travelled to London to take on a job as a maid which was extremely demanding and tough; her employment did not last for she was far to full spirited.

London was hard but it had opportunity she would start from the bottom and work her way up. Emma turned to the theatre again as a maid hoping to become an actress; but jobs were hard to keep again she lost her job. Someone with poor back ground of such humble beginnings had not many choices so for Emma to make money she was forced to sell herself, this was a set back she soon became employed again at a London health spa (with a seedy side to it) she wished to better herself and live in higher circles of society.

Emma had an innocent beauty men loved and before long she had been noticed by the most notorious Madam Kelly (real name Charlotte Hayes) who reinvented her girls to please her exclusive clientele of men. Emma was transformed into a high class Courtesan but this was not fraught without danger of becoming pregnant or riddled with disease. Emma needed to escape this life, tired of being passed around the only way to succeed from the perils was to find a rich man and to become his long term kept mistress, such luck, finally a man of real wealth bought out her contract from famous Madam Kelly, but even with freedom and a rich life it was thawte with set backs and despair, until another lover came to her aid and began to teach her about life, Emma listened, eager to learn and became accomplished she was always ever so grateful; already knowing the art of reinvention she became Ms Emma Hart.

By her twenties she was becoming a star, Emma became the most painted women of her day. Artist were queuing, the most famous paintings of Emma Hart was by artist George Romney his works with Emma include Sensibility, Circe, The Spinstress and Bacchante, prints sold quickly from his studio in London to society in England and Europe. Other famous paintings were by Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun she painted Emma as a dancing Bacchante and the reclining Bacchante all paintings of Emma by Romney and other artist are describe vividly in this book; and are still shown in Art Galleries around the world today.

Emma's fame won the heart of elderly Sir William Hamilton who was British ambassador to Naples Italy, (At the time the third largest city behind London and Paris) against the odds of marriage she eventually became his wife Lady Hamilton most celebrated. Received at the Royal court of Naples, her fame continued with her classic posies called `Attitudes' postures in beautiful diaphanous outfits, it thrilled the aristocrats and intellectuals who visited Naples.

It wasn't long before Emma became a confident to both Queen of Naples Maria Carolina and to her sister Queen Marie Antoinette who was in the throws of revolution in France. The Napoleonic Wars were upon Europe, letters were written from Emma to England and Nelson whom she had met a while before to come save her friends. Naples was now certain to come under attack from Napoleon. Admiral Horatio Nelson responded to her plead England's greatest military hero came to her rescue, Emma soon became his mistress and greatest love.

In the eyes of eighteenth-century satirists, mistress and courtesans could do as they pleased, but a wife who was unfaithful was beyond the pale and received harsh treatment in society. Emma was willing to throw away her years of hard earned respectability for a man she loved, it could only end in tears.

Favourite biography of 2006; wonderful, insightful and beautifully written. Letters from Emma which were previously undiscovered were a back drop for this incredible book it makes you feel plucked up and taken back to the eighteenth-century for a front row seat at the life and times. We are shown the hardship, the elegant fashions in circulation a trip to the hairdresser for the latest style, Emma became a leading Icon. We travel continents taking a close look at Europe and its cities centuries old; and feel a passion and excitement about it all. We also learn more about an array of real life colourful characters from that day and age poets, artist, people in society the Royal families.

Make no mistake this book is about Emma herself, a woman full of ambition, excitement, wit and style she constantly reinvented herself and kept life interesting. Showing her manipulation of the media and there fascination with her to become the most famous women in England.

Congratulations to the Author Kate Williams, fantastic read and knowledge of the eighteenth century, vivid description of cities and what life would have been like, thank you for taking your time and energy to give us all a story of an extraordinary woman. Everything about this book had flair and captured one women's real beauty in Portrait.

Andrea Bowhill

Incredibly well-written and interesting. We've all seen her lovely portrait, but I never knew much about her life. This books tells her fascinating biography and places her in the context of her interesting era with a wealth of fascinating details of life in England, in London, in Naples, and overseas through her sad death in Calais. Excellent discussion of the place of women in her society, 1750-1815, without being PC or self-pitying. One of the best books I have ever read. One hopes that Ms. Williams will write more and more...

There are several excellent reviews above. I shall not endeavor to repeat them. I just finished the book this morning, and I came away from it kind of melancholic. What a sad death for someone who had given so much to her country. She died an agonizing slow death at age 49 in France, of all places, ignored by the government, ignored by many of her so-called friends, and brutally ignored by Nelson's family. Nelson himself comes off not quite as heroic as his reputation would suggest and one obviously seeking glory and fame and Emma, for that matter, all for himself. His brother ignored the terms of his will and Emma as well, leaving her destitute, but with the facade of living well. Even her husband, Sir Hamilton, though he comes across as stoic and remarkably accepting of "the situation" between Emma and Nelson, lays the groundwork for her financial demise by claiming credit for the intelligence she provided to the British government. Everyone, it seems, was at her doorstep with their hands out, yet no one helped her when she needed it. I think she had some of her own issues. She wasn't terribly organized and was somewhat self-indulgent, but this was part of her overall charitable nature: She just couldn't say no, to herself or others. I've come away with a lot of respect for Emma Hamilton, and not much for anyone else who knew her, and even less respect for the press, which acted then as they do today, with no responsibility for what they say. An excellent read, (and good writing by Williams as well) even if it leaves you feeling a little bleak toward the end.

I must say at once that I'm very impressed with Kate William's writing. She writes in a modern style but with no discordant notes to take away from the period to which she is transporting the reader. Emma was born to an impoverished family in England in 1765. After a hard battle just to survive as a child, she spent a short stint as a domestic before following her natural bent as a theatrical, eventually ending for a short period, as a "woman of ill-fame". She then was taken up by dissolute aristocrat, Charles Greville, who used her casually and tried to pass her off to one of his relatives when she became pregnant. Luckily for Emma, the relative was Sir William Hamilton, a rich diplomat in his late sixties who lived in Naples and who, recognising her theatrical talents, honed her dancing and singing skills with excellent teachers so that she soon became a favourite at the Court of the King and Queen of Naples. Hamilton married her after a few years, much to the chagrin of his family who resented the potential loss of his fortune. Their marriage was a happy one, even though he was unable to give her a much wanted child, as she nursed him devotedly through bouts of ill health and generally made his life happy and contented. In 1793, the renowned Admiral of the British fleet, Horatio Nelson, sailed into the harbour at Naples and the rest is history. They fell passionately in love to such an extent that even Sir William bowed to the inevitable and, rather than lose Emma, agreed to live in a menage a trois and accept parentage of their daughter, Horatia. After Nelson's death, Emma's so-called friends who had been only too willing to accept her hospitality and generosity, now totally shunned her, leaving poor Emma ill, penniless and alone, to die in great pain in Calais. Like another reviewer, Michael Schuyler, this book left me feeling melancholic and very bitter towards grasping predators who use and abuse the famous and perhaps naive.

Very little is known about Emma Hamilton's early life, but that doesn't stop the author from both speculating about it (not a problem) and attributing emotions and attitudes to people, when there is simply no evidence at all to support them. This is more of a novel than a history, and if you read it that way, it's probably not bad... and that probably accounts for a lot of the glowing reviews... but if you're looking for biography, try another text.

The other thing that surprises me about the reviews is everyone's impression that Emma Hamilton was intelligent and brave. She was, I suppose, brave in a way, but also exceptionally foolish. She failed to secure a future for herself or her daughter when it would only have been common sense to do so, failed to understand the limitations of her position, and allowed herself to be constantly used and bled dry by her friends and relatives. Failures of heart, perhaps, understandable and forgivable. But not wise, and bravado is not really the same thing as courage.

I saw the film "That Hamilton Woman" as a teenager, and was curious about the real Emma. After reading mixed reviews about previous biographical works on Emma, I decided to wait it out, and I'm glad that I did. This book is wonderful, and I think that many people of all ages and backgrounds can identify with Emma's plight. I agree with the previous review that mentions some of the maybes, what ifs, and other uncertainties that are discussed in the book, particularly with Emma's early life. That said, I think that the author tried to put Emma's life in a context, giving the reader a picture of what typical life was for someone in her circumstances. Many of the specifics of Emma's early life are long buried, it's nice to have a glimpse of what life in Hawarden was like for a working class family, etc.

This book is a wonderful read; I found myself fretting over her ordeals, because the book is written in a way that really connects with the reader. If you like historical biographies, you'll probably enjoy this one. I consumed both Marie Antoinette and Georgiana very quickly, and this one was no different!

Ok, let me start off by saying I thought I would adore this book. I thought it was going to be one of the best books of the year for me. But it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The main reason was that there were lots of details but the years kept skipping, so it was really difficult for me to keep track of where we were. Especially since Emma had lived such a full life with so much travel, changing jobs, etc., and there would be times where a paragraph might say something that happened in February, then a cartoon that was in a gossip column in October but then a painting that was done in July, and then someone saying something about her in an article two years before. There was so much skipping around - The narrative didn't really flow as much as I'd like - I guess that's the word for it. There were all these dates and people and places but I really had to struggle to fit it all together - going back and finding years mentioned, and then figuring out where we were based on that. So it was a bit of a trudge through it.

That was more than made up by the wonderful story, though. Emma is an inspiring woman, and I loved learning about her exciting life. I feel cheated that I had never heard about her before, and will definitely spend some time learning more about her now. All the background information on the French Revolution really helped too, though I could have used even more.

-Heather Teysko
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Renaissance English History Podcast

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kate Williams does a fabulous job in giving you the day to day details of life during Emma's time. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions about her life as Emma Hart, as a common prostitute in London, down to the gritty details. You could definitely visualize, just from William's descriptions, Emma erforming her "Attitudes" at a later time in her life. The only down side to this book, is that at times Williams repeats information throughout the book. That is why I gave it 4 stars. Otherwise I would greatly recommend this book. You won't regret it!

I agree...a very well written biography. A real-page turner if you are a fan of Emma Hamilton and/or late 18th century British history. Highly recommend this book.