courtesy of wikipedia.com
Amanda Foreman's detailed and highly acclaimed 2001 book, Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire hit screens worldwide this week in its lush movie manifestation (see the trailer here). Starring Keira Knightly as the lovely duchess who simultaneously charmed and scandalized the British upper-class of the late 1700s and Ralph Fiennes (aka He Who Must Not Be Named) as her husband, the 5th Duke of Devonshire, The Duchess is sure to ignite renewed interest in royal superstar bad girls of the past of whom Georgiana Spencer was certainly not the first.
British historian Carolly Erickson has made a highly successful career out of writing intelligent and fascinating biographies of some of history's most famous, most notorious, and often most misunderstood women. Mistress Anne details the life of Anne Boleyn, Henry the VIII's second wife and the reason why he broke with the Catholic hierarchy. You may think you know about Anne Boleyn, but believe me, you don't until you've read this book; I found it 100% enthralling and not a little shocking. It proves beyond a doubt the old proverb: "There is nothing new under the sun."
Queen Mary, Henry the VIII's eldest daughter, was so Catholic she makes Mother Theresa look like a pagan; of course in Tudor times this meant she was awash in the blood of Protestants, hence the unenviable nickname, "Bloody Mary." Erickson's biography gives a clear and often horrifying glimpse into the mind of a woman in the grip of religious mania.
Mary's younger sister, Elizabeth, was certainly no religious maniac; her long-time dalliance with Robert Dudley is the stuff of legend even as she was known as the "Virgin Queen." There have been several spectacular movies of Elizabeth's life in recent years featuring stellar performances from Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren, but no movie can provide the same wealth of detail that Erickson's The First Elizabeth provides.
Catherine the Great was known throughout Russia and the world for her strong, often ruthless leadership and her allegedly insatiable sexual appetite. Erickson separates fact from fiction--and some of the facts are racy enough to make a lot of so-called "bad girls" today look like prim little lap dogs--in Great Catherine.
You've heard enough about Napoleon to last several lifetimes; Erickson's Josephine: The Life of an Empress finally gives a detailed description of Josephine's perspective on things,from her childhood to her passionate but stormy relationship with Napoleon, to her many dalliances with other men. Again, Erickson works magic, weaving facts, first-hand accounts, and insightful analysis into a riveting read.
Last year's movie about Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst was beautiful to look at but didn't even come close to capturing the passionate and ambivalent life of the real Marie Antoinette. Erickson's book, To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette, is a gem--you'll find yourself shaking your head in disbelief at the bawdy antics and frivolities of the young french queen while simultaneously feeling a stab of pity for her tragic end.
Each of these outstanding books is also available as an audio production. I highly recommend audio books for anyone who loves to read but simply doesn't have enough time to get through a 400 page book in anything less than 4 months. Listen to them while you drive, while you wash the dishes, while you're cleaning out your closet--it passes the time like nothing else and gets you thinking at the same time. Each of the above books is offered unabridged and read by outstanding readers (I've listened to them all and loved every second); take a look at Audiobooks.com or (let's face it--audiobooks are often prohibitively expensive) at your local library.
All book covers courtesy barnesandnoble.com
Comments