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A review by edressa
Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
5.0
This is an amazing insight into Great Britain in the late 1700s - we see so many figures we may know from other media and it's fascinating to see how they mingled - George III, Queen Charlotte, the Prince Regent, Maria Fitzherbert, Lady Caroline Lamb (one of Lord Byron's many lovers who later went mad), Viscount Melbourne (yes, THAT Lord Melbourne).
Amanda Foreman is also careful to present the various subjects as multi-faceted figures. Georgiana was very much a woman of her time, all the while struggling to find her place in the world within the limits of her rank and gender. A victim, yes, but also a flawed person who made mistakes. And while the Duke wasn't as cruel as a certain film would lead us to think, it's fair to dislike him, but hating him would be taking it a step too far: he is self-absorbed and distant and their marriage is, long story short, a matter of incompatibility which leads to disaster, but it's also worth mentioning Georgiana had her own set of problems - I would be angry too if I found out my wife had a 6 million dollar debt in gambling, let's be real...
I also have to admit I'm not too fond of Bess Foster either - her manipulative streak towards Georgiana and the Duke is a little too evident, but it's also made clear in the book she was a woman stuck between a rock and a hard place who did what she could in order to survive.
All in all, this is a fair and balanced portrayal of not only Georgiana, but also how it was to be a female member of the peerage in the late 1700s. So... please read this book rather than watch the film, especially if you want to avoid a very black-and-white perspective laced with misery porn and gratuitous violence.
Amanda Foreman is also careful to present the various subjects as multi-faceted figures. Georgiana was very much a woman of her time, all the while struggling to find her place in the world within the limits of her rank and gender. A victim, yes, but also a flawed person who made mistakes. And while the Duke wasn't as cruel as a certain film would lead us to think, it's fair to dislike him, but hating him would be taking it a step too far: he is self-absorbed and distant and their marriage is, long story short, a matter of incompatibility which leads to disaster, but it's also worth mentioning Georgiana had her own set of problems - I would be angry too if I found out my wife had a 6 million dollar debt in gambling, let's be real...
I also have to admit I'm not too fond of Bess Foster either - her manipulative streak towards Georgiana and the Duke is a little too evident, but it's also made clear in the book she was a woman stuck between a rock and a hard place who did what she could in order to survive.
All in all, this is a fair and balanced portrayal of not only Georgiana, but also how it was to be a female member of the peerage in the late 1700s. So... please read this book rather than watch the film, especially if you want to avoid a very black-and-white perspective laced with misery porn and gratuitous violence.