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The Scandalous Lady W

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The Scandalous Lady W

By: Hallie Rubenhold
Narrated by: Emily Pennant-Rea
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About this listen

It was the divorce that scandalised Georgian England. She was a spirited young heiress. He was a handsome baronet with a promising career in government.

Their marriage had the makings of a fairy tale but ended as one of the most salacious and highly publicised divorces in history.

For over 200 years the story of Lady Worsley, her vengeful husband, and her lover, George Maurice Bisset, lay forgotten. Now Hallie Rubenhold throws open a window to a rarely seen view of Georgian England, one coloured by passion, adventure and the defiance of social convention.

The book behind the major new BBC drama starring Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay).

Hallie Rubenhold is a social historian and an authority on women's lives of the past. She has worked as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery and as a university lecturer. Her books include Lady Worsley's Whim, dramatized by the BBC as The Scandalous Lady W, and Covent Garden Ladies: The Extraordinary Story of Harris's List, which inspired the ITV series Harlots. She lives in London with her husband.

©2008 Hallie Rubenhold (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd 18th Century Europe Great Britain Modern Marriage England

Critic reviews

"A fabulous story and Rubenhold tells it beautifully." (Daily Telegraph)

"Hallie Rubenhold is in a league of her own. She keeps you glued to the very last page when, exhausted, exasperated and elated, you can at last put the book down and get yourself some sleep.... Nothing else in the genre is close to being this good." (Literary Review)

All stars
Most relevant
informative and compelling listen, even when some of it sounded so outrageous to be true. Definitely worth a listen. The narrator was very good.

Interesting....

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Overall I enjoyed the book, however so many times the ‘we do not know what happened’ summary seemed to apply and created frustrating loose ends in the lives of those captured.

Well narrated though a little quiet (hence the three stars)

Pleasant historical biography

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The wonderful narration is worthy of this incredible account by Halle R. Brings to the fore contemporary questions about Love, class and gender. Magnificent

Illuminating detail.

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Really disappointed in how the author has turned a fascinating scandel into a dreary and tedious story. Was expecting so much more. the writing style was just so dissapionting. The detail was all in the wrong places and lacking in the areas you really wanted it to be. Written as a narrative of concurrent facts with very little to interest or draw in.

Made a fascinating story tedious

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A bit long winded in places, I found myself drifting off with too much detail about unnecessary things. Clearly describes what it was like for a woman, even an economically privileged women to have very few rights in the context of separation and divorce.

Enjoyed it

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