ebooks Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman in History

Review

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Georgiana: A chronology of known factsBy walrif KamilThis book read as a collection of facts; which is fine if that's how the book is presented. However; the book was clearly presented in the introduction with the viewpoint that; while historians had judged Georgiana as charismatic but flighty; Foreman saw another side of Georgiana and found her to be courageous and vulnerable. Throughout her book; Foreman presents little evidence to support her conclusions. Most facts could have gone either way; and the entire time I felt that Georgiana was most certainly flighty in every aspect of her life; and only vulnerable in the sense that she was a woman forced into a loveless marriage. Georgiana was the crux of her own misfortunes. We don't know why she continues to spiral; nor do we really understand why she doesn't take a more concerted effort to stop herself when she clearly knows certain things are detrimental to her marriage and privilege. Foreman tries to explain it by suggesting that Georgiana was a victim of Bess; who took advantage of Georgiana's kindness. I never got the sense from Georgiana that she regretted her generosity to befriend Bess; which leads me to suspect that either Georgiana is supremely weak-minded and is a pushover; or that she actually supported Bess -- neither of these conclusions are in line with the author's conclusions. It's still hard for me to grasp who Georgiana actually was. Maybe that's her point; but it could have been presented in a better manner.My other issue with the writing of this book is that it trivializes a lot of really juicy topics that could have been expanded upon. One example was in the paragraph in which Foreman explains that Georgiana's correspondences about discovering the affair between Bess and the Duke had been lost/destroyed. Foreman then quickly jumps into the next chronological event in their lives instead of writing a paragraph about Foreman's expectations as to how she expected Georgiana to have reacted based on all the evidence gathered. We also don't get much information about the more scandalous; behind-hidden-doors lifestyle of Georgiana - her affair with Grey lived and died within two pages. I didn't even get the sense there was a single private meeting between the two until it was revealed that she was pregnant. Such was the chore in reading this book. Georgiana is an intriguing person; and that's to the credit of Georgiana and less so the author.I did enjoy the author's depiction of the Whig and Tory rivalry; but I agree with some others that it sometimes went overboard with the details. I found the side characters to be much more real and interesting: Prince Charles; Marie Antoinette; Lady Spencer. I particularly enjoyed the section about Georgiana's visit to France during the French Revolution. What a fascinating time to be a fly on the wall.Lastly; the editing is poor. It was as if someone finished their dissertation and let it be published. There are spelling mistakes; and more importantly; incorrect spacing that makes it confusing as to whether you were reading text or a correspondence.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Enjoyable and informativeBy CarmattThis book gives realistic insights into her life. I felt it gave so much information as to what was going on in Europe as well as England during this time. It was easy to read and I enjoyed reading it.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Surprisingly Good Read!By R. HellerThis is the book that they made the movie The Duchess from. The book originated in a doctoral dissertation; yet was not the least bit dry and made 18th century life come alive. As an American; it was interesting to read of political life in England at the time that our forebears were fighting for independence. Georgiana was a rare woman's voice who was heard in political circles as part of the Whig opposition to King George III