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jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
Lady Anne Barnard is a character who existed on the fringes of both nobility and political high society in the late 18th century. Born into a financially constrained titles family in Scotland, her family was much older than her mother and her upbringing did not afford many luxuries. Entering into Edinburgh society at 16 Anne was expected to marry for money, to support her younger siblings, but this did not happen and Anne moved to London. Juggling various suitors Anne married late and to a man socially her inferior but it appears to have been a love match. What make Anne Barnard such an engaging character is that she kept much of her correspondence over the years and published it.
I really enjoyed this book because Anne was such a relatively obscure character. She witnessed many atrocities in the French Revolution, was a friend to the Prince of Wales and assisted his secret marriage to Maria Fitzherbert, was a close friend to many major politicians and helped to develop diplomatic relationships in South Africa as Britain took power. All-in-all she was a fascinating woman and this biography more than does her justice. Taylor has researched his book deeply, drawing on both contemporary sources and Anne's own meticulously kept papers, and produced a lively story of a remarkable woman
I really enjoyed this book because Anne was such a relatively obscure character. She witnessed many atrocities in the French Revolution, was a friend to the Prince of Wales and assisted his secret marriage to Maria Fitzherbert, was a close friend to many major politicians and helped to develop diplomatic relationships in South Africa as Britain took power. All-in-all she was a fascinating woman and this biography more than does her justice. Taylor has researched his book deeply, drawing on both contemporary sources and Anne's own meticulously kept papers, and produced a lively story of a remarkable woman
victoria92's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
shamfeldt's review against another edition
5.0
A++++ bonkers. Gaspingly bonkers. Someone needs to base 20.5 books on her life (calmer sidekick and surprise black child included).
christie's review against another edition
4.0
This story of Lady Anne Barnard's life reads much like a novel would of an unusual heroine living in a similar time period. I knew nothing of Lady Anne before picking this book up, and I come away full of admiration for her. The author does a wonderful job bringing her to life using journal entries and letters. At times I felt slightly overwhelmed by all of the people named in the story, and lost track of some of them. Overall, though, an enjoyable book about an extraordinary woman.
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