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linzthebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I hardly ever read biographies, so I'm not quite sure how to rate this. I love history but prefer to read Historical Fiction as it's more entertaining. I thought that Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire was well written and I learned a lot about her life. Seeing snippets from 1700's correspondence was interesting and I liked the illustrations included.
For my full review check out https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-georgiana-duchess-of.html
For my full review check out https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-georgiana-duchess-of.html
kristiinaness's review
5.0
I usually don't get into biographies but I've been reading a lot of historical fiction and I bought this on accident. I loved it.
bearprof's review
5.0
Fascinating woman. Accessibly written for a serious work of scholarship, but definitely a slower read for all the details.
alanaleigh's review
4.0
I know, I know... I picked this up on a whim once I heard about the new movie coming out. Not exactly the best reason for reading a biography. The movie The Duchess is loosely based on this biography of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. I knew the movie wouldn't necessarily be faithful to the biography, and so, I wanted to read the bio first and have all the facts.
What I found was a delightful biography about a complex and interesting woman who was incredibly influential during her time. When you look back at women in history, one often thinks that even the truly interesting and famous women of the past seemed to have certain limitations given their social spheres. But the power this woman held unofficially is remarkable! A real politician, she knew how to sway votes and create coalitions. And beyond that, I think you'll find that the actual biography is really written quite well, with a view to keep things moving despite the great depth of information being presented. I can almost assure you, though, that given the economic status of the country at the present time, we'll probably see a great deal less of the whole "Georgiana was constantly in amazing debt and always borrowing money from her friends" storyline. There's always such focus on the romance for these period pieces (I say this as though I dislike that! ha!), but I hope the film won't trivialize how powerful a woman Georgiana was in her time. Sure, she had great influence on fashion, but that shouldn't trivialize the influence she had over politics. In fact, it probably facilitated the latter, given that it made her popular and gave her greater access to people with power. In any case, I quite enjoyed this biography and heartily recommend it.
Oh, and Amanda Foreman published this when she was 25 years old. Wow.
What I found was a delightful biography about a complex and interesting woman who was incredibly influential during her time. When you look back at women in history, one often thinks that even the truly interesting and famous women of the past seemed to have certain limitations given their social spheres. But the power this woman held unofficially is remarkable! A real politician, she knew how to sway votes and create coalitions. And beyond that, I think you'll find that the actual biography is really written quite well, with a view to keep things moving despite the great depth of information being presented. I can almost assure you, though, that given the economic status of the country at the present time, we'll probably see a great deal less of the whole "Georgiana was constantly in amazing debt and always borrowing money from her friends" storyline. There's always such focus on the romance for these period pieces (I say this as though I dislike that! ha!), but I hope the film won't trivialize how powerful a woman Georgiana was in her time. Sure, she had great influence on fashion, but that shouldn't trivialize the influence she had over politics. In fact, it probably facilitated the latter, given that it made her popular and gave her greater access to people with power. In any case, I quite enjoyed this biography and heartily recommend it.
Oh, and Amanda Foreman published this when she was 25 years old. Wow.
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021/05/07/review-1658-georgiana-duchess-of-devonshire/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021/05/07/review-1658-georgiana-duchess-of-devonshire/
lauriestein's review
4.0
Historical models like "separate spheres," "private vs. public," etc., exist to be interrogated. Foreman does a wonderful job of that here, illuminating the intersection of the personal with the political. More than the 18th century "it" girl, Georgiana was a major mover and shaker in the Whig party - and I hope the film, which I have yet to see, makes that absolutely clear.
bailo2's review
3.0
This biography was great and insightful. For anyone who has seen the film The Duchess, this is the biography that the movie was based on. One section of the book spent too much time on the political demography within this time period. While some of the information was helpful, I feel that most of it could have been omitted so we could have resumed learning about the star of the novel. Georgiana was truly a star! She was a woman with amazing amounts of intellect, potential, and creativity, but dragged down by a bad marriage and social expectations, ultimately leading to her own gnawing insecurities and self-destructive behaviors. It’s tragic, really. I truly felt for Georgiana and her circumstances. As far as authorship goes, I loved that Foreman was able to admire her subject while putting her on a pedestal. She lays it all out there and goes with the evidence presented, giving us a look at the good and the bad side of Georgiana.
ilovestory's review
4.0
Great book about a woman who was a huge influence in national politics but so subtle and behind the scenes she has not gotten the recognition she has deserved.
lurdesabruscato's review
3.0
Georgiana Spencer, part of England's elite ton in the late 1700s, was a true paradox: beautiful but plagued with wrecked relationships; political and influential but unable to achieve real governmental change; popular, giving and trend-setting, but also a degenerate gambler, cheater and liar. Her life and efforts not only altered high society, she nearly single-handedly helped bring about a democratic two-party system. Despite its tantalizing subject matter, Foreman's book is written as a true biography, with a heavy reliance on letters and diaries, so it often can be too dry and too littered with the dozens of players of that period.