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mari1532 's review for:
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a positive review.
Brief Summary: This book examines the time that Wallis Simpson spent in China. Her time in China totals just over a year and this book includes not only the political climate of China but the people that Simpson encountered during her time there.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. French captured the excitement and tension of a woman venturing from home to find herself. This is the first book that I have read about Simpson that focuses exclusively on a time before she became the obsession of Edward VIII and that novelty makes this book an important part of the works on Simpson.
French’s work has two shining moments. The first is that it details the marriage between Simpson and Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. Given that her third marriage sent the British monarchy into chaos and she was married to Ernest Simpson who she kept in touch with after her marriage (see Anne Seba’s work) the Spencer marriage is often only mentioned in a chapter. I appreciated how French details their early romance and the unravelling of their marriage 10 years later. I was previously unaware of the dynamics of this marriage and the information provided in this work shed new light on Simpson as a person.
The second is that French provides context for the woman Simpson developed into. Particularly the lifelong friends she made and her cultural interests. It was interesting to learn how she started her own business in China selling trinkets to supplement her income.
French’s conjectures on what Simpson was doing during her time in China are well-researched and compelling. He makes an interesting argument given the available evidence. However, the absence of evidence is not proof. When the Abdication Crisis occurred the British government constantly spread rumors about a China Dossier about how Simpson was a spy, a sex worker, and other salacious rumors. French points out that no evidence of the dossier has ever reached the public and thus likely does not exist. However, that is an impossible argument to make. Knowing some rumours and refuting known ones indicates that it was mostly fabricated information, but we cannot know for sure.
Overall, this is an interesting book. If you are interested in understanding Simpson as a person, this book adds to the known evidence and will help you flesh out an understanding of her. However, 50% of this book is about the political landscape of China at the time. This is important information, particularly if, like me, you do not understand what was happening in China during this time. Another 10% of this book is about the friends that Simpson made along the way and what happened to them after the time focused on in this book. The remaining 40% of the book focuses on Simpson.
Brief Summary: This book examines the time that Wallis Simpson spent in China. Her time in China totals just over a year and this book includes not only the political climate of China but the people that Simpson encountered during her time there.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. French captured the excitement and tension of a woman venturing from home to find herself. This is the first book that I have read about Simpson that focuses exclusively on a time before she became the obsession of Edward VIII and that novelty makes this book an important part of the works on Simpson.
French’s work has two shining moments. The first is that it details the marriage between Simpson and Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. Given that her third marriage sent the British monarchy into chaos and she was married to Ernest Simpson who she kept in touch with after her marriage (see Anne Seba’s work) the Spencer marriage is often only mentioned in a chapter. I appreciated how French details their early romance and the unravelling of their marriage 10 years later. I was previously unaware of the dynamics of this marriage and the information provided in this work shed new light on Simpson as a person.
The second is that French provides context for the woman Simpson developed into. Particularly the lifelong friends she made and her cultural interests. It was interesting to learn how she started her own business in China selling trinkets to supplement her income.
French’s conjectures on what Simpson was doing during her time in China are well-researched and compelling. He makes an interesting argument given the available evidence. However, the absence of evidence is not proof. When the Abdication Crisis occurred the British government constantly spread rumors about a China Dossier about how Simpson was a spy, a sex worker, and other salacious rumors. French points out that no evidence of the dossier has ever reached the public and thus likely does not exist. However, that is an impossible argument to make. Knowing some rumours and refuting known ones indicates that it was mostly fabricated information, but we cannot know for sure.
Overall, this is an interesting book. If you are interested in understanding Simpson as a person, this book adds to the known evidence and will help you flesh out an understanding of her. However, 50% of this book is about the political landscape of China at the time. This is important information, particularly if, like me, you do not understand what was happening in China during this time. Another 10% of this book is about the friends that Simpson made along the way and what happened to them after the time focused on in this book. The remaining 40% of the book focuses on Simpson.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism
Minor: Infertility, Abortion