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A review by savage_book_review
The Scandalous Lady W by Hallie Rubenhold
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.0
The story of Lady Seymour Worsley sounds like it should be a sub-plot in Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice, but has the advantage of being fact. She shocks the establishment by abandoning her home for her lover, Captain Bissett. When her cuckolded husband sues the Captain for 'criminal conversation', the trial explodes in the press due to the salacious details and all not being quite as it seems...
I watched the BBC drama based on this story, starring Natalie Dormer, when it aired years ago. So when I saw that the audiobook was included in my Audible subscription (but only for a few more days!), and I saw who the author was, I was intrigued enough to have a listen. Where I recall the drama being very well done, the book is something of a game of two halves. The initial chapters set the scene, detailing Richard Worsley and Seymour's childhoods, family circumstances, marriage etc., along with the instigating event - her disappearance with Captain Bissett. There then follows a detailed account of the trial, witness statements and the revelations of the story behind her absconding. Up to this point, the narrative is captivating and attention-grabbing; it paints a really clear picture of their part in society, the characters involved and the twists and turns of their story.
However, I found it much harder to summon interest in the second half, after the trial has been concluded. It then reverts to something of a dual biography, alternating chapters between Richard and Seymour's lives thereafter. Given that Richard is described at the outset as something of a meticulous bore, as you can imagine his chapters do come across as rather dull. On the other hand, while Seymour continues to live a more interesting life, it appears that much of the detail is lost to time and so there just isn't the depth that you'd perhaps hope for. Overall, this section feels much more meandering and full of side characters and tangential events, and comes across to me as mote padding to increase the word count. I think I could have coped with just Seymour's sections, given that I was expecting the book to be predominantly about her given the title, and there are some interesting tidbits in there, but I do question the logic of following Richard too (apart from where he directly affecting Seymour's life, of course) once the trial is over.
This book does do a really good job at illustrating the mores and expectations of society on women at that time, and the imbalance of power and respect between men and women, and the vastly different reactions to indiscretions experienced by the sexes. Lary Worsley's actions at trial would likely still be considered shocking today, but for very different reasons. And yet it is quite possible that, in today's world, if there had been a good relationship between husband and wife, there may not have been any reason for a divorce or trial at all!
I do think the narrator has a great voice for this sort of subject-matter - her tone, pronunciation and accent would not sound out of place in a Jane Austen adaptation! Indeed, it did remind me somewhat of Julia Sawalha as Lydia Bennett! This definitely added to my enjoyment of listening as it helped me immerse myself more in the world. I don't know if it was deliberately, but it definitely worked!
I'd say this is definitely worth a read/listen, but only if you're already interested in the period, themes or characters concerned and have some knowledge of one or all.
I watched the BBC drama based on this story, starring Natalie Dormer, when it aired years ago. So when I saw that the audiobook was included in my Audible subscription (but only for a few more days!), and I saw who the author was, I was intrigued enough to have a listen. Where I recall the drama being very well done, the book is something of a game of two halves. The initial chapters set the scene, detailing Richard Worsley and Seymour's childhoods, family circumstances, marriage etc., along with the instigating event - her disappearance with Captain Bissett. There then follows a detailed account of the trial, witness statements and the revelations of the story behind her absconding. Up to this point, the narrative is captivating and attention-grabbing; it paints a really clear picture of their part in society, the characters involved and the twists and turns of their story.
However, I found it much harder to summon interest in the second half, after the trial has been concluded. It then reverts to something of a dual biography, alternating chapters between Richard and Seymour's lives thereafter. Given that Richard is described at the outset as something of a meticulous bore, as you can imagine his chapters do come across as rather dull. On the other hand, while Seymour continues to live a more interesting life, it appears that much of the detail is lost to time and so there just isn't the depth that you'd perhaps hope for. Overall, this section feels much more meandering and full of side characters and tangential events, and comes across to me as mote padding to increase the word count. I think I could have coped with just Seymour's sections, given that I was expecting the book to be predominantly about her given the title, and there are some interesting tidbits in there, but I do question the logic of following Richard too (apart from where he directly affecting Seymour's life, of course) once the trial is over.
This book does do a really good job at illustrating the mores and expectations of society on women at that time, and the imbalance of power and respect between men and women, and the vastly different reactions to indiscretions experienced by the sexes. Lary Worsley's actions at trial would likely still be considered shocking today, but for very different reasons. And yet it is quite possible that, in today's world, if there had been a good relationship between husband and wife, there may not have been any reason for a divorce or trial at all!
I do think the narrator has a great voice for this sort of subject-matter - her tone, pronunciation and accent would not sound out of place in a Jane Austen adaptation! Indeed, it did remind me somewhat of Julia Sawalha as Lydia Bennett! This definitely added to my enjoyment of listening as it helped me immerse myself more in the world. I don't know if it was deliberately, but it definitely worked!
I'd say this is definitely worth a read/listen, but only if you're already interested in the period, themes or characters concerned and have some knowledge of one or all.