Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Before I read the biographies of Georgian and Harriet, I thought the stories of £50,000 gambling debts were just made up for romantic novels. Georgiana and her sister Harriet, members of the influential Spencer family, made "brilliant" marriages, set the fashion trends of their times, lived scandalous lives, and mixed with royalty in England and across Europe. Their interest and influence in politics were incredible for a time when women were still thought of as useless and frivolous creatures. This biography is well documented and gives a great introduction to late 18th Century English society though I thought it jumped around a little.

This was a book club selection. I really, really tried to get into the book, but simply couldn't. After 100 difficult pages I just had to give up. Not even worthy of one star.

i loved this book. i read it several years ago and thought it was very informative. i loved the political and fashion commentary - i learned a lot while being entertained. love it!

At times the cast of characters in this biography gets one slightly lost and it is good that it has a reasonably full index. There are some intriguing photos of the scandalous goings-on and it is a generally good read.

Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA

Despite Foreman's excellent style and fascinating subject, I found myself frustrated with "Georgiana" as the story continued.

Foreman's caricature of Lady Elizabeth Foster as the "villainess" of the story doesn't ring true. Foreman's repeated castigation of Bess to justify Georgiana's lower moments and characteristics reminds me of a mother repeatedly choosing to excuse her favorite child of any wrongdoing because of a "bad friend's unwholesome influence."

Bess is consistently depicted as a jealous homewrecker anxious to supplant Georgiana and "show her up." Yet Foreman's own facts reveal a level of devotion on Bess's part to the Cavendishes that makes that dificult to believe. Bess didn't seem so interested in supplanting her friend so much as she was in securing some sort of security for herself.

Foreman seems determined to depict Bess's sole motivation in all her actions as causing harm/embarrassment to G or "showing her up." If she has an alleged love affair with Count Fersen its sole purpose is to humiliate G and her love affair and near-marriage to another man is written off as an attempt to "show up" Georgianna (the man in question was of comparable rank to Devonshire).

The concept that Bess Foster might have been distinctly uncomfortable with her unorthodox position (a poor divorcee, estranged from her children, living as an undefined "houseguest"--sometimes governess, sometimes friend to G, and sometimes mistress to G's hubby) and seeking other alliances (via a respectable marriage) never seems to enter Foreman's mind.


A look at Bess's history (repudiated by her husband, abbandoned by her father) explains to any sensible person why Bess may have felt compelled to please William Cavendish and accept his advances. Clearly she'd learned in the school of hard knocks that this was an era where women fared best by pleasing the men in their lives. It says a lot about Georgiana's character that she was not above encouraging this "flirtation" between her younger friend and her husband to secure a more "pleasant" lifestyle for the both of them.

Who ultimately had the power in this relationship? Who had the political clout? The social standing? Who held all the advantages? It certainly wasn't Lady Bess Foster. If anything HER reputation was compromised by her involvement in the situation. So how can she be the one in charge of everything that was happening?

It seems throughout the narrative Bess's good intentions are maligned by selfish motives while Georgiana's faults are excused by virtue of her good nature.

Bess married William a few years after Georgiana's death. So what? How was this a disloyalty to her friend? We're talking about a woman who died twenty years after Georgiana, still wearing a hair bracelet of her late friend's hair.

It seems Amanda Foreman is a victim of the same class snobbery that colored the era she wrote about.

Nice try, Ms. Foreman. Next time, let your subject be a grown-up and be responsible for her own choices.