“The best account yet available of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman.”—Sunday Times [London]From the author of The Sisters, a chronicle of the most brutal, turbulent, and exuberant period of England’s history. Bess Hardwick, the fifth daughter of an impoverished Derbyshire nobleman, did not have an auspicious start in life. Widowed at sixteen, she nonetheless outlived four monarchs, … nonetheless outlived four monarchs, married three more times, built the great house at Chatsworth, and died one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in English history.
In 1527 England was in the throes of violent political upheaval as Henry VIII severed all links with Rome. His daughter, Queen Mary, was even more capricious and bloody, only to be followed by the indomitable and ruthless Gloriana, Elizabeth I. It could not have been more hazardous a period for an ambitious woman; by the time Bess’s first child was six, three of her illustrious godparents had been beheaded.
Using journals, letters, inventories, and account books, Mary S. Lovell tells the passionate, colorful story of an astonishingly accomplished woman, among whose descendants are counted the dukes of Devonshire, Rutland, and Portland, and, on the American side, Katharine Hepburn.more
I have been a reader of good biographies since junior high school. This was excellent! I’ve read several on Mary queen of Scotland and Elisabeth and this account really explained Mary’s long incarceration better in it’s human cost to those who were “stuck” with the job. I was ignorant of Bess; just a name. Through this book she now is shown …
Great history of Bess Hardwick , who I knew not so much about and what I thought I knew was wrong! What an amazing, interesting, savvy woman who was only written about by men who didn’t know her. If you enjoyed Georgiana: Dutchess if Devonshire, you’ll love this too.
A great historical account of a brilliant, strong woman from the 1500’s. She was amazing.
Interesting history
Average history.
Mary Lovell has the lightest touch of any historian since Barbara Tuchman – that is to say, her meticulous research is attended by an absolute genius for selecting exactly those details that breathe vivacious life into the dustiest past. All of her histories are wonderfully readable. Better, they’re memorable so that, after one has finished, …
Well researched narrative of a strong, successful woman in a patriarchal society. I will re-read it in future for its entertainment value.
Well researched and engaging.
Bess of Hardwick is a book written more as a historical treatise than a novel. The author has taken actual letters, lists, journals, invoices, and law related documents to put together a factual picture of Bess and her times. As a lover of history it was right up my alley but not everyone will think the same. It does clear up a couple of …