“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
Very well researched and written. Not as exhaustively detailed as many biographies, which was a relief. Great views of the customs and traditions of that period.
Commoner, Lady, Countess!
A fascinating and meticulously researched biography about an extraordinary woman. Thoroughly enjoyable and informative. Highly recommended. Making a note to look for more biographies by this author.
I enjoyed the book: the content was interesting and presented a view outside of castigating what appears to be a powerful female!
Well-written book about an exceptional woman who led a fascinating life during extraordinary times.
Bess was quite a character – I enjoyed learning more about her.
It’s a fascinating story of the history of the period. Very well developed characters.
A great bit of history that tie up some of the question marks and relationships during the time of Elizabeth I……Beth of Hardwick was a woman well placed, way before her time, who managed through marriage to amass a great deal of property and wealth not given to her by birth. Her relationships through her children set the stage for much of …
Again, a dry historical fact listing, not the engaging novel I was looking for.
Very easy to read and follow the characters through history
This biography was quite dry and factual without actually telling a story. I couldn’t finish it.
Plods a bit, but if you want to know what life was like for the ‘gentry’ it works.
I really like books about real women and the time period of Elizabeth I. The book was really good and I learned more about wards (which was troubling). Sometimes it was a little heavy on minutia–almost a grocery list. I’m assuming that much of the documentation that exists was household accounts. But Bess was in the same circle with almost every …
Read only if you are very interested in the Elisabethean court and are enthusiastic about extensive quotes from original documents. Not nearly as interesting as other recent biographies about Walsingham etal
Good historical biography, but far too much detail on inventories.
Having come across Bess so often in my reading of Tutor histories, I was ready for a biography and this one was satisfying.
Book gets too detailed and boring a lot of the time.
Very interesting historical non-fiction.
What a wonderful read! Being from the North of England I was very familiar with Bess, and her Chatsworth House and Hardwick Hall, in fact I’ve visited them both, but mot until this book was I aware how much the Elizabethen Age owed to this amazing woman, especially with her long relationship with Mary, Queen of Scots. I love the book.
Wonderful, meticulously researched biography of Bess of Hardwick. While this book tells the story of Bess, it also tells the story of Tudor England of the 16th century. An excellent read, as it’s not stuffy ,but is most informative and entertaining.
Bess was a fabulous character, smart, practical – and street-wise, before the term street-wise was invented.