Hard to find a more compeling read than this | England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton...

What a woman! | England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton (Unabridged) | Kate Williams

books:


	• England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton (Unabridged) Kate Williams audible.com average customer review:based on 11 reviews
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Interesting!!!

I was looking forward to reading a life of Lady Hamilton. The work was relatively well done; I did have some problems with statements made in the opening chapters.

`Henry probably had to'. "... and like most men in Ness he drank and probably beat his wife." "It is possible that Henry killed himself in a fit of drunken despair."

Why speculate? No one knows how Henry died or what type of man he was so why engage in this conjecture? It takes away from the work.

Hard to find a more compeling read than this

I have read several historical biographies and never has one taken me by the heartstrings as much as this one. I remember over 30 years ago seeing the magnificent painting by Romney of Emma in Straw Hat at the Huntington Art Museum and wondering at this lovely woman. At that time all I ever could find on her to read was about her flamboyant lifestyle as a mistress and dying a shameful death in debt and alcoholic. This book in all it's wonderful research has proven those past books entirely short sighted. I'm certainly relieved Kate Williams has set this womans life to rights and we can finally see what a truly soft hearted, lovely woman she was, just born before her time.

for more information click here

What a woman!

I must say at once that I'm very impressed with Kate William's writing. She writes in a modern style but with no discordant notes to take away from the period to which she is transporting the reader. Emma was born to an impoverished family in England in 1765. After a hard battle just to survive as a child, she spent a short stint as a domestic before following her natural bent as a theatrical, eventually ending for a short period, as a "woman of ill-fame". She then was taken up by dissolute aristocrat, Charles Greville, who used her casually and tried to pass her off to one of his relatives when she became pregnant. Luckily for Emma, the relative was Sir William Hamilton, a rich diplomat in his late sixties who lived in Naples and who, recognising her theatrical talents, honed her dancing and singing skills with excellent teachers so that she soon became a favourite at the Court of the King and Queen of Naples. Hamilton married her after a few years, much to the chagrin of his family who resented the potential loss of his fortune. Their marriage was a happy one, even though he was unable to give her a much wanted child, as she nursed him devotedly through bouts of ill health and generally made his life happy and contented. In 1793, the renowned Admiral of the British fleet, Horatio Nelson, sailed into the harbour at Naples and the rest is history. They fell passionately in love to such an extent that even Sir William bowed to the inevitable and, rather than lose Emma, agreed to live in a menage a trois and accept parentage of their daughter, Horatia. After Nelson's death, Emma's so-called friends who had been only too willing to accept her hospitality and generosity, now totally shunned her, leaving poor Emma ill, penniless and alone, to die in great pain in Calais. Like another reviewer, Michael Schuyler, this book left me feeling melancholic and very bitter towards grasping predators who use and abuse the famous and perhaps naive.

for more information click here

enjoyable

I saw the film "That Hamilton Woman" as a teenager, and was curious about the real Emma. After reading mixed reviews about previous biographical works on Emma, I decided to wait it out, and I'm glad that I did. This book is wonderful, and I think that many people of all ages and backgrounds can identify with Emma's plight. I agree with the previous review that mentions some of the maybes, what ifs, and other uncertainties that are discussed in the book, particularly with Emma's early life. That said, I think that the author tried to put Emma's life in a context, giving the reader a picture of what typical life was for someone in her circumstances. Many of the specifics of Emma's early life are long buried, it's nice to have a glimpse of what life in Hawarden was like for a working class family, etc.

This book is a wonderful read; I found myself fretting over her ordeals, because the book is written in a way that really connects with the reader. If you like historical biographies, you'll probably enjoy this one. I consumed both Marie Antoinette and Georgiana very quickly, and this one was no different!

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

hot