The Duchess Book

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKNow a major motion picture starring Keira Knightley and Ralph FiennesLady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774 Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying William Cavendish, fifth duke of Devonshire, one of Englandâ??s richest and most influential aristocrats. She became the queen of fashionable society and founder of the most important political salon of her time. But Georgianaâ??s public success concealed an unhappy marriage, a gambling addiction, drinking, drug-taking, and rampant love affairs with the leading politicians of the day. With penetrating insight, Amanda Foreman reveals a fascinating woman whose struggle against her own weaknesses, whose great beauty and flamboyance, and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant, astonishingly contemporary figure.Read More