Despite my best efforts I've never quite bonded with
Georgette Heyer. I think I may have randomly picked up some of the weaker ones
and cast them rapidly aside but I know there are plenty of Heyer fans out there
and, if time permitted, Jo Manning's book might actually almost make me redress
the balance and dive headlong in.
My Lady Scandalous, the Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple
Elliott, Royal Courtesan is a readable and often rather irreverant romp
through the Regency era chez courtesan extraordinaire Grace.
Grace flaunted her assets at the English aristocracy with alacrity and guile
and left in her wake a heap of names that moved in the absolute upper strata
of society. Lord Cholmondely was smitten to the tune of not one but two
Gainsborough portraits of Grace, one in 1778, the year that Grace gave birth to
a little Georgiana who may or may not have been the offspring of the Prince of
Wales.
Turning her attentions to the French aristocracy when the going got a little
tough in the UK ,and never one to mess about in the lower echelons, Grace
headed for the wealthiest of the lot, Philippe, Duc D'Orleans. Timing was not
her special gift though,and Grace found herself within a whisker of the French
revolution and a neck's length of the guillotine.
I haven't read cover to cover but I did spend a fascinating evening browsing
this book and thoroughly enjoyed all the anecdotal asides and snippets of
sociological and cultural information that Jo Manning has interspersed
throughout the 400 pages.
Included is a really helpful explanation of The Peerage which is complicated if
you live here (especially if you don't belong to it) so must be the very devil
to understand if you live elsewhere. I now know a little more about Duke,
Marquis, Earl, Viscount and Baron v Duchess,Marquess, Countess, Viscountess and
Baroness. Who I must call Lord and who gets the "Oi Your Grace" when
we meet in the street, in case I ever need it. There's even the ever-helpful list of
how to pronounce those names whose spelling bears no resemblance to the saying
of them.
Hands up everyone who's been saying St Aubyn instead of Stubbs.
Oh, that was just me again was it?
Why didn't you all tell me?
As an American author, Jo Manning takes a no holds barred approach and
speculates in a refreshingly un-British way on aspects of the Regency
era that British reserve may have left unsaid. Her sweeping and it must be said, slightly judgemental comparisons with
present-day aristocratic and even Royal scenarios will make many people squirm uneasily.
But do you see?
There's me, all serf-like, reserved, British and subserviant, and couldn't
possibly tell you what they are for fear of ending up through Traitor's Gate
and into the Tower, but Jo can tell it as she sees it and why not? She's a good long
rowing boat's journey away from the place.
As an aside I wouldn't have believed it, but it was in this book that I learnt
that Tim Bentinck, who plays David in The Archers, is actually the twelfth Earl
of Portland but sadly sans money or property, which is probably why he's busy
with Ruth and Pip, Josh and Ben and that family and those cows.
I've also got to mention Madame Tussaud because of course one visits this blog,
though probably doesn't have to worry about a reprieve within hours of the
guillotine and the hair cut already.Poor old Madame T. or Marie Grosholtz as
was, then had to work on the heads fresh off the chopping block, making masks
of them on her lap including Marie Antoinette and Robespierre.Francois Tussaud
to the rescue and Baker Street beckoned which must have been something of a
relief.
The guillotinesque descriptions take no prisoners so be sure not to read over a
plate of brawn.
All in all a fascinating book, not quite a biography and Jo does venture into a rather chatty familiarity at times which for me deflected from any serious historical influence that the book may have had, but still a useful and fascinating read for non-UK based Heyerettes and even the home-spun ones might find something of interest here.
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