List Price: £10.99 Price: £7.69 You save: £3.30 (30%)
Media: Paperback Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
excellent biography of a fascinating woman in a fascinating time
Powerful woman who led her family to wealth & greatness Bess of Hardwick was born the daughter of a gentlemen squire, that is, a farmer with a few servants, but an ancestry that allowed him (and his wife) to be part of the "gentry" in the age of King Henry VIII.
She married three times in all, and each time was able to maintain and increase the wealth and power of her family. She herself apparently controlled much of the family "business" and she had control over her grown children and... more info
Superb biography of a fascinating woman This is the third biography I have read by Mary S Lovell (the first two being the Mitford Sisters, and Jane Digby: A Scandalous Life). Both were excellent so I had high hopes of this one and was not disappointed. Lovell writes in a very accessible way despite cramming her books with well-researched detail. Bess is a fascinating subject. Although she accumulated her wealth partly through a series of good marriages, she was a woman who had extraordinary business acumen for her time, and who believed in... more info
A great life This is a superbly researched book. Rarely do Tudor women outside the circles of royalties leave a mark on history after 400 years but Bess makes a great subject and is a particularly fascinating lady given her ordinary background. Her marriages are of particular interest and her links to royalty. This is well worth a read for anyone interested in any history, this lady is a meaty subject for those long winter evenings.
Excellent from start to finish A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. Mrs Lovell captures the imagination and transports you to the Tudor age with ease, Bess's story is easy to follow in chronological order and it's interesting to note Bess is portrayed in a more favourable light than by previous biographers. Will read it again and look forward to Mrs Lovell's future books.
