Kate Williams

 Author Kate Williams- 'England's Mistress' and 'Becoming Queen' to be published in September 2008

Books:

England's Mistress- Kate Williams

A dramatic, sparkling tale of sex, glamour, intrigue, romance and heartbreak, "England's Mistress" traces the rise and rise of the gorgeous Emma Hamilton. Born into poverty, she clawed her way up through London's underworlds of sex for sale to become England's first media superstar. Nothing could stand in the way of her dreams - except her self-destructive desires. Drawing on hundreds of previously undiscovered letters, and told with a novelist's flair, "England's Mistress" captures the relentless drive, innovative style and burning passion of a true heroine. In a world of tabloid fame and three-minute wonders, Emma's life is truly a tale for our time.

Becoming Queen- Kate Williams

'I will be good,' promised the thirteen-year-old Victoria, when she understood that she would be Queen of the most powerful country in the world. That, of course, is a matter of opinion. And there are other layers to the story. With a combination of novelistic flair and historical accuracy, Kate Williams begins by relating the heartbreaking story of Princess Charlotte, the Queen who never was, and her impact on the young Victoria. Our perception of Victoria the Queen is coloured by portraits of her older, widowed self - her dour expression embodying the repressive morality propagated in her time. But "Becoming Queen" reveals an energetic and vibrant woman, determined to battle for power.It also documents the Byzantine machinations behind Victoria's quest to occupy the throne, and shows how her struggles did not end when finally the crown was placed on her head. In the late eighteenth century, monarchies were in crisis across Europe. Discontented with their mad King, George III, and his spendthrift offspring, the English pinned their hopes on the only legitimate grandchild: Princess Charlotte, daughter of George, Prince of Wales. But Charlotte died at the age of twenty-two, a few hours after giving birth to a stillborn son. A grieving nation immediately began venerating her as someone who would have made an ideal Queen while Charlotte's rackety uncles embarked on a race to produce the next heir.No one thought that little Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Kent, would ascend the throne. She, in turn, became increasingly determined to take control of her own destiny, and clashed constantly not only with her hugely ambitious mother but with her protege and household comptroller, the Irish adventurer, John Conroy. After she became Queen, ministers, even her beloved Prince Albert, still attempted to steal power away from her. Revealing how Charlotte's death shaped Victoria's reign and laying bare the passions that swirled around the throne, "Becoming Queen" is an absorbingly dramatic tale of secrets, sexual repression and endless conflict. After her lauded biography of Emma Hamilton, "England's Mistress", Kate Williams has produced a most original and intimate portrait of Great Britain's longest reigning monarch.

Middlemarch- George Eliot
Dorothea is bright, beautiful and rebellious and has married the wrong man. Lydgate is the ambitious
new doctor in town and has married the wrong woman. Both of them long to make a positive difference
in the world. But their stories do not proceed as expected and both they, and the other inhabitants
of Middlemarch, must struggle to reconcile themselves to their fates and find their places in the
world. "Middlemarch" contains all of life: the rich and the poor, the conventional and the radical,
literature and science, politics and romance. Eliot's novel is a stunningly compelling insight into
the human struggle to find contentment.

Portrait of a Lady- Henry James
Isabel Archer's main aim in life is to protect her independence. She is not interested in settling
down and compromising her freedom for the sake of marriage. However, on a trip around Europe with
her aunt, she finds herself captivated by the charming Gilbert Osmond, who is very interested in
the idea of adding Isabel to his collection of beautiful artworks...

Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton
Set against the backdrop of upper-class New York society during the 1870s, the author's combination
of powerful prose combined with a thoroughly researched and meticulous evocation of the manners and style of the period, has delighted readers since the novel's first publication in 1920. In 1921 "The Age of Innocence" achieved a double distinction - it won the Pulitzer Prize and it was the first time this prestigious award had been won by a woman author.

Customer of the Century- Edith Wharton
'If only I were sure of knowing what to expect!' he caught up at her joke, tossing it back at her across the fascinating silence of their listeners. 'Why everything!' she announced With the intention  of making a suitable match, Undine Spragg and her parents move to New York where her youthful, radiant beauty and ruthless ambition prove an irrestible force. Here Edith Wharton dissects the traditions, pretensions and prohibitions of American and European society - both the ostentacious glitter of the 'nouveau riche' and the faded grandeur of the upper classes - with an eye on all the more exacting for its dispassionate gaze. And in Undine Spragg she has created an unforgettable heroine - a woman taught to dazzle and enslave, but to know nothing of the financial and social cost of the status she so passionately craves.

Resurrectionist - James Bradley
This book is set in London, 1826. Leaving behind his father's tragic failures, Gabriel Swift arrives
to study with Edwin Poll, the greatest of the city's anatomists.It is his chance to find advancement
by making a name for himself. But instead he finds himself drawn to his master's nemesis, Lucan,
the most powerful of the city's resurrectionists and ruler of its trade in stolen bodies. Dismissed
by Mr Poll, Gabriel descends into the violence and corruption of London's underworld, a place where
everything and everyone is for sale, and where - as Gabriel discovers - the taking of a life is
easier than it might seem.

Aurora Floyd - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
This Victorian "sensation" novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon has an introduction by P.D. Edwards
evaluating the novel's leading place among "bigamy-novels" and Braddon's treatment of the power
struggle between the sexes. Edwards also considers the similarities between the author and her
heroine. With "Lady Audley's Secret", Mary Elizabeth Braddon had established herself, alongside
Wilkie Collins and Mrs Henry Wood, as one of the ruling triumvirate of "sensation novelists".
"Aurora Floyd", following hot on its heels, achieved almost equal popularity and notoriety.

East Lynne - Mrs Henry WoodThis book looks at the anxieties of the Victorian middle classes who feared a breakdown of the social
order as divorce became more readily available and promiscuity threatened the sanctity of the family.
In this novel the simple act of hiring a governess raises the spectres of murder, disguise, and
adultery.

Tom Jones- Henry FieldingTom Jones, born a foundling, grown into a gallant and irresistible hero, romps through the English
countryside getting himself into all kinds of trouble through his good nature and eye for the ladies.
Betrayed by jealous relatives, Tom is exiled from home and must undergo a variety of trials and
adventures in his quest to be reunited with his one true love and redeem himself in the eyes of society. One of the cleverest and funniest novels ever written, "Tom Jones" is Henry Fielding's greatest achievement.

Coming up next week- Member of Brentwood's reading group- Peta Bainbridge.