Miscast in the media for nearly 130 years, the victims of Jack the Ripper finally get their full stories told in this eye-opening and chilling reminder that life for middle-class women in Victorian London could be full of social pitfalls and peril.
Focusing on the perspectives of three women central to the Crippen murder case, this narrative delves into their complex lives amid societal constraints and rapid change. It reexamines the infamous 1910 crime, challenging previous portrayals that victim-blamed and misrepresented the women's roles. By uncovering new evidence, the author reveals the multifaceted identities of Charlotte, Belle, and Ethel, highlighting their strength and agency against the backdrop of Edwardian society, ultimately redefining their stories beyond mere victimhood.
Their marriage had the makings of a fairy tale but ended as one of the most salacious and highly publicized divorces in history.In February 1782, England opened its newspapers to read the details of Sir Richard Worsley vs. George Maurice Bisset, a Criminal Conversation trial in which the aggrieved Sir Richard attempted to sue his wife€™s lover for an astronomical £20,000 in damages. In the course of the proceedings, the Worsley€™s scandalous sexual arrangements, voyeuristic tendencies and bed-hopping antics were laid bare.Lady Worsley€™s Whim is the story of a marriage between two opposing personalities; a stoic, art-collecting empiricist and a passionate romantic. Their tale is driven by the consequences of a terrible error of judgment made at a bath house on a summer€™s afternoon. The aftermath of this €œwhim€ altered their lives forever. This fascinating story has lain buried in long forgotten newspapers, overlooked pamphlets, yello
"1789: Henrietta Lightfoot, a young Englishwoman, trips on her silk gown as she runs for her life along the bloodstained streets of revolutionary Paris. She finds refuge in the opulent home of Grace Dalyrmple Elliott, the city's most celebrated courtesan. But heads are rolling, neighbours fear neighbours, and masters whisper before servants. As the sound of the guillotine echoes outside, within the gilded salons of high society Henrietta becomes a pawn in a vicious game of female power. How will she survive in a world where no one can be trusted?"--Goodreads.com
Perfect fiction for fans of BBC TV's hit series BRIDGERTON and HARLOTS 'A remarkable picture of a fascinating age' Daily Express 'A full-blooded historical' Independent _____________________ My tale is not for the faint of heart. Born illegitimate in eighteenth-century England, the scandalous Henrietta Lightfoot gives us her version of the truth about her criminal life in this delicious coming-of-age. Fleeing her childhood home for the big city, Henrietta is now swimming in the London underworld of rakes, rogues, sharks, pimps and courtesans - she quickly sees that true liberty is a man's privilege. What must Henrietta do to survive in a world designed for men? Gripping, twisty, shocking, MISTRESS OF MY FATE illuminates the dark lives of the women written out by the masters of eighteenth-century literature. Vibrant and full-blooded, it is an irresistible picaresque story for our times 'Two parts Lizzie Bennett and Tom Jones's Sophia Western to one part Moll Flanders' INDEPENDENT 'Combines extraordinary bawdiness with silky sophistication' DAILY EXPRESS
The Covent Garden Ladies tells the story of Samuel Derrick, Jack Harris, and Charlotte Hayes, whose complicated and colourful lives were brought together by the publication of Harris's List, an infamous guidebook of prostitutes which detailed addresses, physical characteristics, and "specialties." The true history of the book is a tragicomedy motivated by poverty, passionate love, aspiration, and shame. Its telling plunges the listener down the dark alleys of eighteenth-century London's underworld, a realm populated by tavern owners, pimps, punters, card sharps, and of course, a colourful range of prostitutes and brothel-keepers.