Helpful Score: 1
What a wonderful adventure of a woman who does not back down, lay down or goes away. Rich in details that make the story come across so personal and vivid you can't help but keep reading well into the night. The story will capture your sense of indignation and cheer when all is righted. Beautifully written and richly savored.
Mary Anne was Daphne du Maurier's great-great-grandmother. This is a novel about Mary Anne's life. She married a ne'er do well and later became mistress to a royal duke. She became part of a scandal that shocked England's staid Victorian society. I truly enjoyed this book although it became very legal towards the end. I give this story an A!
Daphne duMaurier wrote this novel based on the written records of her great-great-grandmother Mary Anne Clarke, mistress of the Duke of York, an uncle of Queen Victoria. It's a good story, especially in the first half, and worth reading about every 50 years (as I did!). It wasn't a great sales success for duMaurier, but even these duMaurier "failures" are worthwhile.