Bought as part of the Times book offer.

From the back cover:

"Sophia Baddeley, Elizabeth Armistead, Harriette Wilson, Cora Pearl and Catherine Walters may have had very different personalities and talents but their lives exemplify the dazzling existence of the courtesan. Courted for far more than sex, they were queens of fashion, linguists, musicians, accomplished at intrigue and, of course, possessors of great erotic gifts. Exerting a powerful influence as leaders of fashion and society, they inhabited a lavish, scandel-filled parallel world. It is this world that Katie Hickman brings to gorgeous, glittering life in this compelling account og the lives of these five exceptional women."

An interesting book about courtesans in the 18th and 19th century. I found it a little heavy going at times but that could have been my mood.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

A holiday gift giving surprise. Hope you like it.

Thanks so much for this wsihlist book :) I look forward to reading it!

This book was a huge improvement on her last one 'Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives'. I'm so glad Katie decided to tell each Courtesans story separately. Broke it down more and made it much more readable. As with any non-fiction book...dates make me struggle. Ironically one of the Courtesans in the book does not put dates on her letters because she doesn't like them. I know history books need dates but I don't remember them after I've read them. I just need to know it's set in the 17th and 18th century. That's enough with the negatives. This was a very interesting book. These women are way before their time. The only way to be independent it seems was to be a courtesan and considering women at that time didn't have much choice in picking their husbands this seems like the best route to go! I loved the love story between Elizabeth and Fox and I'm glad they got to be together. And it must have taken Hickman an age to research this book. Take a look at the sources in the back! A good read.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Granting wishes and keeping them moving!

I received this in the mail on Friday...what a pleasant surprise!! I've had this on my wishlist for a long time. There's something very intriguing about the lives of courtesans. They were basically the most powerful women of their time which means they were involved in so many different aspects of culture, and involved with the most fascinating men. I look forward to reading this. Thanks for the RABCK!