A remarkable biography…. Moorehead deftly wields periods detail…to tell the story of a captivating woman who kept her sense of self amid the vicissitudes of politics. Vogue from acclaimed biographer caroline moorhead comes dancing to the precipice, thoroughly engaging biography of a formidable woman” Boston Globe who, a sweeping chronicle of the remarkable life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin—“an astute, over the span of some 80 years, was witness to, and often a participant in the major social upheavals of eighteenth-century French history.

.

A Scandalous Life: The Biography of Jane Digby Text only

In her quest for passionate fulfilment she had lovers which included an Austrian prince, King Ludvig I of Bavaria, and a Greek count whose infidelities drove her to the Orient. Their divorce a few years later was one of England s most scandalous at that time. In syria, she found the love of her life, a Bedouin nobleman, Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab who was twenty years her junior.

Bestselling biographer mary lovell has produced from Jane Digby’s diaries not only a sympathetic and dramatic portrait of a rare woman, but a fascinating glimpse into the centuries-old Bedouin tradition that is now almost lost. Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.

. The biography of jane digby, an ‘enthralling tale of a nineteenth-century beauty whose heart – and hormones – ruled her head. Harpers and queena celebrated aristocratic beauty, Jane Digby married Lord Ellenborough at seventeen.

A Bold and Dangerous Family: The Remarkable Story of an Italian Mother, Her Two Sons, and Their Fight Against Fascism The Resistance Quartet Book 3

After italy entered world war ii in june 1940, amelia, thanks to visas arranged by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt herself, fled to New York City with the remaining members of her family. Renowned historian caroline moorehead paints an indelible picture of italy in the first half of the twentieth century, offering an intimate account of the rise of Il Duce and his squaddristi; life in Mussolini’s penal colonies; the shocking ambivalence and complicity of many prominent Italian families seduced by Mussolini’s promises; and the bold, fractured resistance movement whose associates sacrificed their lives to fight fascism.

A bold and dangerous Family is illustrated with black-and-white photographs. When mussolini established a terrifying and brutal police state controlled by his Blackshirts—the squaddristi—the Rossellis and their anti-fascist circle were transformed into active resisters. In retaliation, many of the anti-fascists were arrested and imprisoned; others left the country to escape a similar fate.

In a bold and dangerous family, moorehead once again pays tribute to heroes who fought to uphold our humanity during one of history’s darkest chapters. As populist, and italy’s prime minister, benito mussolini, began consolidating his power, Amelia’s sons Carlo and Nello led the opposition, right-wing nationalism swept across Europe after World War I, taking a public stand against Il Duce that few others in their elite class dared risk.

Tragically, carlo and Nello were eventually assassinated by Mussolini’s secret service. The acclaimed author of a train in winter and village of secrets delivers the next chapter in "The Resistance Quartet": the astonishing story of the aristocratic Italian family who stood up to Mussolini's fascism, and whose efforts helped define the path of Italy in the years between the World Wars—a profile in courage that remains relevant today.

The Mistress of Paris: The 19th-Century Courtesan Who Built an Empire on a Secret

Her rumored affairs with Napoleon III and the future King Edward VII kept gossip columns full. But her glamorous existence hid a dark secret: she was no comtesse. Valtesse was born into abject poverty, raised on a squalid backstreet among the dregs of Parisian society. A consummate show-woman, she ensured that her life—and even her death—remained shrouded in just enough mystery to keep her audience hungry for more.

Spectacularly evoking the sights and sounds of mid- to late nineteenth-century Paris in all its hedonistic glory, for the first time ever in English, Catherine Hewitt’s biography tells, the forgotten story of a remarkable woman who, though her roots were lowly, never stopped aiming high. Yet she transformed herself into an enchantress who possessed a small fortune, three mansions, fabulous carriages, and art the envy of connoisseurs across Europe.

Catherine hewitt's the mistress of Paris is a fantastically readable biography of a nineteenth-century Parisian courtesan who harbored an incredible secret. A gorgeous, hard-working, ambitious, smart, steely autodidact and businesswoman whose product was herself, Valtesse would be totally at home in our self-branding society.

The new york times book reviewcomtesse valtesse de la Bigne was painted by Édouard Manet and inspired Émile Zola, who immortalized her in his scandalous novel Nana.

Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France The Resistance Quartet Book 2

Many of those they protected were orphaned children and babies whose parents had been deported to concentration camps. With unprecedented access to newly opened archives in france, and Germany, and interviews with some of the villagers from the period who are still alive, Britain, Caroline Moorehead paints an inspiring portrait of courage and determination: of what was accomplished when a small group of people banded together to oppose their Nazi occupiers.

A thrilling and atmospheric tale of silence and complicity, Village of Secrets reveals how every one of the inhabitants of Chambon remained silent in a country infamous for collaboration. From the author of the new york times bestseller a train in Winter comes the absorbing story of a French village that helped save thousands hunted by the Gestapo during World War II—told in full for the first time.

Le chambon-sur-lignon is a small village of scattered houses high in the mountains of the Ardèche, one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Eastern France. Yet it is also a story about mythmaking, and the fallibility of memory. A major contribution to wwii history, and pays tribute to a group of heroic individuals, most of them women, illustrated with black-and-white photos, Village of Secrets sets the record straight about the events in Chambon, for whom saving others became more important than their own lives.

During the second world war, oss and soe agents, the inhabitants of this tiny mountain village and its parishes saved thousands wanted by the Gestapo: resisters, communists, freemasons, and Jews.

A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France The Resistance Quartet Book 1

In january 1943, 230 women of the french Resistance were sent to the death camps by the Nazis who had invaded and occupied their country. This is their story, survival, defiance, told in full for the first time—a searing and unforgettable chronicle of terror, courage, and the power of friendship. Caroline moorehead, a distinguished biographer, and the author of dancing to the precipice and human cargo, erik larson’s In the Garden of Beasts, human rights journalist, and Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken will find an essential addition to our retelling of the history of World War II—a riveting, brings to life an extraordinary story that readers of Mitchell Zuckoff’s Lost in Shangri-La, rediscovered story of courageous women who sacrificed everything to combat the march of evil across the world.

.

Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte

Together they conquered Europe. Her near-death experience only fueled Josephine’s ambition and heightened her determination to find a man who could finance and sustain her. From cnn’s official royal historian, comes the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of the woman who conquered Napoleon’s heart—and with it, a highly praised young author with a doctorate from Oxford University, an empire.

This engrossing and accessible account is for all readers who enjoy historical biography. Library journal “A riveting account. Kate williams’s searing portrait of this alluring and complex woman will finally elevate Josephine Bonaparte to the historical prominence she deserves. Praise for ambition and Desire “Not just a scholarly work, but a page-turner.

The story of the Corsican soldier’s incredible rise has been well documented. Though no classic beauty, she quickly developed a reputation as one of the most desirable women on the continent. Their extravagance was unprecedented, even by the standards of Versailles. Napoleon bonaparte and his wife, Josephine, came to power during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of France.

Born marie-josèphe-rose de tascher de La Pagerie on the Caribbean island of Martinique, the woman Napoleon would later call Josephine was the ultimate survivor. Now, kate williams draws back the curtain on the woman who beguiled him: her humble origins, her exorbitant appetites, luminous account, in this spellbinding, and the tragic turn of events that led to her undoing.

Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King

The highly visible presence of these women raises many questions about their position in both Louis XIV’s life and in France at large. And yet, as antonia Fraser keenly describes, he was equally legendary in the domestic sphere. Louis xiv, the highly-feted “sun king”, was renowned for his political and cultural influence and for raising France to a new level of prominence in seventeenth-century Europe.

Indeed, a panoply of women—his mother, anne; mistresses such as Louise de la Vallière, Athénaïs de Montespan, and the puritanical Madame de Maintenon; and an array of courtesans—moved in and out of the court. With careful research and vivid, engaging prose, Fraser makes the multifaceted life of one of the most famous European monarchs accessible and vibrantly current.

.

Gellhorn: A Twentieth-Century Life

Both of her marriages ended badly-the first, to Ernest Hemingway, publicly so. From her birth in St. The preeminent-and often the only-female correspondent on the scene, she broke new ground for women in the male preserve of journalism. The first major biography of legendary war correspondent martha gellhorn, whose life provides a unique and thrilling perspective on world history in an extraordinary timeMartha Gellhorn's heroic career as a reporter brought her to the front lines of virtually every significant international conflict between the Spanish Civil War and the end of the Cold War.

Her wartime dispatches, marked by a passionate desire to expose suffering in its many guises and an inimitable immediacy, rank among the best of the twentieth century. A deep-seated love of travel complemented this interest in world affairs. Wells-but she was as incapable of settling into comfortable long-term relationships as she was of sitting still, and happiness often eluded her despite her professional success.

G. A tall, she made friends easily-among the boldface names that populated her life were Eleanor Roosevelt, glamorous blonde, Leonard Bernstein, and H. Drawn from extensive interviews and with exclusive access to Gellhorn's papers and correspondence, this seminal biography spans half the globe and almost an entire century to offer an exhilarating, intimate portrait of one of the defining women of our times.

Louis in 1908 to her death in london in 1998, china, and most of the great cities of Europe, Cuba, Gellhorn passed through Africa, recording her experiences in first-rate travel writing and fiction.

Talleyrand

A well-known opportunist and a notorious bribe taker, Talleyrand’s gifts to France arguably outvalued the vast personal fortune he amassed in her service. He was a world-class rogue who held high office in five successive regimes. Unique in his own age and a phenomenon in any, Charles-Maurice, Prince de Talleyrand, was a statesman of outstanding ability and extraordinary contradictions.

Duff cooper’s classic biography contains all the vigor, elegance, and intellect of its remarkable subject. Print ed. Talleyrand returned to france two years later and served under Napoleon, and represented France at the Congress of Vienna. Once a supporter of the revolution, after the fall of the monarchy, he fled to England and then to the United States.

.