Venetia Murray (1932–2004)
Auteur van High Society in Regency Period, 1788-1830
Over de Auteur
Werken van Venetia Murray
Great Victorians: Life in the Nineteenth Century 1 exemplaar
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Tagged
Algemene kennis
- Pseudoniemen en naamsvarianten
- Alexander, Venetia Murray (married)
- Geboortedatum
- 1932-01-03
- Overlijdensdatum
- 2004-09-26
- Geslacht
- female
- Nationaliteit
- UK
- Woonplaatsen
- Bargemon, Provence, France
Andalusia, Spain
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Wiltshire, England, UK - Opleiding
- St. Paul's Girls' School
- Beroepen
- writer
journalist
social historian - Relaties
- Murray, Gilbert (grandfather)
Paludan, Ann (sister)
Murray, Basil (father)
Mitford, Nancy (cousin)
Toynbee, Philip (cousin) - Korte biografie
- Venetia Murray was a daughter of British journalist and politician Basil Murray, and a granddaughter of classical scholar Gilbert Murray. Her sister Ann Paludan became a Chinese scholar and author. Venetia was educated at St. Paul's Girls' School in London and was introduced to society as a debutante with help from her cousin Nancy Mitford. In the 1950s, she moved to Bargemon in Provence, France, a tiny village where she was the only Englishwoman for many years. She suffered from alcoholism for 10 years but recovered to resume her career as a writer with the success of her books An Elegant Madness: High Society In Regency England (1999), Echoes of the East End (1989), Where Have All the Cowslips Gone? (1993), and Castle Howard: The Life And Times of a Stately Home (1994). Venetia spent her last years between Horningsham at Longleat and the village of Gaucin in Andalusia, Spain, where she entertained her many friends with zest and generosity. She was married three times and had two children.
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Statistieken
- Werken
- 12
- Leden
- 618
- Populariteit
- #40,697
- Waardering
- 3.7
- Besprekingen
- 10
- ISBNs
- 13
The author’s research was clearly extensive and I loved all the snippets of letters she shared. I also appreciated the in-text citations, which are always useful for distinguishing fact from speculation. On the other hand, the author’s writing style was somewhat dry and the chapters occasionally felt like a collection of loosely connected anecdotes. The random, untranslated bits of French were also somewhat distracting. Fortunately, one thing saved the book from being too scholarly and hard to follow. Through the anecdotes chosen, the author does an amazing job conveying the feel of the fascinating society that was Regency England.
I would honestly recommend this book to anyone with some interest in history. The time period includes much upheaval and many contradictions, so it contains a variety of aspects that could appeal to many different kinds of readers. There was chivalry and romance, high society and balls and duels. There were crazy sexual escapades and and fabulous feasts and grandiose entertainments. And the author does a great job covering all of these aspects of Regency England with smoothly integrated quotes and superb commentary. I doubt anyone could read this book without at least a momentary desire to experience life as a member of high society in Regency England.
This review first published on Doing Dewey.… (meer)