Madwoman in the Attic #5 Marguerite Power, Countess of Blessington

Marguerite Power was born at Knockbrit, Clonmel, Co Tipperary in 1789. She was the daughter of Ellen Sheehy and Edmund Power who owned a small amount of land. According to her first biographer her father known as 'Buck' Power was a gambler and drinker and Maguerite had an unhappy childhood as the family were constantly in debt. Her father traded Marguerite in payment for gambling debts to Captain Maurice St Leger Farmer, so at 15 Marguerite went from unhappy child to unhappy bride. Her husband starved, beat and imprisoned his wife. The law at the time would offer her no protection and Marguerite's only option was to separate from her husband. When he was posted to India by the army she refused to go with him and instead  moved to London. She was immediately a cause for scandal as she was a 'separated woman' but still a teenager. However her good looks and sparking wit made her extremely popular as a society hostess. Marguerite began an affair with Charles John Gardiner, First Earl of Blessington while both of them were still married but his wife died in 1814 and Farmer died in debtor's prison in 1817 so the pair married in 1818. Blessington was a wealthy and indulgent husband and Marguerite was generous to a fault insisting on helping out a number of relatives in Ireland and England. In 1822 the Blessingtons set out on a Grand Tour. Marguerite was well known in literary circles and struck up a friendship with Byron at Genoa. She later wrote Conversations with Lord Byron. (1834) At Naples she met Irish writer Richard Robert Madden who later wrote her biography (1855). While they were travelling on the continent John invited the dashing Count D'Orsay who had been part of their London circle to join them. With all of them living together and indulging in a life of extravagance it was probably inevitable that D'Orsay and Marguerite began an affair but with a young and healthy husband Marguerite knew that it could be years before they could be together so she devised a plan. She persuaded her husband to arrange a match between his daughter Harriet from his first marriage to D'Orsay so that they could continue to spend time together without any gossip. Ironically just a few months after the marriage in 1829 Blessington suffered a sudden stroke and died  in Paris. He left Marguerite plenty of money, jewels and estates and she establishment her household back in London persuading D'Orsay and Harriet to live with her, after just three years though Harriet walked out exposing her husband and step mother to scandal. Typically D'Orsay was accepted quickly back into society but Marguerite was not. Marguerite turned to writing to support herself and her literary salons were revived. Her home Gore House is now the site of the Albert Hall and writers who visited her included Charles Dickens and Benjamin Disraeli. Marguerite wrote novels; The Repealers or Grace Cassidy (1834), The Governess (1839),  Strathern (1845), The Fatal Error (1847) and travel books The Idler in France (1839) The Idler in Italy (1841) as well as contributing to newspapers and periodicals, she was one of the first writers to have her work serialised in The Sunday Times. Astute in her own business dealings but not in her private life Marguerite and D'Orsay had to leave London to escape their creditors in 1849. Just a few weeks later Marguerite was dead, like her husband before her she suffered a massive stroke in Paris. She is buried at St Germain. 

In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant

I am delighted to be kicking off the blog tour for Sarah Dunant's latest novel. With In the Name of the Family Sarah Dunant continues the saga of the notorious Borgia family begun in Blood and Beauty. The new novel however can easily be read as a stand alone. The book presents the voices of Lucrezia, Cesare, Rodrigo; the Borgia pope and Niccolo Machiavelli.  The year is 1502. Rodrigo Borgia is Pope Alexander VI. He is inordinately wealthy, calculating and powerful. His son Cesare is a military strategist intent on becoming the most powerful man in Italy and Lucrezia is once again betrothed; this time to Alfonso heir to the Dukedom of Ferrara . Following the family through the eyes of Florentine diplomat Machiavelli and through their own accounts In the Name of the Family recounts the last year and a half of the rule of the Borgia Pope and the daring attacks carried out by Cesare in his attempts to conquer Italy while Lucrezia contends with an indifferent husband, a penny pinching father-in-law and a jealous sister-in-law. What Machiavelli learns as he watches the unfolding saga of the Borgias will inform his masterwork on politics and power The Prince.
It is a testament to the skill of Sarah Dunant's storytelling that the characters are alive and vivid as people not as the evil caricatures handed down through history. Although despite this the author doesn't hold back at portraying the cruel acts carried out in their names; by Cesare and his henchmen in particular. However their weaknesses and the dangers of illness and disease are also an integral part of the story. This is an intriguing look at one of the most powerful, cruel, ambitious and interesting families of the Renaissance. It is also a fascinating look at the history of syphilis which had begun to spread just a few years before and was known as the 'French pox', Cesare was a noted sufferer and was subjected to a number of treatments during this period. Sarah Dunant has clearly done intensive research on the period. Through a number of books she has presented a variety of portraits of Renaissance Italy and it is her power to bring the period vividly to life that makes her stand out as an author of historical fiction.
Perfect for fans of Alison Weir, Marina Fiorato and Elizabeth Fremantle.

In the Name of the Family is out now in hardback and e-book from Virago. Thanks so much to Hayley Camis for an e-book copy for review. You can learn more about Sarah and her books by checking out her excellent website. http://sarahdunant.com/

The blog tour continues see banner for details

Interview with Elizabeth Kerri Mahon author of Scandalous Women

Lisa: What made you want to write about history's scandalous women?

Elizabeth: I’ve always been a history geek, ever since I was a child. I used to actually read my history textbooks for fun. Growing up, I was introduced to so many interesting women in history through historical fiction, Anya Seton’s Katherine, That Winthrop Woman, Jean Plaidy’s novel ‘Mine Enemy, the Queen’ about Elizabeth I’s cousin Lettice Knolly’s, that it seemed a natural fit for me to write about scandalous women. And by scandalous, I mean, women who were outside what was considered normal for the time. Today, we might not consider Amelia Earhart or Ida Wells-Barnett scandalous, but they were pioneer, pushing the boundaries of what women were seen as capable of doing. Of course, some of the women that I have written about were truly scandalous in every sense of the word!

Lisa: Do you have any favorite women from history? 

Elizabeth: That’s a tough question. There were some women who I found absolutely fascinating. For example, Emilie de Chatelet, a noblewoman who spent her life devoted to mathematics and science, along with her lover Voltaire. I knew nothing about her until I randomly picked up a book in the New York Public Library. I have great sympathy for Lady Caroline Lamb but if I have to pick a favorite, I would have to say Anne Boleyn and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I have been a little obsessed with both of them since I was a child. Another favorite would have to be Boudica, the Iceni Queen who waged war against the Romans and almost succeeded in driving them out of Britain.

Lisa: Do you uncover many surprises in your research?

Elizabeth: I was surprised when I started researching Calamity Jane. Most of the myths about her and her life in the Old West are just that, myths. Mary Ellen Pleasant’s life story was a huge surprise to me. I discovered her story in a book about women in the Old West. Here was the little known story about an African-American woman who somehow managed to make a fortune in the 1870’s and 80’s in California. At the same time, she conformed outwardly to the stereotypes of the black female servant, despite her wealth.


Lisa: What is a typical writing day for you?

Elizabeth: My morning is spent posting my daily women in history tweets. And then I spent a good deal of time researching the next woman I hope to profile on the blog. I try to write at least four hours a day, typing up my notes from my research and then crafting the blog post. I’m also working on a new book proposal, so that takes up a bit of my time as well.
Other than history what are your passions? I love ballroom dancing, particularly International Latin, but also salsa and hustle. I’ve been studying dancing for several years now, and I can’t get enough. Although it’s an incredibly expensive hobby! Also travel, I have a bucket list of places that I would like to go including Australia and India.


Lisa: Who are your favorite authors?

Elizabeth: Deanna Raybourn, C.W. Gortner, Stephanie Dray, Lauren Willig, Susan Elia MacNeal, Elizabeth Chadwick, Gillian Bagwell, Christy English, Beatriz Williams, Tasha Alexander, Sharon Kay Penman, the list is endless. There are so many amazing writers right now who write historical fiction and mysteries.