Elizabeth Chudleigh the glamorous, scandalous, sensational Duchess of Kingston, Countess of Bristol.
Put on trial for Bigamy in April 1776.
This book was a clever and concise depiction of Elizabeth's life in the Hanoverian Court. Her life as a woman in those days where she refused to be defined by anyone's expectations unless they were her own.
Always the topic of gossip from the elite to the lower class, she knew how to get tongues wagging wherever she went.
Whether that helped her or hurt her in the end all you could say about Elizabeth was that she created her world and lives her life on her own terms. As a woman in that day and age, the strength that must have taken shows truly how amazing she was.
I highly recommend this book if you like me want to be immersed in history. To be taken back to that era, see the sights through the persons eyes, smell through their nose, and feel what it was like to live in those times.

What an incredible life laid out within the pages of this masterful work. I had no idea who Elizabeth Chudleigh was before I picked up this book but now I will forever remember her name and her life. I loved reading this book and its one that I definitely need to pick up for my own personal library. I found in some instances I could relate to Elizabeth in regards to her mental health and her interests.

My only qualm about this book was how long it was. I definitely feel like some of the chapters could have been condensed for a more easy read through, but otherwise this was an amazingly researched piece of history that I feel privileged to read about! I have already recommended this read to friends and colleagues!

**I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Talk about a real life soap opera! This biography chronicles the infamous 18th century Elizabeth Chudleigh, whose trials and tribulations mingling with the aristocracy and royalty is so fascinating. Just when you think her story is going to calm down…nope! This is not a fast read - it took me weeks to get through the book. But, Ostler chalks this full of so much information, and it‘s clear Chudleigh‘s influence is still felt today.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for letting me read and review this book. The Duchess Countess is about a woman named Elizabeth. She is a maid of honor to the Princess of Wales, was swept up in the glamorous lifestyles of the English court life. A lot of men are interested in her, and she befriends some powerful women. I haven't heard of Elizabeth before, and I enjoyed learning about her overall. She is definitely a survivor and an interesting person, but the story was too slow paced for me. I will try to read it again in the future though, maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time. I do like non-fiction history books often. Ostler's writing style is pretty good and you can tell she did a lot of research.

Elizabeth Chudleigh led an interesting life that spanned the 18th century. Her fortunes would change many times over the years. From wealthy child to living in rented houses, from courtier to (accused) criminal, this non-fiction account gives us a peek into the exploits of one of the most intriguing women of the 18th century.

Elizabeth came from a good family, but she was neither noble nor wealthy so she had to make her way with her beauty and wit.

A thwarted love affair, youthful secret marriage, and hidden pregnancy gave way to a life filled with wanderlust and gaiety. She found a measure of happiness in an unconventional relationship with the Duke of Kingston, but that relationship will lead to her biggest scandal.

The non-fiction book builds toward Elizabeth’s trial for bigamy.

Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I got about halfway through the book but it was slow moving, and I never felt like I got a real sense of Elizabeth as a person; I didn’t feel a connection to her story.

The book was thoroughly researched and footnoted, which may have hindered the flow of the story for me.

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the eARC.

This is a fun and fascinating account of a little-known historical figure. Ms. Ostler presents her subject in a fascinating light and provides an impossible-to-put-down book.

The Duchess Countess was just okay for me. It was interesting at times to learn about Elizabeth Chudleigh and her life as a Countess, then as a Duchess, but it got a bit complicated and complex for me after awhile. So, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good historical book. Love the cover.

I didn't finish the book. I got a quarter of the way through and was longer interested in the book. Thank you for a review copy.

The Duchess Countess: The Woman who Scandalized Eighteenth-Century London by Catherine Ostler

A comprehensive and highly detailed biography of a Georgian adventuress and her adventures. The depiction of 18th century England, Europe, and Russia demonstrates a perfect combination of aristocratic lineage, royal access, ambition, physical attractiveness and disregard for social norms as embodied by Elizabeth Chudleigh, Countess of Bristol and Duchess of Kingston.

A member of the royal household, an intimate of the Prince and Princess of Wales (Frederick and Augusta) in the reign of King George II, Elizabeth made an impetuous marriage to the grandson of Lord Bristol. In order to maintain her position as maid of honour to the Princess, she didn't reveal her marital status, and her bridegroom was conveniently placed out of the way, first by his naval service and his foreign travels.

Elizabeth, after bearing and losing a child but to outward appearances a single woman, gadded about in society. Her estranged spouse repudiated the marriage and sought a divorce, which would have required Elizabeth to acknowledge its legality. Her lawsuit against him resulted in a declaration of invalidity, allowing her to marry up--to the Duke of Kingston, with whom she enjoyed a brief period of happiness. At his death, she inherited his property and fortune, and by his will was permitted to retain them as long as she remained a widow. She also inherited the enmity of his relatives, who charged her with bigamy, resulting in one of Britain's most notorious legal proceedings--witnessed by Queen Charlotte (wife of George III) and members of her family. After the House of Lords declared her guilty, she spent her time in Prussia, Paris, Rome. In Russia, where she built a magnificent mansion, she was for a time a curious and barely tolerated member of Catherine the Great's court.

The subject of this biography frequently proves herself to be her own worst enemy and at times pitifully unstable, while at the same appearing as a sympathetic figure due to her ill-usage by the male establishment that marshalled forces against her. A thorough work with great depth and detail, this book is recommended to readers interested in the complexities of this prominent, scandalous, and unrepentant 18th century woman. (Atria Books, hardcover, paperback, ebook, audio/427 pp., 2022).

First line: In the first quarter of the eighteenth century, the London metropolis sprawls from the tar-caked wharves of Wapping in the east to the walls of Hyde Park in the west: the greatest, most rapidly expanding trading city in the world.

Summary: Elizabeth Chudleigh, a maid of honor to the Princess of Wales, was swept up in the glamorous lifestyles of the English court life. She attracted the attention of men from all classes and befriended very powerful women. At a young age she has a whirlwind romance with a young naval officer but as time goes on she sees that she may have made a mistake. With time and distance she continues to create a name for herself and earns the love of a duke. When they marry it seems to be bliss but after his death her past comes back to haunt her. She is labelled a bigamist and one of the biggest trials of the century begins!

My Thoughts: Before reading Elizabeth’s story, I had never heard of her. She was very famous during her time but the centuries have left her as a footnote. She sounds very headstrong but she also knew what she wanted and went for it. And even with the scandal she held her head high and refused to admit defeat. I could not believe the connections she made and friends she had. She counted Empress Catherine the Great as a friend as well as several popes. Her life is the story of fiction but everything in this account is fact.

Along with Elizabeth’s story I learned a lot about the court and life of George II and III. It is not an era I have spent much time in but I think I want to remedy that. The glamour and excess of these people is astounding. The people are interesting. Therefore I need to know more.

An interesting take on the life of a social influencer of her time. Maybe took a bit of liberty with her mental health opinions. It was a tad long but kept my interest until the end. Recommend to historical fiction lovers.

Elizabeth Chudleigh has long fascinated me, and will continue to do so! However, I struggled with Ostler's discussion of Chudleigh's mental health issues. I know that many historians go this route but I don't particularly enjoy or follow when historical figures are diagnosed based on surviving sources, especially mental health issues, as there are often a lot of stigmas and assumptions that come with various conditions that can colour the modern reader's interpretation.

3.5/5

This was a good book but I definitely was not the target audience. I struggled to read it because it was written more like a thesis than a novel. Overall, I was happy that I stuck with it and read the whole story but it did take me a long time to get through it.

I never heard of this woman before so I was glad to read about the Duchess. She was truly scandalous! Because of her scandals, I found her hard to like. She seemed to be a woman who listed after fame and money. The story itself was very dry and repetitive at times. Still, I recommend this for fans of Amanda Foreman, Antonia Fraser, and Flora Fraser.

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This is an amazing book! I was overwhelmed by the depth and scope of Ostler's work and how readable and interesting she made this historical period and the Duchess Countess' story. British and Russian Royalty and Society come alive on the page. I now want to visit all the places the Countess lived.

Ostler's commitment to the historical record and to a thorough examination of the relevant social institutions in Britain and Russia make this a fascinating read. I loved reading about this deeply complex woman and her lifelong quest to belong. I'd read anything Catherine Ostler writes!

The cover of this book is absolutely GORGEOUS which is what originally drew my attention. I love stories of women in history who didn’t fit into the mold society expected them to.

I’m not a huge fan of reading about legal proceedings or law so there were sections I mainly skimmed. I was predominantly interested in Elizabeth Chudleigh’s social life and impact which overall I think this book did a really good job of covering! I had never heard of her before and I’m glad I had the opportunity to learn her story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thought this was a great book on a little known woman in history. It did drag in some places, but overall was a very interesting read.

Elizabeth Chudleigh could have starred in a reality TV show. Her bigamy trial was a train wreck, and her glamorous demonstrations of greed and recklessness gripped the nation. Thoroughly researched, The Duchess Countess delves into the power struggles, gender role constraints, and class tensions simmering beneath the surface of Elizabeth’s antics. Catherine Ostler’s historical analysis elevates Elizabeth from a spectacle to a rebel who subverted the Georgian aristocracy from within it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.