An indomitable subject finds a biographer worthy of her.
Entertaining biography of Elizabeth Chudleigh (1721-1788), a maid of honor to the Princess of Wales who flaunted the patriarchal conventions of her day.
Elizabeth, writes British journalist Ostler, “used soft power and the art of public relations, before either had those names.” As “the great anti-heroine of the Georgian era,” she served many roles: “duchess, countess, courtier, socialite, hostess, mariner, property developer, celebrity, vodka distiller, press manipulator, arts patron, bigamist.” Ostler, a writer with considerable flair, evidently admires Elizabeth’s chutzpah, and she portrays the convicted bigamist as perhaps suffering from a borderline personality disorder but always refreshingly surprising and fearless. The subject of egregious misogynist portrayals by male writers after her death, Elizabeth was simply larger than life. She never let misfortune drag her down, starting from the early death of her father, Col. Thomas Chudleigh, the director of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. His death left her and her brother bereft and lacking in marriage prospects. However, Elizabeth was never short of luck. At the age of 22, a well-connected relative recommended her for the position of maid of honor to Princess Augusta, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales, a prestigious position that allowed her to shine and attract suitors. Her early, passionate, impetuous marriage to Augustus Hervey, the third Earl of Bristol, was kept secret, and as time passed, the two hoped the bond would somehow dissolve. Elizabeth’s subsequent long-term bond with Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston, forced her into a court of law and, ultimately, a trial for bigamy just at the moment when the U.S. declared its independence from England. The trial, writes the author, represented the “distracted incompetence of a tired colonial power engaged in the displacement activity of persecuting an errant, aristocratic woman.” Undaunted, Elizabeth kept reinventing herself. Ably capturing her singular character, Ostler displays her deep knowledge of the era, smoothly melding history and biography.
An indomitable subject finds a biographer worthy of her.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-982179-73-1
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.
A warts-and-all portrait of the famed techno-entrepreneur—and the warts are nearly beyond counting.
To call Elon Musk (b. 1971) “mercurial” is to undervalue the term; to call him a genius is incorrect. Instead, Musk has a gift for leveraging the genius of others in order to make things work. When they don’t, writes eminent biographer Isaacson, it’s because the notoriously headstrong Musk is so sure of himself that he charges ahead against the advice of others: “He does not like to share power.” In this sharp-edged biography, the author likens Musk to an earlier biographical subject, Steve Jobs. Given Musk’s recent political turn, born of the me-first libertarianism of the very rich, however, Henry Ford also comes to mind. What emerges clearly is that Musk, who may or may not have Asperger’s syndrome (“Empathy did not come naturally”), has nurtured several obsessions for years, apart from a passion for the letter X as both a brand and personal name. He firmly believes that “all requirements should be treated as recommendations”; that it is his destiny to make humankind a multi-planetary civilization through innovations in space travel; that government is generally an impediment and that “the thought police are gaining power”; and that “a maniacal sense of urgency” should guide his businesses. That need for speed has led to undeniable successes in beating schedules and competitors, but it has also wrought disaster: One of the most telling anecdotes in the book concerns Musk’s “demon mode” order to relocate thousands of Twitter servers from Sacramento to Portland at breakneck speed, which trashed big parts of the system for months. To judge by Isaacson’s account, that may have been by design, for Musk’s idea of creative destruction seems to mean mostly chaos.
Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781982181284
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dillard’s story reflects maturity and understanding from someone who was forced to mature and understand too much too soon.
A measured memoir from a daughter of the famous family.
Growing up in the Institute of Basic Life Principles community, which she came to realize was “a cult, thriving on a culture of fear and manipulation,” Duggar and her 18 siblings were raised never to question parental authority. As the author recalls, she felt no need to, describing the loving home of her girlhood. When a documentary crew approached her father, Jim Bob, and proposed first a series of TV specials that would be called 17 Kids and Counting (later 18 and 19 Kids and Counting), he agreed, telling his family that this was a chance to share their conservative Christian faith. It was also a chance to become wealthy, but Jill, who was dedicated to following the rules, didn’t question where the money went. A key to her falling out with her family was orchestrated by Jim Bob, who introduced her to missionary Derick Dillard. Their wedding was one of the most-watched episodes of the series. Even though she was an adult, Jill’s parents and the show continued to expect more of the young couple. When they attempted to say no to filming some aspects of their lives, Jill discovered that a sheet of paper her father asked her to sign the day before her wedding was part of a contract in which she had unwittingly agreed to full cooperation. Writing about her sex offender brother, Josh, and the legal action she and Derick had to take to get their questions answered, Jill describes how she was finally able—through therapy, prayer, and the establishment of boundaries—to reconcile love for her parents with Jim Bob’s deception and reframe her faith outside the IBLP.
Dillard’s story reflects maturity and understanding from someone who was forced to mature and understand too much too soon.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781668024447
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
