Recommendations from our site
“You couldn’t make this up. If it were a novel, you’d think it was too much. But it’s a true story, that’s what makes it so extraordinary. Moore shows how Mary Eleanor Bowes was not just imprisoned by her husband, but also by 18th century society and law. The moment you married, as a woman, you lost everything. Wedlock reads like a crime story, an absolute page-turner. And it has the most fabulous title.” Read more...
The Best Biographies of 18th-Century Figures
Andrea Wulf, Historian
“Mary fell prey to a con man who feigned being wounded in a duel in her honour so that he could beg her to marry him on his death bed. Of course, he recovered as soon as she said yes, and turned out to be possibly the worst husband in history! He took her money, and physically and mentally abused her. What is so good about this book is that, in addition to being very well written, it chronicles Mary’s transformation from victim to strong, independent woman.” Read more...
The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages
Nancy Goldstone, Historian
