Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana by Janet Gleeson (2008-06-24)
I enjoyed this book more than the one about Georgiana by Amanda Chapman, although I also liked that one. However, this was less dense, written in a livelier style, and the description of the era was more vivid. It's certainly not a dull, historical biography! Harriet was beautiful, clever, and heavily politically involved like her more famous sister, but she lived in her shadow to a big extent. Unfortunately, she was born into the wrong era. If she lived today, she could have a brilliant career, and a happy marriage, but these were denied her. Her marriage was traumatic, and her husband was often abusive - at least, at the start. Divorce was difficult, and would lead to her being considered a pariah by high society, so she had to stay in the marriage. Her involvement with Whig politics was a substitute for a career, but she didn't really find fulfillment in it. Like her sister, Harriet turned to gambling, often getting into trouble with debts. She also had affairs, and had two
