England’s Mistress by Kate Williams

The subtitle of this book is The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton, just in case you didn’t know who England’s Mistress was. Kate Williams has done an amazing job of bringing Emma to life. It is the story of a beautiful and ambitious girl from the country who ended up reaching heights few can aspire to and in the end, crashed and burned. All the while, you find yourself liking Emma with all her strengths and weaknesses and trying not to judge her for the errors in judgment she made.

This is a book you will have a hard time putting down. Her life is so much more to it than just a passionate and tumultuous relationship with Admiral Horatio Nelson. In case you don't know what Emma looked like, there are a great number of pictures in this book. Emma was a favorite model of her time she was the Angelina Joli of the 18th century.

Emma was a bit of a wild child who found a man she wanted and went about getting him. In a time before there was celebrity status, she was a star. A gorgeous one, too when you look at the beautiful paintings, even discounting the fact that most artists try to make the model look good. She has a softness and an almost innocent beauty about her that transcends time.

If you know anything about Emma Hamilton, forget it; this is going to make you look at her in a totally new and different way. Like so many women before her, Emma began her career on the stage and on her back. Somehow, she managed to keep from becoming just another hardened prostitute and instead caught the eye of several protectors.

Emma Hamilton was born in Cheshire a little after the middle of the eighteenth century. Her name was Amy Lyon and her father was a blacksmith who died before she was even a year old. His death was mysterious and the reason is lost in the fog of time.

Emma and her mother remained close throughout her life, and, to Emma’s credit, she never claimed to be anything but what she was: a beautiful girl from a dirt-poor family who had something so special about her it would attract the attention of some of the wealthiest and most important men in the world.

England's Mistress is well annotated and filled with quotes from letters and writings from the time period. This is a very enjoyable read for anyone who loves a good love story, even one without a happy ending. Lots of history and art as well.