Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court

Divertidísimo, es como una revista HOLA siglo XVIII. Llegó justo en la fecha programada y excelentes condiciones.

It is interesting but very slow...a year later and I haven't finished it, keep dipping in&out. It doesn't seem to hold my attention.

I very much enjoy the way the Lucy Worsley writes her books. She takes a slightly different tack and instead of the traditional straight narrative she approaches the subject in a different manner. In this case she discussed the Georgian period by talking about individuals in a painting in Kensington Palace. You are informed about the period but in a, to my mind, delightful way. She used the similar "different" method of approach in Cavalier writing about the period of the Great Revolution.

The Courtiers is a fun, fast read about life at court under the first two Hanoverian kings of England (George I and II) and the sometimes vicious (and often tedious) duties of the courtiers who served them. If you've ever wanted to know what the difference is between a Lady of the Bedchamber and a Woman of the bedchamber, or what the timeline is on an average day at court, this is where to go. There's also a good deal of exploration of the downright nasty interactions between George I and George II, and then George II and Prince Frederick (George III's father). These were fathers and sons who passionately hated each other.I came to the book knowing a fair amount about most of the courtiers described here, and as a result, the book tied up loose ends for me. (In a biography, it's so easy to focus on the subject that I lose sight of what was the center of that person's world -- in this case, court life.)Very enjoyable and informative.

This is popular history at its best - a really engaging read which takes you behind the scenes at the Georgian court and gives an insight into what it was really like to live in such august circumstances (not quite such an easy life as you might think). Worsley combines a thorough knowledge of the subject with a knack for telling an entertaining story, and takes the reader on a roam around behind the scenes and behind the public face of the monarchy.I knew very little about Georgian history before I read this book, and had quite irrationally dismissed it as not nearly as interesting as the nineteenth century, but this book has left me wanting to know more. It is a must for anyone who really enjoys social and domestic history - here we have domestic history on a grand scale, but the detail of the everyday life of such Georgian grandees makes for very interesting reading.It is not a long book - in fact I was sorry to finish it, and it is not a demanding read, but neither is it facile or superficial. A great book to take on holiday, or to retreat to after a hard day's work - your brain won't hurt with the effort of reading it, but you will learn interesting things and be entertained all the same.