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The Courtiers
- Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace
- Narrated by: Heather Wilds
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Kensington Palace is now most famous as the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the palace's glory days came between 1714 and 1760, during the reigns of George I and II. In the 18th century, this palace was a world of skullduggery, intrigue, politicking, etiquette, wigs, and beauty spots, where fans whistled open like switchblades and unusual people were kept as curiosities. Lucy Worsley's The Courtiers charts the trajectory of the fantastically quarrelsome Hanovers and the last great gasp of British court life.
Structured around the paintings of courtiers and servants that line the walls of the King's Staircase of Kensington Palace - paintings you can see at the palace today - The Courtiers goes behind closed doors to meet a pushy young painter, a maid of honor with a secret marriage, a vice chamberlain with many vices, a bedchamber woman with a violent husband, two aging royal mistresses, and many more. The result is an indelible portrait of court life leading up to the famous reign of George III, and a feast for both Anglophiles and lovers of history and royalty.
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Interregnum Rex
- 03-03-17
Lucy worsley rocks, deserves a better narrator
An excellent book, well up to the usual, wonderful standards of Worsley's chatty histories. The narrator left a lot to be desired, however. Her accent was strangely awkward, and I was convinced it was fake until she did an impressively bad American accent halfway through the book. Her accents, on the whole, we're comical, though her German accent was passingly okay. Next time let Worsley read her own book in that delightfully plummy voice of hers!
16 people found this helpful
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- Jill
- 06-15-14
Interesting history
The Georges are not my favorite monarchs in British history so I was unsure as to whether I would enjoy this audiobook. I am very glad that I took the chance and used my credit. The author makes the time period come alive through the lives of the men and women who peopled the Georgian courts. I listened late into the night to finish it and ended up with tears streaming down my face at the death of one of the royal family members. Well written and narrated.
11 people found this helpful
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- Teadrinker
- 08-05-14
Good Social Overview
This book is the history of an environment, rather than a traditional history focused on one person or series of events. As such it was harder to listen to (and possibly harder to write). Probably if I'd bought the book instead of listening to it, images would have grounded the story more for me - hey, Audible, why don't you start including .pdfs of the pictures with each purchase? Anyhow I enjoyed it very much even though it was complex.
17 people found this helpful
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- Dr.J.A.P.
- 12-24-19
History of the Hanoverian British Court, ala TMZ
10 hour of nothing but court gossip, who slept with whom, nasty divorces (before people could get divorced), and people using sex and intrigue to get access to the king. That said, I prefer this sort of history to the boring old fashioned battles and politics focus. The Reader is very good and is skillful at different accents.
7 people found this helpful
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- Vicki Patterson
- 02-05-18
fantastic tales of courtly life
Lucy does it again! An intriguing and enjoyable look at life at court. Lucy's books never disappoint! Highly recommended!
6 people found this helpful
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- Nicole
- 03-24-15
Lucy Worsley Is Second To None
After watching every documentary and history special hosted/presented by Lucy Worsley, this book was the icing on the tea cakes (do the they have icing on tea cakes?!).. I was able to hear her voice quoting George II speaking to his trops, see her modeling the whale bone hoops and tasting the wonderful plates eaten in KP. Thank you again Lucy for bringing your brand of humor and spark to the backstabbing underbelly of royal court life.
Lucy Worsley For President!
4 people found this helpful
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- bermudaful2
- 12-16-20
I wish Lucy had read it
The narrator did a great job and the story was fine enough but there's nothing like the energy and excitement that drags you in like when Lucy tells you a story.
3 people found this helpful
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- Splendifermoose
- 10-19-15
Vivid portrait with fascinating cast of characters
What did you like best about this story?
This book certainly captures the good, the bad, and the ugly of court life under the early Georgian kings. Lucy Worsley has an infectious enthusiasm for the personal details of history (obvious if you've seen any of her BBC presentations) and is able to synthesize historical documents into several well-rounded and surprisingly sympathetic portraits of the aristocrats and royals of the period.
3 people found this helpful
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- Lady Wesley
- 11-01-14
Highly entertaining as well as informative
Any additional comments?
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Heather Wilds' rendition of this gossipy history-lite book. There are lots of quotations in the book, and Wilds did an excellent job with a variety of voices -- from German-accented Kings to serving maids.
I like Lucy Worsley's breezy writing style; her research is decidedly un-breezy however. She is the real deal. But don't expect to hear much about diplomacy or wars; as the title implies, this isn't that kind of history.
My knowledge of 18th century European history is inadequate, except as events in Europe may have affected the American colonies. Thus, I knew very little about the reigns of George I and George II. (Now I need to find a good one-volume about George III, who I know was not truly the tyrant that I was taught about.)
Although I was familiar with French court life, I had no idea that the early Georgian court was so similarly stuffy and formal. The entire daily dressing routine just sounds ludicrous, although it was deadly important to the courtiers. Court life sounds boring and miserable for everyone involved, including even the King and Queen. There was plenty of hanky-panky, and both kings had semi-official mistresses who wielded a degree of power.
The palaces were a far cry from what we imagine -- at times cramped, drafty, damp, and dirty. But there was also splendor, and Worsley's discussion of William Kent's work at Kensington Palace is fascinating.
I enjoy reading historical romances set in this period, and what I learned from this book will just add to my ability to imagine this world that was so dramatically different from our own.
4 people found this helpful
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- Susan
- 04-06-15
Very interesting
This is a wonderful summary of the first two Georgian courts through their courtiers painted on a mural at Kensington Palace.
1 person found this helpful