Aristocrats

by Stella Tillyard

Book by Stella Tillyard

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, 18th Century, British Literature, Historical, 19th Century

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Stella Tillyard is a British novelist and historian. She was educated at Oxford and Harvard Universities and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Her bestselling book Aristocrats was made into a miniseries for BBC1/Masterpiece Theatre, and sold to over twenty countries. Winner of the Meilleur Livre Etranger, the Longman-History Today Prize, and the Fawcett Prize, Tillyard has taught at Harvard University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters at Queen Mary, London. She is currently a Visiting Professor in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck, University of London. Her latest novel is Call Upon the Water (published in the UK under the title The Great Level).

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many ways to sell/reasons for me to push this book, it absolutely boggles the mind:

-First and foremost and easiest for both the scandalmongers among us (and really, if we're honest, which one of us isn't, at least a little? :)), all these words, adjectives and happenings are involved in this book, probably many times over: an illegitimate line of the bastard children of kings, arranged marriages... that turn out to be fairy tale romances, forbidden courtships, scandalous secret marriages, elopements resulting in family disowning of the bride, reform politicians who double as impassioned romantic heroes, obsessive jealousy, sexual dominance, beautiful, fickle, expensive young brides driving their husbands to ruin, medieval castles, mistresses, whores, illigitimate children raised with legitimate heirs, European tours, peers renouncing their titles for the sake of Liberte, Egalite, fraternite, affairs with French dukes, a love affair with George III, seperation, divorce, rehabilitation to near sainthood, a duchess who marries her children's tutor, Lords killed for treason and rebellion... etc, etc.

If for some reason that isn't enough to send you running out the door...

-Secondly, this is a fascinating portrait of a world in incredible transition. As we start the piece, the English court moves to medieval rhythms, Dukes have actual jobs at court, Duchesses fetch and carry and sew for the Queen... by the time the last sister dies, Napoleon has been defeated, and Victoria is five years from appearing on the throne. It is so easy to be swept along with the times, watch everything slowly shift just as these incredible, strong sisters from a provincial near backwater to the full might of the British Empire. From a king just as German as he was English, just as concerned with Hanover as he was London to a peculiarly English world where being British was first and foremost.

-Thirdly: These are some truly amazing, kickass women. Yes, they all have their faults, but I can't agree with the one reviewer who said that we never care about them. I don't know how you can't. Yes, they're aristocratic snobs with a very narrow view on life, yes, they're wasteful and extravagant, yes yes, yes... And yet, these are strong women who made their own choices, to the detriment their material well being, be damned to what anyone thought around them, who both flouted convention and became it at the same time. These are women who were still finding themselves well into their mid thirties, showing that you can still keep growing, and changing, and there's no limit to the point when you really find your dreams. That really spoke to me at this point in my life. One of the sisters is completely fallen by the age of 25, and an idol of the cult of motherhood by the time she's forty. These sisters truly show the limitlessness of the possibilities of life.

The one thing I will say about this book is that the focus on the sisters is incredibly narrow. Which is what you have to do for a biography of this kind of course, but it can be jarring. Even when great friends of the family die, or major events happen, we never really get their story and what lead to these great events. This is merely about the sisters. To the point where the American revolution is referred to by the author as, "The drama in the American colonies," rather than a revolution. She also repeatedly refers to "Londonderry," in Ireland, rather than qualifying the name, which is something of a hot button issue. Obviously, if you already know the history of the era, this isn't a problem, it can just jerk you out of the text occasionally.

Other than that, absolutely highly recommended. It blows by like a thriller novel, honestly. Don't let its size fool you.

[Beata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stella Tillyard is a perfectionist! Having done exceptionally detailed research into one aristocratic family, she presents a delightful insight into the lives of the privileged class over the span of several generations.

[Sherwood Smith]

Reread while traveling.

This biography of the Lennox sisters (who comprise two generations) covers the 1740s to the end of the Regency period and the beginning of the Victorian era, doing an excellent job of sketching in the cultural changes in the English and Irish aristocracy over these decades.

Relying upon a richness of primary source quotes, Tillyard takes the time to introduce the complicated--really tangled--family trees here, doing an admirable job of elucidating the characters of the sisters and the men they married.

She also takes the time to develop cultural idiosyncrasies and evolving fashions, from gambling to real estate to decorating those vast mansions they were so fond of building in order to enhance family and political prestige. If you know some of the colorful figures of the period (like Horry Walpole, George Selwyn, Lord Hervey, Mary Wortley Montagu, and Madame du Deffand) the mentions when these people pop up will add layers to the on-going story.

Tillyard takes the time to sketch in the causes as well as the progress of the doomed Irish Revolt of 1798, inevitable after the high-hearted celebration by Edward Fitzgerald and his band who hailed the era of the common man and democracy in 1792, before the Terror ruined the French Revolution.

There are some sections at the beginnings of some chapters where she indulges in some fictional explorations of their inner minds, but I could accept these as the scenes she paints resonate with the facts so carefully introduced.

One quibble I had, and it's small as I know that the alternative would have added massive word count, was relatively little development of their children, other than Eddy Fitzgerald. Charles James Fox is mainly introduced through his gambling, with scant attention paid to his political views and life, and none at all to the discovery on his death of his secret marriage and family.

I also think a little more attention might have been spent on Susan Fox-Strangways, who was found at the center of the storm so often, and who seemed to wiggle free time after time until she, too, mistook reality for fantasy and eloped with her actor.

The focus stays on the Lennox sisters and their husbands and lovers--poor Cecelia, not mentioned in the title getting her innings at last--and comes to a graceful close after the death of Ogilvie, the last of them left alive.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tome gets better and better to best the farther you reach into the pages. It's not at all only their biographies in component entwining placements but much more. It designates the entire period and social, educational, fashion, architectural, literary and 1000 other enmeshed details that make their Hanoverian period historic base solid. It is not only a couple of decades either, but more. 1740-1832

And as the 4 sisters were actually two generations spaced in age! You see change but at the same time see aristocratic relationship in family and between other nobles or governmental or merchant classes. Servant classes too. Travel mandated servants traveling with them also. Numbers counts are astonishing, IMHO. Over time and fashion, that was also melding "different".

Descendants of Charles II.

As intriguing as the first half was, the second half of this is even better. Because letters, interaction and much of the traveling times also circumvent buying of material goods, furniture, rugs, every type of cloth etc. etc. Most for each other too, not only for themselves or their own households.

The politics, the Irish placements, the London based homes- and the entire process of marriage market intrigue and "shopping" was beyond the best I've ever read.

And she did all this with exquisite and exact personality core aspect of each individual too. Masterful.

So many births for some. So many deaths for all. I can't imagine the emotional and identity core you need to lose so many children at the 4 or 6 or 10 year stages. Caroline and Emily in particular were brilliant and intelligent communicators. With far, far more pure knowledge and world view information than a great majority of the men of that period.

It wasn't only the money amount chapter but also the segment on how they addressed each other which I though 6 stars. What a window! Emily still had the mother's role for more than 3/4ths of her life to the younger. And with their parents' deaths so close together and not at all "old".

No carrying water for these women. Tillyard researched and wrote a masterpiece here. This is SO difficult to achieve after centuries of time. But she captured their society and them. BOTH!

And she got most of the men in their exactness too. And how being put "out of society" for scandal had repercussions of nearly a lifetime. But that association too, always matters, even then.

The color plate sections of paintings, etches, visuals of lodgings and piecemeal art/ decoration were the best I've seen for this period. 5 stars or better as well. There are plenty too. Covering more than 1/2 a century.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of four daughters of the second Duke of Richmond. Great-granddaughters of King Charles II, wealthy, titled, and intimate with the political leaders of the realm, the Lennox sisters were envied by many and watched by all. Their story lasts almost a century; it "begins in 1744, as the Jacobites were planning their last, desperate assault on the Hanoverian throne, and ends in 1832, five years before the beginning of the Victorian Age." The eldest, Caroline, eloped and became a rich and famous political hostess. Her eldest son was a dissolute wastral; her second son, Charles Fox, became an infamous politician. The second girl, Emily, married the Duke of Leinster, the first peer of Ireland. After their parents' deaths, Emily raised her much younger sisters Louisa and Sarah amidst her own gigantic brood (she had, in all, 22 children, only half of whom survived to adulthood). Emily arranged a marriage for Louisa to the richest man in Ireland, Thomas Conolly. King George III loved young Sarah, but was convinced to marry a German princess for matters of state. Sarah was pushed into a marriage with Thomas Bunbury, a man of little sense, money, or desire for his teenaged bride. Their marriage was deeply unhappy, and Sarah had a very public affair, forcing Bunbury to separate and eventually divorce her. She and Emily each remarried later in life, and had very happy marriages to men of significantly less money and social standing. Every sister but Louisa had a cavalcade of children. And every sister maintained a long, intimate relationship via letters.

Thanks to those letters, and Tillyard's incredible scholarship, the modern age has a pretty good idea of their personalities and daily lives. The sisters themselves are vividly drawn and oft quoted (I'm a sucker for reading the actual words of historical figures), but what truly impressed me was the detail of their surroundings. How their servants were treated, what kind of decorating was in style, how one behaved in Bath, what London was like (the description of London "waking up" every morning was particularly impressive)...Tilyard assembles all this flotsom and arranges it into a coherent world.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aristocrats is a brilliant group biography of a family of noble sisters during the Hanoverian period in England. The Lennox sisters were great-granddaughters of Charles II (through his mistress Louise de Keroualle), daughters of the Duke of Richmond, and wives and mothers to politicians and peers, but also fascinating people in their own rights.

All their lives they wrote letters voluminously, to each other and to other family members, and it's these letters that Tillyard uses in her reconstruction of their lives and their world, quoting liberally so that we hear the sisters in their own words as often as possible. Tillyard's portrayal of Hanoverian England is wonderfully rich and engaging, from politics and society to the details of daily life, and her portraits of the sisters and their relationship are acutely realized.

Aristocrats is that rare and wonderful thing: a non-fiction book so engrossing that it's hard to put down.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Remember the Ladies!", as Abigail Adams once enjoined her husband - but so often of course history fails to. All of these women played significant roles in Georgian history, but at most they are footnotes in their lives of their male relatives - the Duke of Richmond, the Duke of Leinster, Lord Holland, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Charles James Fox. History remembers these names, but not those of Sarah, Emily, Louise and Sarah Lennox.

So this book was an absolute joy to read. Stella Tillyard delves into the sisters' lives in great depth and you really feel as though you have come to know, come to appreciate and understand their personalities, their hopes and fears, their whims and quirks. All four sisters (there was a fifth, Cecilia, who died a nineteen, and a number of deceased infant siblings) led fascinating lives, often full of scandal and independence - dalliances with royalty, affairs, illegitimate children, second marriages. They were all striking personalities and every page of this book in their company was a pleasure, from Caroline who defied her family to marry the man she loved; Emily, who established herself as the steady matriarch of the family; gentle loving Louisa who held the family together; wilful impetuous Sarah, who captured a king's heart, left her husband for another man, married yet another.

Whilst the Lennox sisters are of course the primary focus of this book, Tillyard doesn't skirt over the affairs of the age or the doings of the sisters' more active male kin. This was the era of George III, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, Charles James Fox and William Pitt in Westminster, a turbulent era teetering on the brink of revolution at home and rebellion in Ireland. All of the sisters were interested in politics and their letters are full of actions and opinions, often discordant and divisive.

I could hardly put this down. It's a truly excellent book and I would advise it to anyone who is interested in Georgian history, women's history, the lives of the aristocracy - hell, anyone who is interested in history, full stop!

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-researched and engagingly written group biography of four sisters, daughters of a duke and great-granddaughters of King Charles II of England and one of his mistresses. Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox all wrote to each other (and third parties) constantly, leaving a trove of correspondence that the author used as material for this book. Tillyard brings the four of them – and the people and places around them – to life with vivid descriptions, and seems to have a strong handle on the personalities and psychologies of each of the sisters. She also includes a lot of background information on their world where it enhances the story: from everyday details about the dozens of departments involved in the running of an aristocratic household, to background on the Irish Rebellion of 1798, in which Emily’s son Edward Fitzgerald was a leader.

It is a well-told story and makes for much quicker reading that Tillyard’s A Royal Affair, splitting its attention between human feelings and relationships on the one hand, and history on the other. While none of the sisters seem to have contributed much to history in their own right or really stepped out of the roles of wives/mothers/lovers, they did have pretty interesting love lives: one eloped and was temporarily estranged from the family; one began an affair with her children’s tutor and later married him across class lines after her first husband’s death; one was George III’s crush, before hastily getting into an unhappy marriage followed by a public divorce. In her preface, Tillyard emphasizes the intimacy of the sisters’ letters, allowing modern readers to connect with them even across a great gap in time, and this is certainly true.

The subtitle is a little misleading as to the time period, though. About 80% of the book focuses on the period from the 1740s through 1770s; in my edition, it’s not until page 397 out of 426 that we hit the 19th century. A couple of other better publishing decisions might have been made, in that the chapters are way too long and might have been broken up for easier reading, and there’s no family tree, which becomes especially confusing when talking about Emily’s life with her 22 children. Even a list of everyone’s kids with birth and death dates would have been extremely helpful.

I’m also never happy to see a nonfiction author who doesn’t cite the sources of specific facts. I understand that this is original research and the author does list her sources generally in the back, including mostly archival sources. Still.

In the end, I enjoyed reading this book and found it quite interesting, but never found myself with much to say about it. Maybe it’s because it’s largely a domestic history, not too different from stories that could be told about many other families; its four subjects were ultra-wealthy and privileged, but in the end we are reading their story rather than someone else’s simply because they happened to leave more writings behind. Maybe it’s because Tillyard did such a good job bringing her subjects’ personalities to life that, while I enjoyed reading about the sisters’ complex personalities and admired each of them at various points, I ultimately didn’t like them very much; they all come across as rather self-satisfied and entitled in the end. So I didn’t love the book, but I did like it, and it has a lot to recommend it whether your interest is anthropological or escapist.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is a fabulously good biography, one of the best I've ever read--erudite but juicy, and irresistibly readable from start to finish. A combination of the writing and the subjects themselves made it so amazing to me; these four Lennox sisters are just ridiculously interesting, every one of them intelligent, passionate, sympathetic and flawed in their own diverse ways. And yet, I've read biographies before of figures who are just as appealing, that still somehow failed to leap off the page like this one did for me--Amanda Foreman's Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire comes to mind. So I'm giving a lot of the credit for my newfound collective girl-crush on the Lennox sisters to Stella Tillyard's sparkling and vivid telling of their story. While concentrating solely on these sisters, she manages to give the most fascinating panoramic look at the whole time period in which they lived.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strongly written, surprisingly detailed account of four quasi-royal English sisters, living and loving and thriving and having a high time in England during the time of George III. The four Lennox sisters (a fifth never married and lived quietly) lived nothing even close to quietly. One sister eloped with an up and coming politician almost twice her age; another sister had a passionate love for her Irish peer husband, then after his death married her children's much younger tutor - and gave birth to 22 (that's no typo!) children between them; another sister ran away with a lover and scadalously was divorced by her husband; another sister lived a rich life in Ireland constantly scared of rebellion, and often acted as a connection between the sisters. Tillyard uses the sisters' thousands of letters to each other and others to tell the story of these aristocrats.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent group biography of 4 of the Lennox sisters which shows what it was like to be an aristocratic woman during the period. I thought that Tillyard did a very good job of showing what it was like to live through a scandal and how one might become brought back into society (to some degree) afterwards.

[Adelais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Чудова біографія чотирьох сестер Леннокс, британських аристократок вісімнадцятого століття, заснована на їхньому листуванні. Була ще п'ята сестра Сесілія, але вона померла молодою, а от всі інші прожили досить довге та буремне життя, причому всі відзначилися нарізно: Керолайн плюнула і з любові втекла одружуватися політиком Генрі Фоксом, який удвічі був її старший, мав різнобарвну репутацію та чубився з Вільямом Піттом (потім), не забуваючи про власну кишеню. І щасливий шлюб вийшов, політично і пожиттєво, шохарактерно. Емілі вийшла заміж за романтично невгамовного ірландського герцога, мала з ним офіційно дев'ятнадцятеро дітей, а потім у шлюбі з вчителем дітей ще трьох (героїчна жінка), всю цю юрбу наставляла, вчила і переживала за ірландське повстання, де вони відзначилися. Луїза була тихим ангелом, займалася благочинністю, відкрила кілька ремісницьких шкіл для підлітків з бідних родин, а Сара тільки трохи промазала повз британський трон, вчинила страшенний на той час скандал своїм розлученням і врешті побралася з бідним морським офіцером на взаємне щастя. Купа подробиць того часу, що вважалося пристойним, а що ні, купа гумористичних нотаток (свекруха Емілі час від часу спливає з іронічними листами), дуже захопливо.

[Laura L. Van Dam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this historical period. I watched the BBC adaptation and when i saw it was adapted from a book I bought it right away- wonderful read!
Stella Tillyard takes the lives of these amazing young sisters to build a very compelling family saga that encompasses most of the 18th century. From the Ancient Regime to the French Revolution, with the Irish revolts and the Pitt government included. Such an interesting story of these really remarkably modern girls and their role in historical events.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid multi-biography of a family that enjoyed the privileges of wealth and power in 18th century Britain and Ireland. Woven together mostly through the characters of the four Lennox sisters none of whom you actually come to genuinely like, but all of whom are fascinating in some respects), it encompasses their relationships, development, possessions as well as their world with its more mundane customs and working. Very readable, even though quite info-heavy.

[Ghost of the Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a book lover like yours truly finally "discovers" the existence of a wonderful place like goodreads, there are so many new books available to discover that its hard to remember to update your lists with some of your old friends/all time favorites!

This one is an old, dear friend, ever since years ago i stumbled upon the BBC adaptation of it and was immediately fascinated by these sisters - now that i think of it, that one was perhaps one of very few adaptations where the book is indeed given a "live" version that does it justice!

Since all of us, at any given point and regardless of motive, end up peeking into the lives of others, it is perhaps no surprise to see the genre of historical biography have such success - we all love even just 5 m of gossiping....now now, admit it, don´t be shy!

So what tells apart a fantastic bio/a good bio/a dry sleep inducing one? the life being told on paper matters naturally - and here you have it all! - but also just as important is the storytelling skills of the author, and Stella Tillyard is perfect for this job!

These are the lives of the Lennox sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah - who were, lets put it this way, the Mitfords of Regency London. Don´t know the Mitfords? please please do get acquainted, they are the definition of FASCINATING...but i am straying from my topic! apologies!

These 4 ladies, daughters of the 2nd Duke of Richmond and great-granddaughters of good old rascal himself King Charles II, were the belles of the ball in late regency´s society, and my god what lives they had! Dear great-grandpa would have been proud!!

Each of these sisters lived an extraordinary life,having been educated far above the usual standard required of upper class young women of their day.

Lets see if my memory serves me right:

Caroline - elopes with the radical Whig politician Henry Fox at the age of 21,against the wishes of her father, gets cut out from the family but later on resumes ties with them.Proceeds to have 3 very dissolute sons who turn out to be the cause of many sorrows in her life. (Don´t get me wrong, that is not all she does, i am just providing the juiciest bits..lol).

Emily - At the age of 16, after the Caroline scandal, she makes the right match by marrying the Earl of Kildare and 1st Duke of Leinster. Moves to Ireland and has a very prolific marriage, with 16 children in total. Sadly,but perhaps not surprisingly, it is an unhappy union and later on, she successfully scandalizes everyone when one year after her husbands death she marries her children´s tutor - William Ogilvie (with whom she does indeed find happiness).

Louise - At 8 years of age she is sent to live in Ireland with Emily, after her parents death,later on she marries Thomas Conolly with whom she does have a long happy union although sadly, for the time, with no offspring.

Sarah - At 6 she goes with her sister Louise to Ireland to be raised by Emily. Rumored to have been at once time considered as bride by King George III, she ends up marrying one Charles Bunbury, with whom she has no children. Starting an affair with Lord William Gordon, she has a daughter with him (Louisa Bunbury). Her husband ends up divorcing her and later on she marries George Napier with whom she goes on to have 8 children and a very happy union.

And there is also Cecilia - sent to Ireland with Louise and Sarah when she is just 1 year old, she ends up dying at the age of 19 from what was presumed to be tuberculosis.

Reads like a vaguely familiar story? well that is because although with a few centuries in between, their lives and their sorrows/happiness are not exclusive to an age...in any way, shape or form, lives like these are lived at any given time by women all over the world.
The particular beauty of this one book is that Stella Tillyard lets the sisters do most of the "talking" - she uses the many thousand of letters these women exchanged in their lifetime to let them speak with the reader across time and tell us their tale.
The author here does an amazing job, not interfering too much, letting the sources work their magic by simply binding their story in an easier to read book.

The only reason i don´t give it 5 stars is because at times i found the political background that she inserts (given Henry Fox´s presence it isn't surprising) a little tiresome to read - but that´s about it.
Other than that...worth the time and the trouble - these ladies could be me, you or your BFF...take a peek, you wont regret it!

Happy Readings!

[Deodand · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Stick with this book through the first section, it improves once the part giving context to the Lennox sisters' lives is over. I was more curious about their day to day lives than their politics.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why should we search for material about women who did not lead countries or armies, who wrote no novels or tracts, who, their letters apart, produced nothing (though not nobody) exceptional? The answer lies in our fascination with ordinary life, with the routines and habits, loves, hatreds, and opinions that run through every life, great or small" (xxvi).

The four Lennox sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah - meticulously documented their lives through letters to each other over the years. Each was a wealthy, aristocratic woman in her own right. None are known for great accomplishments, but their letters reveal much about the private, domestic lives of wealthy, titled women of the late 1700s.

Their grandfather, the first Duke of Richmond, was born in 1672 and was the youngest of King Charles II's many illegitimate sons. Even though the son of a mistress, as a king' son, he was given titles and significant wealth from his royal father. The sisters themselves were the product of a happy marriage, albeit initially arranged and unwelcome. The Duke and Duchess produced twelve children, of whom the four sisters that make up this book represent four of the 7 who lived to maturity. An amusing anecdote was that their father, upon meeting the teenager who he was told he must marry, declared "Surely they are not going to marry me to that dowdy!" (11) He promptly left for Italy with his tutor after the wedding and didn't return for three years, upon which he shirked attending on his bride and went to the theater. While there, noticed "one particularly sumptuous young woman" in one of the boxes. It was his wife. They had a remarkably happy marriage, and he was a loving husband and father.

The sisters all loved to read, were overall shockingly fertile - Emily gave birth a record 22 times! - and were very devoted to each other throughout the years. They lived in opulent homes and their letters detail the household details, preoccupations with their children, and other domestic matters that made up their days. Emily married an Irish lord, which meant the sisters did not see each other as much as they would have liked, but they remained close over the years. The family was not free from scandal. Several of the sisters had lovers and shocking elopements. They experienced the grief of losing children and other family members. But all four lived to relatively great ages.

A fascinating biography precisely because it focuses on the quotidian. I loved getting an inside look at the everyday life of upper crust ladies of the eighteenth century through the Lennox family.

4.5 stars

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm obviously both a complete history nerd & a bit of an Anglophile. I still strongly feel that this book could prove fascinating to someone who is neither of those things: the letters written between the four Lennox sisters & to their other family members reveal a world that is simultaneously surprisingly similar to our own & just enough different to be almost jarring at times.
The beauty to me here is the fact that, in history, you just don't tend to hear much from women, aristocratic or otherwise. Presumably a lot of them wrote (after all, this was before email or texting) but domestic matters have invariably been seen as less than important, & so that writing doesn't necessarily survive. The luck here is that the four Lennox sisters were attached, by blood & marriage, to some very important, famous, &/or powerful men, & so their writings got classified as "interesting." They truly are, too. Of course, major events of the times are talked about - & these were fascinating times to live through - but the mundane takes up the bulk of things, & through that, Tillyard shows the reader what everyday life for an aristocratic woman of the Georgian era would look like. The other thing that really spoke to me here was the very real & continual attachment between these sisters, who were distanced by age, experience, & geography, & yet managed to remain absolutely intimate for most of a century. I could not put it down, & I cannot recommend it enough. Tillyard does an excellent job of summing up, & yet letting these fantastic women speak for themselves.

[Amy Masonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to be there, read their letters. Letters had form, when letters were written, as Stella will describe. As in any art form, there is room to diverge, and write that "this is what I should say, but this is how it is". These sisters do that like any of us would. Letters were a sort of newspaper then, so when they have an addition to be read by the recipient alone, then THAT'S the good stuff. Details, details.

Another good part is how the sisters live politics through their husbands. Not quite as subserviant as it sounds, because some of them influenced their husband's actions not through deception, but through frank discussion with them and at least some of their circle.

If you love salons of the 18th century...if you love the enlightenment and what it gave to people who could make a difference at the time...this will draw you in.

If you like historical novels for the atmosphere, you will like this. If you like politics, this will tell in some part how it effected real life (not so much the lower classes immediately,but it did effect the history of everyone eventually, which is why I can relate).

Juicy. Informative. Just like real life. Home life is everything, as anyone will truthfully tell you.

LOVED IT!!

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a really amazing and interesting book. I've always loved reading about English history I especially like historical novels or bibliographical ones and this book fulfilled all my wishes.
Apart from the life of the four sisters we can have a glimpse into politics, society, religion, everyday life, classes and military life.
A must-read for those who like me love history and beautifully written narratives.

[Ally Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

So I admit that I discovered The Aristocrats through Amazon Prime Video where the BBC mini-series is currently available to watch. And I also admit that I easily grew bored with it. However, on the other hand, I was also intrigued to discover that the series was based on a biography of the Lennox sisters, so I ended up finding it on Amazon (of course!) and bought it right away through a third party.

Goodness, while it’s true that my attention severely wavered while watching the BBC series, the book itself was fascinating. Not only does it detail the lives of the Lennox girls, but also portrays how life in the mid-18th century really was.

Society then was obviously very different from today’s modern world, however through the letters the sisters wrote and received, Stella Tillyard is able to provide a thorough and accurate accounting of the daily life, albeit daily life among the nobility, in a world vastly different in many ways than ours. Detailed and meticulously researched, I felt like I was able to imagine myself experiencing the Lennox sisters marital woes, their petty squabbles and indiscretions, and their love and belief in their children.

Additionally, no sister was the same: they each had a different set of values that was detailed in the way they ran their lives and those family members around them. One was political ambitious for her husband, the second preferred having her family cater to her needs, the third was a homebody deeply in love with her chosen husband, and the last was considered the fallen woman before familial affection and redemption restored her reputation.

Despite the political feuds, the family squabbles that lasted years, and the difficulties of raising families in a constantly changing world, the Lennox sisters were remarkably loyal to those they loved and forgiveness was a common theme throughout their lives.

Perhaps, now that I have more information, I can rewatch the BBC series without getting bored.
Definitely 4 stars.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rescued from the backwaters of history, Aristocrats tells the story of Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, 1740-1832, not to forget the unfortunate Cecilia who dies at the age of 19. It's a carefully researched biographical history of the aristocratic daughters of the 2nd Duke of Richmond, based on the many personal letters they sent each other. But there is enough passion, political intrigue, secret marriages, extravagant wives, affairs, betrayal and honour to fill at least 10 JA fan books as this family biography crosses centuries and a world of transformation from established hierarchy to revolution. Sarah eloped with Henry Fox, a notable politician of the time; Emily had 22 children and two husbands, the second of which was a tutor to her children and her secret lover; Louise, the most conventional in married life and politics built schools and churches and busied herself with bettering the lives of her tenants; and Sarah, the most emotional of all, was almost married to Geroge III, made a disastrous marriage on the rebound, had countless affairs, was an eternal francophile and eventually found peace in a military marriage. More than enough to keep you going! I would have liked a few more historical notes: the Irish rebellion of the late 1790s is well covered but not enough is said about the war of American Independence or the French Revolution. Also, it would have been good to learn more about the management of their estates and houses and how they spent their days, although there is plenty of detail covering Paris shopping lists and interior decoration, especially from Emily. But these are small gripes for a book that draws you in and is as good as any Regency novel!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this tome...
These four sisters were the aristocracy that much Regency fiction is made up (though they were more late Georgian than Regency... technically.) They were daughters (and later sisters) of the Duke of Richmond. They had money, power, influence and a habit of prodigious letter writing. The author has done an incredible job of taking those letters and turning them into a readable story.
It is all here- the scandals, the inadvisable marriages, the falling in love with actors, the affairs. Politics is large in their world- Caroline was the mother of Charles Fox of the Fox-North coalition and other opposition movements in parliament at the time. Emily married an Irish peer, had TWENTY TWO children, fell in love with her children's tutor and had a son who was imprisoned for supporting the Irish rebellion of 1798. Sarah was briefly courted by the man who became King George III, married another man she did not love, had someone else's child, ran away from her marriage and got divorced. It goes on and on like that. The letters she does quote are so flowery and fantastic. Highly recommended for those researching or writing about the period, less so for others it is LONG.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Aristocrats" did not in any way disappoint, I was absolutely riveted to this very well researched account of the four Lennox sisters from the Regency era and who were among the wealthiest and most influential people of the time. I was reminded once again of how much and how thoroughly we think we, as humans change. Still and all we remain the same when it comes to frauds, foibles, friendships, fears and feelings. Reading the book is an experience in the culture of the time period. It's a revelation of human nature and a justification for the decisions that were made concerning the life choices of each of the sisters. Their lives were so (apparently) blessed by virtue of birth and yet they could not avoid the sadness that comes to all of us sooner or later. All their wealth, position and advantage could not stop the inevitable. I was wide-eyed from start to finish.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well structured and well researched. I am largely familiar with the locations detailed in the book but I imagine it would merit a second reading from time to time. There is so much detail that it is hard to take it all in.
Of the sisters, it was Louisa I was drawn to. I loved her grand plans for Castletown and how she spent her time. The others came across as self involved and pleasure seeking which clearly was the chief cause of their woes. I was not entirely surprised to learn the background to Frascati in Blackrock as it confirmed my own suspicions about the origins of the place. I also found the conclusion of the book at Ardglas intriguing. It sounds as if it would be worth visiting.

[Julia W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched look at four sisters in the 18th century. Although I skimmed most of the political commentary (BOR-ING!), their personal lives certainly made for riveting reading. It was fascinating how their concerns are so similar to mine in the 21st century; life hasn't changed that much! I was annoyed a few times about the author's interpretation of some of their letters, however. She would read them as highly sexualized when they clearly weren't...it was just the effusive language used by people at the time. Unfortunately, like all group biographies such as Aristocrats, the ending is depressing, because spoiler alert, EVERYONE DIES. But other than that, it was an enjoyable read.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The depth of research and commitment to the subjects of this book is really awe-inspiring and utterly laudable. However, I found the writing style quite hard to follow. It's as though the author had not decided whether to write a straight non-fiction biography based on family letters or some kind of historical semi-fiction and so decided to combine both, which made the book a very uneven read.

I also found the lack of chronology made this hard to follow, as there was a lot of repetition and supposition as well as jumping from one topic to another without warning. However, Ms Tillyard proves herself to be an expert on many aspects of the personal lives of her subjects.

[Joan Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

So being a bit of a history nerd, I enjoyed the book somewhat. I do have to admit that I was half way through when I realized that this tomb was about four sisters that really didn't contribute much to world or British history that justified a book being written about them. Nonetheless, because I do enjoy history in general I barreled through. If you are interested in the upper middle class, to somewhat wealthy people and their habits in the 1700s then by all means read this book. Otherwise I think you may find it slow going.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written biography of four sisters, each with a unique destiny in Georgian England and Ireland. At times, I was reminded of the Mitford sisters and their different personalities - quiet, passionate, political, etc. All four of the Lennox sisters were prolific letter writers, and Stella Tillyard makes the most of these primary sources to draw us into everyday life as well as major historic events, such as the madness of King George III, the Irish rebellion of 1795, and the long feud between Pitt and Fox (who was the son of Lady Caroline Lennox).

[Cindee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the miniseries Aristocrats on Amazon so I had to read the book it was based on. The author has done a fantastic job detailing the lives of this family—it’s fascinating and her research is fantastic. My only complaints are that she includes a really long section on their shopping habits which I thought detracted from the story and she included sentences in French from the letters between the sisters without translating them, so I had no idea what they said. I really enjoyed learning more about this family and what was going on in Ireland and England from their perspectives.