Lady Hester Stanhope

by Martin Armstrong

Unknown Binding

About the author

More than one author on Goodreads shares the name Martin Armstrong.

Reviews

[Lindsay Wilkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I often read history books written at the turn of the century as authors allow themselves to write in a more passionate, albeit often biased, manner. This can make for a more enjoyable read, though not always the most factually accurate of memoirs. This book however to me reflects the downside of such bias; the author is so influenced by the dominant views of the time on how women should behave that his view of lady hester comes across as incredibly negative. Indeed so negative is his view of the subject and her behaviour that I'm left wondering why he chose to write about her at all. Whilst at times the author seems taken by her brilliance of personality, he then repeatedly condemns her for being "petulant", "shrill" and accuses her of being unable to love but instead to hold men "unwillingly but unescapably". Having read LHS's letters in "the Nun of Lebanon", I can only conclude that the author's mysogny is tainting his views as throughout these letters she clearly states that she will withdraw to allow her love to marry another in order to secure his future. That is only one example of her clear passion for her lover, Bruce, but I feel it really has to be seen as a strong challenge to Armstrong's depiction of her as having "claimed absolute subjection from the creature of her choice. She lacked the humility and self- abandonment without which true love is impossible".

This issue aside, the book does provide a readable and simple account of LHS's life story and does acknowledge her huge achievements in travelling where most English men, let alone English women, dared not go. It's for that reason that I have given this book 2 stars and don't entirely condemn it as so dated its unreadable!