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Enid: The Scandalous High-society Life of the Formidable 'Lady Killmore'
From the bestselling author of Sheila comes the story of a bewitching Australian socialite who fascinated the world.
Enid Lindeman stood almost six feet tall, with silver hair and flashing turquoise eyes. The girl from Strathfield in Sydney stopped traffic in Manhattan, silenced gamblers in Monte Carlo and dared walk a pet cheetah on a diamond collar through Hyde Park in London.
In early twentieth-century society, when women were expected to be demure and obedient, the granddaughter of Hunter Valley wine pioneer Henry Lindeman waltzed through life to the beat of her own drum. She drove an ambulance in World War I and hid escaped Allied airmen behind enemy lines in World War II, played bridge with Somerset Maugham and entertained Hollywood royalty in the world's most expensive private home on the Riviera, allegedly paid for by her winnings in a game of cards.
Enid captivated men with her beauty, outlived four husbands-two shipping magnates, a war hero and a larger-than-life Irish earl-spent two great fortunes and earned the nickname 'Lady Killmore'. From Sydney to New York, London to Paris and Cairo to Kenya, Robert Wainwright tells the fascinating story of a life lived large on the world stage.
Enid Lindeman stood almost six feet tall, with silver hair and flashing turquoise eyes. The girl from Strathfield in Sydney stopped traffic in Manhattan, silenced gamblers in Monte Carlo and dared walk a pet cheetah on a diamond collar through Hyde Park in London.
In early twentieth-century society, when women were expected to be demure and obedient, the granddaughter of Hunter Valley wine pioneer Henry Lindeman waltzed through life to the beat of her own drum. She drove an ambulance in World War I and hid escaped Allied airmen behind enemy lines in World War II, played bridge with Somerset Maugham and entertained Hollywood royalty in the world's most expensive private home on the Riviera, allegedly paid for by her winnings in a game of cards.
Enid captivated men with her beauty, outlived four husbands-two shipping magnates, a war hero and a larger-than-life Irish earl-spent two great fortunes and earned the nickname 'Lady Killmore'. From Sydney to New York, London to Paris and Cairo to Kenya, Robert Wainwright tells the fascinating story of a life lived large on the world stage.
304 pages, Paperback
Published June 3, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 21, 2020
What a wild and out there lady Enid Lindeman was!
Daughter of Henry Lindeman - of the wine makers Lindeman's family, Enid was a woman ahead of her time. A woman who did what she wanted when she wanted , despite what society deemed reasonable.
She was tall and beautiful, turning heads wherever she went. Married times she outlived all of her husbands. She drove an ambulance in WW and mingled with Hollywood legends. She had an incredible life and travelled the world.
A highly entertaining and interesting biography of a women who set the world alight!
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my copy of thus book to read.
Daughter of Henry Lindeman - of the wine makers Lindeman's family, Enid was a woman ahead of her time. A woman who did what she wanted when she wanted , despite what society deemed reasonable.
She was tall and beautiful, turning heads wherever she went. Married times she outlived all of her husbands. She drove an ambulance in WW and mingled with Hollywood legends. She had an incredible life and travelled the world.
A highly entertaining and interesting biography of a women who set the world alight!
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my copy of thus book to read.
August 23, 2020
Comparing my review of another title from this author, "Shiela" that I read in 2016 my thoughts more or less reflect the same reaction and opinion for this read.
The opening chapters reveal a colourful description of the Lindeman family and the development of their vineyard and winery by Edith's father and had it continued in the same pattern this read would have been much more fulfilling.
"Lindeman's is an Australian winery, owned by Treasury Wine Estates. It was founded in 1843 by Henry Lindeman who planted its first vines in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. ... It is considered a mass-producer of reasonably priced, good quality wine".
From Enid's early life this read lurches into her young adulthood where at 20 she is married off to American, fortyfive year old wealthy Roderick Cameron from New York who dies leaving her a fortune, which is unaffected by any future marriage. From one marriage to widowhood and remarriage to another widowhood, four dead husband's. It seems that for all of Enid's beauty she just could not keep a husband alive. She appears as a middle child from a large family to have had a close relationship to her older brothers, learns to ride a horse as well as a male and loves the bush, ocean swimming in a free unencumbered style while her fellow Australian women of this time would be more constrained. For all of this Enid doesn't appear to be very bright, not dissimilar to many offsprings of the rich and she relies on her beauty to cover for her failings.
After leaving the very provincial Australia of this time, Enid only returns briefly several times in her life. The social activities and excesses of the rich, famous, entitled and titled from the United Kingdom, Europe and America makes for the bulk of this book for which the reader is taken on a cavorting journey that very few will ever make.
The details of the more constructive and fulfilled life of Enid's are only briefly mentioned, such as her involvement with the amorments factory during the war and her other war efforts. More of this in detail would have given more substance to this read, as well as the various private zoos, wild animal pets and greater detail of her children's lives rather than the amount of detail given about each suitor's/lover's background and excessive lifestyle, financial position, gambling and drug addiction which becomes boring.
The opening chapters reveal a colourful description of the Lindeman family and the development of their vineyard and winery by Edith's father and had it continued in the same pattern this read would have been much more fulfilling.
"Lindeman's is an Australian winery, owned by Treasury Wine Estates. It was founded in 1843 by Henry Lindeman who planted its first vines in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. ... It is considered a mass-producer of reasonably priced, good quality wine".
From Enid's early life this read lurches into her young adulthood where at 20 she is married off to American, fortyfive year old wealthy Roderick Cameron from New York who dies leaving her a fortune, which is unaffected by any future marriage. From one marriage to widowhood and remarriage to another widowhood, four dead husband's. It seems that for all of Enid's beauty she just could not keep a husband alive. She appears as a middle child from a large family to have had a close relationship to her older brothers, learns to ride a horse as well as a male and loves the bush, ocean swimming in a free unencumbered style while her fellow Australian women of this time would be more constrained. For all of this Enid doesn't appear to be very bright, not dissimilar to many offsprings of the rich and she relies on her beauty to cover for her failings.
After leaving the very provincial Australia of this time, Enid only returns briefly several times in her life. The social activities and excesses of the rich, famous, entitled and titled from the United Kingdom, Europe and America makes for the bulk of this book for which the reader is taken on a cavorting journey that very few will ever make.
The details of the more constructive and fulfilled life of Enid's are only briefly mentioned, such as her involvement with the amorments factory during the war and her other war efforts. More of this in detail would have given more substance to this read, as well as the various private zoos, wild animal pets and greater detail of her children's lives rather than the amount of detail given about each suitor's/lover's background and excessive lifestyle, financial position, gambling and drug addiction which becomes boring.
August 27, 2020
I'm not normal a reader of non-fiction or biography, but hearing the author speak on a number of different radio shows in the past month whetted my appetite for this book. Such an eye-opener about a woman I knew little about. The early and later observations of Sydney and Australia was of particular interest. The author takes a few liberties with "he said...." the future king shut the door quietly... who says!! But the changing social mores throughout the 20th and in to the 21st century are so well realised in this book I forgave some of the more florid passages.
April 5, 2025
Just what the doctor ordered.
The perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. Overwhelmed by work/life demands, this biography of the granddaughter of Dr Henry Lindeman (English medical doctor who immigrated to Australia with his wife and started a winery in the Hunter Valley, NSW) was the antidote.
Enid Lindeman of Strathfield grew up in Sydney (born 1892), married four times, had three children and titles and fortunes aside, led a life that intersected many famous one.
Thank you, Robert Wainwright. Looking forward to you next book (‘Nell’ due in June, 2025).
The perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. Overwhelmed by work/life demands, this biography of the granddaughter of Dr Henry Lindeman (English medical doctor who immigrated to Australia with his wife and started a winery in the Hunter Valley, NSW) was the antidote.
Enid Lindeman of Strathfield grew up in Sydney (born 1892), married four times, had three children and titles and fortunes aside, led a life that intersected many famous one.
Thank you, Robert Wainwright. Looking forward to you next book (‘Nell’ due in June, 2025).
July 24, 2020
What a fabulous woman Enid was.... and the writing of this book brings you right in close. I so wished I could have met the fascinating lady!
August 21, 2020
A repetitive litany of events and people.
August 15, 2020
This is a well written, well researched account of a young Australian woman who entered into the high flying social scene before, and during, the two world wars.
It is one of those non-fiction books that reads like a novel.
It is one of those non-fiction books that reads like a novel.
June 19, 2025
Book club read - Great escapism 🍃
July 6, 2020
Among modern Australian authors, it’s hard to think of another who pens more engaging biographies than Robert Wainwright. I’ve read five or six over recent years and, without exception, they’ve maintained my interest throughout. That remains the case with his latest offering. Indeed, it might well be the best of all. Enid is the story of an Australian woman who made her way to the heights of American and European society… but at what personal cost?
Daughter of second-generation Australian wine entrepreneurs, Charles and Florence Lindeman, Enid would be wed and widowed four times between 1913 and 1943.
Fifth-born of seven, she was the couple’s first girl child. Raised in a wealthy family in an age when female education was not considered a necessity, nevertheless she did well in the aspects of life to which she was introduced, “...games such as croquet, golf and learning to ride… would become important social skills, as would art, tapestries (and) watercolour painting.”
Her first marriage, to American shipping tycoon Roderick Cameron, saw her accepted by the Cameron family and become a society darling. The marriage produced one child, Rory, who would continue through life to be Enid’s prop. Husband Roderick died within two years, leaving her a wealthy widow.
Tall - she was almost six feet in the old measure - slim and beautiful, Enid might have continued her life in the US but, by 1915, 23 years of age and in need of change, she made her way back to Australia. The war was under way in Europe, and wanting to be involved, she went to England and trained as a volunteer nurse before making her way to France, even buying and fitting out her own ambulance.
Enid met and had a fling with Valentine Browne, the Earl of Castlerosse, before entering an arranged marriage with army veteran Freddie ‘Caviar’ Cavendish. Theirs was an ‘open’ relationship, each playing away from home. Cavendish impregnated both his wife and his girlfriend, managing somehow to convince an army friend to marry the other woman. Edith produced the first of their two children, Patricia, a factor that would help hold the marriage together.
I read the book aloud to a dear old blind neighbour. She interrupted during this part to say, ‘Gosh, weren’t they a lot of tarts?’ How could I possibly disagree?
Cavendish, too, died. He left Enid no great wealth but provided a title. Remarriage was not long coming, this time to hugely wealthy demagogue, Marmaduke ‘Duke’ Furness. They went to live in France, buying La Fiorentina, a vast villa complex ‘on the edge of the world’ on Cap Ferrat between Monte Carlo and Nice.
Theirs was a cruel marriage. Furness imposed impossible rules relating to what both Enid and the children - his and hers - could do. Despite what society in general would consider innately hurtful practices, it seems Enid must have loved the man. She stuck by him even as the war enveloped Southern France, Furness too ill and too cranky to leave. He died weeks later, Enid eventually making her way back to England.
Further union, later in the war, saw her the wife of the penurious Castlerosse, whom she met years earlier. He too died, leaving her in a fraught situation with the old dowager, her mother-in-law, matriarchal head of the family.
Barely half way through Enid, my audience of one and I were utterly engaged, which continued through the rest of the book. It is an entertaining read about a woman of whom I was aware, but about whose life I knew nothing at all. To quote the author, “Enid was a woman of undoubted spirit and character whose life of unimagined riches and adventures was smothered in a celebration of individuality amid controversy, hardship and tragedy, alongside enormous wealth and privilege.”
My best read, year-to-date.
Daughter of second-generation Australian wine entrepreneurs, Charles and Florence Lindeman, Enid would be wed and widowed four times between 1913 and 1943.
Fifth-born of seven, she was the couple’s first girl child. Raised in a wealthy family in an age when female education was not considered a necessity, nevertheless she did well in the aspects of life to which she was introduced, “...games such as croquet, golf and learning to ride… would become important social skills, as would art, tapestries (and) watercolour painting.”
Her first marriage, to American shipping tycoon Roderick Cameron, saw her accepted by the Cameron family and become a society darling. The marriage produced one child, Rory, who would continue through life to be Enid’s prop. Husband Roderick died within two years, leaving her a wealthy widow.
Tall - she was almost six feet in the old measure - slim and beautiful, Enid might have continued her life in the US but, by 1915, 23 years of age and in need of change, she made her way back to Australia. The war was under way in Europe, and wanting to be involved, she went to England and trained as a volunteer nurse before making her way to France, even buying and fitting out her own ambulance.
Enid met and had a fling with Valentine Browne, the Earl of Castlerosse, before entering an arranged marriage with army veteran Freddie ‘Caviar’ Cavendish. Theirs was an ‘open’ relationship, each playing away from home. Cavendish impregnated both his wife and his girlfriend, managing somehow to convince an army friend to marry the other woman. Edith produced the first of their two children, Patricia, a factor that would help hold the marriage together.
I read the book aloud to a dear old blind neighbour. She interrupted during this part to say, ‘Gosh, weren’t they a lot of tarts?’ How could I possibly disagree?
Cavendish, too, died. He left Enid no great wealth but provided a title. Remarriage was not long coming, this time to hugely wealthy demagogue, Marmaduke ‘Duke’ Furness. They went to live in France, buying La Fiorentina, a vast villa complex ‘on the edge of the world’ on Cap Ferrat between Monte Carlo and Nice.
Theirs was a cruel marriage. Furness imposed impossible rules relating to what both Enid and the children - his and hers - could do. Despite what society in general would consider innately hurtful practices, it seems Enid must have loved the man. She stuck by him even as the war enveloped Southern France, Furness too ill and too cranky to leave. He died weeks later, Enid eventually making her way back to England.
Further union, later in the war, saw her the wife of the penurious Castlerosse, whom she met years earlier. He too died, leaving her in a fraught situation with the old dowager, her mother-in-law, matriarchal head of the family.
Barely half way through Enid, my audience of one and I were utterly engaged, which continued through the rest of the book. It is an entertaining read about a woman of whom I was aware, but about whose life I knew nothing at all. To quote the author, “Enid was a woman of undoubted spirit and character whose life of unimagined riches and adventures was smothered in a celebration of individuality amid controversy, hardship and tragedy, alongside enormous wealth and privilege.”
My best read, year-to-date.
July 30, 2020
An interesting profile of an iconic Australian woman. Certainly shows ‘how the other half live’, with a life of carefree decadence.
August 28, 2020
A life of absolute glamour, wealth and adventure.
I know that all my book club friends will enjoy reading about this fascinating woman. I could not put it down.
I know that all my book club friends will enjoy reading about this fascinating woman. I could not put it down.
January 19, 2022
Extraordinary life
The journey from Strathfield to the social elite of Europe is quite a tale. Amazing how small the world of the It crowd were in early 20th century and how they interacted.
Enid herself was clearly singular in appearance, style and modern views of independence.
Ordinary writing
The tale tells the facts, and is clearly well researched. It gives some insight to the mood of the time or the social dynamics. In providing this historical context, it veers down some rabbit holes that may be of interest to a historian but are not entirely necessary to fill out the story of Enid.
However gives only brief insight to the titled character. As readers we are left will little more awareness of who Enid was, than the person who may have met her at one of her social parties. Perhaps this was a reflection of the challenge of historical sources and primary sources... but that is the challenge of this form of writing.
So perhaps this book is best viewed as a history work, using Enid as the vehicle, rather than a biography itself.
The journey from Strathfield to the social elite of Europe is quite a tale. Amazing how small the world of the It crowd were in early 20th century and how they interacted.
Enid herself was clearly singular in appearance, style and modern views of independence.
Ordinary writing
The tale tells the facts, and is clearly well researched. It gives some insight to the mood of the time or the social dynamics. In providing this historical context, it veers down some rabbit holes that may be of interest to a historian but are not entirely necessary to fill out the story of Enid.
However gives only brief insight to the titled character. As readers we are left will little more awareness of who Enid was, than the person who may have met her at one of her social parties. Perhaps this was a reflection of the challenge of historical sources and primary sources... but that is the challenge of this form of writing.
So perhaps this book is best viewed as a history work, using Enid as the vehicle, rather than a biography itself.
September 24, 2022
This biography of Enid Lindeman promised so much and yet I found it rather bereft of emotion and felt I didn’t get to know the real Enid.
It is however a wonderful, descriptive account of the life of a woman born in Australia in 1892, her travels, husbands, lovers, children, wealth and friendships with interesting famous people. There are some fascinating moments that make you want to further research her life: walking her pet cheetah through Hyde Park on a diamond collar; driving an ambulance in WWI, hiding escaped Allied airmen behind enemy lines in WWII, playing bridge with Somerset Maugham to name but a few!
It is however a wonderful, descriptive account of the life of a woman born in Australia in 1892, her travels, husbands, lovers, children, wealth and friendships with interesting famous people. There are some fascinating moments that make you want to further research her life: walking her pet cheetah through Hyde Park on a diamond collar; driving an ambulance in WWI, hiding escaped Allied airmen behind enemy lines in WWII, playing bridge with Somerset Maugham to name but a few!
July 25, 2021
I enjoyed reading about the life of Enid Lindeman, a life vastly different from anything I could imagine. The author has carefully researched the background and the story of Enids life flows along like a river, twisting and turning, rocky and smooth. I wonder if Enid was ever truly happy though? She had to endure some pretty rough patches, was accused of the deaths of her husbands, yet she continued to be a formidable force in the circles she moved in. Not a book I would normally have chosen to read but I am glad I took the plunge with this one.
February 14, 2021
This book afforded total escapism from lockdown life. Enid Lindeman’s married four times and lived a life of unimaginable wealth and then poverty during the Second World War. The author makes a good job of separating fact from fiction.
November 1, 2021
An enjoyable look at a fascinating character almost forgotten to Australia. A woman who was bold, audacious, down to earth, kind and a chameleon as she lead a life that today’s socialist could only dream of (Kim Kardashian can only dream of owning a cheetah and walking it through London’s Hyde Park on a leash).
Enid achieved so much in her lifetime some of it through pure luck, some due to circumstance, and some due to her cleverness and drive. The book follows her from growing up in her family home in NSW during the late 1800s, through her four marriages, travels and exploits.
She was involved with some of the some big events and influential people of the early to mid 1900s. I felt the authors dismay over the War Secretary during WWI personally involving himself in her affairs (I still want to know more about how that came about).
The only let down, and I suspect it’s not the authors fault at all, is the limited information on major things in her life. Some examples are her time during the French resistance in WWII, her friendship with Coco Chanel, her time working as an ambulance driver during WWI. These are some of her achievements that were not fully explored. I do believe though this is probably more to the information not exisiting for whatever reason (either she never discussed it, the information disappeared over time, or it just wasn’t captured as she was a woman). It is a shame but understandable and the author did a good job with the information at hand.
Overall I’m glad I read the book as it gave a great insight into the world during the early and mid 1900s. It also brought to life a historical figure who should not be allowed to disappear from history.
Enid achieved so much in her lifetime some of it through pure luck, some due to circumstance, and some due to her cleverness and drive. The book follows her from growing up in her family home in NSW during the late 1800s, through her four marriages, travels and exploits.
She was involved with some of the some big events and influential people of the early to mid 1900s. I felt the authors dismay over the War Secretary during WWI personally involving himself in her affairs (I still want to know more about how that came about).
The only let down, and I suspect it’s not the authors fault at all, is the limited information on major things in her life. Some examples are her time during the French resistance in WWII, her friendship with Coco Chanel, her time working as an ambulance driver during WWI. These are some of her achievements that were not fully explored. I do believe though this is probably more to the information not exisiting for whatever reason (either she never discussed it, the information disappeared over time, or it just wasn’t captured as she was a woman). It is a shame but understandable and the author did a good job with the information at hand.
Overall I’m glad I read the book as it gave a great insight into the world during the early and mid 1900s. It also brought to life a historical figure who should not be allowed to disappear from history.
April 18, 2024
Essentially a tabloid of the 1930s, "Enid: The Scandalous High-society Life of the Formidable 'Lady Killmore'" spills the tea on one of the most sensational socialites of the era. Robert Wainwright serves up the juicy details of Enid's life, from her wild adventures in Sydney to her glamorous escapades as a proper globe trotter. Enid's story is proof that women have always had it rough – dealing with men and their wandering eyes, bitchy women and inherent jealousy, and obviously the rift between children and new husbands. But hey, let's not forget that world wars mess everyone up, right? And Enid somehow was right there with the rich and powerful,yacht hopping Amidst the gossipers and those gossiped about. And also, walking a pet cheetah in urban parks... iconic. Despite a slow start, once you're in, you're hooked, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a good dose of real-life high-society drama.
April 21, 2023
Well that was fun! Enid Lindemann is exactly the sort of person I would have loved at a dinner party. From the vineyards of the Hunter Valley to the French Riviera she cut a swath through American, British, African and European society, while aiding the French resistance, winning fights with a Windsor mistress, breaking the bank at Monte Carlo and breeding winner thoroughbreds in Cape Town. On the way, she had the misfortune to lose not one, not two but four husbands. Her three children were also rather interesting in their own right.
Robert Wainwright has again undertaken extensive and forensic research to produce an entertaining narrative about a woman little known on her home country. Now how does one visit La Fiorentina?
Robert Wainwright has again undertaken extensive and forensic research to produce an entertaining narrative about a woman little known on her home country. Now how does one visit La Fiorentina?
July 11, 2024
Another well researched and pieced together life. Enid Linderman from Strathfield would marry four times and be widowed four times, hold fortunes, be dubbed by Somerset Maugham with the nickname 'Lady Killmore', have children and even a a 'pet' Cheeta with a diamond studded collar she is known to have lived by the adage ....
'Never be afraid, never be ill (or don't talk about it) and, above all, never be jealous.'
The story does take a few tangents .. following the stories of many of those around the tall, captivating, and stunning Enid .. this was a distraction for me but otherwise it was an interesting story.
'Never be afraid, never be ill (or don't talk about it) and, above all, never be jealous.'
The story does take a few tangents .. following the stories of many of those around the tall, captivating, and stunning Enid .. this was a distraction for me but otherwise it was an interesting story.
January 25, 2021
A well researched account of the life of Australian Enid Lindeman who married four times and had numerous love affairs. She drove ambulances in WWI and ran a safe house in Vichy France in WWII. Renown for her striking looks and adventurous attitudes all four of her husbands died prematurely. She was embroiled in a legal tussle over her third husband's multi million pound estate in which she was eventually successful. Her infamous life made for an entertaining read with lots of tales of the wealthy and famous who flocked to her houses, especially on the French Riviera.
March 24, 2021
Enid Lindeman was born in New South Wales in 1892, grand-daughter of wine pioneer Dr. Henry Lindeman. Raised in the country, she learnt to ride, hunt, shoot and fish as well as her brothers. However, it was never in the cards that she would remain a country girl. At almost six feet with a lithe figure and beautiful face, she would cut a swathe through society on both sides of the Atlantic. Married at 21 to a very wealthy American, widowed at 23, and mother of an infant boy, Enid would go on to marry a penniless General, a Viscount and lastly an Earl, in the process becoming a four-time widow.
Wainwright writes in a breezily conversational tone that makes this a quick read about one of Australia's most interesting 'exports'.
Wainwright writes in a breezily conversational tone that makes this a quick read about one of Australia's most interesting 'exports'.
September 10, 2023
I really enjoyed this. Very easy to read, engaging and entertaining. However I think I actually felt I learnt more about the other people in Enid's life more than I did her. I found it wonderfully interesting and entertaining reading about her marriages, but the part that addressed Enid's own endeavours like the race horses, the house redesign, the war involvement told me very little about her as a person. I would still recommend this read though and will look for the other books by this author.
April 12, 2021
Refreshing surprise
Enjoyable read
Thoroughly enjoyed . Having an interest in the late 1800's & early 1900's, and those of the gilded age, especially those having had married into money, this story brings all those things together. Enid is refreshing because she wasn't a Vanderbilt, Astor, or Rockefeller. She started life in Australia. Still a pretty wild and not so developed country as say California was by the 1890's.
Enjoyable read
Thoroughly enjoyed . Having an interest in the late 1800's & early 1900's, and those of the gilded age, especially those having had married into money, this story brings all those things together. Enid is refreshing because she wasn't a Vanderbilt, Astor, or Rockefeller. She started life in Australia. Still a pretty wild and not so developed country as say California was by the 1890's.
Read
August 28, 2022"The Scandalous life of a glamourous Australian who dazzled the world."
'Scandalous' - a gorgeous girl who had four husbands. What can you do 🤷♀️🤷♀️.
I don't like giving ratings to biography books about real peoples lives, but I will say that this was written well and I really enjoyed learning about the life of Enid Lindeman.
She was a boss ass lady who did what she wanted when she wanted. I'm taking notes. ✍️
'Scandalous' - a gorgeous girl who had four husbands. What can you do 🤷♀️🤷♀️.
I don't like giving ratings to biography books about real peoples lives, but I will say that this was written well and I really enjoyed learning about the life of Enid Lindeman.
She was a boss ass lady who did what she wanted when she wanted. I'm taking notes. ✍️
April 27, 2024
What I would give to have met this woman...and not because of her wealth or her famed dinner parties, but because of how she is described as being able to fit in anywhere, to talk to anyone, no matter their social standing.
An inspiration...not for having obscene wealth due to four dead husbands, a sad but fortuitous bout...but for her willingness to simply live to the very extremes of which she had been given.
An inspiration...not for having obscene wealth due to four dead husbands, a sad but fortuitous bout...but for her willingness to simply live to the very extremes of which she had been given.
March 26, 2021
I very nearly gave this book 3 rather than 4 stars because the author spends so much time talking about the men around Enid Lindeman rather than Enid herself. It came good in the end though so back up to 4 stars! What a fascinating life Enid Lindeman lived. I'm very happy to have learnt about her through this book.
December 27, 2022
The book was good but the subject matter was really disappointing. I waited 9 months for this thing to go to paperback since my library seemed unable to get a hardback copy. It wasn't worth the wait. This woman not only married for wealth and position, but she married the most ghastly group of men imaginable. She never accomplished anything that was not for her own benefit.
April 3, 2023
This biography tells the story of beautiful socialite Enid Lindemann. She was born in Australia and lived in France, the US, Africa and more. She outlived four husbands, survived two world wars and became one of the richest women in the world, living from 1892-1973. It is an interesting read although her opulent lifestyle grated on me by the end.
September 21, 2023
A well written and absorbing account of a most fascinating life. The book I would really have liked to read was the years after WWII when Enid lived in her magnificent home on the French Riviera. A book just about that era and the people who visited and stayed with her would be even more interesting than the entire narrative of Enid's life.
May 7, 2025
It is good to know that no matter how rich you were happiness is not available to buy, whereas men, champagne, gambling debts, villas in the Sun or well adjusted children are.
Such an interesting life for woman raised to do nothing as her fortune and marriages proved she was superfluous to any cause.
Thank you for collected words Robert Wainwright, and Jess Tovey your eloquence was superb, very much appreciated :-)
Such an interesting life for woman raised to do nothing as her fortune and marriages proved she was superfluous to any cause.
Thank you for collected words Robert Wainwright, and Jess Tovey your eloquence was superb, very much appreciated :-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews