Bess of Hardwick

Title: Bess of Hardwick
Author: Mary S. Lovell
Abacus, 2006 (2005)

With her success The Mitford Girls, Lovell now uses one of them, Deborah Cavendish (neé Mitford), Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, and travels more than 400 years back in time to the fascinating woman that basically created the wealth of the Cavendishes and produced its first Duke, William. That matriarch is Bess of Hardwick. She was born into a family of respectable gentry and ended up the richest woman in England, bar one - the Virgin Queen herself, who was a friend of Bess'. The biograpy is thorough but never slow or swamped with names, years and titles, which is common in this genre. Lovell seems to have a bit of a new take on her subject and her interpretations are well argued. A gem for Tudor fans.