{"product_id":"queen-bees-9781473618053","title":"Queen Bees","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''ENORMOUS FUN'' G\u003ci\u003eUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''SO ENTERTAINING''\u003ci\u003e THE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''GOSSIPY, LIGHT AND FUN'' \u003ci\u003eTLS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eQueen Bees\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003elooks at the lives of six remarkable women who made careers out of being society hostesses, including Lady Astor, who went on to become the first female MP, and Mrs Greville, who cultivated relationships with Edward VII, as well as Lady Londonderry, Lady Cunard, Laura Corrigan and Lady Colefax. Written with wit, verve and heart, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eQueen Bees \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eis the story of a form of societal revolution, and the extraordinary women who helped it happen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the aftermath of the First World War, the previously strict hierarchies of the British class system were weakened. For a number of ambitious, spirited women, this was the chance they needed to slip through the cracks and take their place at the top of society as the great hostesses of the time. In an age when the place of women was uncertain, becoming a hostess was\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSo entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e - and there's lots of insider fun to be had... \u003cb\u003eExcels at anecdotes and punchlines\u003c\/b\u003e... The strength of \u003ci\u003eQueen Bees\u003c\/i\u003e is its \u003cb\u003ewealth of detail and its author's nose for a human story\u003c\/b\u003e... This book dances in and out of its subject to the sound of plate-smashing, cut-glass gossip, ukeleles, Beecham's orchestras, jazz bands, Nazi anthems and bombs. \u003cb\u003e\"I've been to a marvellous party,\" wrote Noël Coward. Thanks to \u003ci\u003eQueen Bees\u003c\/i\u003e, we can feel as though we were there too.\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe book, like their parties, is often \"enormous fun\"\u003c\/b\u003e * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eDelightful... \u003cb\u003eCrammed with fascinating anecdotes\u003c\/b\u003e * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eIf guest lists and gossip columns, invitations and address books, seating plans and social mountaineering tick your box, \u003cb\u003ethis is the book for you\u003c\/b\u003e. * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eRich in anecdote... \u003cb\u003ea fascinating account\u003c\/b\u003e... Group biography is a difficult trick to pull off, but Evans is deft with her interweaving of narrative and history... * The Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a whirl of  a book, \u003cb\u003egossipy\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003elight \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003efun\u003c\/b\u003e * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eEvans's \u003cb\u003epacy\u003c\/b\u003e account of these intrepid social lion-hunters sparkles with famous names * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGloriously gossipy\u003c\/b\u003e... A snapshot of a bygone age from Gosford Park-style big country house parties to dancing until dawn in Park Lane mansions long demolished. * Red Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe individual characters of these unusual women are well delineated and all played significant roles in their time\u003c\/b\u003e... An entertaining \"spectacle of celebrity, talent, and burning ambition\". * Sunday Express *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eirresistible\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ewitty \u003c\/b\u003eaccount * Woman \u0026amp; Home *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ecompelling\u003c\/b\u003e portrait of six inspiring women * The Lady *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderfully readable\u003c\/b\u003e * Country Life *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn exciting read\u003c\/b\u003e, Evans has painted a \u003cb\u003ecompelling \u003c\/b\u003eportrait of six inspiring women. * The Mitford Society *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEvans makes a good case for her hostesses' importance as purveyors of soft power\u003c\/b\u003e: the artistic, cultural and political reach of their address books, she argues had a profound impact on modern British society.  All were marvellously quotable, as spiteful as they were ambitious, mistresses of the apparently throwaway remark designed to draw blood, but their success was due as much to their status and fortunes as to their brilliance.\u003cb\u003e One of the pleasures of books like these is that you close them with a feeling of overwhelming gratitude for your own mundane life\u003c\/b\u003e * Literary Review *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739511533911,"sku":"9781473618053","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473618053.jpg?v=1720052444","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/queen-bees-9781473618053","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}