{"product_id":"the-favourite-9781474605359","title":"The Favourite","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... A tour de force'' Lucy Worsley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, was as glamorous as she was controversial. Politically influential and independently powerful, she was an intimate, and then a blackmailer, of Queen Anne, accusing her of keeping lesbian favourites - including Sarah''s own cousin Abigail Masham.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOphelia Field''s masterly biography brings Sarah Churchill''s own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life. Here is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who cared intensely about how we would remember her - perfect for fans interested in the history behind the award-winning film starring Rachel Weisz with Olivia Colman and Emma Stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is \u003cb\u003ean incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal\u003c\/b\u003e, and Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely definitive. \u003cb\u003eA tour de force\u003c\/b\u003e -- Lucy Worsley, author of \u003ci\u003eJane Austen at Home\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eQueen Victoria\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA masterly biography\u003c\/b\u003e which brilliantly captures the power and passion of its subject.  This is \u003cb\u003ean exemplary study of an extraordinary woman\u003c\/b\u003e -- Anne Somerset, author of \u003ci\u003eQueen Anne: The Politics of Passion\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA lively and provocative biography of a fascinating woman\u003c\/b\u003e, which is \u003cb\u003ecrafted with style and vivacity\u003c\/b\u003e. I am sure it will appeal to both scholars and the general reading public alike -- Alison Weir, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Six Wives of Henry VIII\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNowhere is the subtlety of Ophelia Field's historical understanding more apparent than in her delicate reading of the relationship between Sarah and Anne. That it is Field's first book is something of a wonder ... \u003cb\u003eAn outstandingly accomplished debut\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eShe is \u003cb\u003ea marvellous subject for a biography \u003c\/b\u003eand Ophelia Field's book, \u003cb\u003ecapacious and beautifully detailed\u003c\/b\u003e, does her full justice. It is the first work by a writer who is a master of her craft * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eOther historians have skirted around the true nature of Sarah and Anne's passionate friendship, with its lesbian overtones, but Ophelia Field \u003cb\u003etackles the subject courageously\u003c\/b\u003e ... During her long life Sarah managed to quarrel with almost everyone and took great care in editing her papers to ensure that posterity would know her side of the story, which is covered exhaustively by Field in this \u003cb\u003eimpressive debut\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eScholarly, highly articulate, and above all never dull\u003c\/b\u003e -- John Adamson * Sunday Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eField draws effectively on Sarah's letters and self-justifying memoirs to produce \u003cb\u003ea remarkable portrait\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eBehind every great man, they say, is a strong woman.  Sarah Duchess of Marlborough, the not always cozy confidante of Queen Anne, looms large over the 18th century, and Ophelia Field has done a \u003cb\u003eremarkable - and surely definitive \u003c\/b\u003e- job in bringing her story to life -- Hugo Vickers, author of \u003ci\u003eCecil Beaton: The Authorized Biography\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eField has created \u003cb\u003ean unforgettable picture of a remarkable figure\u003c\/b\u003e ... Instead of fictionalizing her, Field shows how Sarah became a kind of fictional and artistic icon, a symbol of certain kinds of power that remained free of the checks and balances that the new settlement and constitution was bent on establishing. Even after 250 years, she \u003cb\u003efascinates like nobody else of her time\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Herald *\u003cbr\u003eOphelia Field's \u003cb\u003egripping\u003c\/b\u003e biography of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough recounts the scandalous friendship between the Queen and her favourite -- Jane Shilling * Daily Mail Must Reads\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003eOnce you have started reading Ophelia Field's \u003cb\u003esplendid \u003c\/b\u003ebook, it is hard to put it down * The Lady *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA quite astonishing tale\u003c\/b\u003e -- Mark Kishlansky * London Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eScholarly but never less than fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e, Field's debut truly brings to life the complex character of Sarah Churchill and the last of the Stuart courts * Aberdeen Evening Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrilliantly captures the voice of its captivating central character\u003c\/b\u003e * Choice Pick of the paperbacks\u003ci\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA great read\u003c\/b\u003e ... Simply put, the life [Ophelia] Field documents and interprets with great care shows Sarah to be as remarkable as her many doubters over a couple of centuries could never believe or admit. One pleasure is how often she quotes Sarah, who wasn't a wit but was so frank and trenchant that she is witty in spite of her pragmatic nature ... in [Ophelia] Field's book, [Sarah Churchill] remains untethered, a magnificent woman to occasion wonder -- Christopher Rawson * Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739601154391,"sku":"9781474605359","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781474605359.jpg?v=1720052705","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-favourite-9781474605359","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}