The Scandalous Lady W

An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal and Divorce

By: Hallie Rubenhold

Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt

Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

It was the divorce that scandalized Georgian England....

She was a spirited young heiress. He was a handsome baronet with a promising career in government. Their marriage had the makings of a fairy tale but ended as one of the most salacious and highly publicized divorces in history. 

For over 200 years the story of Lady Worsley, her vengeful husband, and her lover, George Maurice Bisset, lay forgotten. Now Hallie Rubenhold, in her impeccably researched book, throws open a window to a rarely seen view of Georgian England, one colored by passion, adventure, and the defiance of social convention. The Worsleys' story, their struggles and outrageous lifestyle, promises to shock even modern audiences.

©2008 Hallie Rubenhold (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

love the detail

if you enjoy actual facts and detail this is the author for you. Rubenhold is perfect!

An Epic - Depending Upon Your Brand Of Epic…

The Scandalous Lady W intrigued me enough to listen to it. I found very quickly that it is not my genre at all. Still the performance was very good. The story was one I had to push my way through. It was interesting enough but narrow in it’s scope and results, in my mind a kind of gossip piece that would be well-suited to some ladies who watch from the balcony. I’m positive that those more attuned to this type of story will be well-entertained. For me, no explosions, whistling shells, pounding hooves or clashing swords dampened my enthusiasms. But for gossipers and peepers - this has to be the “The Guns Of Navarone.”

Amazing story

This crazy scandal was amazing. The research done to write it can be seen in every extra detail. For instance that George Washington requested a copy of the trail, wow. These kinds of stories rarely come to light especially one so far back in time. I loved it.

Scandalous Sex in Seventeen Hundreds

I didn't love it, but as a free Plus listen it was better than I expected. I knew enough about the era to not be surprised at strictures on married women (no owning property, wealth transferred to husband) but wasn't aware of the wealth transfer that happened at the death of a spouse--no wonder young women married old men!
I hadn't realized just how acceptable sexual 'dangerous liaisons' and illegitimate children were so common among the Elite of their day. Some of the young Seymour pranks indicate the self centered essence so common to the teens and early twenties. while amusing to hear of, there was a real lack of awareness of consequences to others.
Both parties in the match struggled with the lifetime of stigma left as a result of their behaviors, and the inclusion of the ongoing effects was a good addition to the story.
Reader was clear and good, story dragged a bit in places but had a good balance of details d dates to story develop.ent

Stranger than Fiction drama, juicy gossip!

This book has many facts and seems to have been well researched and organized. The story is gripping and an emotional rollercoaster, full of salacious stories, tragic events, revenge and shocking accounts. Its well worth the read if you like The Covent Garden Ladies (or Harlots, the show it's based off of)

Well researched but incredibly dull

If the book had been half as long, it would have held my attention. As it stands, it is far too detailed, with too many extraneous characters, dates and places. This well researched book needed a good editor. I love the narrator and I bought the book because of her. Also, some additional context might have been helpful. There is very little scandal here for the modern reader. We should all be grateful that we, at least in the west, have moved on from these cruel and depressing times.