Gentleman Jack

A Biography of Anne Lister, Regency Landowner, Seducer and Secret Diarist

By: Angela Steidele

Narrated by: Heather Peace

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The extraordinary life of history's first modern lesbian who inspired the television series Gentleman Jack.

Anne Lister's journals were so shocking that the first person to crack their secret code hid them behind a fake panel in his ancestral home. Anne Lister was a Regency landowner, an intrepid world traveller...and an unabashed lover of other women.

In this bold new biography, prizewinning author Angela Steidele uses the diaries to create a portrait of Anne Lister as we've never seen her before: a woman in some ways very much of her time and in others far ahead of it.

Anne Lister recorded everything from the most intimate details of her numerous liaisons through to her plans to make her fortune by exploiting the coal seams under her family estate in Halifax and her reaction to the Peterloo massacre.

She conducted a love life of labyrinthine complexity, all while searching for a girlfriend who could provide her with both financial security and true love. Anne Lister's rich and unconventional life is now the subject of the major BBC TV drama series Gentleman Jack.

©2019 Angela Steidele (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Blown away

Beautiful work! I loved the writing and narration, keeps the pace well with sharing Lister’s journals. If you’re interested in learning about Anne Lister definitely check this out!

Informative

The historical steps of Anne Lister's life. A lover, diarist and world traveller. She always gave 110% to her interests. Job well done!

Interesting but not overly engaging

I admit up font that I prefer fiction and don’t read a lot of biographical work, so my expectation of a story with plot was not well founded. This is a well researched description of a lesbian woman in a period where women had few rights. It contained details and explanations of the customs and laws at the time which were very helpful. The main character managed to have many lovers and somehow keep most of them as close friends and allies while being at the root a rather despicable human.

Very interesting.

Solid background on time period and behavior of gay people and strict society, worth reading.

Valuable insights, but repetitive

Could be unfair criticism, since the bio is probably faithful to the diaries. I could have used more coal, society, less aggressive conquests. Editor does sum up insightfully the significance and limitations of the life Anne Lister lived and so compulsively documented. Glad she kept her journal, glad it survived,glad I listened to this book, but I can’t recommend it as a great story.

Great Audio Read

The narrator was excellent! Love the story. Love Heather's voice! Love her Yorkshire accent. Perfect!

Fascinating

Once I got over reading a secret diary, I got caught up in the story of remarkable women who dared to be themselves. And the adventures they had during their epic travels. Great narration.

Fascinating

I'm not a gay woman, but I read this book because Ann Lister was such an interesting person for the time in which she lived. I agree with the author, she had a huge ego and her only true love was herself. The trip she and Anne Walker took to Russia and beyond was incredible, especially for two women on their own. Of course, Ann considered herself the man. I felt sorry for Anne Walker. Ann wasn't kind to the women in her life, but draining Anne's bank account to satisfy herself was truly rotten.

Very interesting

This is a great biography. Very interesting and loved learning more about the time. If you like the show just know that this changed my thoughts of her, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Excellent Read, and performance

Absolutely captivating. would recommend thos biography to anyone who love detailed life stories. Lister was a very interestly progressive woman of her day.