MY LAST DUCHESS by DAISY GOODWIN

MY LAST DUCHESS

BY DAISY GOODWIN

THE BLURB:-

Cora Cash, possibly the wealthiest heiress in 1890s America, has been raised to believe that money will open every door to her.

But when her mother whisks her to England to secure her an aristocratic match, Cora is dismayed by the welcome she at first receives. The great houses in which she is entertained are frosty and forbidding, dogged with intrigue above stairs, and gossip below. And it is only when she loses her heart- to a man she barely knows- that Cora realises the game she is playing is one she does not fully understand, and that her own happiness could be the prize.

THE REALITY:-

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't be doing as much reading or reviewing, but I'm not in a position to be a full time writer yet (although that day will come) and need something to read on the bus/ train to work!

Fans of Downton Abbey will love this one. In fact, if the book hadn't been published in 2010- the same time as Downton's first appearance on our screens- I would say that it was inspired by it (even our heroine is called Cora!) Set in 1893, it flits between Rhode Island, London and a beautiful country estate in Dorset.

This is a great upstairs/ downstairs comparison between the upper and lower classes and also highlights the differences between American (new money) etiquette and English (old money) ways. We also get to see how a mixed race relationship would be treated in the nineteenth century- badly in the USA, where slavery was, no doubt, fresh in people's minds, and with a bit less prejudice in England.

It's great to see our heroine marry for love, after she and her duke meet in a quite romantic way, and interesting to note that, despite holding a warm place in his heart, she cannot control him. Women did not rule the roost in that day and age. The sheer ridiculousness of some of society's expectations, and also some of the characters made me laugh out loud- especially Cora's mother and her mother-in-law, the “Double Duchess”.

There is a good “secret” thread running throughout the storyline, but my one criticism would be that the strange and possibly kinky relationship between Charlotte and her odious husband was not explored enough. Now that would have been really interesting...

Nothing to set the literary world alight, but a good read, nonetheless.