Mary Anne

Du Maurier, Daphne; introduction by Lisa Hilton

ISBN 10: 1844080889 / ISBN 13: 9781844080885

Published by Virago, London, 2004

About this Item

Used trade paperback, with normal reading wear. The spine is creased. The interior is clean and bright. Seller Inventory # 004811

Bibliographic Details

Title: Mary Anne

Publisher: Virago, London

Publication Date: 2004

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: Reprint

About this title

Synopsis:

'She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense' GUARDIAN

'This novel catches fire' NEW YORK TIMES

'With unfailing du Maurier skill, the author has coupled family interest with dramatic sense' ELIZABETH BOWEN

She set men's hearts on fire and scandalized a country.

In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, before long she is noticed by the Duke of York.

With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government and brings personal disgrace.

A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, Mary Anne is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on the life of du Maurier's own great-great-grandmother.

About the Authors:

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was born in London, England. In 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit was published. A biography of her father and three other novels followed, but it was the novel Rebecca that launched her into the literary stratosphere and made her one of the most popular authors of her day. In 1932, du Maurier married Major Frederick Browning with whom she had three children.

Many of du Maurier's bestselling novels and short stories were adapted into award-winning films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now. In 1969, du Maurier was awarded the Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE). She lived most of her life in Cornwall and died there which is the setting for many of her books.

Lisa Hilton is 27. After leaving New College, Oxford University, she studied Fine Art at Christie's in Paris. In 1999 she was runner-up for the Vogue Young Writer of the Year for Journalism.