
The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill and the History Behind the Major Motion Picture (Paperback)
Ophelia Field (author)- 5+ in stock
Now a major motion picture starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone
'An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely definitive. A tour de force' - Lucy Worsley
Sarah 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.
Ophelia 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
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
ISBN: 9781474605359
Number of pages: 592
Weight: 448 g
Dimensions: 135 x 207 x 34 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A lively and provocative biography of a fascinating woman, which is crafted with style and vivacity. I am sure it will appeal to both scholars and the general reading public alike' - Alison Weir
'Nowhere 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 ... An outstandingly accomplished debut' - Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian
'She is a marvellous subject for a biography and Ophelia Field's book, capacious and beautifully detailed, does her full justice. It is the first work by a writer who is a master of her craft' - Independent
'Other historians have skirted around the true nature of Sarah and Anne's passionate friendship, with its lesbian overtones, but Ophelia Field tackles the subject courageously ... 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 impressive debut' - The Times
'Scholarly, highly articulate, and above all never dull' - John Adamson, The Sunday Telegraph
'Field draws effectively on Sarah's letters and self-justifying memoirs to produce a remarkable portrait' - The Sunday Times
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