Product Description

William Cavendish was a gifted horseman, prolific womaniser and skilled diplomat. Famously defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, he went into a long and miserable exile before returning to England in triumph on the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660. But this is not just the story of that one remarkable man and the courtly world of King Charles I and his Cavaliers. More than that, Lucy Worsley brings to life the complex and fascinating household hierarchies of the seventeenth century, painting a picture of conspiracy, sexual intrigue, clandestine marriage and gossip. From Ben Jonson and Van Dyck to a savage, knife-wielding master-cook, "Cavalier" is a brilliant illumination of the stately home and all its many colourful inhabitants.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #247339 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times
`Enthralling ... Worsley's powerful imagination focuses with great effect on the settings that she evokes with bright and telling detail'.

Charles Spencer, Independent on Sunday
`Worsley's strength is her sense of period, and her ability to bring people to life.'

Sir Roy Strong
`Marvellous ... a tour de force of the historic imagination, aligned to impeccable scholarship'.

Customer Reviews

A gripping read!
Even if you're not a historian you'll enjoy this book. And if you are a historian, you'll appreciate the detailed research that underpins it. The story, the lively writing style and the crazy cast of real characters just won't let you go. Bolsover Castle is certainly the place to visit after reading the book - think of it as the original party palace! I've just bought the paperback after reading the hardback in the library. More please Lucy Worsley!

A new type of architectural history
I thought that this book was absolutely fantastic. It must be very hard to bring architecture to life in words but Ms Worsley does this brilliantly.
The approach of taking a few days in Cavendish's life and structuring the book around this is so much better than a boring and traditional chronology of events.
Ms Worsley seems to be one of a new generation of historians who understands peoples real lives- I look foward to reading her next book!

A Vivid Evocation of Place, Time, and, Personality
Having just visited Bolsover Castle,(A wonderfully evocative place with a superb guide book written by Lucy Worsley.) I was very keen to read Ms Worsley's book. Having been captivated by the castle, I wanted to know much more about the man, William Cavendish, grandson of Bess of Hardwick, who created, and lived at this astonishingly beautiful and romantic place.
Ms Worsley has written a brilliant biography of not just the man, but of the houses he inhabited with his household, and of his trials and tribulations. Ms Worsley manages to bring William Cavendish vividly to life with frequent quotations from his letters and poetry.(Is there a book of his poetry?)As if this was not enough Ms Worsley also manages to inform and educate about the period, which is at times amusing and at ohers sad. I smiled, I laughed, I even shed a tear. One review I read said "The intriguing personality of the man.......glimmers, flickers-but never quite glows into life." For me William Cavendish did not glimmer, flicker,or glow he positively burned brightly. For anyone interested in the Cavendish dynasty or history. I commend Ms Worsley's book whole heartedly. I would be astonished if you were disappointed.