Product Description

Shopaholic, social schemer, serial marrier and master builder, Bess in her prime rivalled the power and influence of Elizabeth I. This is a story about mergers and acquisitions. It is also the story of one woman's quest to build the most beautiful house in England - 'Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall'. In this witty, original portrait, Bess emerges as an insatiable force, a towering personality in an age of giant egos.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #568034 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-08
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A Material Girl: Bess of Hardwick was Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury--or "Bess of Hardwick" as she has become known to countless legions of schoolchildren who regularly troop through Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire--and a remarkable example of female dynastic power in Tudor England. Her life and role are well known already, and will not be improved on by Kate Hubbard's attempt to present her as a kind of precursor to Imleda Marcos or Ivana Trump. This short life is reminiscent of children's Ladybird history books; for serious adult readers it is not. --Miles Taylor

About the Author
Kate Hubbard works at Bloomsbury, and was the researcher for The Langhome Sisters by James Fox.

Customer Reviews

Short, clear and very handy
Don't let the title fool you--this is a concentrated, engaging and eminently usable biography of Bess of Hardwick. Ms. Hubbard leads the reader patiently through the complexities of Bess' marriages and compound families. She also finds time to discuss her building projects and shopping trips. Even if you have put the time in to read the more ponderous tomes on the Countess of Shrewsbury you will find this very little book a handy aide de memoire. I look forward to the other books in this series !

Bigger than Madonna ...
From the Short Lives series, this is a good introduction to my girlhood heroine, and a taster for further reading of some of the meatier biographies.

A fascinating counterpart to her contemporary Elizabeth I, Bess really was a woman of many parts, and incredibly powerful and dynamic. I'm not sure I would have liked to have crossed her, but I can't help but admire her !