A mixture of poignant biography and marvelously entertaining social history, this is the story of diplomatic life as it has never been told before, seen through the eyes of the wives, daughters, and sisters who accompanied their men to the far corners of the globe.
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"Great read full of historical detail and oddities of the life of diplomats abroad, often full of hardship. A definite must-read for everyone interested in British diplomatic life in the 19th and 20th century. Fantastic pictures, very authentic." — Dagmar (4 out of 5 stars)
"Great read full of historical detail and oddities of the life of diplomats abroad, often full of hardship. A definite must-read for everyone interested in British diplomatic life in the 19th and 20th century. Fantastic pictures, very authentic."
" Lovely reading about the perils and adventures of British diplomatic wives. Entertaining and instructive. "
" Diary entry book group choice from 2000..only got half way through "
" It's interesting but, after the Courtesans debacle, I'm never quite sure how accurate Katie Hickman is. "
" An easily readable and well researched book exploring the lives of some of the ambassadorial wives from the 16th century onwards. The author can also give the added insight of having been a diplomat's daughter herself. Fascinating reading. "
" Although a bit repetitive, it does give quite an interesting overview of the life of diplomatic wives from the 17th century on. Some fascinating descriptions. A good bus read that you can dip in and out of. "
" A history of trailing spousehood. Interesting for me on a personal level, though at times too Brit-focused. "
" This book reminds us just how much nowadays we take travel (especially by aircraft), transcontinental telephone lines, and e-mail utterly for granted. The isolating properties of disease in foreign parts are still feared today. "
" Stories of diplomatic wives starting in the 1600's - incredible! "
" Entertaining history of the diplomatic life from the viewpoint of the wives and daughters. I enjoyed reading it, but not sure I would read it again. "
" Dinah said it all... And I could not have said it better! "
" Those women were tough. No one today could even dream of the hardships they went through. British to the core! "
Katie Hickman is the author of five books, including two bestselling history books, Courtesans and Daughters of Britannia. She has written two travel books, Travels with a Circus, which was shortlisted for the 1993 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, and Dreams of the Peaceful Dragon. She is the author of the novel The Quetzal Summer, for which she was listed for the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. Katie lives in London with her two children and her husband, the philosopher A. C. Grayling.
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