On one level she lived a golden life, Lady Ethel (normally to everyone Ettie) Desborough, mixed with high society, lady in waiting at court, entertainer of politicians, princes and poets and confidant and correspondent with many of them. On the other hand she was an orphan from an early age, lost all three sons, two to World War I and one to a tragic accident; suffered from something like depression all her life and died in a crumbling mansion barely able to move and missing many of her friends.

She was a woman of spirit, a woman who knew her role in life and embraced it as bes she could but also worked ways around this role to influence people and ease things for everyone. The biography themes parts of her life; The Orphan - her youth; The Soul - where she builds her first coterie and finds friends, mostly for life; the Flirt - where she comes out and lands a husband; the Mother - she marries and has children; the Edwardian - where her morals and mental landscape is challenged by modern thinking; The Mourner - where world war I and subsequent years rob her and many of her friends of their children; The Grande Dame - where she rules her social circle; the Mother-in-Law - where her daughters marry; the Courtier - her relationship with the royal family and the Dowager - where her houses are taken for the war effort and she ages and her life comes to an end. If I every manage to cram in half of what she accomplished in my life, I will be happy.

I found it an interesting read, it brought the character to life and would be an invaluable tool for authors looking to create a character during her lifetime. ( )

It was a decent and well written biography of a prominent Edwardian noblewoman but it is a bit of a chore to finish. However, I did not regret this impulse buy. ( )