Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I had never heard of Sophie Dawes before I read this book. I found her rags to riches tale to be interesting. Sophie Dawes is not an easy historical figure to like, but she did play an interesting role in history. Overall, it was a comprehensive and informative biography of a scandalous woman.

The Infamous Sophie Dawes by Adrian Searle was a well-researched, easy-to-read non-fiction book about a young woman who rose from nothing to be the mistress of the French duc who would become the Prince of Conde. Born very poor, the daughter of a drunken fisherman, she escaped at an early age to a larger city where she found employment in wealthy brothel, not as a whore, but as a servant. Sophie made the most of every opportunity with which she was presented, a lesson for us all. It was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to lovers of history and of non-fiction. Although she was a lesser historical figure, she was certainly an interesting one.

I received a free ARC of The Infamous Sophie Dawes from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #theinfamoussophiedawes

2 ⭐️⭐️
This is a story about an infamous women who I knew nothing about.
She came from nothing and ruthlessly work her way up into society to be somebody “dishonestly.”
To be honest I didn’t like her and I didn’t care for this book. It was to detailed for me to enjoy, if I can even say that. And I felt like it should of flowed much better than it did.
I did appreciate how well the author wanted to honestly share all accounts of her life. It just wasn’t that good. There, I said it!

This was a NETGALLEY gift and all opinions are my own.

Born into poverty on the Isle of Wight, Sophie Dawes rose to get great riches and ended her life as a Baroness. On the way she also became vilified in her adopted country of France and was accused of beating her lover and possibly murdering him. Sophie was obviously a great character and this book portrays her actions with little sympathy however it is clear that her poor beginnings shaped her desire to progress in the world and become part of the aristocracy. She was also an adept schemer who ended up fabulously rich just as Victoria came to the throne.

I had never heard of Sophie Dawes and I am glad I got to read it. I feel it is closer to historical fiction with all the might have, could haves. On the other hand the period and lifestyles were very well researched. In all I did learn about Sophie and the life surrounding her.

Altogether this is a fascinating story about Sophie Dawes an her life. The only thing that bugged me throughout the book was the constant (this may have, maybe, possibly, highly likely, as per the documents found etc.)
I understand that the author wanted to give the most true account possible with the resources that are available and some gaps need to be filled in. This just took away a lot of fun reading it in my opinion. I guess that's my fault for wanting the book to read like fluent historical non-fiction.

Thank you Netgalley for granting a wish!

Absolutely riveting and engaging. I can’t believe I had never heard of Sophie Dawes before. Searle paints such a vivid picture of Dawes, her life, the time period, etc. The prose occasionally veers towards dense fact overload, but the rest of the time it’s electrifying.

I really enjoyed this, it was well researched and full of so many interesting details not just about Sophie but her times, settings, society around her and people in her life. I appreciate such a fully painted picture and the book really shows how impressive her life was.