All for Love: The Scandalous Life and Times of Royal Mistress Mary Robinson

This reminds me of the good old days of Masterpiece Theatre (way more years ago than I would like to admit to wathing it) when there was a delightful mix of period/ historical accuracy and a nice juicy plot (Upstairs/ Downstairs of course, and does anyone remember the fantastic "Duchess of Duke Street?"). One feels the sense of the sumptuous period garb and the sexual tension just about bursts from the corsets in what I would classify as "speculative historical fiction"-enough research to keep it grounded in reality with enough of a good yarn-spinners spark to fill in the blanks where history left a mystery. I am positively aching to see a dramatic adaptation; there's probably enough sweep and plot here for a miniseries. Highly reccomended for lovers of historical romance, especially if you like a bit of spice in your oh-so-proper British cup of tea!

Mary Robinson's life almost begs to be written about. Her father abandoned her mother and her brothers when she was young, she was married at 15 years to another faithless man and spent time in debtor's prison with him, she started writing poetry for herself and to make some income and later went on to become a successful actress meeting such stage luminaries as Garrick and Sheridan, played Perdita in Garrick's version of Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale" and the young Prince of Wales (the future George IV) was smitten with her--he became her "Florizel" and she his first Mistress, and that was all before she reached her 23rd birthday. Mary Robinson was one of the great beauties of her day, painted by Gainsborough, Romney and Reynolds. The Duchess of Devonshire was one of her earliest patrons. She grew into a literary figure, writing poetry, plays and novels. People from the military, politics, art, literature and society all have a place in her incredible life. This novelized re-telling of Mary Robinson's life is fairly quick-paced and easy to read, accordingly. Facts seem to follow closely what has been documented, although the author says in the Afterword that she also included some events that were clearly fictionalized but by Mary Robinson herself in her memoirs. There is so much that is known about the events in Mary Robinson's life that sometimes this tale seems too superficial. I'm not sure I really got a good grasp of Mary's character, and all the many people she comes in contact with during her tumultuous life are even more briefly sketched--even her famous lovers. Mary's voice does seem to come through authentically, however, and the feel for the period and the events is good. The author is successful in relating the many details of this extraordinary life in well-paced and exciting manner.

Mary Darby was born in 1758 to an affluent merchant who not long afterward abandoned his family. Mary received an education especially in the fine arts and at fifteen planned to perform on stage shortly. However, her mother persuaded her to marry Tom Robinson, the heir of a rich uncle. He proved the second disappointing male in her life; others followed as she seemed to find a lifetime of losers although she hid her disappointment inside her poetry. Ultimately Tom's wastrel ways led to Mary going on stage where the Prince of Wales saw her and made her his. Mary Robinson's words from her poetry, essays and letters enhance this delightful historical biographical fiction. Amanda Elyot pays homage to the royal mistress while allowing the audience to understand the motivators of her life, which in turn spotlights the limited options women had during the latter half of the eighteenth century even in relatively enlightened England. Regency romance readers will appreciate The Scandalous Life and Times of Royal Mistress Mary Robinson. Harriet Klausner