Charlotte: Being a True Account of an Actress's Flamboyant Adventures in Eighteenth-Century London's Wild and Wicked Theatrical W

There is a tendency in romantic novellists to spice up their novels with tales of actresses and cross-dressing young women who make good and marry the handsome peer - this is perhaps a more accurate reflection of what happened in reality to women of their ilk in eighteenth century Britain Charlotte's story is probably not typical as such of the period, being a woman's lot - but the reactions and results, well researched and written by Shevelow - seem to accurately reflect the period. Charlotte was born of a good family, her father was the poet laureate, and she had all possibility of advantage - however marrying at 17 and later abandoned by both her husband and her father, she was forced to make her own way in the world. she wrote plays (some apparently good for the period) and acted - specialising in male roles. This cross-dressing she later took into her real life. If anything this seems like a slow unfolding and destruction of a life. Much of it seems to be from her original autobiography published in the mid eighteenth century - no doubt to boost her finances as well - but gradually she was forced into all kinds of generally male dominated occupations. Saddening to read, at times heavy going, but enlightening. This is an excellent portrayal of the limitations on women in this period, and the consequences.

This book is of interest to anyone who cares about 18th century England but it also could work well for someone looking for an introduction to those extraordinary days. The struggle to survive has never been more acutely portrayed than in this remarkable and yet true story of a daughter spurned by a famous but cold hearted father. You will laugh and cry with and about Charlotte but you cannot come away from this book without a deep appreciation for just how easy our lives are today.