The Graces: The Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
by Breeze Barrington
UK postage is £3.75, or free for orders over £60.
Available
online
Available
in Bath
Available
in Edinburgh
Available
in Ely
Available
in St Andrews
Description
‘Impressively original and ingenious’ OPHELIA FIELD, author of The Favourite
‘Gripping’ GARETH RUSSELL, author of Queen James
‘Illuminating’ ALICE HUNT, THE TIMES
‘Refreshing, immersive and compelling’ CLARE JACKSON, author of The Mirror of Great Britain
A spellbinding work of history that uncovers the inner lives and work of Maria of Modena and her ‘graces’, the extraordinary women who practiced art, poetry and politics within the misogyny of the Restoration court.
In 1673, fifteen-year-old Maria d’Este travelled from Italy to marry James, the future King of England, who was twenty-five years her senior. At the debauched Restoration court, Maria recreated the world she’d left behind – one in which women were highly educated, exercised power and celebrated art and artists with concentrated patronage.
From Sarah Churchill, keen politician and ‘favourite’ of Queen Anne, to revered poet Anne Finch and founder of a legendary literary salon Hortense Mancini, the women Maria surrounded herself with defied the conventions of their time. The Graces resurrects their lives, shedding light on a hidden world of female friendship, education and artistic endeavour.
Details
The Graces: The Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court
by Breeze Barrington
ISBN
9781526663764
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Binding
Paperback
Publication date
April 23, 2026
Dimensions
19.6cm x 12.8cm x 2.6cm