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The Covent Garden Ladies

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The Covent Garden Ladies

By: Hallie Rubenhold
Narrated by: Emily Pennant-Rea, Hallie Rubenhold
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About this listen

The book that inspired BBC 2’s Harlots, now with a new preface read by the author.

From the best-selling author of The Five.

1757 - Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a salacious publication detailing the names and 'specialties' of the capital's prostitutes, eventually became one of the 18th century's most successful literary works as well as an essential accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure.

Beyond its titillating passages lay a glimpse into the sex lives of those who lived and died by the list's profits during the Georgian era.

The Covent Garden Ladies tells the story of three unusual characters whose colourful lives were brought together by this publication.

Its story plunges the listener down the dark alleys of 18th-century London's underworld, a realm populated by tavern owners, pimps, punters, card sharks and, of course, a colourful range of prostitutes and brothel keepers.

©2005 Hallie Rubenhold (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd 18th Century Europe Great Britain Modern

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Critic reviews

"Rubenhold proves herself both a keen researcher and a writer who understands narrative tension...a compelling and ingenious book." (The Independent)

"Scrupulously researched and cleverly structured.... Among the scurrilous tales of 18th-century low life...this one is the most intriguing." (The Daily Telegraph)

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a fun read but clear errors stand out e.g. describing the infamous Colonel Charteris as being hanged when he died of natural causes

Entertaining but sources uncertain

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A book that pulls you in to care about the characters in the list and their lives . It’s an insight into a world that is brushed over by history. I would recommend this read

Interesting and emotional

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Loved The Five so had high expectations of the authors writing but this was heavy going. it wad all over the place, hard to follow, I didn't like the narration and the audio wasn't consistent

I had high expectations

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Although the narration is good, I think I would have found this book easier to digest in print. That way I could have flipped back and forth to check dates etc. As it is also a long book, I found it quite challenging and hard to follow. I did enjoy the sections of snippets from the original book and chuckled at some of the descriptions. As others have said though, there is quite a lot of focus on the male authors rather than the female subjects. I think overall I preferred The Five, but this is still an interesting read.

challenging

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Did not realise that our forebears were so loose we'll the English side anyway...

What a Cracking Read

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An eye opener! The author's use of language weaves intrigue into the world of 18th century prostitution.

Rivetting

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An interesting book, but unfortunately as there is scarce information on the lives of the Ladies, the author had to focus on the better recorded histories of the two men who created the List. This is a shame, because their stories aren't half as interesting as any of women mentioned. I really didn't need to hear whole chapters on Samuel Derrick's pre-London life.
As an audiobook, the narrator is excellent, and it was a pleasure to listen to.

3 stars

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Emily Pennant-Rea narration brought the this very historically accurate book to life, her voice was perfect for this book. A true strength of this book is that Rubenhold stayed as close to recorded history as she could yet still managed to create wonderful narrative with characters I was fascinated by. It does over glamorise a deeply sad part of history and society, but while listening I was transported back to Georgian London.

I adored the narration, fabulous book

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Bringing to life the long dead ladies who were recorded, lauded and maligned by Harris’ list. Some errors in the presentation but a fascinating listen.

Takes from the sex trade of the 1750s

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I like her style of writing and storytelling. She’s factual but easily gives the reader/listener a clear impression of the conditions of the time.

Very interesting

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