Fabulous structure

I really enjoyed the episodic presentation of this book. It is an excellent way to introduce cultural asides without making the text wander (if it was in a linear presentation). I also think this biography is incredibly honest, pointing out where he has been ‘scapegoated’ but also pointing out the terrible flaws in his judgement. The ‘war’ chapters are heartbreaking!

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Intriguing story

This is a brilliant book: excellent research that brings so much light to the life of James I and Buckingham and then clarity on Charles I’s dealings with Parliament. Beautifully read too. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

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Voyage to the XVII. Very good book.

An extremely interesting work that truly explains the thinking of the time, high society, art. And it actually covers all aspects of 17th century England.
A book that is read in a very elegant way.
Congratulations. 5 stars.

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Brilliant book

A thoroughly researched and fascinating book about a reviled character from british history. It painted a very nuanced man. I found it gripping.

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an excellent cultural history!

Lucy Hughes-Hallett reads her own work beautifully which is particularly important when an audio book runs for more than 24 hours! Her voice is mellifluous and the narration well paced.

And what a jam-packed account of the career of George Villiers this is!Twenty-six years younger than King James 1st, Villiers was created Duke of Buckingham and High Admiral thus becoming one of the most powerful men in England, and, in his own words, the King’s darling and devoted ‘dog’. After the death of King James, Buckingham continued as the favourite of Charles 1st , both relationships being fully documented here in the generous quotations from intimate and passionate letters.

The history of Buckingham’s political career is full and clearly explained, but what I enjoyed most about Scapegoat is what sets it apart from other conventional histories , and that is the author’s inclusion of so much cultural detail.

The many paintings amassed by Buckingham, James and Charles are an example. The descriptions are vivid and the significance of each is interpreted. Interesting too are the accounts of the purchase of the art works and of their labour-intensive transportation back to England.

Existing histories no doubt record Buckingham’s extravagant dress and demeanour, but Hughes-Hallett immerses the reader in a colourful kaleidoscope of all the fabulous silks, fabrics and embroideries , densely studded with sparkling jewels and decked with strings of pearls , with which he was swathed, telling us also where and how these accoutrements were sourced and assembled.

The suffering of the men I who crewed the ships and of the troops involved in Buckingham’s over-ambitious and ill-fated expeditions is no doubt well-known, but the author’s details of the rancid food served up from the previous expedition which poisoned many of the men, along with his cruel rejection of their pleas for help, are particularly powerful.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of contemporary written works illustrating the unpopularity of Buckingham in his later career. Ben Jonson’s play Sejanus was performed with the classically educated audience’s full awareness of the parallel between Buckingham and the fall of Sejanus, the favourite of Emperor Tiberius. The author’s digression on John Donne’s delivery of his sermons illustrates her explanation of the crucial importance of parliamentary oratory .

But did Lucy Hughes-Hallett really choose this inappropriate title for her book? Surely not! Or was she perhaps unsuccessfully intending to echo John Aubrey’s Brief Lives? Buckingham was 36 when he was assassinated – a brief life in today’s terms, but not remarkably so in 1628. Secondly, Buckingham’s early career could be described as brilliant, but not his life. Most importantly, despite the author’s unconvincing argument in one of the final chapters, Scapegoat is not appropriate term for a a man whose personal reckless ambition was responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of the starving and diseased of men.

So, full marks overall, but nul points for the title!

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Gripping story beautifully read

There is never a dull moment in this fascinating and unusual biography. I learnt a huge amount about an unfamiliar period of British history centred around a fascinating hero and about the society in which he lived.

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Very Interesting Read…

I really enjoyed this listen. I was aware of the relationship previously between James 1st & Villiers but was unaware of the relationship with Charles 1st.
He seemed like a real opportunist did George. How he changed later in life, was different as well.
A really good listen.

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A detailed and interesting read

A detailed and interesting read, though quite long. Offers real insight into the rise of George Villiers - the Duke of Buckingham - during the early Jacobean period and his close and intimate relationship with King James I. Worth a read.

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A interesting story let down by a thematic and non-linear structure

This is a book about a man who is a very interesting figure but little understood. It gives a very rich account of the people who surrounded him, and what life was like at the English court under James I and Charles I.

However, the story is frustrating. It is not really linear. It jumps forward and back in time, so that the same events are referred to again and again as if the information were new (e.g. emotional reunions, letters with particular modes of address etc.). And for a book that is meant to be about George Villiers, I don't feel that I know him any better.

A lot of time is spent on other characters and their motivations, but Villiers is still a mystery. Did he really love the king, or was he just pretending to gain a position? Were they really lovers? Did he have any aptitude for scheming? (It's not clear, for example, how he developed this network of "agents" across Europe, or what he was using them for when he is so clearly rubbish at governing). Why did two kings trust him so much, and allow him so much say over policy, when he never demonstrated any good judgement?

We hear much about his physical beauty and ability to pay compliments. I knew that about him before I started listening. What I don't know is anything about his interior life, what made him the man he was, or the even what kind of mind he had (subtle? Sharp? Quick? etc.). At times the author speculated about how conversations might have gone. It might have been one of two ways, which the author describes in detail. But since we know next to nothing about this man's character, we can't even draw our own conclusions about which is the more likely scenario.

It's a real disappointment, because I think that the work that has gone into composing this book is exceptional.

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