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Lady Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit
The vivid and dramatic life of Lady Caroline Lamb, whose scandalous love affair with Lord Byron overshadowed her own creativity and desire to break free from society's constraints.
From the outset, Caroline Lamb had a rebellious nature. From childhood she grew increasingly troublesome, experimenting with sedatives like laudanum, and she had a special governess to control her. She also had a merciless wit and talent for mimicry. She spoke French and German fluently, knew Greek and Latin, and sketched impressive portraits. As the niece of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, she was already well connected, and her courtly skills resulted in her marriage to the Hon. William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne) at the age on nineteen. For a few years they enjoyed a happy marriage, despite Lamb's siblings and mother-in-law detesting her and referring to her as "the little beast."
In 1812 Caroline embarked on a well-publicised affair with the poet Lord Byron - he was 24, she 26. Her phrase "mad, bad and dangerous to know" became his lasting epitaph. When he broke things off, Caroline made increasingly public attempts to reunite. Her obsession came to define much of her later life, as well as influencing her own writing - most notably the Gothic novel Glenarvon - and Byron's.
Antonia Fraser's vividly compelling biography animates the life of 'a free spirit' who was far more than mad, bad and dangerous to know.
From the outset, Caroline Lamb had a rebellious nature. From childhood she grew increasingly troublesome, experimenting with sedatives like laudanum, and she had a special governess to control her. She also had a merciless wit and talent for mimicry. She spoke French and German fluently, knew Greek and Latin, and sketched impressive portraits. As the niece of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, she was already well connected, and her courtly skills resulted in her marriage to the Hon. William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne) at the age on nineteen. For a few years they enjoyed a happy marriage, despite Lamb's siblings and mother-in-law detesting her and referring to her as "the little beast."
In 1812 Caroline embarked on a well-publicised affair with the poet Lord Byron - he was 24, she 26. Her phrase "mad, bad and dangerous to know" became his lasting epitaph. When he broke things off, Caroline made increasingly public attempts to reunite. Her obsession came to define much of her later life, as well as influencing her own writing - most notably the Gothic novel Glenarvon - and Byron's.
Antonia Fraser's vividly compelling biography animates the life of 'a free spirit' who was far more than mad, bad and dangerous to know.
224 pages, ebook
Published June 6, 2023
About the author
Antonia Fraser
169 books1,402 followersAntonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women's Lot in Seventeenth Century Britain (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), The Warrior Queens: Boadecia's Chariot, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Marie Antoinette: The Journey (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and most recently Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. She was awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. Antonia Fraser was made DBE in 2011 for her services to literature. Her most recent book is Must You Go?, celebrating her life with Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 27, 2023
Hmm, while it's great that we finally get a biography dedicated to Caroline Lamb, I can't say that I agreed with Fraser's analysis and reading here. She traces and quotes from sources but they're pretty thin. As is the book itself where the text comes in at under 200 pages followed by references.
Brought up in a sexually free social circle where adultery and illegitimate children were de rigeur (refreshingly, the women were as promiscuous as the men), Caroline Lamb is still really known for her short-lived affair with Byron but while it may only have lasted 4-5 months, it seems to have taken over her whole short life (she died at 42). Indeed, her behaviour becomes almost pathological while with Byron (she was married at the time to the placid William Lamb, later prime minister), including various instances of attempted violence against him as well as self-harm. Yet Fraser sees all this as Caro's 'free spirit' - I really wished we could wind back time, put her into counselling and teach her about mental health and well-being!
There's a slightly half-hearted attempt to redraw Lamb as an artist and writer of skill and imagination - but having started and abandoned her Glenarvon, a roman à clef featuring, yes, Byron! I can't agree with this assessment of her literary work, however much of a well-selling scandal it was at the time.
For all Fraser's attempts to recuperate Caro as an 'elfin sprite' (a phrase repeated nauseatingly) and the aforementioned 'free spirit', she comes over as more manic, more unstable and more vulnerable than those terms imply. And she seems a slightly uncomfortable figure for Fraser to engage with: when Caro notoriously sends Byron a clipping of her pubic hair, Fraser won't use the term 'pubic' and gets coy and circumlocutory talking of this coming from an intimate place.
It's good to see Lamb get a book of her own and not simply be an appendage to the wider story of Byron and his women - but, sadly, her main interest in her own head and, largely, in those of her friends and family was precisely this brief affair which she obsessed over for the rest of her life. Not much of a 'free spirit' then, and overall a rather sad life.
Brought up in a sexually free social circle where adultery and illegitimate children were de rigeur (refreshingly, the women were as promiscuous as the men), Caroline Lamb is still really known for her short-lived affair with Byron but while it may only have lasted 4-5 months, it seems to have taken over her whole short life (she died at 42). Indeed, her behaviour becomes almost pathological while with Byron (she was married at the time to the placid William Lamb, later prime minister), including various instances of attempted violence against him as well as self-harm. Yet Fraser sees all this as Caro's 'free spirit' - I really wished we could wind back time, put her into counselling and teach her about mental health and well-being!
There's a slightly half-hearted attempt to redraw Lamb as an artist and writer of skill and imagination - but having started and abandoned her Glenarvon, a roman à clef featuring, yes, Byron! I can't agree with this assessment of her literary work, however much of a well-selling scandal it was at the time.
For all Fraser's attempts to recuperate Caro as an 'elfin sprite' (a phrase repeated nauseatingly) and the aforementioned 'free spirit', she comes over as more manic, more unstable and more vulnerable than those terms imply. And she seems a slightly uncomfortable figure for Fraser to engage with: when Caro notoriously sends Byron a clipping of her pubic hair, Fraser won't use the term 'pubic' and gets coy and circumlocutory talking of this coming from an intimate place.
It's good to see Lamb get a book of her own and not simply be an appendage to the wider story of Byron and his women - but, sadly, her main interest in her own head and, largely, in those of her friends and family was precisely this brief affair which she obsessed over for the rest of her life. Not much of a 'free spirit' then, and overall a rather sad life.
June 26, 2023
3 1/2 stars. Do people still read Lord Byron, or know of his eventful life, including his passionate relationship with the beautiful but volatile Lady Caroline Lamb? This short biography of Lady Caroline, most famously Byron's lover, but also the wife of William Lamb, future Prime Minister as Lord Melbourne, seeks to reevaluate her. It has much to recommend it, but it also presents some problems.
On the plus side, the book is physically beautiful, with numerous high quality color plates. And as always, Fraser has done her research, and presents it in a readable, almost conversational style. Her comfortable acquaintance with the complicated relationships of the Whig aristocracy of the late 18th and early 19th centuries is apparent, and she makes the reader comfortable as well. (But why not, as she would say--she is a Pakenham, and the descendant of "Silence," Sarah, Lady Jersey.) She is very good at the apt quote and clearly knows the literature of the period very well. And the aristocrats (and others) who people the book are fascinating; their relationships, both familial and amorous, are incredibly complex. And most of them had a gift for witty and cogent writing.
On the negative side, there are a few flaws of editing; there is some unnecessary repetition and at least one person appears without any explanation of who she is. But the most irritating thing is Fraser's repeated assertion that Caroline deserves to be thought of and respected as a "free spirit." While it is true that Caroline would very likely have been much happier in the 21st century, in which she might have received more useful support than the laudanum and alcohol she self-medicated with, and in which some of her behavior, castigated as disgracefully unfeminine in her time, would have seemed ordinary, much of the activity Fraser denominates as free-spirited seems more the result of deep unhappiness than of a constructive desire for liberty. Being criticized for riding astride rather than side-saddle is one thing, but stalking Lord Byron like a woman out of "Fatal Attraction" is another. Caroline was mentally unstable all her life, and while she was undeniably treated very badly, there is no doubt that she was frequently a very difficult person to have in your life.
Fraser often points out Caroline's generosity and kindness, but these are often directed at servants, strangers, and animals, and not at her husband, whom she not infrequently betrayed or treated unkindly. Her husband's tenderness and loyalty, in the face of extremely public unfaithfulness, and not just with Lord Byron, is one of the most interesting and curious currents of the book. While no one can really tell now what the exact nature of her mental and emotional unhappiness was, to a modern reader, it looks strikingly like bipolar disorder. Fraser rejects this diagnosis, saying yes, she sees the manic aspects of Caroline's life, but the melancholy aspect is absent. Then a few pages on she quotes one of Caroline's relative's reports that Caroline varied extremely between being giddily happy and tears.
Caroline was a deeply unhappy woman whose extremes of emotion and obsessional attachment to Byron, who no longer wanted her, deserve pity. At the same time, it is also possible to understand how deeply her behavior distressed her friends and family. That part of the distress derived from the extremely limited concept of what it was acceptable for a woman, especially an elite woman, to do, is even sadder. But it does not make Caroline a free spirit.
Caroline wrote her best epitaph herself: "I am like the wreck of a little boat, for I never came up to the sublime and beautiful--merely a little gay merry boat, which perhaps stranded itself at Vauxhall or London Bridge--or wounded without killing itself as a butterfly does in a tallow candle."
On the plus side, the book is physically beautiful, with numerous high quality color plates. And as always, Fraser has done her research, and presents it in a readable, almost conversational style. Her comfortable acquaintance with the complicated relationships of the Whig aristocracy of the late 18th and early 19th centuries is apparent, and she makes the reader comfortable as well. (But why not, as she would say--she is a Pakenham, and the descendant of "Silence," Sarah, Lady Jersey.) She is very good at the apt quote and clearly knows the literature of the period very well. And the aristocrats (and others) who people the book are fascinating; their relationships, both familial and amorous, are incredibly complex. And most of them had a gift for witty and cogent writing.
On the negative side, there are a few flaws of editing; there is some unnecessary repetition and at least one person appears without any explanation of who she is. But the most irritating thing is Fraser's repeated assertion that Caroline deserves to be thought of and respected as a "free spirit." While it is true that Caroline would very likely have been much happier in the 21st century, in which she might have received more useful support than the laudanum and alcohol she self-medicated with, and in which some of her behavior, castigated as disgracefully unfeminine in her time, would have seemed ordinary, much of the activity Fraser denominates as free-spirited seems more the result of deep unhappiness than of a constructive desire for liberty. Being criticized for riding astride rather than side-saddle is one thing, but stalking Lord Byron like a woman out of "Fatal Attraction" is another. Caroline was mentally unstable all her life, and while she was undeniably treated very badly, there is no doubt that she was frequently a very difficult person to have in your life.
Fraser often points out Caroline's generosity and kindness, but these are often directed at servants, strangers, and animals, and not at her husband, whom she not infrequently betrayed or treated unkindly. Her husband's tenderness and loyalty, in the face of extremely public unfaithfulness, and not just with Lord Byron, is one of the most interesting and curious currents of the book. While no one can really tell now what the exact nature of her mental and emotional unhappiness was, to a modern reader, it looks strikingly like bipolar disorder. Fraser rejects this diagnosis, saying yes, she sees the manic aspects of Caroline's life, but the melancholy aspect is absent. Then a few pages on she quotes one of Caroline's relative's reports that Caroline varied extremely between being giddily happy and tears.
Caroline was a deeply unhappy woman whose extremes of emotion and obsessional attachment to Byron, who no longer wanted her, deserve pity. At the same time, it is also possible to understand how deeply her behavior distressed her friends and family. That part of the distress derived from the extremely limited concept of what it was acceptable for a woman, especially an elite woman, to do, is even sadder. But it does not make Caroline a free spirit.
Caroline wrote her best epitaph herself: "I am like the wreck of a little boat, for I never came up to the sublime and beautiful--merely a little gay merry boat, which perhaps stranded itself at Vauxhall or London Bridge--or wounded without killing itself as a butterfly does in a tallow candle."
Want to read
May 5, 2023hoping this is the biography worthy of my favourite crazy bitch in history!!!
i have faith in antonia fraser, always.
i have faith in antonia fraser, always.
May 16, 2024
The author of this short, readable book is Britain’s greatest living biographer. She’s the author of monumental lives of Mary Queen of Scots and Marie Antoinette. This book is Antonia Fraser’s poignant goodbye to her long professional life as a historian. Fraser rejects the usual view of Caroline Lamb as lovesick and crazy. She shows how Lamb struggled against the limits placed even on privileged women in her era. Lamb had marked achievements as a writer and as a friend of other writers. She amounted to much more than her lifelong crush on Byron. Fraser must have struggled against some of the same obstacles as a writer herself. She brings this intelligence and her own experience to the life of Caroline Lamb. This is an excellent introduction to a fascinating historical figure. The publisher sent me an early copy in return for a frank review.
June 2, 2023
REVIEW: Lady Caroline Lamb
June 1, 2023
Born to tremendous wealth and status, Caroline Ponsonby was the only daughter of the Earl and Countess of Bessborough. Born at the end of the 18th century, Caroline was entirely uninterested in following the strict protocols of the era. It’s reported she was a rather wild child and a bit of a tomboy, galavanting with her Cavendish cousins. She was also incredibly bright and highly education, speaking numerous languages and writing music. At 19, she married William Lamb, who eventually inherited his father’s title as Viscount Melbourne.
"Caroline would recount how she had fallen in love with young William Lamb…at a party at their house. She was in her early teens and he was six years older. He was reading poetry aloud. … Intensely romantic, the young Caroline was also a great lover of poetry. It is easy to believe that the combinations of a good-looking young man and the book in his hand was irresistible." ~Loc. 294
On paper, William and Caroline should have had a steady and pleasant marriage. The two had three children, but just one survived infancy. Though hardly cut out to become the typical mother, there’s no doubt losing two children affected both parents and their marriage. More, their surviving son Augustus suffered from some kind of mental illness and possibly developmental issues as well. Caroline enjoyed spending time with him, displaying a rare patience for the era, and refused to hear of suggestions for life at an asylum.
Always in search of excitement and possessing a romantic spirit, Caroline soon began to look for thrill in society. She, like many in literary circles, was enthralled with the brooding work of Lord Byron. His sort-of-autobiographic poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” introduced the idea of a dark, moody Byronic hero. Caroline sent him a fan letter (no doubt one of many from swooning ladies) and they soon met and began an affair.
Neither party was subtle by nature, nor was their romance. It was more than common knowledge in London, and even Great Britain. They were two celebrities, each proponents of the Romantic movements, swept up in a mad entanglement.
For his part, William was extraordinarily patient with his erratic wife. Though not happy about her actions, he truly cared for Caroline and refused the insistent pleadings of his family to divorce, or at least separate, from Caroline. It seems he missed her and hoped she would return to their lives once the noted rapscallion moved on to another woman.
He was half right.
Byron moved on, but Caroline couldn’t. While he continued wooing more aristocrats and actresses alike, Caroline became maudlin. She wrote desperate letters and kept a heartbreak notebook, filled with scribblings and musings about him. Her family, including William, worried for her mental state and insisted she go to Ireland to remove herself from the society scene and recover (The Bessboroughs were Irish gentry).
Author Antonia Fraser deals with all of these disparate, complicated characters gently. What could easily devolve into a trashy soap opera or a cheap romance. Fraser finds the humanity in actions from two centuries ago. She make no excuses, but neither does she condemn. Instead, Fraser sweeps the reader along with her to the unbelievable parties, to experience the societal pressure, to see indelible brilliance at the moment it was born. Importantly, she give Lady Caroline Lamb a voice, however desperate, and agency. She is not a pathetic, wispy thing. She is deeply emotional and deeply troubled, but she is not without purpose.
For years, Caroline begged Byron to rekindle their relationship. Byron grew increasingly annoyed by Caroline, all while leaving a trail of other brokenhearted women in his wake. He became obsessed with the fight for independence in Greece and left for the Mediterranean, where he died of a fever at 36. Caroline herself died just four years later at 42.
"I felt…a sort of impossibility of believing that I should never see her countenance or hear her voice again, and a sort of sense of desolation, solitude and carelessness about everything when I forced myself to remember that she really was gone.” William Lamb on the death of his wife
Augustus died four years later. Well-meaning friends tried to convince William to remarry, but he staunchly refused. Instead, William devoted himself to politics, eventually becoming prime minister under the very young Queen Victoria. She relied heavily upon his advice and guidance in the first years of her reign. He died at 1848, without an heir. The Melbourne title passed to his younger brother.
Fraser’s biography teases out the many facets of a once one-sided story. Lady Caroline Lamb may not have been an easy friend to have, but it would never be boring. We are one shade closer to knowing her with this fine book.
My thanks to Pegasus Books for the advanced copy.
Publisher: Pegasus Books (June 6, 2023)
Language: English
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1639364056
June 1, 2023
Born to tremendous wealth and status, Caroline Ponsonby was the only daughter of the Earl and Countess of Bessborough. Born at the end of the 18th century, Caroline was entirely uninterested in following the strict protocols of the era. It’s reported she was a rather wild child and a bit of a tomboy, galavanting with her Cavendish cousins. She was also incredibly bright and highly education, speaking numerous languages and writing music. At 19, she married William Lamb, who eventually inherited his father’s title as Viscount Melbourne.
"Caroline would recount how she had fallen in love with young William Lamb…at a party at their house. She was in her early teens and he was six years older. He was reading poetry aloud. … Intensely romantic, the young Caroline was also a great lover of poetry. It is easy to believe that the combinations of a good-looking young man and the book in his hand was irresistible." ~Loc. 294
On paper, William and Caroline should have had a steady and pleasant marriage. The two had three children, but just one survived infancy. Though hardly cut out to become the typical mother, there’s no doubt losing two children affected both parents and their marriage. More, their surviving son Augustus suffered from some kind of mental illness and possibly developmental issues as well. Caroline enjoyed spending time with him, displaying a rare patience for the era, and refused to hear of suggestions for life at an asylum.
Always in search of excitement and possessing a romantic spirit, Caroline soon began to look for thrill in society. She, like many in literary circles, was enthralled with the brooding work of Lord Byron. His sort-of-autobiographic poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” introduced the idea of a dark, moody Byronic hero. Caroline sent him a fan letter (no doubt one of many from swooning ladies) and they soon met and began an affair.
Neither party was subtle by nature, nor was their romance. It was more than common knowledge in London, and even Great Britain. They were two celebrities, each proponents of the Romantic movements, swept up in a mad entanglement.
For his part, William was extraordinarily patient with his erratic wife. Though not happy about her actions, he truly cared for Caroline and refused the insistent pleadings of his family to divorce, or at least separate, from Caroline. It seems he missed her and hoped she would return to their lives once the noted rapscallion moved on to another woman.
He was half right.
Byron moved on, but Caroline couldn’t. While he continued wooing more aristocrats and actresses alike, Caroline became maudlin. She wrote desperate letters and kept a heartbreak notebook, filled with scribblings and musings about him. Her family, including William, worried for her mental state and insisted she go to Ireland to remove herself from the society scene and recover (The Bessboroughs were Irish gentry).
Author Antonia Fraser deals with all of these disparate, complicated characters gently. What could easily devolve into a trashy soap opera or a cheap romance. Fraser finds the humanity in actions from two centuries ago. She make no excuses, but neither does she condemn. Instead, Fraser sweeps the reader along with her to the unbelievable parties, to experience the societal pressure, to see indelible brilliance at the moment it was born. Importantly, she give Lady Caroline Lamb a voice, however desperate, and agency. She is not a pathetic, wispy thing. She is deeply emotional and deeply troubled, but she is not without purpose.
For years, Caroline begged Byron to rekindle their relationship. Byron grew increasingly annoyed by Caroline, all while leaving a trail of other brokenhearted women in his wake. He became obsessed with the fight for independence in Greece and left for the Mediterranean, where he died of a fever at 36. Caroline herself died just four years later at 42.
"I felt…a sort of impossibility of believing that I should never see her countenance or hear her voice again, and a sort of sense of desolation, solitude and carelessness about everything when I forced myself to remember that she really was gone.” William Lamb on the death of his wife
Augustus died four years later. Well-meaning friends tried to convince William to remarry, but he staunchly refused. Instead, William devoted himself to politics, eventually becoming prime minister under the very young Queen Victoria. She relied heavily upon his advice and guidance in the first years of her reign. He died at 1848, without an heir. The Melbourne title passed to his younger brother.
Fraser’s biography teases out the many facets of a once one-sided story. Lady Caroline Lamb may not have been an easy friend to have, but it would never be boring. We are one shade closer to knowing her with this fine book.
My thanks to Pegasus Books for the advanced copy.
Publisher: Pegasus Books (June 6, 2023)
Language: English
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1639364056
December 26, 2023
One could do much worse than this short biography. It’s an easy read, supported by footnotes (alas the citations are difficult to follow on Kindle, but don’t miss the historical cites, in Roman Numerals). Ms Fraser has, of course, written several histories, biographies, and speculative histories.
During her life, Caroline Lamb was considered mad. Today, we’d probably say maniacal. From the start, the author makes the obvious point that it might have been not a cause in itself, but rather the effect of an exceptionally bright woman living well before women were permitted to be educated. That same effect seems to have turned Caroline into opium and alcohol addiction. She died age only 42.
Without spoiling anything—I suspect anyone interested in reading this already knows who Caroline Lamb was—there were two thing I didn’t know: First, Caroline had but a single son, likely autistic, and in any event he did not survive long past the death of his mother—so Mrs. Lamb left no descendants. Second, and I found this gob-smacking, her “indolent” and tolerant husband, William Lamb, seemingly without any professional drive, turned into a character I knew well from history. Five months after Caroline’s death William’s father died, making him Viscount Melbourne, the famous Prime Minister when Victoria ascended, over whom she threw a hissy fit and refused to allow the Torys to appoint a successor (although Melbourne resigned when a Whig bill passed with only five votes to spare). Nothing on earth would have led me to connect William Lamb with Viscount Melbourne.
Yes, much of middle quarter of this book is about Caroline’s affair with Lord Byron. Yes, it seems quite juvenile. But it did inspire Byron to write his shortest poem, one of the few I understand:
“Caroline Lamb
G__ D___.”
During her life, Caroline Lamb was considered mad. Today, we’d probably say maniacal. From the start, the author makes the obvious point that it might have been not a cause in itself, but rather the effect of an exceptionally bright woman living well before women were permitted to be educated. That same effect seems to have turned Caroline into opium and alcohol addiction. She died age only 42.
Without spoiling anything—I suspect anyone interested in reading this already knows who Caroline Lamb was—there were two thing I didn’t know: First, Caroline had but a single son, likely autistic, and in any event he did not survive long past the death of his mother—so Mrs. Lamb left no descendants. Second, and I found this gob-smacking, her “indolent” and tolerant husband, William Lamb, seemingly without any professional drive, turned into a character I knew well from history. Five months after Caroline’s death William’s father died, making him Viscount Melbourne, the famous Prime Minister when Victoria ascended, over whom she threw a hissy fit and refused to allow the Torys to appoint a successor (although Melbourne resigned when a Whig bill passed with only five votes to spare). Nothing on earth would have led me to connect William Lamb with Viscount Melbourne.
Yes, much of middle quarter of this book is about Caroline’s affair with Lord Byron. Yes, it seems quite juvenile. But it did inspire Byron to write his shortest poem, one of the few I understand:
“Caroline Lamb
G__ D___.”
September 10, 2023
Like reading People Magazine for Georgian and Regency lovers. While Caroline Lamb fully deserves her reputation as a first-class drama queen (it's not like Byron comes off much better), Fraser manages to build sympathy and understanding for her. It was fun to revisit places I'd seen on my most recent walking tour in London, like Spencer House and John Murray's publishing firm. And if you're interested in the young Queen Victoria, you'll welcome the marriage backstory on William Lamb, later Viscount Melbourne.
December 30, 2023
Interesting non-fiction read about Lady Caroline Lamb (wife of 2nd Viscount Melbourne and known mistress of Lord Byron). A member of the well-known Devonshire clan, Caroline is described as a "free-spirit", constantly making her own way in Whig society and being an author in later years. Short and digestible read, not much of a thesis by the author for what the reader should take away but an easy way to understand a historical figure. 4/5 stars.
July 9, 2023
I’m giving this book 4 stars because Fraser is such an incredible writer. This is a really good short standard biography of Lady Caroline Lamb. It’s the only biography of Lamb that I have written, and while I appreciate Fraser‘s attempt to rehabilitate lady Caroline I’m not sure the effort is entirely successful. Nonetheless, it’s a very good biography of an important, literary and social figure in regency Britain.
Shelved as 'bailed'
September 7, 2023Hopelessly old fashioned.
December 31, 2023
Excellent!
May 22, 2023
Fraser always writes resounding biographies of English subjects.
Caroline Lamb was a force to reckon with through heritage and her personality,
Fraser points out all of her qualities and quirks.
It’s a solid read.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Simon Schuster for the digital copy.
Caroline Lamb was a force to reckon with through heritage and her personality,
Fraser points out all of her qualities and quirks.
It’s a solid read.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Simon Schuster for the digital copy.
January 30, 2023
Lady Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit by Antonia Fraser is a fascinating biography on the complex, complicated, and intriguing woman with many ties.
I will be honest in saying that I knew much more about Caroline’s husband, Lord Melbourne, than about her…so I was interested in reading this biography by one of my favorite authors in attempts to learn more about the infamous woman whom was married to the former PM, and had the scandalous affair with the roguish Lord Byron.
Through this book, I learned she was so much more than that one dramatic, complicated, and unhealthy relationship. I learned about her childhood and upbringing, her family, some of the quirks and motivators that perhaps made her into who she was to become.
She was an intelligent, albeit not a traditional, woman with artistic and literary talents in her own right, and conventional definitely did not fit any description ever given to her. She pushed limits, tested boundaries, and created color wherever she went within in the black and white world of that time. She was a flawed and imperfect woman that made some poor choices (some larger than others), but also was hurt by others as well. It seemed whatever she did, she did with passion, emotion, and effort. She lived a short, jam-packed, but I feel, a tragic life that ended all too soon.
It was fascinating to learn so much about a woman that I knew very little about. I enjoyed myself in the process.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and Pegasus Books/Simon & Schuster for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/6/23.
I will be honest in saying that I knew much more about Caroline’s husband, Lord Melbourne, than about her…so I was interested in reading this biography by one of my favorite authors in attempts to learn more about the infamous woman whom was married to the former PM, and had the scandalous affair with the roguish Lord Byron.
Through this book, I learned she was so much more than that one dramatic, complicated, and unhealthy relationship. I learned about her childhood and upbringing, her family, some of the quirks and motivators that perhaps made her into who she was to become.
She was an intelligent, albeit not a traditional, woman with artistic and literary talents in her own right, and conventional definitely did not fit any description ever given to her. She pushed limits, tested boundaries, and created color wherever she went within in the black and white world of that time. She was a flawed and imperfect woman that made some poor choices (some larger than others), but also was hurt by others as well. It seemed whatever she did, she did with passion, emotion, and effort. She lived a short, jam-packed, but I feel, a tragic life that ended all too soon.
It was fascinating to learn so much about a woman that I knew very little about. I enjoyed myself in the process.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and Pegasus Books/Simon & Schuster for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/6/23.
April 26, 2023
very good readable biography, even if the narrative voice was a bit distracting at times (she's kind of critical!)
March 28, 2024
I would never have expected to give the immensely talented Antonia Fraser less than five stars. This is a hagiography, the clearly selfish spoiled and slightly unhinged heroine can do no wrong. Her affairs are all ok because she is searching for love, she abandoned her child but Fraser insists she still thought about him now and then and she spends money like water but that's understandable. I don't feel I got to know Caroline from this book her actions are recorded but her motivations are not
July 3, 2023
When Lady Antonia Fraser’s two “Caroline” biographies (Norton and Lamb) were announced a few years ago, I expected to enjoy this volume more than the other, published last year as “The Case of the Married Woman”. The reverse proved to be true. I found her biography of Caroline Norton to be thorough, meticulously researched, empathetic, and important. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed in “Lady Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit”.
From a broad viewpoint, I felt like this biography lacked direction, and I think that this is majorly a result of the author’s insistence to convince the reader that Caroline Lamb was a woman ahead of her time and should receive her due credit. I don’t know that I agree with this. She was a female writer in an age when this was only starting to become more frequent, so in that sense, yes, she was a pioneer. But throughout the course of the book it felt as if the entirety of her life — her exhibitionist behavior, her infidelities, her disturbing actions after the dissolution of her affair with Lord Byron, etc. — was framed as if these components of her story should be celebrated as traces of a 21st century woman caught in Regency England. I don’t know that we should look at a woman carrying out a very public affair with the heartthrob of the moment against her devoted husband (it was, importantly, a marriage of love) and celebrate it as a woman ahead of her times? Perhaps if she was the victim of an arranged marriage with an unloving husband, like her aunt Georgiana Spencer, but William Lamb was an incredibly loving and patient man. Furthermore, it felt as if the author was trying very hard to dance around some of the scandalous elements of Caroline Lamb’s personality so as to not have to confront them head-on. Which is odd for Antonia Fraser, whose books are typically so incredibly nuanced and full of such complete, alive characters. The episode where Caroline Lamb self-harmed at a society ball is rushed through very quickly, and not analysed nearly as much as it should have been. The author does acknowledge that Caroline Lamb most likely suffered from a mental illness, but she is correct in saying that we can’t possibly diagnose her two centuries after her death, and in this way it is difficult to look at certain aspects of Caroline Lamb’s life, but it is ultimately the writer’s responsibility to present, in this case for example, the context of the situation, the possibilities behind the behavior, the reactions to what happened, etc. and hope that these things can help us better understand the subject. Where Antonia Fraser did this very well was when she explored how the frequent, casual infidelities of Georgian Society and the Devonshire Set, specifically Caroline Lamb’s aunt, mother, mother-in-law, and other close familial relations, most likely influenced Caroline Lamb’s own understanding of marriage and her own extramarital affairs.
I did have other grievances about the book, such as that the Regency Society that the subject belonged to wasn’t really developed in an in-depth fashion beyond the main personalities and families in her orbit (Melbourne, Bessborough, Spencer, etc.) and when the Napoleonic Wars are introduced there isn’t really a developed explanation as to the context of what is going on, save for Caroline Lamb rushing to her brother and striking up a friendship with Wellington. It just all felt very quick and cursory.
For such a thin volume, the rich world that we are living in with Caroline Lamb could certainly have been developed more, and the subject more finely explored. When Antonia Fraser wrote about Marie Antoinette, she beautifully and very expertly brought her to life with the intention of showing her as a complete woman, full of flaws and full of wonderful attributes, as with any human. I felt like she should have handled Caroline Lamb the same way, for she too was a woman full of talents and love, and also full of flaws, but it simply felt like the author wanted to make her out to be a great heroine and modern woman born too soon, and I just didn’t gather that from the story presented here.
And I don’t mean to say that you should skip this biography. Antonia Fraser is an incredibly talented and enjoyable writer, and Caroline Lamb’s life is fascinating and scandalous, albeit brief, and she shouldn’t be remembered simply for her association with Byron, but for her own life lived. I just feel that there are more thorough accounts of her life out there, and that Antonia Fraser is capable of much, much better work.
From a broad viewpoint, I felt like this biography lacked direction, and I think that this is majorly a result of the author’s insistence to convince the reader that Caroline Lamb was a woman ahead of her time and should receive her due credit. I don’t know that I agree with this. She was a female writer in an age when this was only starting to become more frequent, so in that sense, yes, she was a pioneer. But throughout the course of the book it felt as if the entirety of her life — her exhibitionist behavior, her infidelities, her disturbing actions after the dissolution of her affair with Lord Byron, etc. — was framed as if these components of her story should be celebrated as traces of a 21st century woman caught in Regency England. I don’t know that we should look at a woman carrying out a very public affair with the heartthrob of the moment against her devoted husband (it was, importantly, a marriage of love) and celebrate it as a woman ahead of her times? Perhaps if she was the victim of an arranged marriage with an unloving husband, like her aunt Georgiana Spencer, but William Lamb was an incredibly loving and patient man. Furthermore, it felt as if the author was trying very hard to dance around some of the scandalous elements of Caroline Lamb’s personality so as to not have to confront them head-on. Which is odd for Antonia Fraser, whose books are typically so incredibly nuanced and full of such complete, alive characters. The episode where Caroline Lamb self-harmed at a society ball is rushed through very quickly, and not analysed nearly as much as it should have been. The author does acknowledge that Caroline Lamb most likely suffered from a mental illness, but she is correct in saying that we can’t possibly diagnose her two centuries after her death, and in this way it is difficult to look at certain aspects of Caroline Lamb’s life, but it is ultimately the writer’s responsibility to present, in this case for example, the context of the situation, the possibilities behind the behavior, the reactions to what happened, etc. and hope that these things can help us better understand the subject. Where Antonia Fraser did this very well was when she explored how the frequent, casual infidelities of Georgian Society and the Devonshire Set, specifically Caroline Lamb’s aunt, mother, mother-in-law, and other close familial relations, most likely influenced Caroline Lamb’s own understanding of marriage and her own extramarital affairs.
I did have other grievances about the book, such as that the Regency Society that the subject belonged to wasn’t really developed in an in-depth fashion beyond the main personalities and families in her orbit (Melbourne, Bessborough, Spencer, etc.) and when the Napoleonic Wars are introduced there isn’t really a developed explanation as to the context of what is going on, save for Caroline Lamb rushing to her brother and striking up a friendship with Wellington. It just all felt very quick and cursory.
For such a thin volume, the rich world that we are living in with Caroline Lamb could certainly have been developed more, and the subject more finely explored. When Antonia Fraser wrote about Marie Antoinette, she beautifully and very expertly brought her to life with the intention of showing her as a complete woman, full of flaws and full of wonderful attributes, as with any human. I felt like she should have handled Caroline Lamb the same way, for she too was a woman full of talents and love, and also full of flaws, but it simply felt like the author wanted to make her out to be a great heroine and modern woman born too soon, and I just didn’t gather that from the story presented here.
And I don’t mean to say that you should skip this biography. Antonia Fraser is an incredibly talented and enjoyable writer, and Caroline Lamb’s life is fascinating and scandalous, albeit brief, and she shouldn’t be remembered simply for her association with Byron, but for her own life lived. I just feel that there are more thorough accounts of her life out there, and that Antonia Fraser is capable of much, much better work.
May 28, 2023
I have long wondered why there has never been a serious biography of Lady Caroline Lamb and when I learnt that Antonia Fraser (whose biographies I have been reading since I was a teenager) was planning one, it was a definite pre-order for me.
Caroline Ponsonby was born on the 13th November 1785. Her mother was the sister of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, her grandmother Countess Spencer, her paternal grandparents the Earl and Countess of Bessborough. Aristocratic and well-connected, she was close to her cousins but her family also had a disconcerting number of visitors and guests that may have been difficult to explain to a young Caroline, including Lady Elizabeth Foster, mistress of the Duke of Devonshire. Young Caroline also accompanied her mother abroad, when she gave birth to illegitimate children, and witnessed this rather louche lifestyle of affairs, along with the wealth and luxury.
This biography examines her marriage to William Lamb, who became heir to the title of Viscount Melbourne after the death of his brother, even though it was likely his father was possibly not the Viscount but one of his mother's lovers. William's mother and sister disapproved of Caroline, a situation which was not improved by her later, infamous, affair with Byron. This culminated in her attempting to get Byron to elope with her, whcih he refused to do, but her obsession with the poet damaged her reputation forever.
Fraser makes some excellent points in this biography about Caroline's behaviour, suggesting she was a free spirit, but her behaviour was definitely far outside of that expected at the time. From her refusal to ride side-saddle, her tantrums (including smashing a bust at a party), to her penchant for dressing as a page-boy, she was often outrageous and definitely disliked more by women than by men. However, Fraser is definitely sympathetic to the woman who labelled Lord Byron as, 'mad, bad and dangerous to know.' You cannot help feeling that, whatever their relationship once was, for her he was indeed dangerous and, from the moment he came into their orbit, her reputation was beyond recovery.
Caroline Ponsonby was born on the 13th November 1785. Her mother was the sister of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, her grandmother Countess Spencer, her paternal grandparents the Earl and Countess of Bessborough. Aristocratic and well-connected, she was close to her cousins but her family also had a disconcerting number of visitors and guests that may have been difficult to explain to a young Caroline, including Lady Elizabeth Foster, mistress of the Duke of Devonshire. Young Caroline also accompanied her mother abroad, when she gave birth to illegitimate children, and witnessed this rather louche lifestyle of affairs, along with the wealth and luxury.
This biography examines her marriage to William Lamb, who became heir to the title of Viscount Melbourne after the death of his brother, even though it was likely his father was possibly not the Viscount but one of his mother's lovers. William's mother and sister disapproved of Caroline, a situation which was not improved by her later, infamous, affair with Byron. This culminated in her attempting to get Byron to elope with her, whcih he refused to do, but her obsession with the poet damaged her reputation forever.
Fraser makes some excellent points in this biography about Caroline's behaviour, suggesting she was a free spirit, but her behaviour was definitely far outside of that expected at the time. From her refusal to ride side-saddle, her tantrums (including smashing a bust at a party), to her penchant for dressing as a page-boy, she was often outrageous and definitely disliked more by women than by men. However, Fraser is definitely sympathetic to the woman who labelled Lord Byron as, 'mad, bad and dangerous to know.' You cannot help feeling that, whatever their relationship once was, for her he was indeed dangerous and, from the moment he came into their orbit, her reputation was beyond recovery.
March 24, 2024
176 pages. No expectations when I plucked the book off the shelf, but I saw the page count, & the disappointment crept in anyway. For so short a book, the repetition of epithets became obvious. You will be reminded that LCL was puckish, elfish, boyish, and had a boyish figure repeatedly. Not to mention her cousin Hart, who (altho he was 4 years younger) held an affection for her.
So. This is a counter-view to the common perception of the “infamous Lady Caroline Lamb” who is maligned by Byron fans, Queen Victoria, her sister-in-law, etc. etc.
I wouldn’t say the interpretation of LCL as a free spirit is entirely successful - according to these narratives, she did indeed follow the impulses of her heart, but it was in service of a fixation that never quite left her. I only knew her through Byron’s biographies, so I had expected her own story to be a triumph over a dark episode, but that wasn’t the case, which was disheartening (but this is biography, not fiction, right?).
Byron’s presence hovers over this entire saga - I was hoping for more intel about how she developed her own writing / creative / intellectual career. Most of her creative pursuits, it seems, were in response to her fixation. The book did touch upon her allies in the literary arena, but not enough to be satisfying.
I don’t regret the reading experience. It was a sympathetic portrait, with moments of poignancy, I was hoping to learn more of her (creative) life outside of Byron, nonetheless, it was an adequate survey of her life. And based on this reading, I don’t think she would be at all unhappy to be forever connected with Byron in history.
So. This is a counter-view to the common perception of the “infamous Lady Caroline Lamb” who is maligned by Byron fans, Queen Victoria, her sister-in-law, etc. etc.
I wouldn’t say the interpretation of LCL as a free spirit is entirely successful - according to these narratives, she did indeed follow the impulses of her heart, but it was in service of a fixation that never quite left her. I only knew her through Byron’s biographies, so I had expected her own story to be a triumph over a dark episode, but that wasn’t the case, which was disheartening (but this is biography, not fiction, right?).
Byron’s presence hovers over this entire saga - I was hoping for more intel about how she developed her own writing / creative / intellectual career. Most of her creative pursuits, it seems, were in response to her fixation. The book did touch upon her allies in the literary arena, but not enough to be satisfying.
I don’t regret the reading experience. It was a sympathetic portrait, with moments of poignancy, I was hoping to learn more of her (creative) life outside of Byron, nonetheless, it was an adequate survey of her life. And based on this reading, I don’t think she would be at all unhappy to be forever connected with Byron in history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2023
I found this book quiet bland but read able enough, though it is not one I will revisit. I’m not sure if it is the writing or the subject her self that lacks the interest. Could have been more informative & involved.
Autism does not seem to be considered. From what I have read in this book & other sources it seemed most likely that Caro’s ‘diagnosis’ would most correctly be assumed as Autism. As an autistic person myself who has also does much research on the subject her ‘symptoms’ most coincide with this. It just shows the lack of knowledge & understanding of how autism actually affects people / the personality’s of autistic people. But people seem to jump to other terms for her as many still do especially with female autistics which leads to so many late diagnosed autistics (who have often previously been misdiagnosed). I will not go through the list as it is quiet in-depth (which only strengthens my belief in this).
Autism does not seem to be considered. From what I have read in this book & other sources it seemed most likely that Caro’s ‘diagnosis’ would most correctly be assumed as Autism. As an autistic person myself who has also does much research on the subject her ‘symptoms’ most coincide with this. It just shows the lack of knowledge & understanding of how autism actually affects people / the personality’s of autistic people. But people seem to jump to other terms for her as many still do especially with female autistics which leads to so many late diagnosed autistics (who have often previously been misdiagnosed). I will not go through the list as it is quiet in-depth (which only strengthens my belief in this).
July 15, 2023
For a person as interesting as Caroline Lamb, her biography by Antonia Fraser is rather dull.
However, Lady Caroline's life is recounted based on abundant research, with many quotations from the woman herself, via her letters.
Caroline Ponsonby married William Lamb for love. It appeared to be a suitable match, but Caroline's free spirit roamed increasingly past the borders of the society she lived in. Her affair with George Gordon Lord Byron is the best example. Even worse than the affair, though, was her inability to allow Byron to quit the relationship with any shred of dignity for him or herself.
Caroline lived only to age 42. William Lamb, Lord Melbourne, eventually became Prime Minister of England and a mentor to Queen Victoria.
However, Lady Caroline's life is recounted based on abundant research, with many quotations from the woman herself, via her letters.
Caroline Ponsonby married William Lamb for love. It appeared to be a suitable match, but Caroline's free spirit roamed increasingly past the borders of the society she lived in. Her affair with George Gordon Lord Byron is the best example. Even worse than the affair, though, was her inability to allow Byron to quit the relationship with any shred of dignity for him or herself.
Caroline lived only to age 42. William Lamb, Lord Melbourne, eventually became Prime Minister of England and a mentor to Queen Victoria.
February 21, 2024
A fascinating figure whose life and writing was largely new to me (even after earning a PhD in C19 British literature, I'd only encountered Caroline Lamb through her famous quote about Byron), and this biography features plentiful and gorgeous full-color illustrations of key figures. While Fraser's writing is conversational and knowledgeable, I felt the tone was both a tad vague/reaching (does saying someone is a "free spirit" 25+ times really make it true?) and dated (there are numerous moments of indirect language because of sexual matters discussed, which felt unhelpful). Finishing this book, I'm off to the library not to request more works by Fraser, but other work on (and by!) Caroline Lamb.
March 23, 2024
This is a much more empathetic version of Caro Lamb's life than any I have read prior, and I appreciated it. Lady Caroline is typically portrayed as one big scandal, and embarassment to her family and friends. But in the era in which she lived, scandal was almost expected - the one thing that set Lady Caroline apart was that she didn't try to hide her scandals.
Given some of her behaviors, it's possible that in today's world, she would have been medicated. But in her era, he behavior was seen as just outside acceptable norms.
This book does a much better job of portraying a human being suffering against the system into which she was born than any other biography I have read of Lady Caroline Lamb.
Given some of her behaviors, it's possible that in today's world, she would have been medicated. But in her era, he behavior was seen as just outside acceptable norms.
This book does a much better job of portraying a human being suffering against the system into which she was born than any other biography I have read of Lady Caroline Lamb.
June 19, 2023
Lady Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit was a balanced (IMO) recounting of one of the most unusual and controversial figures of the Byronic era. She's often associated, and rightly so, with Byron, and her behavior and choices were polarizing and alienating (and unbalanced). Despite speculation that she might've been bipolar, my takeaway is that Lamb was spoiled and attention-seeking in the least-appropriate ways.
An interesting and well-told look at place and time, although not a flattering depiction of Lamb.
An interesting and well-told look at place and time, although not a flattering depiction of Lamb.
June 29, 2023
Not quite a biography, but a well fleshed out thesis about the unique Caroline Lamb. Fraser is arguing with counterparties about Lamb’s sanity, capability, talent, and limitations, as well as the times she lived in. However, she does not really get in deep enough to have a legitimate informed battle with these shadowy critics. It’s a funny standoff. We’re willing to believe Fraser and give our heroine the benefit of the doubt, but we do feel a little manipulated and uninformed. All that aside, it’s a crisply written dhistory of an interesting person in an interesting time.
May 5, 2024
Caroline Lamb is one of those figures whose name I knew but not the woman and I loved learning more about her!
She was a deliciously complex woman who doesn’t fit into one box - this book skirts around confirming any retroactive diagnosis.
I loved reading this after Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire (Caroline’s Aunt) as I already had a solid foundation for the circle and circumstances of Caroline’s life.
I’m now armed with some pretty incredible regency gossip and a new favourite historical figure.
Also, fuck Lord Byron.
She was a deliciously complex woman who doesn’t fit into one box - this book skirts around confirming any retroactive diagnosis.
I loved reading this after Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire (Caroline’s Aunt) as I already had a solid foundation for the circle and circumstances of Caroline’s life.
I’m now armed with some pretty incredible regency gossip and a new favourite historical figure.
Also, fuck Lord Byron.
May 9, 2024
I found this book to be dry and rather thin; so many events were skimmed over to the point of vagueness. A very obvious example is that Caroline is pregnant with her 'first baby,' sadly loses her son after premature labour but in the same paragraph is described as being quickly pregnant for a 'third time.' At least twice later in the book Fraser refers to Caroline's dead babies but the second pregnancy and loss is not actually related.
I would have enjoyed a much fuller, richer and more vitally written story of Caroline Lamb's life.
I would have enjoyed a much fuller, richer and more vitally written story of Caroline Lamb's life.
July 13, 2023
Such an interesting woman — and interesting men in both Byron and Melbourne — but the book felt quite perfunctory, often rushing through sources and events without explaining them thoroughly or considering them more deeply. Would have loved some more context, especially around the time of the affair with Byron, to help understand the magnitude of her actions and the reason for the affair’s impact on her life.
April 9, 2024
Quite a slim volume but very interesting to read a book focussed on Caroline Lamb who often seems to only appear as a side character in Byron's story. This paints her in a more sympathetic light and as a more rounded character. For me, this book has just the right balance between referencing, footnotes etc and readability. Very enjoyable.
Want to read
June 11, 2023From the Wall Street Journal: "It is a mark of Ms. Fraser’s literary agility—and her humanity—that she can refer to a queen’s beheading and a child’s heartache in the same breath without flippancy. And throughout this fine biography she perfectly balances the personal and the historical."
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