Beloved Emma The Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton

From her humble beginnings as the daughter of a countryside blacksmith, Emy Lyon went on to claim the undying love of naval hero Admiral Nelson, England's most famous native son. She served as model and muse to eighteenth-century Europe's most renowned artists, and consorted with kings and queens at the royal court of Naples. Yet she would end her life in disgraced exile, penniless and alone. In this richly drawn portrait, Flora Fraser maps the spectacular rise and fall of legendary eighteenth-century beauty Emma, Lady Hamiltonas she came to be calleda woman of abundant affection and overwhelming charm, whose eye for opportunity was rivaled only by her propensity for overindulgence and scandal. Wonderfully intimate and lavishly detailed,Beloved Emmabrings to life the incomparable Lady Hamilton and the politics, passions, and enchantments of her day.

Flora Fraser is the author of a biography of Queen Caroline, <b>The Unruly Queen</b><i>, </i>and a forthcoming book on the daughters of George III. She lives in London with her husband and three children.