'She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense' GUARDIAN

'This novel catches fire' NEW YORK TIMES

'With unfailing du Maurier skill, the author has coupled family interest with dramatic sense' ELIZABETH BOWEN

She set men's hearts on fire and scandalized a country.

In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, before long she is noticed by the Duke of York.

With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government and brings personal disgrace.

A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, Mary Anne is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on the life of du Maurier's own great-great-grandmother.

* Review and feature coverage across the national press and women's magazines * Featured on www.virago.co.uk * POS available

About the Author

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was born in London, England. In 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit was published. A biography of her father and three other novels followed, but it was the novel Rebecca that launched her into the literary stratosphere and made her one of the most popular authors of her day. In 1932, du Maurier married Major Frederick Browning with whom she had three children.

Many of du Maurier's bestselling novels and short stories were adapted into award-winning films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now. In 1969, du Maurier was awarded the Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE). She lived most of her life in Cornwall and died there which is the setting for many of her books.

Reviews
She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *
Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *
This novel catches fire * New York Times *
Like its heroine the book is possessed of such unforgettably vivid charm that one is seduced
With unfailing du Maurier skill, the author has coupled family interest with dramatic sense -- Elizabeth Bowen
Likely to rank as the author's best book * Saturday Review *
With unfailing du Maurier skill, the author has coupled family interest with dramatic sense * Elizabeth Bowen, Tatler *
Like its heroine the book is possessed of such unforgettably vivid charm that one is seduced * L. S. Hilton *
She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *



Book Information
ISBN 9781844080885
Author Daphne Du Maurier
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 317g
Dimensions(mm) 208mm * 130mm * 26mm