Wedlock cover art

Wedlock

How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match

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Wedlock

By: Wendy Moore
Narrated by: Rachel Atkins
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About this listen

Wedlock is the remarkable story of the Countess of Strathmore and her marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney.

Mary Eleanor Bowes was one of Britain's richest young heiresses. She married the Count of Strathmore, who died young, and, pregnant with her lover's child, Mary became engaged to George Gray. Then in swooped Andrew Robinson Stoney. Mary was bowled over and married him within the week.

But nothing was as it seemed. Stoney was broke and his pursuit of the wealthy Countess a calculated ploy. Once married to Mary, he embarked on years of ill treatment, seizing her lands, beating her, terrorising servants, introducing prostitutes to the family home, and kidnapping his own sister.

But finally, after many years, a servant helped Mary to escape. She began a high-profile divorce case that was the scandal of the day and was successful. But then Andrew kidnapped her and undertook a weeklong rampage of terror and cruelty until the law finally caught up with him.

©2009 Wendy Moore (P)2015 Orion Publishing Group 18th Century Europe Great Britain Modern England Disappearance Divorce

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This book is gripping. It takes a little while to get to know all the different people within the tangled web of lives but once you do it is gripping and shocking. To the point were if this was a novel you would think the author had gone too far. The things that happened to Lady Strathmore are horrendous. I loved listening to this book. It has given me a renewed interest in this period of history. Well worse a listen.

Gripping

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Fascinating and tragic tale. Engagingly written and a very good reading. I'll be looking out for further work by both Wendy Moore and Rachel Atkins.

Highly recommended

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Stranger than fiction - an incredible story, very well written with many interesting historical facts loosely relating to the main plot, which enhanced the story. Flawless narration kept me riveted (with the exception of her pronunciation of "Scotland"!)

Wow! Brilliant

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Brilliant book - slightly dodgey Irish accent but an impassioned reading - so many parallels to today's world

loved it

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Whilst Andrew Robinson Stoney must undoubtedly rank as one of Georgian Britain’s most evil characters; a vicious, sadistic sociopath - reading between the lines one gets the impression that the heroine of this book; the Countess of Strathmore herself, may not have been an entirely innocent party. The insights we get into her behaviour in her younger days, prior to her marriage to Mr Stoney, suggests a woman who certainly took pleasure in encouraging as much male attention as she could get. Toying with, and deliberately breaking, a good few male hearts. But be this as it may, it does nothing to excuse her appalling and life-changing later treatment at the hands of her demonic and relentless second husband.
Rachel Atkins’s calming narration is wonderful and brings a soothing quality to what is a genuinely gripping, and at times truly harrowing and horrific account of historical abuse, cruelty and domestic violence of the worst kind.
‘Wedlock’ moves with a riveting pace and in my view is one of Wendy Moore’s best works.
True monsters may walk among us, hiding in plain sight. This is certainly a story of one of them.

As gripping as it is shocking, this is one of Wendy Moore’s best works…

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Very well written and performed I would highly recommend this audiobook just I am sorry someone actually experienced such horrors for so long

I am so glad Mary has been given a voice

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I liked everything and am glad that I did not live in Georgian England. Harrowing but enjoyable listen.

Astonishing

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Any additional comments?

I listened to this book virtually beginning to end almost from the time I downloaded it. I found the story utterly compelling, superbly written and well narrated. I would certainly be interested in reading/listening to more works from Wendy Moore, or indeed hearing further narration from Rachel Atkins. On the whole a very well deserved 5-stars!!

Highly recommended!

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Wow! The countess of Strathmoore certainly had an interesting life. She could be a poster child for the notion that money doesn't alway bring happiness. As great listen for any social / aristocratic / royal history buff!

You'd think it was fiction if you didn't know it to be true.

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‘quite a few mis-reading booboos in this (‘her grief was exasperated by his conduct’); these and other v basic editing bits & bobs do impact on the reading. I wouldnt recommend per the narration.




‘wee bit performance-editing would make a difference

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