The Smart - Hardcover

Bakewell, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 070117109X ISBN 13: 9780701171094

Publisher: Random House UK, 2001

Synopsis

The Smart is a true drama of eighteenth-century life with a mercurial, mysterious heroine. Caroline is a young Irishwoman who runs off to London and slides into a glamorous life as a high-class prostitute. In the early 1770s, she becomes involved with the intriguing Perreau twins. They begin forging bonds, living in increasing luxury until everything collapses like a house of cards. A brilliantly researched and evocative history, The Smart is full of the life of London streets, and shot through with enduring themes—sex, money, death and fame.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Britain was on the verge of war with America, yet foreign affairs were far from the thoughts of Londoners, spellbound by the proceedings of two spectacular trials, one involving a strange pair of twins, and the other an elegant young woman. Caroline Rudd had left Ireland for London where she came to enjoy a glamorous life as a high-class prostitute. Her mesmerizing charisma attracted the identical but opposite Perreau twins ? one a sober merchant, the other a raffish gambler. Caroline and the twins forged bonds and lived in luxury until everything collapsed like a house of cards and charges of forgery were laid. Meticulously researched, this evocative history brilliantly bridges the gap between aristocracy and underworld, as eighteenth-century society is drawn into the most scandalous financial ?smart? of the age.
From the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover:

“A fascinating story in the shady life and scandalous times of Caroline Rudd... gripping reading.” – Daily Telegraph

“Sarah Bakewell has written a scholarly biography that reads like a detective novel with a historical setting... full of sharp pen-portraits, lively asides and quirky details... every bit as colourful and enjoyable as the title suggests.” – Independent

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House UK
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 070117109X
• ISBN 13: 9780701171094
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288