I am not writing this review because I have read this book. I am
writing it because this book is so hard to find. If this book was so important to John F. Kennedy, why is it not available so those interested in the late President can read it to? Should this book not be reissued for other generations to read? It is just a thought from someone who wants to know more about JFK.

I loved this book. Of the many books on the period which I have read, this is probably my favorite. Melbourne is a fascinating character, and the author gives a masterful account of his life. For a period which can be dry if not properly set forth, I found this book to be a real page turner. Lord Cecil gives a thoroughly interesting account of Melbourne's early life, and in particular his stormy relationship with his wife Lady Caroline. She emerges, as is well documented, as bordering upon lunacy. Her antics are well documented and amusing, although I couldn't help feel a sense of frustration that Melbourne was entirely too tolerant of her behaviour. While Melbourne appears to be somewhat wishy-washy, his amiable nature is precisely the key ingedient for his rise to Prime Minister: everyone liked him. Lord Cecil's insight into the evolution of Melbourne's character is fascinating, and reveals something of a tragic figure. Indeed, the later part of Melbourne's life, is sad. Much of the later part of the work is devoted to Melbourne's close relationship with the young Queen Victoria, and upon her marriage, Melbourne's life become tragically empty. The end of the book gives an account of the loneliness of Melbourne's later years, and it reveals Melbourne as more susceptible to bouts of melancholy. But that is the truth of the matter, and it does not detract from the enjoyment of Lord Cecil's work. Finally, it is interesting to note that this book was cited by President John F. Kennedy as his favorite book. Some have attributed this to the accounts of the behavior of the ruling aristocracy in Britain during the whig era, wherein they ruled during the week and ran to the country for parties and relations. I found these desciptions of the book by some of JFK's contemporaries to be inaccurate. While such events are described generally, as they should be to properly account for the period, the focus of Lord Cecil's work is upon the character and evolution of Melbourne himself. This results i! n a comprehensive and altogether enjoyable account of the period. I highly recommend this book.

I am not sure that this book is really about Lady Caroline Lamb so much as perpetuating many of the myths about her. Blyth seems only capable of accepting what she said and rarely questions the detail. Unfortunately, for all her charm and personality, it is known that Lady Caroline was very liberal with the truth.

I felt that this was the most annoying thing. Lady Caroline's life was incredibly interesting. She turns up in the periphery of recent books such as Amanda Foreman's work on Ly. C's Aunt, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. We also read a bit about her in Passion and Principle by Aiken Hodge. Both these writers were able to find the truth behind the myths she spread about herself - why couldn't a biographer spending a whole book on her?

I also found this book a little annoying as it purports to be about Lady Caroline, yet much of it is devoted to Byron - her very brief lover and almost life-long obsession. Her life went on after Byron, she wrote books, created other scandals, but it is almost like there was most information on Byron so Blyth chose to dedicate a large portion of his book to the poet.

Hopefully there will be another better biography out soon. Lady Caroline has only one other biography totally to herself and that was written by Elizabeth Jenkins in the 30's. It is about time someone rediscovered this most unapologetic of Regency tear-aways.

I enjoyed this book. Yes, a lot of the book is about her relationship with Lord Byron and in my opinion, that made it a more interesting read.

This book is interesting from a historical perspective but that is really all. What Lady Caroline Lamb needed was a damn good editor as Glenarvon is a long and turgid read. I doubt there would be any interest in this book now were it not for the fact that she wrote it as a roman a clef - a book with thinly disguised portraits of many of Regency London's celebrities - and of course primarily about her relationship with the great poet Byron.

Did I say her relationship? Well not quite. This is a highly Gothic rendition of their relationship. There was no attempt to present it as anything but fiction - but those in know tried to pick out the facts from the overlay of fictional story-telling. For instance a letter she used verbatim in here is said to have been written to her by Byron.

This edition has a marvellous introduction which puts the novel in context with the times and Lamb's life and helps us as readers understand the links between real life and fiction. But this is an uneasy novel, poorly paced, with a tendency to maudlin pathos and overwrought chest-beating. It is interspersed with sections of intentional humour - Lamb clearly had great talent - but much of it was for the over-dramatic. Its a pity she wasn't taken in hand by her editor then as there are the makings of a very good novel in amongst the pages of dross. Overall the the novel is very Gothic and really only of interest to those who have an interest in Byron or Lamb herself. Byron, is of course Glenarvon the anti-hero of the novel and Lady Caroline the poor victimised Calantha.

In short the novel is all about poor old Calantha who marries one man, but is seduced by another (Glenarvon) who also masquerades under another evil persona. Their are ruined castles galore, quivering breasts, breathless terror - and the Irish rebellion of the late 1790's makes a bit of showing as well.

Lamb wrote two more novels after this neither of which have been reprinted - they were both, it seems overwritten as well, but without the added advantage of dozens of personality portraits of real people to ensure the successful marketing of the book. . Glenarvon was written, Lamb claims, as an apology to Byron, but marked the end of her acceptability amongst the elite of London society. She had overstepped the limit of social acceptibility once too often.

One of the oddest things about all this is that although we know Lamb as the lover of Byron, the affair was of the briefest - hardly lasting more than four months in the summer of 1812. She became completely obsessed with him after that and he had no peace from her. He eventually left London just before this book was published and died overseas fighting for the Greek cause in 1824. Lamb died 4 years later in 1828. I wonder if we should have known much of her at all were it not for those brief three months?