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The Covent Garden Ladies
- Narrated by: Emily Pennant-Rea, Hallie Rubenhold
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
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The Covent Garden Ladies
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Summary
The book that inspired BBC 2’s Harlots, now with a new preface read by the author.
From the best-selling author of The Five.
1757 - Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a salacious publication detailing the names and 'specialties' of the capital's prostitutes, eventually became one of the 18th century's most successful literary works as well as an essential accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure.
Beyond its titillating passages lay a glimpse into the sex lives of those who lived and died by the list's profits during the Georgian era.
The Covent Garden Ladies tells the story of three unusual characters whose colourful lives were brought together by this publication.
Its story plunges the listener down the dark alleys of 18th-century London's underworld, a realm populated by tavern owners, pimps, punters, card sharks and, of course, a colourful range of prostitutes and brothel keepers.
Critic reviews
"Rubenhold proves herself both a keen researcher and a writer who understands narrative tension...a compelling and ingenious book." (The Independent)
"Scrupulously researched and cleverly structured.... Among the scurrilous tales of 18th-century low life...this one is the most intriguing." (The Daily Telegraph)
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What listeners say about The Covent Garden Ladies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bill Hoy
- 23-03-21
What a Cracking Read
Did not realise that our forebears were so loose we'll the English side anyway...
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chloe
- 03-02-23
challenging
Although the narration is good, I think I would have found this book easier to digest in print. That way I could have flipped back and forth to check dates etc. As it is also a long book, I found it quite challenging and hard to follow. I did enjoy the sections of snippets from the original book and chuckled at some of the descriptions. As others have said though, there is quite a lot of focus on the male authors rather than the female subjects. I think overall I preferred The Five, but this is still an interesting read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Samantha cross
- 12-10-19
Interesting and emotional
A book that pulls you in to care about the characters in the list and their lives . It’s an insight into a world that is brushed over by history. I would recommend this read
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- shelly noir
- 18-05-23
I had high expectations
Loved The Five so had high expectations of the authors writing but this was heavy going. it wad all over the place, hard to follow, I didn't like the narration and the audio wasn't consistent
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- V.B. Smith
- 04-01-23
Very interesting
I like her style of writing and storytelling. She’s factual but easily gives the reader/listener a clear impression of the conditions of the time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Calico Pye
- 15-06-21
Rivetting
An eye opener! The author's use of language weaves intrigue into the world of 18th century prostitution.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nathalie P
- 23-09-20
3 stars
An interesting book, but unfortunately as there is scarce information on the lives of the Ladies, the author had to focus on the better recorded histories of the two men who created the List. This is a shame, because their stories aren't half as interesting as any of women mentioned. I really didn't need to hear whole chapters on Samuel Derrick's pre-London life.
As an audiobook, the narrator is excellent, and it was a pleasure to listen to.
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Carmel J.
- 20-03-21
I adored the narration, fabulous book
Emily Pennant-Rea narration brought the this very historically accurate book to life, her voice was perfect for this book. A true strength of this book is that Rubenhold stayed as close to recorded history as she could yet still managed to create wonderful narrative with characters I was fascinated by. It does over glamorise a deeply sad part of history and society, but while listening I was transported back to Georgian London.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sian M.
- 14-06-21
Takes from the sex trade of the 1750s
Bringing to life the long dead ladies who were recorded, lauded and maligned by Harris’ list. Some errors in the presentation but a fascinating listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zara612
- 01-10-20
Fascinating story of 18th c underworld
The narration was beautiful but not so well edited as it changed volume and texture at random intervals.
But the book itself was a fascinating read, a surprising history of a group of people whose voices you’d never normally hear.
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2 people found this helpful