Casanova's Women by Judith Summers
The eighteenth-century Venetian adventurer Giacomo Casanova used his charisma to talk his way into the beds of more than two hundred women, and turned his name into a synonym for seduction. Charming, brilliant and devastatingly attractive, the compulsive womaniser claimed to like and understand his conquests. He could be the perfect lover when he wanted to - thoughtful, generous and imaginative - but he could also beruthless, selfish, cruel and dishonest. Who were the women upon whom Casanova built his reputation as one of the greatest lovers who ever lived? From the two sisters with whom he had his first sexual experience to the libidinous Venetian nun who defied God in order to sleep with him, from the wealthy widow he tricked out of a fortune to the love of his life, the glamorous and daring Henriette, they all have their stories to tell. Here, Judith Summers looks at history's most famous seducer from a female perspective, throwing fascinating new light on a dangerous and beguiling man.
'Her knowledge of the area is put to superb use here as she describes its emergence as one of London's most elegant residential areasMore admirable still is the way in which she manages to chart the raffish careers of a mass of secondary characters, while never losing sight of the plucky, ruthless and beguiling woman who was hailed in the broadsheets, while she ruled London's nightlife as "Empress of the Vast Region of Taste, Elegance and Magnificence" ... Summers deserves a medal for restoring her to us in this captivating book' Miranda Seymour on The Empress of Pleasure
Judith Summers is the author of four novels and two non-fiction books, The Empress of Pleasure and the prize-winning Soho, A History of London's Most Colourful Neighbourhood. Born and brought up in London, she studied Fine Art in Bristol and Manchester, and trained as a film editor with the BBC. After becoming a tourist guide, she discovered a passion for historical research. She has written widely on London, and lives in north London.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780747577447 |
| ISBN 10 | 0747577447 |
| Title | Casanova's Women |
| Author | Judith Summers |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2006-09-18 |
| Number of pages | 384 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |