Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli: A Strange Romance

This well-crafted and readable narrative is the biography of a relationship, grounded in the history and culture of 19th century Britain. With sympathy for the main actors -- Benjamin and Mary Anne Disraeli -- but without sentiment, the book looks at their mutually beneficial, yet self-serving, arrangement: He got her financial support, she got dignity and stature of his public achievement, and the whole was greater than the sum of its parts, with the two developing a perhaps unexpectedly deep regard for each other. The author deftly interweaves anecdotes of other women's lives, illustrating their financially provisional existence. The author also exposes Disraeli's multiple motivations: His early desperate efforts to win public office show more were motivated in part by the insulation from arrest (for debt) enjoyed by MPs. show less

I wanted to love this, but the pacing made it so difficult to get through. This would have been wonderful at say two-thirds the length. As is, it's worth a read, but likely only enjoyable if you love historical biographies.