That Woman, Anne Sebba
That Woman, Anne Sebba
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That Woman
The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

Author: Anne Sebba

Narrator: Samantha Bond

Unabridged: 11 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/14/2012


Synopsis

The first full scale biography of Wallis Simpson to be written by a woman, exploring the mind of one of the most glamorous and reviled figures of the Twentieth Century, a character who played prominently in the blockbuster film The King's Speech.

This is the story of the American divorcee notorious for allegedly seducing a British king off his throne. "That woman," so called by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896 in Baltimore. Neither beautiful nor brilliant, she endured an impoverished childhood, which fostered in her a burning desire to rise above her circumstances.

Acclaimed biographer Anne Sebba offers an eye-opening account of one of the most talked about women of her generation. It explores the obsessive nature of Simpson's relationship with Prince Edward, the suggestion that she may have had a Disorder of Sexual Development, and new evidence showing she may never have wanted to marry Edward at all.

Since her death, Simpson has become a symbol of female empowerment as well as a style icon. But her psychology remains an enigma. Drawing from interviews and newly discovered letters, That Woman shines a light on this captivating and complex woman, an object of fascination that has only grown with the years.

About Anne Sebba

ANNE SEBBA is a prize-winning biographer, lecturer, and former Reuters foreign correspondent who has written several books, including That Woman and Les Parisiennes. A former chair of Britain’s Society of Authors and now on the Council, Anne is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research. She lives in London.

About Samantha Bond

.Samantha Bond is best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in several James Bond films, including Die Another Day, The World is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies, and GoldenEye. Her many television credits include Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Rampole of the Bailey, and Downton Abbey. She is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in multiple performances on Broadway and London's West End. A native of England, Bond’s audiobook credits include reading classic works by Agatha Christie and John Milton. Of her narration ability, AudioFile magazine has stated, “Samantha Bond...does a top-notch job with these stories. Her pacing is perfect, and her ability to switch from American to British to Russian-inflected accents astonishing.” She starred opposite Dame Judi Dench in David Hare's Amy's View at the Royal National Theatre, and, along with the cast, recorded the audiobook of the award-winning play. She also went on to narrate Dench’s memoir, And Furthermore.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Anastasia on October 23, 2011

Wallis Simpson was guilty of four things: she was a woman, she was a commoner, she was a double-divorcee and she was an American. But, notwithstanding all these handicaps, she still managed to storm the House of Windsor. She shook the fusty old English establishment and she got her man, even when th......more

Goodreads review by Kate on April 12, 2012

The story of Wallis Simpson and her relationship with Edward, the king who gave up his throne to marry her, continues to fascinate, 75 years after they were married. The author gives us the facts and the speculation, being careful to distinguish between them. Even after looking at all the documentat......more

Goodreads review by Alexa on October 11, 2020

3.5 stars rounded up. I wanted to read about Wallis, searched around for a book I thought might scratch the itch, selected this one, and it certainly did scratch that itch. I feel I've gotten a reasonably thorough accounting from birth to death of Wallis's life, as well as some interesting context a......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on July 10, 2012

This book was interesting to me, as I am currently living in London and need as many British history lessons as I can get. But I found the writing fairly pedestrian. Also, it was curious to me that the author says she feels Wallis has been unfairly portrayed as a horrid woman throughout history, so......more


Quotes

“Brought to brilliant light in this responsible, respectful biography.” —Booklist on Jennie Churchill

“A rigorously objective book… Fascinating.” —Financial Times on Mother Teresa