Charlotte: A True Story of an Actress's Adventures in 18th Century London's Wild Theater Scene | Historical Drama Biography for Book Clubs & Literature Lovers

Good historians are often dismal writers, but Shevelow's narrative is engaging without veering off into conjecture or baseless fluff. The story of the actress Charlotte is an interesting skeleton which the author uses to support more general historical detail about the period. This context adds greatly to the story. Another strength is that Shevelow never falls prey to the twin failings of biographers - slavering adoration or spiteful condemnation. She also doesn't accept uncritically the image of Charlotte offered by either Charlotte herself or her contemporaries.The book does tend to drag a bit when Charlotte's official stage career ends, but that is more due to the factual circumstances of the woman's life than the author's fault. In fact people who want insight into the lives and lifestyles of England's less fortunate citizens may find this section very rewarding. Personal preference really.Overall a well-researched, compellingly-written biography.