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Diana Souhami
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Mrs. Keppel and Her Daughter: A Biography Kindle Edition

by Diana Souhami (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 167 ratings

“An electrifying study of Mrs. Keppel—famously King Edward VII's mistress—and of her daughter . . . notoriously Vita Sackville-West's lover” (Daily Telegraph, UK)

A New York Times Notable Book 

Alice Keppel, the married lover of Queen Victoria's eldest son—and great-grandmother to Camilla Parker-Bowles—was a key figure in Edwardian society. With impeccable discretion, she carried on as the king's mistress while lauding the Royal Family and the institution of marriage. Hers was the acceptable face of adultery. It brought her wealth, power, and status. 

Alice's daughter Violet Trefusis had her own long and tempestuous affair—with the author and aristocrat Vita Sackville-West—but it brought very different consequences. Vita left her husband and family to travel abroad with Violet, and their scandalous liaison threatened Violet's social standing and pitted her against her mother. 

From memoirs, diaries, and letters, Diana Souhami portrays this fascinating and intense mother/daughter relationship. Her story of these women, their lovers, and their lovers' mothers, highlights Edwardian—and contemporary—duplicity and double standards and goes to the heart of questions about sexual freedoms.

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  1. Print length
    398 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    October 14, 2014
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The story of Edward VII and his longtime mistress, Alice Keppel?summoned to his bedside by Queen Alexandra herself as the king lay dying?is well known; what is less familiar is that Keppel's daughter, Violet Trefusis, nourished a lifelong passion for author Vita Sackville-West. Lovers for a few tempestuous years, they eventually split?Vita to domesticity with her husband, children, and garden (and occasional flings with other women), Violet to a flamboyant Continental existence. Readers of Nigel Nicholson's Portrait of a Marriage, the biography of his parents, Vita and diplomat Harold Nicholson, will see a different side of this tale. Biographer Souhami (Greta and Cecil, HarperSanFrancisco, 1994) creates a good historical view based on original letters and papers; she brings to present-day readers an interesting aspect of Edwardian times?stable marriages that included lovers of both sexes. Royal-watchers of today might find it amusing to know that Alice Keppel's daughter Sonia (Violet's sister) was the grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles. For all readers.?Katharine Garstka, Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Of all the mistresses of Britain's Edward VII, both during his long tenure as Prince of Wales and his brief reign as king (1901^-10), the most renowned, most permanent, and most respected was Mrs. Alice Keppel. Mrs. Keppel (who, by the way, was the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles, mistress of the present Prince of Wales) had two daughters. Violet, the elder, became somewhat famous herself as a personality and a writer. Souhami's riveting book is about what made Mrs. Keppel tick and the consequences of her celebrity and larger-than-life personality on Violet, growing up in her shadow. It was not easy for Violet, "for given a mother so endowed, luminous, desired and resplendent, it was difficult to feel as lovable, good-looking or successful." Violet tried to emulate--no, duplicateMrs. Keppel but always fell short. "[Violet] knew the moves and attitudes but her performance was caricature." A discerning dual biography and peek into Edwardian mores that popular history readers will certainly enjoy. Brad Hooper

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00N04JP8G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (October 14, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 14, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 398 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 167 ratings

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Diana Souhami

Diana Souhami

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4 out of 5 stars
167 global ratings

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Customers find the book interesting and enjoyable. They describe it as a quick read with good insights into the characters. Readers appreciate the balanced biography.

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8 customers mention "Interest"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and engaging. They appreciate the author's research and insights into the social mores of upper-class Edwardian life. The book covers the period from late 1800s when Victoria's long reign was coming to an end.

"...The scholarship and details in the book are impressive and the insights into the characters involved are spellbinding: Edward VII and his wife and..." Read more

"...This book is rather too long long, but quite intriguing and horrifying at times...." Read more

"This book is an interesting look at the social mores of upper class Edwardian life and how many people in that strata had to either hide their true..." Read more

"...I have read several of her biographies. Each and everyone of them is interesting and superbly written. This one is on exception...." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it an enjoyable work and a quick read.

"If you like this period of English history, this book is simply delicious...." Read more

"...Having said that, the book is a very quick read since it pretty much glides through their lives...." Read more

"...It's a great read." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. It was the book of the month choice from my LGBT book club and it was a very worthwhile read...." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing and the insights into the characters. They find the biography balanced.

"...and details in the book are impressive and the insights into the characters involved are spellbinding: Edward VII and his wife and mistresses;..." Read more

"Fascinating characters. For those interested in Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West and Royal history of the time this is an enjoyable work." Read more

"A Balanced Biography..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Patricia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insight into Edwardian England
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2011
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    If you like this period of English history, this book is simply delicious. It covers the period from the late 1800 when Victoria's long reign was coming to an end. Her son Bertie (later Edward VII) had from childhood rebelled against his "Victorian" upbringing. To the horror of his parents from a young age he loved pleasure - food, wine and women. Victoria always blamed him for the premature death of Prince Albert and even when he was middle aged she would not let him have any power or even read state papers. He compensated with endless parties and mistresses. His favorite over the last decade and a half of his life was Mrs. Alice Keppel. She held his attention and was discrete to a fault. Once he became king her place was unparalleled. As was the custom, her pliant husband cooperated and they reaped great wealth. This book focuses on Mrs. Keppel and her daughter Violet Keppel Trefusis - polar opposites. Violet rebelled against the kind of deceit her mother's relationship with the king represented. She wanted honesty. Unfortunately, the lesbian love she developed for Vita Sackville-West was totally taboo in Edwardian England. The conflicts that ensued are of soap opera proportions and the bulk of the book is on that almost psychotic relationship. It is intriguing and difficult to put the book down. The scholarship and details in the book are impressive and the insights into the characters involved are spellbinding: Edward VII and his wife and mistresses; Virginia Wolfe and many others.

    History has a way of repeating itself as Bertie Prince of Wales (later in his middle age Edward VII) is the great great grandfather of Charles, the current Prince of Wales. And Mrs. Keppel's great granddaughter is Camilla Parker-Bowles, the second wife of Charles. They did it differently in those days - all discretion, no public airing of marital conflict!

    One little technicality confuses me. The author (whose writing and scholarship are very impressive) refers to Charles as the great grandson of Bertie. No matter how many times I try to calculate it, I come up with the great great grandson - but I may well be wrong. It doesn't change the power of the story.

    If you love this period of English history or English royalty in general, you don't want to miss this book.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Megwenya Matthews
    4.0 out of 5 stars Mrs Keppel and her daughter.. a mistress of a king and a lesbian lover
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2014
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    Mrs Keppel and her daughter- a mistress of a king, and a lesbian lover.
    This book is rather too long long, but quite intriguing and horrifying at times. It is uneven in the eras it describes, relying heavily on Portait of a Marriage for the details of Violet's affair with Vita Sackville- West. At other times,the story rushes through with quick summaries of months, years. it is a tale of consumerism versus the affairs of the heart. Violet sought the latter but ended up embittered and exploited with only her possessions and those of her mother to give comfort....and what cold comfort they were. Passion destroyed her in the end.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reading Rocks
    3.0 out of 5 stars A quick read - not very detailed
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2013
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    This book is an interesting look at the social mores of upper class Edwardian life and how many people in that strata had to either hide their true feelings or live their entire lives in a lie. The end-goal for women in that class was to secure a husband who had a title and money, have children, and live a vibrant social life. It was unconscionable and social suicide to get divorced but it was absolutely OK to have affairs (whether same sex or opposite sex) or give birth to children that were a result of the affair. Mrs. Alice Keppel (the mother) was the last mistress of Edward VII and her husband (as many husbands in those days) knew about her affair(s) (she had others prior to the King) and totally thought it was acceptable. It's odd, but Mr.Keppel was kind of proud that his wife was the future King's mistress since it elevated their social standing even more. And, of course, children of the upper class hardly knew their parents since they were really raised by nannies and governesses. This book ultimately focuses more on her daughter, Violet Keppel who was gay and Violet's long-standing romance (and short-term affair) with the writer Vita Sackville-West. Understanding all of this social manipulation, Mrs. Keppel, Violet, and Vita and the surrounding bit players in this book appear to be selfish, self-absorbed, mean, and flighty individuals who had no regard for anyone but themselves -- "throwing" people away when they no longer served their purpose. Having said that, the book is a very quick read since it pretty much glides through their lives. It doesn't get as detailed as I'd like in terms of what really makes them tick. And, it is mostly devoted to the affair between Violet and Vita Sackville-West although Violet had other lovers who impacted her life also. You do feel some empathy for Violet (and others like her) who had to hide their true selves and live most of their lives in a lie, however, she did have options to live her life true to herself but was too much of a chicken to do anything about it. Even in her older years, her mother was supporting her and Violet, like a 10 year old, was still following her mother's instructions. Seriously, cannot believe these people were given a place on this planet and totally wasted their time here.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Got here fast...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2025
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    Have not read it, yet, but will soon get into it...sounds intriguing
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  • Cassandra Langer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incendiary English History and Sexuality
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2015
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    Souhami is one of the most interesting and graceful writers working today. She is a powerful lesbian writer and writer period. Her voice is vital, witty and warm. She fully appreciates the period and her research is impeccable. I cannot say enough good things about her as a writer. I have read several of her biographies. Each and everyone of them is interesting and superbly written. This one is on exception. You get a very clear picture of Mrs. Keppel the king's mistress and her daughter, Violet who was lovers with Vita Sackville-West. Their love letters, many of which are quoted in the book, burn up the pages. It's a great read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Shannon Colleen Mallory
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Balanced Biography
    Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013
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    I didn't really know anything about the people except for Mrs. Keppel. This is a general overview of the complicated relationships these two women had and the rules of society at that time. In the end, I felt Violet Keppel was a sad, lonely person who didn't have the emotional and moral flexibility to cope with her life and the fact she fell in love with someone who couldn't give her the relationship she wanted and deserved.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Carole Muir
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in Australia on June 16, 2020
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    I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. A bit of history I knew nothing about.
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  • Phillysound2
    5.0 out of 5 stars VIOLET TREFUSIS AND HER MOTHER: LOOKING FOR VIOLET AND FINDING HER HERE
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2007
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    This is a terrific read. I couldn't put the book down. It doesn't have Violet Keppel Trefusis (1894-1972) in the title but it's essentially about her. It's the first book I read beyond Vita Sackville-West's memoire of her affair with Violet in Nigel Nicolson's 'Portrait of a Marriage' and after watching the excellent BBC dramatisation. Like other books that focus on Violet including 'Portrait...' it comes startlingly alive when we get to the relationship with Sackville-West; this is the book's tour de force. This book gives the reader a much more comprehensive contextual understanding of this period including excellent portraits of all the main actors and Violet's extraordinary childhood, the hypocritical Edwardian mores and values that Violet found so offensive, and, the forces of powerful, beloved, trust fund holding mothers, especially, Alice Keppel. Violet was the product of one of Keppel's affairs probably before she met King Edward VII; Violet never knew who her true father was.

    The book includes valuable quotes from published and unpublished sources. It firmly sides with Violet. Souhami appreciates Violet's vanquished quest for truth and honesty and makes her tragedy painfully palpable - we see the smash coming and know it will be terrible. This is Souhami's defense of Violet and her response to 'Portrait of a Marriage'. Vita on the other hand is not treated sympathetically.

    Souhami rushes through Violet's later life offering selected vignettes of Violet as a troubled, deluded woman who was 'unaware of the figure she cut'. She says 'Her messiness, her chaos, her constant painting of her face, seemed to signal inner distress.' How far Violet might have been damaged by the emotional consequences of her relationship with Vita, her declassee status in (and alienation from) England, her isolation (because she was different in many ways and could not 'fit in'), and her sometimes violent marriage with Denys is unknown. Souhami provides no analysis but she provides information; readers have to make their own judgement.

    It must have been hard to 'be' Violet especially in her later years; her armoured bombastic,'camp' public personality hid too much of the subtle intelligence and sensitivity of her true self. She was too colourful, too strident, too clever and she drew strong reactions. It was only when her friends and aquaintences learned posthumously of the details of her affair with Sackville-West that they could view Violet through a more complex lens, but even then views would be polarised. She was hard to truly understand; she had many faces and she wrapped herself up in half truths because they were better than her 'real' life.

    Coincidentally, Violet went into physical decline after the death of Vita but lived, as ever, to her limit. She had always aged prematurely and she suffered badly from osteoporosis. She died, bravely, from a related 'mal-absorption' illness which literally starved her to death. Despite the different sadnesses that haunt the book, Souhami also has a good eye for comedy and the absurd and I laughed out loud on a few occasions. Violet dies at the end of the book. I found that I missed her terribly because the book made me love her despite her flaws; this is a compliment to Souhami as well as to Violet. This book sent me on a trove for more Violet (who is well worth reading) who I take my imaginary hat off to for surviving as well as she did.

    Souhami's is the best overall record of Violet's life however I would recommend that it be read alongside 'Violet to Vita' (her letters) and her memoire 'Don't Look Around' from which the reader can judge for themselves the big gap between her early private and later public persona. 'Violet Trefusis' by Philippe Jullian and John Phillips, the Eve section of Vita Sackville-West's 'Challenge' and Violet's novels 'Broderie Anglaise' and 'Hunt the Slipper' are also valuable references.
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  • Margaret
    4.0 out of 5 stars the life and loves of the mistress to a king
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2014
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    The book was extremely interesting. I have recently read a book about Vita Sackville, so this book about Mrs Keppel and her daughters covered some of the same period. Amazing how a mistress could become so wealthy and influential in a period which I thought was rather puritan. It seems as if the Edwardians were no different to the socialites of 2014. Luckily for them there were no paparazzi lurking in the shadows! However, I found the book to be quite repetitive and should have had better editing.
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  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mrs Keppel and her daughter
    Reviewed in Australia on May 17, 2014
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    Initially i liked it very much. However during the latter part of the book it was too detailed re affairs and feelings. It lost its charm .
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  • Book Addict
    3.0 out of 5 stars You can keep up appearances if you want to
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2017
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    Mrs Keppel had two daughters. Sonia, the younger, who we ought perhaps to know about as she is the grandmother of a certain Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall - except we don't; and second, Violet the eldest. Let's say the title of Souhami's book is missing just one word. This one word tells us everything and also why this is book is such an interesting read. The title should really read: "Mrs Keppel and Her Lesbian Daughter". Violet, as it turns out, had a violently passionate affair with Vita Sackville West but was constrained by social mores and Edwardian social codes to live a deceitful life as a married woman. Violet may have gone through a marriage ceremony with a man whose surname she thenceforth carried but, she was in no sense married to him, as Souhami's book deftly illustrates. In this account, we learn of the Keppel's curious household arrangements from within, rather than from gossip and speculation. It is all the more a compelling read for that. Nevertheless, Souhami has a habit of repeating facts or statements, sometimes on the same page, that breaks the flow. The conflicted feelings of Vita Sackville West and the loopy and obsessional mesmerism of Violet is conveyed with great clarity nonetheless.
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