A Scandalous Life

The biography of Jane Digby, an ‘enthralling tale of a nineteenth-century beauty whose heart – and hormones – ruled her head.’ Harpers and Queen

A celebrated aristocratic beauty, Jane Digby married Lord Ellenborough at seventeen. Their divorce a few years later was one of England s most scandalous at that time. In her quest for passionate fulfilment she had lovers which included an Austrian prince, King Ludvig I of Bavaria, and a Greek count whose infidelities drove her to the Orient. In Syria, she found the love of her life, a Bedouin nobleman, Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab who was twenty years her junior.

Bestselling biographer Mary Lovell has produced from Jane Digby’s diaries not only a sympathetic and dramatic portrait of a rare woman, but a fascinating glimpse into the centuries-old Bedouin tradition that is now almost lost.

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Reviews

‘A rollicking good tale…Lovell has researched widely and gives a rich picture of this remarkable woman’s life.’
Sunday Express

‘Enthralling.’
Harper’s and Queen

‘A compelling narrative… Jane Digby’s sins make a wonderfully good read.’
Sunday Telegraph

‘A sympathetic readable biography.’
Daily Telegraph

About the author

Mary Lovell is the author of the bestselling biographies of Beryl Markham, ‘Straight on Til Morning’, and of Amelia Earhart, ‘The Sound of Wings’. She is currently engaged on a dual biography of Richard and Isabel Burton.