This compelling and richly researched book presents a fascinating portrait ofMary Robinson--darling of the London stage, mistress to the most powerful menin England, feminist thinker, and bestselling author.

Reviews

"A remarkable woman and an exceptional biography."
-Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
"Utterly absorbing, Paula Byrne's intensely researched Perdita aims to restore a measure of fame to a woman who, though a product of her time, seems our near-contemporary in her understanding of the workings of celebrity."
-Vogue
"A fascinating, page-turning, and probably definitive biography of this intriguing woman."
-Emma Donoghue, author of Life Mask and Slammerkin
"A fine biographer has conjured up a dazzling personality and brought her, laughing, back to life."
-Miranda Seymour, The Sunday Times (London)
"A work of genuine scholarship . . . a masterly portrait of a remarkable woman."
-Sunday Telegraph" "(London)