The Queen of the Poor by Alan Gold

The Queen of the Poor 

by Alan Gold

The Queen of The Poor by Alan Gold was published by Romaunce Books on 9th August 2023.

My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to

 Love Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

 Synopsis

Angela Burdett-Coutts was a wealthy woman who used her money, class and prestige to make a tangible difference for those less fortunate. She would become one of the most outspoken and dedicated philanthropists of her day. Throwing herself into the causes she valued the most, her charity work became renowned, earning her recognition from none other than Queen Victoria herself.

Coutts the bank was founded in 1692 but really took off when Thomas Coutts took over at the beginning of the 19th Century. He made a fortune, and left it to his second wife, 40 years younger and an actress. When she died, she left it all to Thomas’ granddaughter, Angela Burdett-Coutts.
Suddenly, Angela became the second wealthiest woman in England after Queen Victoria. She had to hire bodyguards to keep fortune hunters away. But because of her wealth and also because her father was a radical politician, she moved in the most interesting circles of Victorian society, where she met and has numerous affairs with famous people, like the chemist Michael Faraday and many others including Charles Dickens and the Duke of Wellington.

She caused something of a scandal with her radical lifestyle, but because of her wealth, and the fact that she spends most of her money on charity, opening schools for impoverished children, helping Dickens with the housing for the poor, housing prostitutes and getting them off the streets she’s almost beyond criticism.... until, at the age of 66, she caused absolute shock and outrage, because she chose to marry her 29-yearold secretary called William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett. Whilst this in itself does not appear particularly shocking, as he was, like her father, a Member of Parliament, the astonishing age gap left society aghast. Whilst she was sixty-seven, he was just twenty-nine years old.

My Review

This is yet another incredibly fascinating and interesting book from the pen of  Alan Gold , an author I have an immense amount of time and respect for. The way that Alan tells the stories of these long- forgotten people, and in this case woman, from history in such an engrossing way captivates the reader and gives you an insight into the life of an incredible woman.

I was completely engrossed in this account of Angela's life from the very first page as it her life and the incredible projects and ventures she supported with her vast wealth are told as if it was a story. 

The abysmal way in which she was initially treated by many in this male dominated society will evoke feelings of anger an horror in many many readers, as it did in me. The fact that she was clever enough to find ways of getting round their arrogance and ignorance was testament to the strength of her personality and the friendships she cultivated throughout her life. 

Alan's book is a must for all those who are interested in her life and want to put "Flesh on the bones" of the information you can find by scrolling through the many references on the internet. Consequently this is a book that will stay on my bookshelf for a long time to remind me what a strong, and determined woman can do.

About the Author

The reason I became a novelist was because of my Year 11 Biology teacher. I’ve forgotten his name, but decades later, I’ve never forgotten the things he taught us. He didn’t just teach zoology or botany from textbooks, but made the subject live for his students by telling us vivid, exciting stories about the world of animals and the benefits which plants provide.

He taught me that stories and their images stay in our minds long after facts are forgotten. Memorising facts, once the driving force of educators, is no longer as crucial, thanks to the availability of Wikipedia and Google; but stories…..narrative….. are the bedrock of a cultured person.

Which is why I dive headlong into history, from Biblical times to last century, in order to find long-forgotten people whose lives and accomplishments have been lost to us, but whom I can bring back from history into today, within the context of their own times, and make them live again.

And that’s the marvellous thing about novels and being a novelist. Because novels tell a real truth within a framework of fascinating fiction.