The Scandal of the Season: A Novel

Sophie Gee

Aug 2007 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

London, 1711. As the rich, young offspring of the city's most fashionable families þll their days with masquerade balls and clandestine court-ships, Arabella Fermor and Robert, Lord Petre, lead the pursuit of pleasure. Beautiful and vain, Arabella is a clever coquette with a large circle of beaus. Lord Petre, seventh Baron of Ingatestone, is a man-about-town with his choice of mistresses. Drawn together by an overpowering attraction, the two begin an illicit affair.

Alexander Pope, sickly and nearly penniless, is peripheral by birth, yet his uncommon wit and ambition gain him unlikely entrance into high society. Once there, privy to every nuance and drama, he is a ruthless observer. He longs for the success that will cement his place in society; all he needs is one poem grand enough to make his reputation.

As the forbidden passion between Arabella and Lord Petre deepens, an intrigue of a darker nature threatens to overtake them. Fortunes change and reputations -- even lives -- are imperiled. In the aftermath, Pope discovers the idea for a daring poem that will catapult him to fame and fortune.

Ratings and reviews

Alexander Pope did a much better job of his poem than this author did of this silly novel. Very disappointing for supposedly well researched historical fiction.What a waste of time. It should be in the section where those pulpy romance novels reside.

i think this book is amazing and before i read it i thought it was very intruiging. i would reccomend this book to anybody who wants to read it

It sounds a very interesting book to read ")

About the author

Sophie Gee grew up in Sydney, Australia, and completed a PhD in English at Harvard in 2002. She is an assistant professor in the Department of English at Princeton. She was recently named the John E. Annan Bicentennial Preceptor, in recognition of her outstanding teaching and research as a member of Princeton's junior faculty. She divides her time between Princeton and New York. Please visit www.sophiegee.com.