The Smart is a true drama of eighteenth-century life with a mercurial, mysterious heroine. Caroline is a young Irishwoman who runs off to marry a soldier, comes to London and slides into a glamorous life as a high-class prostitute, a great risk-taker, possessing a mesmerising appeal. In the early 1770s, she becomes involved with the intriguing Perreau twins, identical in looks but opposite in character, one a sober merchant, the other a raffish gambler. They begin forging bonds, living in increasing luxury until everything collapses like a house of cards - and forgery is a capital offence. A brilliantly researched and marvellously evocative history, The Smart is full of the life of London streets and shots through with enduring themes - sex, money, death and fame. It bridges the gap between aristocracy and underworld as eighteenth-century society is drawn into the most scandalous financial sting of the age.
| ISBN: | 9780099546795 |
| Publication date: | 3rd November 2009 |
| Author: | Sarah Bakewell |
| Publisher: | Vintage an imprint of Vintage Publishing |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 320 pages |
| Genres: |
European history Biography: historical, political and military Social and cultural history |