The Scandal of the Season

From author of The Barbarous Feast comes a sparkling literary novel set in 18th-century London that follows the young poet Alexander Pope and the grand, ill-fated love affair between Arabella Fermor and Lord Petre that inspired his most famous poem, "The Rape of the Lock".London, 1711. As the rich, young offspring of the city's most fashionable families fill their days with masquerade balls and clandestine courtships, 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.

Author: Sophie Gee
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Published: 08/05/2008
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.00w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781416540571

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 09/07/2008 pg. 24

About the Author
Sophie Gee grew up in Sydney, Australia, and completed a PhD in English at Harvard in 2002. She is a professor in the Department of English at Princeton. The author of The Scandal of the Season, Making Waste, and The Barbarous Feast, she is also the cohost of the Secret Life of Books podcast. She divides her time between Princeton and New York. Please visit SophieGee.com.