Lady Hester Stanhope was a larger than life woman, who managed her own life from the late 18th into the early 19th century. She was hostess at 110 Downing Street for her uncle, Sir William Pitt. She was brilliant, beautiful, and scintillating. After his death, she eventually escaped the confines of English society to make her way to the near East, eventually settling in Syria. She took many lovers, and Ellis shows what she gave them and what they contributed to her.
Her aim was always to serve England and receive the acclaim that such service merited. Although she gained influence with the pashas and other leaders, she never achieved the distinction that she thought she deserved. She had a spy network, had dealings with supporters of Napoleon, and spent a lot more money than she had from a family inheritance (some of which she never received) and a government pension. She was mercurial, probably bipolar, and died alone except for an Arab lover and servants, walled up in a fortified compound she had built.
I did not think that Ellis had written hagiography, but having read the Wikipedia account of her half-brother's dealings with her and an enigmatic figure, Kaspar Hauser, I'm no longer sure about the interpretation of her life. No matter where the truth lies, I'm glad to have Lady Hester among my historical acquaintances. ( )