That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

· Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Narrated by Samantha Bond
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11 hr 31 min
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About this audiobook

One of Britain's most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified women of the twentieth century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography by a woman of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.

'That woman', as she was referred to by the Queen Mother, became a hate figure for ensnaring a British king and destabilising the monarchy. Neither beautiful nor brilliant, she nevertheless became one of the most talked-about women of her generation, and she inspired such deep love and adoration in Edward VIII that he gave up a throne and an empire for her. Wallis lived by her wit and her wits, while both her apparent and alleged moral transgressions added to her aura and dazzle.

Based on new archives and material only recently made available, this scrupulously researched biography sheds new light on the character and motivations of a powerful, charismatic and complex woman.

Read by Samantha Bond

(p) 2011 Orion Publishing Group

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About the author

Anne Sebba is a historian and one of Britain's most distinguished biographers who began her career as a Reuters correspondent based in London and Rome. She has written eleven works of non-fiction, mostly about iconic twentieth-century women, which have been translated into several languages including French, Polish, Czech, Japanese and Chinese. She makes regular television and radio appearances and has presented two BBC radio documentaries about musicians. She is the author of the international bestseller That Woman, an acclaimed biography of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, and the prize-winning Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died Under Nazi Occupation. Her most recent book, Ethel Rosenberg: The Short Life and Great Betrayal of an American Wife and Mother, was shortlisted for the Wingate Prize. Anne is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research and trustee of the National Archives Trust. She lives in London.

Samantha Bond is best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the Pierce Brosnan James Bond films. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2004 she starred opposite Peter Davison in the ITV drama-comedy Distant Shores and in 2006 she was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance in Michael Frayn¿s Donkey¿s Years. Samantha also featured in ITV¿s Downton Abbey as Lady Rosamund Painswick. She has read numerous audiobooks including those by Agatha Christie, Philippa Gregory and also Orion¿s And Furthermore by Judi Dench

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