There are so many ways to sell/reasons for me to push this book, it absolutely boggles the mind:-First and foremost and easiest for both the scandalmongers among us (and really, if we're honest, which one of us isn't, at least a little? :)), all these words, adjectives and happenings are involved in this book, probably many times over: an illegitimate line of the bastard children of kings, arranged marriages... that turn out to be fairy tale romances, forbidden courtships, scandalous secret marriages, elopements resulting in family disowning of the bride, reform politicians who double as impassioned romantic heroes, obsessive jealousy, sexual dominance, beautiful, fickle, expensive young brides driving their husbands to ruin, medieval castles, mistresses, whores, illigitimate children raised with legitimate heirs, European tours, peers renouncing their titles for the sake of Liberte, Egalite, fraternite, affairs with French dukes, a love affair with George III, seperation, divorce, rehabilitation to near sainthood, a duchess who marries her children's tutor, Lords killed for treason and rebellion... etc, etc. If for some reason that isn't enough to send you running out the door...-Secondly, this is a fascinating portrait of a world in incredible transition. As we start the piece, the English court moves to medieval rhythms, Dukes have actual jobs at court, Duchesses fetch and carry and sew for the Queen... by the time the last sister dies, Napoleon has been defeated, and Victoria is five years from appearing on the throne. It is so easy to be swept along with the times, watch everything slowly shift just as these incredible, strong sisters from a provincial near backwater to the full might of the British Empire. From a king just as German as he was English, just as concerned with Hanover as he was London to a peculiarly English world where being British was first and foremost.-Thirdly: These are some truly amazing, kickass women. Yes, they all have their faults, but I can't agree with the one reviewer who said that we never care about them. I don't know how you can't. Yes, they're aristocratic snobs with a very narrow view on life, yes, they're wasteful and extravagant, yes yes, yes... And yet, these are strong women who made their own choices, to the detriment their material well being, be damned to what anyone thought around them, who both flouted convention and became it at the same time. These are women who were still finding themselves well into their mid thirties, showing that you can still keep growing, and changing, and there's no limit to the point when you really find your dreams. That really spoke to me at this point in my life. One of the sisters is completely fallen by the age of 25, and an idol of the cult of motherhood by the time she's forty. These sisters truly show the limitlessness of the possibilities of life.The one thing I will say about this book is that the focus on the sisters is incredibly narrow. Which is what you have to do for a biography of this kind of course, but it can be jarring. Even when great friends of the family die, or major events happen, we never really get their story and what lead to these great events. This is merely about the sisters. To the point where the American revolution is referred to by the author as, "The drama in the American colonies," rather than a revolution. She also repeatedly refers to "Londonderry," in Ireland, rather than qualifying the name, which is something of a hot button issue. Obviously, if you already know the history of the era, this isn't a problem, it can just jerk you out of the text occasionally.Other than that, absolutely highly recommended. It blows by like a thriller novel, honestly. Don't let its size fool you.