Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England

Written by Carolly Erickson

Narrated by Simon Prebble

The tumult and opulence of England's Regency era burst from the pages in this work of literary nonfiction by acclaimed author Carolly Erickson. When dementia forces King George III to vacate his throne, the kingdom slips into a decade marked with excess, scandal, and riots. King George has suffered bouts of mental instability before, but in 1810 he shows no signs of recovering. Public and government business halts as word of his condition leaks out. Hoping to control the crisis, Parliament appoints the king's unpopular son Prince George IV as Regent or caretaker. But for the next nine years, this substitute ruler shocks the nation with his drunkenness, his mistresses, and his wanton spending. From seething mobs in the streets to Lucullan feasts in drawing rooms, historian Carolly Erickson vividly captures the nation in a troubled transition. With narrator Simon Prebble's dramatic performance, the splendor and intrigue of Regency England are as enthralling as the most entertaining novel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456125202

Carolly Erickson

Distinguished historian Carolly Erickson is the author of Rival to the Queen, The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots, The First Elizabeth, The Hidden Life of Josephine, The Last Wife of Henry VIII, and many other prize-winning works of fiction and nonfiction. Her novel The Tsarina’s Daughter won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. She lives in Hawaii.

Reviews for Our Tempestuous Day

[J G · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing and eclectic narrative that brings the Regency to life from the top of society to the very bottom.

[margaretpinardauthor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Each chapter takes a different focal point, while moving through the decade of 1810-1820. There are a lot of interesting facts, reports of incidents, gossip of personages, and descriptions of parties. There were many more reports of upper class events than poor people's, although the last couple of chapters reported on the 'climbing boys' and the Peterloo Massacre. Also, as the Age was, very focused on London, although the last couple chapters reported on the industrial cities of the North, Manchester and Birmingham, a little, and there was much examination of Brighton. Well researched.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fairly short and easily digested history of the Regency period, touching on everything from politics and royal intrigues to literature, military action, and the Luddite rebellion. Certainly made me want to go out and find more books about some of these issues, and Erickson did a very nice job of contextualizing some of these varied events - I'd forgotten that so much was happening simultaneously during this period, and it's interesting to see that laid out so nicely.

[corcra_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First and foremost, the author’s main aim is not to write a comprehensive view of regency England. Instead this is a scholarly, but not dry, examination of the contradiction between two competing images, glittering elegance against violent chaos present in this age. Particularly interesting are the individual human stories that open into broader discussions of cultural trends. For example, the marriage of Princess Charlotte is used to introduce the change in the view of women. These accounts humanize the history presented. I am not as familiar with this time period so at times I did become confused at the flow of events. This is a social history that is an idea book for people interested in a broader outlook of the time, but not for a causal reader that lack a basic understanding of the time period.

[museofire · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting but not very deep overview of the period. Concentrates largely on some notable personalities, with some odd omissions: Byron, but not Scott or Shelley; Wellington, but not Nelson.

[rachelfromsarasota · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book, but I concede that it is made for a specialist’s taste. It is an engagingly well-written history of the Regency period in England – the decade between 1810 and 1820 when George III was sunk in the throes of illness and lunacy, when his eldest son assumed the regency. For anyone who’s been a devotee of the genre known as Regency Romances, and has a historical bent, this book is a clearly-written and entertaining depiction of this most exciting period in English history. From Lord Byron’s scandalous carryings-on with aristocratic ladies to the rise of Evangelicalism, from the Napoleonic Wars to the Peterloo Massacre, this was a time of great ferment in this most important island nation.