This novel depicts the life of Mary Robinson - actress, poetess and ultimately victim of the men around her who want to control her. She is abandoned at a young age by her father, marries Tom Robinson at 15. A man who gambles away money and has numerous mistresses. She becomes a well known actress of the day to support herself and her daughter Maria. While she is playing Perdita in a Winter's Tale she catches the eye of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV) who ultimately abandons her when he loses interest. To become the prince's mistress she gives up the stage and writing poetry so as a result has to start all over again to make a living. She end up dying penniless and alone. It is a sad tale of a talented woman of the Georgian era attracting the wrong men. I think she is a victim of her times and disagree with those who say that her tragic life is due to faulty decisions. Women were controlled by first their fathers and then their husbands. She was a woman of many talents who was deprived of the chance to show and express her talents. Towards the end of her life she turns to writing poetry as the prince is "too short of funds" to send her the annuity he had promised her. I like Mary and am saddened that her spirit and talent was so misused and underappreciated by the men she loved.