In this dazzling debut, a bright, young historian presents the rags-to-riches story of a beautiful woman's overwhelming determination to be a star. Unabridged. 13 CDs. The Washington Post - Amanda Vaill … England's Mistress divertingly and instructively illuminates a time and culture both far away and intriguingly like our own, and resurrects a woman whose mingled vulnerability and resilience -- to say nothing of her glamour -- still have the power to fascinate.