That Woman

The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

By: Anne Sebba

Narrated by: Samantha Bond

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is the first full-scale biography of Wallis Simpson to be written by a woman, exploring the mind of one of the most glamorous and reviled figures of the 20th century, a character who figured prominently in the blockbuster film The King’s Speech.

This is the story of the American divorcée notorious for allegedly seducing a British king off his throne. "That woman", so called by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896 in Baltimore. Neither beautiful nor brilliant, she endured an impoverished childhood, which fostered in her a burning desire to rise above her circumstances.

Acclaimed biographer Anne Sebba offers an eye-opening account of one of the most talked about women of her generation. It explores the obsessive nature of Simpson’s relationship with Prince Edward, the suggestion that she may have had a disorder of sexual development, and new evidence showing she may never have wanted to marry Edward at all. Since her death, Simpson has become a symbol of female empowerment as well as a style icon. But her psychology remains an enigma.

Drawing from interviews and newly discovered letters, That Woman shines a light on this captivating and complex figure, an object of fascination who has only grown more compelling with the years.

©2011 Anne Sebba (P)2012 Orion Publishing Group Ltd

Too much speculation

Any additional comments?

This book engages in too much speculation for my taste. Every old rumor is dished out in this book, and the author goes into detail about the rumors that Wallis was sexually deformed. I was very disappointed that the author neglected to fully develop the idea that strong women in the 30's were often said to be 'too male' and not timid enough. Wallis was strong, and at this time that was a threat to male society. Instead the author goes down the road of sexual deformity. Very disappointed.

Enlightening

I have long been fascinated by the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. This book is chock full of quotes and diary entries in order to support the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator’s skill of speaking with a southern US accent while quoting Wallis. Very entertaining and informative.

A Thorough Investigation

This book is a very comprehensive investigation of the life of Wallis Simpson, a dark & mysterious person (in my opinion) after hearing all of the detail in this book. The details can be somewhat numbing at times, but is an interesting look into the lives of two very flawed and ultimately selfish people who were in love with the idea of glamour & royalty itself!

Solid Bio

This is a good biography that makes every effort to be balanced in telling This amazing story. I'm not sure it really gives the inner emotions and motives if the Windsors but that might not be possible when you have situation like this one, involving two very private people like the Wkndsors. Excellent narration!

Be Careful What You Wish For

This book is a cautionary tale if there ever was one. Be Careful What you Wish For is the message that comes through loud and clear.

Because I have never been particularly interested in gossipy enquirer type articles I had never looked very closely at either the Duke or the Dutchess of Windsor. But lately I have been doing quite a bit of reading about WW2 and several of the books I have read mentioned that they were both suspected of having pro Nazi sympathies I decided to search out a biography of the Duke. I didn't find one on audible.com but did find this book. My goodness, what a to-do!

The conclusion that I came up with is that probably neither the Duke or the Dutchess had pro Nazi sympathies. In fact I got the impression that both of them were so self absorbed that it was impossible for them to connect with or even understand any concept beyond their own personal desires at any given moment. That is not to say they wouldn't has assisted the Nazi cause- but only if they perceived that by doing so they would advance their own interests.

I felt a little sorry for the Duke because if the facts of what happened were represented accurately then a real good argument could be made for him having a developmental disability of some sort. Perhaps autism. He really did seem to be unable to understand cause and effect throughout his life. In the end he got exactly what he pushed so hard for and gave up so much to get and then spent the rest of his life unhappy because he was never able to understand why when he shed all responsibilities all his perks went away as well. I thought he was honestly bewildered by that.

As for the Dutchess, well I have less sympathy for her. I don't think she ever wanted Edward "for keeps" but thought she could carry on an affair where she could enjoy royal patronage, snub her nose at Brittain's society types, advance her husbands career and then when Edward inevitably tired of her like he did all the mistresses that came before her go back to her long suffering second husband that she truly loved and her life would go back to normal. Instead she found herself in way over her head and ended up losing the husband she loved and stuck with an obsessively clingy husband that she didn't love.

The only ones who came out ahead in this mess were the British people who ended up with a much better king at a time when they had enough to deal with without having to put up with a King who displayed all the maturity of judgement of a six year old brat.

A Powerful Woman saves an Empire from Disaster

I was brought up in England in a pro Royalist family. My Grandma was born in the Victorian age so there were certain expectations when it came to the Royals. Leaving your Crown for a 'twice divorced Yankie floozy' was definately not a part of the job description according to my family and many Brits. Don't forget that Wallace Simpson would have been on the Royal payroll which also meant that the British public had to pay for her and her jewels and pearls!
She was painted as one of the most hated women in history. It was also, for those romantics out there 'the love affair of all time'. Oh how little did we know!
As soon as I saw this book I was curious as I had read everything that I could get my hands on about the 'loving' couple. Boy oh boy was I WRONG!
In retrospect I feel that Edward was a weak willed man who just wanted to 'play'. He really never wanted to be King. He was merely looking for an excuse to get out of the 'Top Job'. Lucky for the Empire that Mrs. Simpson showed up when she did. In fact it is us that owe her a debt of gratitude. Nothing worse than a weak and dilute monarch during wartime. I also was so surprised that Churchill was so late in seeing the light over the 'little man'.
Frankly everything worked out for the best. Poor Wallace lost Ernest and gained a 'wet fish' and bucket of jewels.
Was there love there? Who knows. More parasitic on his part I fear. 
An interesting and enlightening read and a warning to those who may be looking through those "rose colored glasses".
A jolly good read well narrated.

A new take on an old story

Anne Sebba's book on the Duchess of Windsor was interesting and full of detail. Her speculation on Wallis' physical-sexual condition while seeming a little speculative provided a possible explanation of how a thrice-married woman in an era of little or no contraception never had a child and often struck observers as having an almost masculine persona. The book also provided some real insight into her two prior husbands who often seem shadowy figures in most other accounts.
The narration was very well done.

Outstanding New Take on Old Scandal

Anne Sebba researches in depth and writes vividly. The abdication of King Edward VIII so he could marry US divorcee Wallace Simpson is a story that has birthed multiple books, movies, TV shows, and for all I know songs. Anne Sebba discovered previously unknown letters written by Wallace and her just-divorced husband Mr. Simpson to each other and to the former king after his abdication that prove that she had not wanted to marry the king and had opposed abdication. Shock indeed! Wallace has been portrayed almost universally as a greedy, ambitious witch who wrecked a reign by stupidly thinking she could be Queen of England. The tabloids - still so vitriolic - seemed for the rest of Wallace's life to dog her every step. Their misogyny and implicit anti-American snobbery - so destructively in play now against Meghan Markle - burned fiercely until Wallace's death. Lots of interesting and new details about her life in totality are included in this book. It depicts the subject more clearly than any other I've read to date. Samantha Bond narrates brilliantly.

New perspective of Wallis

The book opens with the desire to make Wallis more human. I suppose it did that. While I know much more about her now, there is still something unlikeable about her behavior as well as Edward’s. Well researched book. Wonderful narration.

Oh Wallis - You deserved better

This is the book Wallis deserved. She really has been grossly mischaracterized by history and the Queen Mother - who everyone know nows was anything but all powder and porcelain.