‘Heiresses’ author Laura Thompson to join online talk Feb. 15

Author Laura Thompson will join a live, online conversation about her new book, “Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies,” at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15, hosted by the Lewes Public Library and Browseabout Books.

With their private jets, Chanel wardrobes, and endless funds, heiresses are often thought of as the luckiest women on earth, yet all too often those gilded lives have been beset with trauma and despair. Before the 20th century, a wife’s inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriage, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune hunters who squandered their millions. In “Heiresses,” Thompson offers a fascinating look at the lives of heiresses throughout history and the often tragic truth beneath the gilded surface.

Thompson won the Somerset Maugham award for her first book, “The Dogs,” and is the author of “The Six: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters.” Other books include the critically acclaimed “Life in a Cold Climate”, a biography of Nancy Mitford, and “Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life,” which was nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe award in 2019.

Registration is required at the Lewes Public Library website, lewes.lib.de.us, or tinyurl.com/zoomwithauthors.

Participants are encouraged to support the authors by purchasing a copy of the book from local independent bookstore Browseabout Books. Each copy will be signed. Orders may be placed online at browseaboutbooks.com, by calling the store at 302-226-2665, or in person at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach.