Lovers: A Story of the Other

From lust to love, from money to power, a book that unravels the motivations and virtues of mistresses. In a spicy blend of history, biography, and cultural panorama, *Mistresses* unravels the motivations and virtues of women—fictional or real—who were marginalized by society when they found themselves in the position of mistresses. With vivid style, researcher Elizabeth Abott portrays the intimacy of these women through the centuries: from Chinese concubines to European royal mistresses and clandestine consorts of (not at all) celibate priests. She also deconstructs the image of mobsters' girls, the idea of the mistress as a trophy, and the power of modern mistresses.