BELLE: THE TRUE STORY OF DIDO BELLE (PB)

The inspiration behind the powerful film starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson, this is the story of Dido Belle who features in a famous eighteenth century portrait, held in the collection of Scone Palace in Perthshire. In it, a pretty girl walks through the grounds of Kenwood House, a vision of refinement, however the eye is drawn to the beautiful woman on her right. Pointing at her own cheek, Dido playfully acknowledges her remarkable position in English society. From the privileged yet unequal lives of Dido and her cousin Elizabeth, to the horrific treatment of African slaves, this book vividly narrates the remarkable story of the aristocratic family that defied convention, the legal trial that exposed the cruelties of slavery and the woman who challenged notions of race at the highest rank.