{"product_id":"9781590208762","title":"Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A lively and nuanced look at gender roles as they have been revealed by the lives of concubines and mistresses over the centuries\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e    She exists as both a fictional character and as a flesh-and-blood human being. But who is she, really? Why do women become mistresses, and what is it like to have a private life that is usually also a secret life? Is a mistress merely a wife-in-waiting, or is she the very definition of the emancipated, independent female?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e    Elizabeth Abbott intelligently examines the motives and morals of some of history's most infamous and fascinating women, from antiquity to today. Drawing intimate portraits of those who have-by chance, coercion, or choice-assumed this complex role, \u003ci\u003eMistresses \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a rich blend of personal biography and cultural insight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Ms. Abbott is delightfully indiscreet, with an eye for a good story and a colloquial style . . . She has done the ladies a service by bringing them out of the shadows.\" -\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"ABRAMS Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46505584001265,"sku":"9781590208762","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/5433\/7265\/files\/9781590208762_p0.jpg?v=1767127739","url":"https:\/\/shop.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781590208762","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","version":"1.0","type":"link"}