Historical Novelist turns her attention
to the great 17th century entomologist
Lady Eleanor Glanville
LADY OF THE
BUTTERFLIES
BY FIONA MOUNTAIN
Published by Preface Publishing,
Thursday 16th July 2009, £11.99 trade paperback
‘My heart ached as I read this book because I knew at some point I would have to
finish it. It is as bewitching and wondrous as butterflies themselves and will be
treasured as a read I will never forget’
Emilia Fox
‘A fascinating story …richly and brilliantly detailed and full of love and
heartbreak’
Lizzie Buchan
‘Fiona Mountain is a major new talent in the field of historical fiction. This is
history told with integrity, with an authentic feel for the period and vividly rounded
characters. I have come away from this book having learned much about Lady
Eleanor Glanville, and butterflies, in the most entertaining way possible. I eagerly
await Fiona Mountain`s next book’
Alison Weir
In a tradition which stretches from Daphne du Maurier's THE KING'S GENERAL
to
Philippa Gregory's THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL and Alison Weir's
INNOCENT TRAITOR, this glorious historical novel is based on the life of the
great pioneering 17th Century lepidopterist, Lady Eleanor Glanville.
On the ancient marshlands of Somerset - a place of mists and magic - a
girl grows up in the shadow of the English Civil War, knowing that one
day she will inherit the rich estate which belonged to her late mother.
Her father, a stern but loving Puritan, once a distinguished soldier in
Cromwell's army, fears for his daughter in the poisonous aftermath of
the war, and for her vulnerability as an heiress. But it is her scientific
passion for butterflies that is misunderstood and puts her in the greatest danger. Eleanor
Glanville was in fact destined to become one of the most famous entomologists in
history, bequeathing her name to the rare butterfly which she discovered, the Glanville
Fritillary.
But not before she had endured a life of quite extraordinary vicissitude. Two marriages
and an all-consuming love, which proved her undoing, a deep friendship with one of the
great scientists of the day and finally, a trial for lunacy (on the grounds that no sane
person would dedicate their life to the pursuit of butterflies) are all played out against the
violent events of the Monmouth Rebellion and the vicious controversy over whether or
not to drain the Somerset marshes.
Now, if you drive down the M5, you will cross Kings Sedgemoor Drain - one of the first
great ditches which reclaimed the land for farming and destroyed the precious habitat of
the Glanville Fritillary. The Glanville Fritillary is now classified as rare and is only found
on the Isle of Wight.
Butterfly Conservation! And Save our Butterflies Week!
After two wet summers Britain’s butterflies are now in crisis – 71% are in decline and
45% of species are threatened. Fiona Mountain has teamed up with Butterfly
Conservation to help save Britain’s butterflies. Fiona will make a donation from the sale
of every copy of Lady of the
Butterflies sold. She will also be the charity’s spokesperson for their Save our Butterflies
week in July, “Crazy abut Butterflies”, which is dedicated, this year, to the spirit of
Eleanor Glanville. The story is particularly pertinent at a time when Butterfly
Conservation is launching an appeal to urge more people to leave legacies in their own
wills to save declining species.
Fiona Mountain was a press officer at BBC Radio 1 for ten
years. She is the author of three previous novels including Isabella,
the haunting love story of Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian and his
cousin, Isabella Curwen. She recently returned to writing after the
birth of her four children. She lives in the Cotswolds with them and
her husband, a musician. She is already working on her next novel,
based on the life of Charles I's queen, Henrietta Maria. Please visit
www.fionamountain.com for further information.
Butterfly Conservation was formed by a small group of dedicated naturalists in
1968 following the alarming decline of many beautiful butterflies. Most British butterfly
species remain in decline. Butterfly Conservation aims to halt and reverse these declines.
Their vision is of a world rich in butterflies for future generations to enjoy. For further
information about the Butterfly Conservation’s legacies campaign please contact David
Bridges at dbridges@butterfly-conservation.org
For all media enquiries please contact Francesca Russell or Annabel Robinson at
FMcM Associates on 020 7405 7422 or email francescar@fmcm.co.uk /
annabelr@fmcm.co.uk