The Improbable Adventures of Miss Emily Soldene

Emily Soldene's life spanned the entire Victorian era. As both leading lady and a formidable impresario with her own opera company she was a darling of London’s music halls and theatre land later reinventing herself as a journalist and writer. From humble working-class beginnings Emily's fiery ambition would see her counting the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Charles Dickens as friends and mingling with the Rothschilds Oscar Wilde and aristocrats. She even alleged that she had a close encounter with Jack the Ripper. From taking Broadway by storm and touring the Australian outback Batten vividly recreates the era and a riotous life that has faded from the limelight.