Fanny and Stella: The Young Men Who Shocked Victorian England

‘Uproarious.’ The Times

‘Terrifically entertaining.’ Evening Standard

‘Irresistible.’ Daily Mail

‘Gripping.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘A scintillating gem: a cracking page-turner, historically illuminating, culturally fascinating, and a book which effortlessly passes comment on today.’ Herald

London, April 1870: Fanny and Stella were no ordinary Victorian women. They were young men who liked to dress as women: Frederick Park and Ernest Boulton. Stella was the most beautiful female impersonator of her day, Fanny her inseparable companion.

But the Metropolitan Police were plotting their downfall. Fanny and Stella were arrested and subjected to a sensational trial where every lascivious detail of their lives was lapped up by the public.

With a cast of peers and politicians, detectives and drag queens, Fanny and Stella is a dazzling and enthralling story of cross examinations, cross-dressing and the the birth of camp.