"This extensively documented study of Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson y Mendeville captures the sense and intricacy of upper-class life in Buenos Aires in the early 1800s. Sánchez (1786-1868) knew many of the key figures of Argentine independence personally, and, as a member of the highest porteño elite, was as privy to their intrigues as to their ideals. This narrative works equally well as intimate biography and as introduction to early national politics"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.