The Perfect Woman

I am reading my new book with a permanently gobsmacked expression. How To Create The Perfect Wife tells the true story of Thomas Day, a Georgian gentleman whose obsession with finding his perfect woman led him to abduct two 12 year old orphans and spend years training them to become his ideal.

She should be pure, virginal and delicate, yet strong and hardy to endure the privations of life, uncorrupted by society yet wise and knowing, have an intellect and knowledge to match the cleverest man yet have no opinions of her own and defer to him in all things. She should also be stunningly beautiful and not mind that he was short, ugly, had dubious personal hygiene and a filthy temper.

As books go, this one is pretty unputdownable.