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Reviews
Becoming Queen: How a tragic and untimely death shaped the reign of Queen Victoria by Kate Williams
joresana's review against another edition
4.0
a decent, well put together, well researched book. the part with Albert seemed slightly rushed and crammed in at the end. I think if the author expanded that part, it would have been a more well rounded book.
neeuqdrazil's review against another edition
4.0
This is a double biography of the life of Princess Charlotte (the only legitimate child of the Prince Regent) and the life of Queen Victoria up to and slightly beyond her ascension to the throne.
Charlotte died young, in childbirth, and her death set off a rush of royal weddings, trying to produce a legitimate heir (none of George III's children had married or produced legitimate heirs, although there were dozens of Fitzes running around.) Victoria was the first (and only surviving) child of this wedding boom.
There are interesting comparisons to be made between the childhoods of Charlotte and Victoria. Charlotte was raised by staff, with little to no contact with either of her parents (she was a pawn in their battles), while Victoria, whose father died before she turned 1, was the sole focus of her mother's life (with the aim of becoming Regent, as it looked as though Victoria would inherit before her 18th birthday.)
The book itself is well written, with copious references. There are a few typos (missing capitals, etc.), but I suspect that has more to do with the ebook edition than anything else.
Charlotte died young, in childbirth, and her death set off a rush of royal weddings, trying to produce a legitimate heir (none of George III's children had married or produced legitimate heirs, although there were dozens of Fitzes running around.) Victoria was the first (and only surviving) child of this wedding boom.
There are interesting comparisons to be made between the childhoods of Charlotte and Victoria. Charlotte was raised by staff, with little to no contact with either of her parents (she was a pawn in their battles), while Victoria, whose father died before she turned 1, was the sole focus of her mother's life (with the aim of becoming Regent, as it looked as though Victoria would inherit before her 18th birthday.)
The book itself is well written, with copious references. There are a few typos (missing capitals, etc.), but I suspect that has more to do with the ebook edition than anything else.
little_sparrow3's review against another edition
4.0
I went into this book believing that I was jumping into a full biography of Queen Victoria's childhood and reign. What I got instead was half a book about her cousin Charlotte, late heir apparent to King George IV. While I didn't like Charlotte as well as Victoria, I did enjoy reading about her and her tragic death. The royal succession and the fate of the monarchy would've been very different if Charlotte had lived to take the throne. Victoria probably would've remained a footnote in history or may not have existed at all. I enjoyed learning about Charlotte and her strange Hanoverian uncles. I suppose my only disappointment is that Victoria's biography only goes up to the birth of her second child. As the second longest reigning monarch in British history, cutting off her story so early in her life leaves her later accomplishments untold. I guess I'll have to read about the later part of her life elsewhere.
sage5357's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed how the author intertwined the lives of Charlotte and Victoria - the parallels were striking. Although, through no fault of Kate Williams, sometimes I got a little tripped up on who was who and where and what time, and had to refer often to the (handy dandy!) family tree at the front of the book.
babs_the_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book while browsing the British history and Biography collection at Westerville Public Library. The fascinating tragic story of Princess Charlotte and the Hanover family is woven in with young Victoria's life story.
larooster's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read on how Queen Victoria came to power. She was 3rd in line but only after counting all the illegitimate heirs, including morganatic marriages (not legal b/c one person was not in the same social class/untitled, even if married in a church). Her rise to Queen is really a crapshoot of people dying soon after ascending the throne, etc. Finally I found it interesting that her husband Albert (for whom she wore black mourning attire for decades) and she did not have a big love affair as has been suggested in other books, movies, etc.
lormiston's review against another edition
4.0
This book was relatively good but the author skips huge chunks of Queen Victoria's life. It may be that there is nothing more to say after the first few years of her reign but she ends the book rather abruptly.
mapsco1984's review against another edition
4.0
This book begins with the short, somewhat tragic, and often overlooked life of Princess Charlotte, the only child of George IV, and follows through after her death to the scramble of her uncles to get married and pop out some kids. The Duke of Kent wins the race, and Victoria is born.
The book does a good job of setting up how the people felt about Charlotte (and her father and uncles) and how Victoria in many ways took over that role (the hope of the people) after Charlotte's death. Although dry at times, Williams certainly has a witty way with words, and I was literally snorting with laughter at the image of Prince Albert practically having the vapors at a dance that lasted *gasp* past 11 PM!
I always knew Albert was a bit of a prig, but this book really highlights what a little priss he was. That said, Williams also manages to show how and why Victoria would be crazy about him. This is a very delicate balance, and she does it well.
4 stars and recommended to anyone: good to read if you don't know much about this period of history, and even if you do, you'll probably learn something new.
The book does a good job of setting up how the people felt about Charlotte (and her father and uncles) and how Victoria in many ways took over that role (the hope of the people) after Charlotte's death. Although dry at times, Williams certainly has a witty way with words, and I was literally snorting with laughter at the image of Prince Albert practically having the vapors at a dance that lasted *gasp* past 11 PM!
I always knew Albert was a bit of a prig, but this book really highlights what a little priss he was. That said, Williams also manages to show how and why Victoria would be crazy about him. This is a very delicate balance, and she does it well.
4 stars and recommended to anyone: good to read if you don't know much about this period of history, and even if you do, you'll probably learn something new.