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Becoming Queen: How a tragic and untimely death shaped the reign of Queen Victoria by Kate Williams
harveymcfly's review against another edition
4.0
This could have been a five rather than a 3.5 rounded to 4. The quality and depth of research and insights drawn for both Charlotte and Victoria made for very compelling reading. I was unfamiliar with Charlotte and only vaguely aware of the early life of Victoria and was quite delighted with what I learned. And grateful that I did not have any of their parents. It was an enjoyable read.
My major complaint was how it ended. It just sort of stopped. Rather than delve more into how the relationship between Albert and Victoria evolved and how Victoria changed we were just teased with the first couple of years of marriage. More importantly to me, we did not have any sense of how Victoria's earliest years and her persona in her marriage to Albert were connected to the Victoria of her long widowhood where so much of her legacy resides. The priggish Victoria whose next generation relatives brought us WWI were enormously affected by her as she was enormously affected by Albert and her emotional response to her widowhood.
Minor grip, occasionally the author uses modern aphorisms and references that don't add to the quality of the writing.
My major complaint was how it ended. It just sort of stopped. Rather than delve more into how the relationship between Albert and Victoria evolved and how Victoria changed we were just teased with the first couple of years of marriage. More importantly to me, we did not have any sense of how Victoria's earliest years and her persona in her marriage to Albert were connected to the Victoria of her long widowhood where so much of her legacy resides. The priggish Victoria whose next generation relatives brought us WWI were enormously affected by her as she was enormously affected by Albert and her emotional response to her widowhood.
Minor grip, occasionally the author uses modern aphorisms and references that don't add to the quality of the writing.
khornstein1's review against another edition
5.0
If I were to become a writer of historical biography, this is the biography I would love to have written. Kate Williams is entertaining, but not at the expense of accuracy, opinionated--maybe--but not in a droning, boring way.
I am going to skip over the first part of the book, which is mainly about Princess Charlotte, who died following a difficult pregnancy and stillbirth--although I found the first part of the book's cast of characters, many of whom I'd never really thought about before--George IV--for example, to be fascinating.
A couple of interesting notes: At first, Victoria found Albert boring! She was in many ways looking for the anti-alpha man and she found it in Albert. He wasn't a "career guy." He was the ultimate SAH dad and helper. He was happy to take a back seat in the vehicle of Victoria's reign--in fact the book says that "Albert's role would be that of a wife," only occasionally offering advice and reading from Victoria's letterbox to her when she was fatigued from one of her numerous pregnancies.
Also interesting: Victoria's reign began with the terrible effects of the Poor Law--those things that Dickens wrote about: the workhouses, crime, squalor and disease as industrialization brought "benefits to some, but misery to thousands." On a carriage trip across England as a teenager, her family sheltered her from seeing the many poor who were literally starving in England's countryside. But by the end of her reign--England ruled the world, economically and militarily. While Albert painted watercolors and her children were given over to governesses, Victoria became Empress of India and ruler of--probably half the world. In many ways, she was the Margaret Thatcher of her day, even though she had less policy to influence.
Another note: I could only read about 10 minutes of this each night before falling asleep. Once I start thinking about the British Monarchy's family tree branching off in a million different directions (fortunately Williams supplies the tree at the beginning of the book) my brain goes to another place, entirely removed from 21st century life.
I am going to skip over the first part of the book, which is mainly about Princess Charlotte, who died following a difficult pregnancy and stillbirth--although I found the first part of the book's cast of characters, many of whom I'd never really thought about before--George IV--for example, to be fascinating.
A couple of interesting notes: At first, Victoria found Albert boring! She was in many ways looking for the anti-alpha man and she found it in Albert. He wasn't a "career guy." He was the ultimate SAH dad and helper. He was happy to take a back seat in the vehicle of Victoria's reign--in fact the book says that "Albert's role would be that of a wife," only occasionally offering advice and reading from Victoria's letterbox to her when she was fatigued from one of her numerous pregnancies.
Also interesting: Victoria's reign began with the terrible effects of the Poor Law--those things that Dickens wrote about: the workhouses, crime, squalor and disease as industrialization brought "benefits to some, but misery to thousands." On a carriage trip across England as a teenager, her family sheltered her from seeing the many poor who were literally starving in England's countryside. But by the end of her reign--England ruled the world, economically and militarily. While Albert painted watercolors and her children were given over to governesses, Victoria became Empress of India and ruler of--probably half the world. In many ways, she was the Margaret Thatcher of her day, even though she had less policy to influence.
Another note: I could only read about 10 minutes of this each night before falling asleep. Once I start thinking about the British Monarchy's family tree branching off in a million different directions (fortunately Williams supplies the tree at the beginning of the book) my brain goes to another place, entirely removed from 21st century life.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book-club selection for me and I don’t think I would have picked it up otherwise. The subtitle gives you all the description you need: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain’s Greatest Monarch.
I knew some of the history that resulted in Victoria’s ascending to the throne. Williams has given us a long and detailed history/biography covering approximately 50 years of British royals, from 1796 to 1841. I had seen the movie The Young Victoria, starring Emily Blount, so some of this was quite familiar to me, but thank heavens there was a family tree schematic included; I referred to it constantly. Knowing what happened before she was born to put Victoria in such close proximity to the throne did help, but it was really HER story that I was most interested in, and which the title of the book promised. Yet we were 150 pages into the book and she hadn’t even been born yet!
So while I enjoyed reading about all the intrigue and politics involved as various royals (major and minor) realized the possibilities of ascension to the throne and jockeyed for position, I grew first confused, and then bored with the detail and intricacies of all those relatives and mingling of family trees. As a result, I found myself skimming certain sections.
However, once Victoria reached majority and became Queen, I was fully involved. It’s clearly well-researched, and Williams even includes quotes from diaries and letters to support the text. On the whole I read the book much more quickly than I had anticipated, despite getting bogged down and having to refer to the family tree so often.
I knew some of the history that resulted in Victoria’s ascending to the throne. Williams has given us a long and detailed history/biography covering approximately 50 years of British royals, from 1796 to 1841. I had seen the movie The Young Victoria, starring Emily Blount, so some of this was quite familiar to me, but thank heavens there was a family tree schematic included; I referred to it constantly. Knowing what happened before she was born to put Victoria in such close proximity to the throne did help, but it was really HER story that I was most interested in, and which the title of the book promised. Yet we were 150 pages into the book and she hadn’t even been born yet!
So while I enjoyed reading about all the intrigue and politics involved as various royals (major and minor) realized the possibilities of ascension to the throne and jockeyed for position, I grew first confused, and then bored with the detail and intricacies of all those relatives and mingling of family trees. As a result, I found myself skimming certain sections.
However, once Victoria reached majority and became Queen, I was fully involved. It’s clearly well-researched, and Williams even includes quotes from diaries and letters to support the text. On the whole I read the book much more quickly than I had anticipated, despite getting bogged down and having to refer to the family tree so often.
cheekylaydee's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of the forgotten Princess Charlotte, her tragic early death that occured whilst she was in childbirth, and her cousin Victoria's ascendancy to the throne.
It's refreshing to have a glimpse into the life of the young Queen Victoria. Different from the sombre image in black that is normally conjured up. It reveals a fun loving, boistrous and flirtatious young woman, who, because she was not expected to ascend the throne, didnot have the strict regulations of a regular heir apparenent.
Ultimately it tells the story of how the young Princess escaped the suppressing control freak that was her mother to become one of the mostwell loved and longest reigning monarchs in English history.
The book is written in very short, easily digestable chapters so it almost reads like hsitorical fiction rather than historical fact, Williams using effective imagery to paint a picture in the reader's mind. A very interesting read that I gleaned a lot of knowledge from. Enjoyment and education all in the same book. Got to be a good thing! :D
It's refreshing to have a glimpse into the life of the young Queen Victoria. Different from the sombre image in black that is normally conjured up. It reveals a fun loving, boistrous and flirtatious young woman, who, because she was not expected to ascend the throne, didnot have the strict regulations of a regular heir apparenent.
Ultimately it tells the story of how the young Princess escaped the suppressing control freak that was her mother to become one of the mostwell loved and longest reigning monarchs in English history.
The book is written in very short, easily digestable chapters so it almost reads like hsitorical fiction rather than historical fact, Williams using effective imagery to paint a picture in the reader's mind. A very interesting read that I gleaned a lot of knowledge from. Enjoyment and education all in the same book. Got to be a good thing! :D
miaev's review against another edition
5.0
Watching the movie Young Victoria and that lead me to this book. Very interesting and well written. Most books focus on Victoria's life after she became queen. This one looks at the events leading up to her birth and until she became queen.
The ending line of the book says quite a bit about English queen's - "Female sovereigns may serve their country well, but thanks to their habit of longevity, they do not make it easy for their heirs" Very true even today.
The ending line of the book says quite a bit about English queen's - "Female sovereigns may serve their country well, but thanks to their habit of longevity, they do not make it easy for their heirs" Very true even today.
heejung's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable and easy-to-read overview about the end of the Hanoverian dynasty in England and the beginning of the Victorian Age.
Victoria was the last Hanoverian monarch, of course, but her rule so eclipsed that of her predecessors that she got an entire era named after herself. This book doesn't cover Victoria's entire reign - just the first couple years as she gets settled into the role.
The main characters of this book are Princess Charlotte and Victoria. Most people don't know about Princess Charlotte, who was Victoria's cousin and heir to the throne before an untimely death by childbirth, and it was fascinating to read about this lesser known historical figure.
But we do get an insight into the whole cast of royal and noble historical figures. What I like about this books is that there is relatively little whitewashing, not even of Charlotte and the young Victoria. They're all awful, petty people, as you would expect privileged, out-of-touch royalty to be. More of this, please, and less whitewashing!
Victoria was the last Hanoverian monarch, of course, but her rule so eclipsed that of her predecessors that she got an entire era named after herself. This book doesn't cover Victoria's entire reign - just the first couple years as she gets settled into the role.
The main characters of this book are Princess Charlotte and Victoria. Most people don't know about Princess Charlotte, who was Victoria's cousin and heir to the throne before an untimely death by childbirth, and it was fascinating to read about this lesser known historical figure.
But we do get an insight into the whole cast of royal and noble historical figures. What I like about this books is that there is relatively little whitewashing, not even of Charlotte and the young Victoria. They're all awful, petty people, as you would expect privileged, out-of-touch royalty to be. More of this, please, and less whitewashing!
fairywine's review against another edition
5.0
Princess Charlotte-a queen that never was, and Victoria-who might have never been at all but for her passing. This is a fascinating and really informative look at someone most people regard as a footnote if they've ever even heard of her at all. But the tale of Princess Charlotte is a truly incredible one. The only legitimate child of any of George III's sons and daughters, she was poised to inherit the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Her untimely death from childbirth kickstarted a race among George III's sons to produce a legit heir to the throne first-and as we know from history that heir was Victoria.
To say the world would be radically different if Charlotte had lived is an understatement of massive proportions, and the exploration of her birth, youth, marriage and death underlines that all the more. Then there is the exploration of Victoria herself, also from birth to the early years of her union with Albert. All in all a highly recommended read that gives a rich and informative insight into a part of British history that could stand to be much better known.
To say the world would be radically different if Charlotte had lived is an understatement of massive proportions, and the exploration of her birth, youth, marriage and death underlines that all the more. Then there is the exploration of Victoria herself, also from birth to the early years of her union with Albert. All in all a highly recommended read that gives a rich and informative insight into a part of British history that could stand to be much better known.
bluestars991's review
5.0
What a truly fantastic book!! I have always found it quite hard to read non - fiction but this was really enjoyable to read and really really incite full!! I have always had a interest in Royal history and especially Queen Victoria!!!
Beautifully written by Kate Williams!!
Beautifully written by Kate Williams!!
roseybot's review against another edition
3.0
When I read histories, I always read the preface/first chapter where the author lays out the points that they are going to make carefully, and try and judge against that as to whether they accomplished their goal or not.
I bring this up, because the premise of this book did not match the ending at all. Also, the title was QUITE deceptive as we spent half the book learning about Charlotte. Not that I minded, Princess Charlotte had an interesting life, but when you name a book after a significant figure, you kind of expect the book to be about that figure, not about her cousin. A chapter or two could have been devoted to Charlotte, not half the book.
Additionally, the book seems to wildly swing between ideas, jumping from the idea that these two princesses were the products of their childhoods, to the fact that their rather dramatic lives make them too much like other people, which undermines the need for a monarchy at all. Which, yes they had a dramatic and hard childhood (both of them), but I don't quite see why the ending was so focused on Queen Elizabeth II's children and the tabloids except to say that Victoria also had to deal with similar institutions?
Ultimately, this book was interesting, but did not fulfill it's essential argument, leaving me faintly skeptical of the view given in the book. After all, if you can't even prove your point, then how do I know you did your research?
I bring this up, because the premise of this book did not match the ending at all. Also, the title was QUITE deceptive as we spent half the book learning about Charlotte. Not that I minded, Princess Charlotte had an interesting life, but when you name a book after a significant figure, you kind of expect the book to be about that figure, not about her cousin. A chapter or two could have been devoted to Charlotte, not half the book.
Additionally, the book seems to wildly swing between ideas, jumping from the idea that these two princesses were the products of their childhoods, to the fact that their rather dramatic lives make them too much like other people, which undermines the need for a monarchy at all. Which, yes they had a dramatic and hard childhood (both of them), but I don't quite see why the ending was so focused on Queen Elizabeth II's children and the tabloids except to say that Victoria also had to deal with similar institutions?
Ultimately, this book was interesting, but did not fulfill it's essential argument, leaving me faintly skeptical of the view given in the book. After all, if you can't even prove your point, then how do I know you did your research?
caslater83's review against another edition
2.0
I'm familiar with the "love story" of Victoria and Albert because of the A&E movie. However, I really wanted to read more into it, which is why I bought this book. I was unaware of Princess Charlotte who was much closer in line to the throne. Charlotte's story is sad, indeed. These British monarchs sure do love drama: sexual conquests/infidelity, reckless spending, and constant debts. Everyone wants to assume control and no one is really concerned about doing the right thing for the family or the nation at large.
From a historical perspective, it's okay. You're telling the story of how it was and I appreciate that. BUT the writing style did nothing to make me feel "connected" to the story or its characters. I want to feel awful for Victoria and Charlotte and everything that they endured in their lifetimes. I want to feel strong disgust for Sir John Conroy and his greedy meddlesome ways. But when I see writing like this, I just want to put the book down and never re-read it again.
From a historical perspective, it's okay. You're telling the story of how it was and I appreciate that. BUT the writing style did nothing to make me feel "connected" to the story or its characters. I want to feel awful for Victoria and Charlotte and everything that they endured in their lifetimes. I want to feel strong disgust for Sir John Conroy and his greedy meddlesome ways. But when I see writing like this, I just want to put the book down and never re-read it again.