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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I quite liked this in spite of myself. I watched the PBS series first & I'm looking forward to it picking back up again, but what I will watch on TV is often mindless & I usually try to demand better of my books. But - I picked this up to take on an airplane & to a conference where I knew I would need lighter reading. The first thing you need to know is that the novel is exactly like the series, so I'm not sure which came first, but they're...the same.
I've read a lot of non-fiction history about the Victorian era, but not so much about Victoria herself, beyond the basics, so I can't speak to the historical accuracy of this novel. I suspect the relationship between Victoria & Lord Melbourne is romanticized. I know she relied on him a great deal in the beginning of her reign, but that doesn't mean she was in love with him. Still - would it be realistic for a sheltered 18-year-old girl to fall in love with a handsome father-figure type who was kind to her, who fostered her intelligence, & who had a way with women? Possibly.
I'm sure Victoria was, as portrayed, a person with many good qualities and many flaws. Most of us are. She just happened to be a queen. In this novel, she's spoiled and throws tantrums and constantly reminds everyone that she has a brain and that she's the queen! She doesn't always treat everyone with kindness. I believe a number of readers have found her infuriating as a result. But she's interesting and intelligent and has the capacity to be caring. I'm interested to see what the next book and series bring, as she matures, gets married & begins having children. Her historical portrayal and reputation have created a picture of a plump, morose woman in black, shattered by the early death of her husband, whose interests were empire-building, ameliorating the conditions of "the deserving poor" and possibly flirting with her Scottish bodyguards, while telling her daughters who were to be married off to princes around the globe, to "lie back and think of England." I genuinely want to know how this writer, if the story is going to continue into Victoria's older adult years, will make me care about her.
I've read a lot of non-fiction history about the Victorian era, but not so much about Victoria herself, beyond the basics, so I can't speak to the historical accuracy of this novel. I suspect the relationship between Victoria & Lord Melbourne is romanticized. I know she relied on him a great deal in the beginning of her reign, but that doesn't mean she was in love with him. Still - would it be realistic for a sheltered 18-year-old girl to fall in love with a handsome father-figure type who was kind to her, who fostered her intelligence, & who had a way with women? Possibly.
I'm sure Victoria was, as portrayed, a person with many good qualities and many flaws. Most of us are. She just happened to be a queen. In this novel, she's spoiled and throws tantrums and constantly reminds everyone that she has a brain and that she's the queen! She doesn't always treat everyone with kindness. I believe a number of readers have found her infuriating as a result. But she's interesting and intelligent and has the capacity to be caring. I'm interested to see what the next book and series bring, as she matures, gets married & begins having children. Her historical portrayal and reputation have created a picture of a plump, morose woman in black, shattered by the early death of her husband, whose interests were empire-building, ameliorating the conditions of "the deserving poor" and possibly flirting with her Scottish bodyguards, while telling her daughters who were to be married off to princes around the globe, to "lie back and think of England." I genuinely want to know how this writer, if the story is going to continue into Victoria's older adult years, will make me care about her.
I selected this because Victoria is a British Queen about whom I know very little. It was enjoyable to listen to, but at a certain point, I grew a bit weary of the focus on romance. I had hoped to understand more about her early years in terms of their influence on her reign.
Reads like a screenplay, which makes sense as Goodwin wrote the tv series at the same time.
Better than Diva, I guess, but every character is two dimensional. No one has any depth or weight. We know what they feel / think, but very little about why. We know what decisions they make, but, again, little about why. This book adds little insight into any of the real-life people.
Better than Diva, I guess, but every character is two dimensional. No one has any depth or weight. We know what they feel / think, but very little about why. We know what decisions they make, but, again, little about why. This book adds little insight into any of the real-life people.
Too bad such an interesting subject is presented in such a pedestrian fashion. A quick read that gives no more than a sketch of Victoria's young adulthood, up until her engagement to Albert. A bit breathless at times.
This historical fiction novel about Queen Victoria was an easy read and full of descriptive storytelling about this era. I found it to be a good mix of history and fiction, and I enjoyed the story of how Victoria took the crown at a young age. I can't wait to watch the special on PBS.
I received this book for free from SheSpeaks
I received this book for free from SheSpeaks
This book is a really engaging page turner, and a fairly soapy romance. I did enjoy it very much but it wasn't too challenging a read. I was left very much wishing that I'd found this first book after she'd finished all the ones she may write. Finishing up just at the engagement of Victoria to Albert, there is so much more to tell.
I LOVED this! It was almost like reading a Jane Austen novel, except the protagonist is the queen, and so all of the Victorian (no pun intended) rules are turned on their head. I definitely wonder how much of it is fact and how much fiction, because it reads exactly like a novel, though.
The story follows young Queen Victoria, from her girlhood initially to her early years as a reigning monarch, at a time when women have very little respect among the men of Parliament. She is a sheltered teenager with a complicated and codependent relationship with her mother. When her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, offers to be her personal secretary, she at first declines after hearing that he has a reputation as a womanizer. But she quickly learns that she cannot do without him, and changes her mind. What follows is their story, primarily. It's an ill-fated love story, at least a told in this version, between a nineteen year old inexperienced queen and a fifty-something year old widower--and while that sounds super creepy without other facts, it's just sweet and sad as Goodwin relates it.
Melbourne is a prince (figuratively), always preferring Victoria's happiness and best interest to his own. Ultimately this is why he steps out of the way, to make way for Albert, who was to be her king consort. I had always heard that Victoria and Albert were a love match and that she adored him, despite all the rules that typically surround royal marriages, so it was a surprise that she had anyone else in her history. Had their age disparity been less than it was, I would have been sorry they didn't end up together despite all the political ramifications that might have followed... but it is very clear that they were never meant to be. And somehow, though I hardly thought it possible, I actually was rooting for Albert at the end. Though I was sad for Melbourne.
The story follows young Queen Victoria, from her girlhood initially to her early years as a reigning monarch, at a time when women have very little respect among the men of Parliament. She is a sheltered teenager with a complicated and codependent relationship with her mother. When her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, offers to be her personal secretary, she at first declines after hearing that he has a reputation as a womanizer. But she quickly learns that she cannot do without him, and changes her mind. What follows is their story, primarily. It's an ill-fated love story, at least a told in this version, between a nineteen year old inexperienced queen and a fifty-something year old widower--and while that sounds super creepy without other facts, it's just sweet and sad as Goodwin relates it.
Melbourne is a prince (figuratively), always preferring Victoria's happiness and best interest to his own. Ultimately this is why he steps out of the way, to make way for Albert, who was to be her king consort. I had always heard that Victoria and Albert were a love match and that she adored him, despite all the rules that typically surround royal marriages, so it was a surprise that she had anyone else in her history. Had their age disparity been less than it was, I would have been sorry they didn't end up together despite all the political ramifications that might have followed... but it is very clear that they were never meant to be. And somehow, though I hardly thought it possible, I actually was rooting for Albert at the end. Though I was sad for Melbourne.
I thought the Victoria series was based on this novel, but it turns out they were written concurrently. And the book is so sloppily written you can tell. Disappointing.
That sassy, young Queen Victoria. I liked the book, but I'm enjoying the BBC/PBS series SO MUCH MORE.