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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
3.5
Light reading I fell into because of watching The Crown and then wanting to watch the PBS series about Queen Victoria.
I have no idea how legit the info is in the book but I don’t know anything at all about English history so to me this might as well be a random romance novel.
Light reading I fell into because of watching The Crown and then wanting to watch the PBS series about Queen Victoria.
I have no idea how legit the info is in the book but I don’t know anything at all about English history so to me this might as well be a random romance novel.
Loved it. Once I started reading it was hard to put it down!
Daisy is not a good writer and I’m still surprised at how she has convinced us all of this.
If you haven’t discovered “Victoria” yet, you’re in for a treat! Not only do you have Daisy Goodwin’s compelling novel to look forward to, but there’s an excellent PBS series, now in its second season, to watch as well. Both pieces are well-done in their own right, and are guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment.
Queen Victoria is often called “The Young Victoria” because she came into queendom at the tender age of eighteen. Having lived for years under the oppressive and sheltered rule of her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her mother’s advisor, Sir John Conroy, Victoria now has a say in her own life. Daisy Goodwin’s “Victoria” follows the new queen, born Alexandrina Victoria, from her king uncle’s death in 1837 through first two years of her reign. The novel is divided into four parts called books, with each focusing on a different period in Victoria’s time as a young queen. Book One shows Victoria asserting herself as a new queen, while Book Two gives attention to her developing relationship with her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, or “Lord M” as she affectionately calls him. Book Three continues Victoria’s relationship with Lord M in addition to focusing on the politics of the time. Lastly, Book Four brings in Prince Albert, Victoria’s first cousin and her family’s top choice as her future husband.
“Victoria” gives readers a glimpse into the life of the “young and royal” in the 1800s. The book focuses much more on Victoria as a person, and her relationships with those around her, than on matters of state, making for a fun, reasonably light read. The novel and PBS series follow each other almost exactly, so it is up to the reader to decide whether they want to read first, watch second, or the other way around. Having watched the series first, I didn’t have to read so closely and it was nice to have a profile of the characters in my head. However, I already knew what was going to happen on the next page, so I had to push myself to get through the book sometimes ... not because it wasn’t good, but because I knew how things would play out.
“Victoria” will appeal to fans of historical, especially royal, fiction, and those who enjoy books about strong young women who know what they want. The novel has romantic overtones as well, so those who enjoy a good love story will like “Victoria” as well.
NOVELIST APPEALS
Genre: Biographical Fiction; Books to TV; Historical Fiction
Character: Strong Female
Queen Victoria is often called “The Young Victoria” because she came into queendom at the tender age of eighteen. Having lived for years under the oppressive and sheltered rule of her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her mother’s advisor, Sir John Conroy, Victoria now has a say in her own life. Daisy Goodwin’s “Victoria” follows the new queen, born Alexandrina Victoria, from her king uncle’s death in 1837 through first two years of her reign. The novel is divided into four parts called books, with each focusing on a different period in Victoria’s time as a young queen. Book One shows Victoria asserting herself as a new queen, while Book Two gives attention to her developing relationship with her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, or “Lord M” as she affectionately calls him. Book Three continues Victoria’s relationship with Lord M in addition to focusing on the politics of the time. Lastly, Book Four brings in Prince Albert, Victoria’s first cousin and her family’s top choice as her future husband.
“Victoria” gives readers a glimpse into the life of the “young and royal” in the 1800s. The book focuses much more on Victoria as a person, and her relationships with those around her, than on matters of state, making for a fun, reasonably light read. The novel and PBS series follow each other almost exactly, so it is up to the reader to decide whether they want to read first, watch second, or the other way around. Having watched the series first, I didn’t have to read so closely and it was nice to have a profile of the characters in my head. However, I already knew what was going to happen on the next page, so I had to push myself to get through the book sometimes ... not because it wasn’t good, but because I knew how things would play out.
“Victoria” will appeal to fans of historical, especially royal, fiction, and those who enjoy books about strong young women who know what they want. The novel has romantic overtones as well, so those who enjoy a good love story will like “Victoria” as well.
NOVELIST APPEALS
Genre: Biographical Fiction; Books to TV; Historical Fiction
Character: Strong Female
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This historical novel details only the first year or two of the reign of Queen Victoria of England. It is deftly written, pulling you into a story that is more than a century old as though it dealt with current events. I enjoyed the characters but found young Victoria petulant, which I'm sure the author intended. definitely recommended for fans of historical fiction and/or fans of the royals (The Royal We, Downton Abbey, etc)
This historical novel details only the first year or two of the reign of Queen Victoria of England. It is deftly written, pulling you into a story that is more than a century old as though it dealt with current events. I enjoyed the characters but found young Victoria petulant, which I'm sure the author intended. definitely recommended for fans of historical fiction and/or fans of the royals (The Royal We, Downton Abbey, etc)
3.5 stars
I was going to give this 4 stars until I read the last 50 pages today. 😂 It was a very enjoyable and easy read about one of my favorite historical figures. That said I did not care for how much ink was spilled over her and Lord Melbourne and how Albert was barely mentioned at all. The book ends with their engagement (hopefully not a spoiler alert since its real history from decades past 😂) but we were barely given time to know him, much less so in a positive way as he was presented quite negatively initially. So the end was not my favorite but it was still an enjoyable read.
It was good but I thought it would be more about Victoria and less of a romance story.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
"I think it will be a marriage of inconvenience"
A quick easy read that is 90% faithful to the tv show without the Skerritt subplot.
Dialogue could have been copied from the script and whilst it wasn't groundbreaking it passed a few hours.
A quick easy read that is 90% faithful to the tv show without the Skerritt subplot.
Dialogue could have been copied from the script and whilst it wasn't groundbreaking it passed a few hours.
This book was really terrible.
1. The characters are undeveloped and have zero depth besides "he is serious" and "he is old" and "she is stubborn" and "she is really good at fashion". I realize the author wanted Queen Victoria to come off as "an average teenager who happens to be a Queen" but she actually came off annoying, snotty, and ridiculous.
2. The book is basically a made up romance by Goodwin, and not even a good one. The relationship between Lord M and Victoria drag on through the entire book and leave the reader wondering what the actual plot is supposed to be.
3. Alfred comes out of no where and BAM they hate each other and BAM JUST KIDDING. No development, no flame. Nothing besides a tragically boring story.
4. I fell asleep multiple times while reading this.
5. The point-of-view changes so much without any warning that you often have to go back and see what just happened to the other character.
1. The characters are undeveloped and have zero depth besides "he is serious" and "he is old" and "she is stubborn" and "she is really good at fashion". I realize the author wanted Queen Victoria to come off as "an average teenager who happens to be a Queen" but she actually came off annoying, snotty, and ridiculous.
2. The book is basically a made up romance by Goodwin, and not even a good one. The relationship between Lord M and Victoria drag on through the entire book and leave the reader wondering what the actual plot is supposed to be.
3. Alfred comes out of no where and BAM they hate each other and BAM JUST KIDDING. No development, no flame. Nothing besides a tragically boring story.
4. I fell asleep multiple times while reading this.
5. The point-of-view changes so much without any warning that you often have to go back and see what just happened to the other character.