Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Even though this book covers the same ground (and not all of it). I love reading about Queen Victoria.
It was a sweet glimpse into Queen Victoria's early years. The story flowed as if I was watching a movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book and how Victoria was portrayed.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the show, so I'm disappointed that the book version just did not hit me right. It unfortunately doesn't do Victoria any favors, portraying her as selfish, immature, and frankly not the brightest. I had high hopes based on the first couple chapters where she defies Conroy and her mother that it would be centered on Victoria learning how to wield power and finding her footing as a sheltered young lady who was suddenly a monarch, and perhaps finding love on her own terms and principles. But no, instead there's almost no mention of her actual responsibilities or life as the queen, just a long long slog of her crushing on Lord Melbourne and trying different ways of wearing her hair. It really feels like the author was trying so hard to show that Victoria was just a normal girl that she over corrected and made her the most shallow, silly stereotype of a girl possible. Edit to add: ALSO WILL YOU LEAVE THAT POOR DOG ALONE? JEEZ
(Spoilers below, I guess? She's a well documented historical figure so idk how much of this is likely to shock anyone.)
In the ebook version that I read, there are roughly 500 pages of her praising Lord Melbourne for how brilliant he is, how she couldn't possibly live without him (a repetition I found extra ick since she also constantly says she won't be controlled by anyone but lets him decide basically everything for her) and childish pining. Even if she did have a crush on Melbourne (which is disputed among historians) surely that's not ALL she did? Surely there must be SOMETHING more interesting in her days?? Then suddenly in like the last 40 pages "oops! I'm in love with someone else actually, despite the fact we've had three conversations and I hated him and swore I would never marry 4 days ago. Oh well." I just think it's really unfortunate that a young woman learning how to rule and navigate politics and growing into herself wasn't interesting enough to carry her own story without inserting a very fluffed up "romance" and having it completely take over the book.
(Spoilers below, I guess? She's a well documented historical figure so idk how much of this is likely to shock anyone.)
In the ebook version that I read, there are roughly 500 pages of her praising Lord Melbourne for how brilliant he is, how she couldn't possibly live without him (a repetition I found extra ick since she also constantly says she won't be controlled by anyone but lets him decide basically everything for her) and childish pining. Even if she did have a crush on Melbourne (which is disputed among historians) surely that's not ALL she did? Surely there must be SOMETHING more interesting in her days?? Then suddenly in like the last 40 pages "oops! I'm in love with someone else actually, despite the fact we've had three conversations and I hated him and swore I would never marry 4 days ago. Oh well." I just think it's really unfortunate that a young woman learning how to rule and navigate politics and growing into herself wasn't interesting enough to carry her own story without inserting a very fluffed up "romance" and having it completely take over the book.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I took my time reading this book but despite that I still love it!
I think my lack of knowledge of English history and what I was expecting from this book about the young queen Victoria led me to be a little let down by this book. I thought it was going to be more of Victoria's first few years as Queen, watching her grow into the powerful leader that history remembers her as. So I was feeling a novel of female empowerment (especially empowering in the 1830s!), with some learning lessons along the way of course. In actuality, the first third of the book Victoria learning how to be queen and how to stand up for herself, then the second third was about her making a lot of mistakes that would make me cringe to read about, and the last third was mostly about her dealing with heartache and choosing who to marry. I think I was hoping it would be a little bit more of a serious novel than it actually was, and part of this is why I didn't realize how unprepared Victoria was for being queen. I'm not faulting her for making mistakes, but it just seemed like once she started making them, the focus of the book switched from Victoria learning how to be queen to finding Victoria a husband, which was not as engaging to me personally. Especially since we never went back and really saw how much better she was getting at doing queenly things. Just not my cup of tea, but the writing flowed well, making it hard to put down. I would recommend this book to people who like historical fiction that focuses pretty heavily on the romance.
FR
Pour le coup, j'avais vu la série avant, et je crois que c'est à cause de ça que j'ai moins aimé le livre. Ce qui est dommage. J'ai trouvé l'écriture trop "simple". Mais je le recommande, AVANT la série haha.
ENG
For once, I had seen the series before, and I think it's because of that that I liked the book less. Which is a pity. I found the writing too "simple". But I recommend it BEFORE the series haha.
Pour le coup, j'avais vu la série avant, et je crois que c'est à cause de ça que j'ai moins aimé le livre. Ce qui est dommage. J'ai trouvé l'écriture trop "simple". Mais je le recommande, AVANT la série haha.
ENG
For once, I had seen the series before, and I think it's because of that that I liked the book less. Which is a pity. I found the writing too "simple". But I recommend it BEFORE the series haha.