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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this more than I expected. Victoria's father died before she knew him and she was raised by her German mother and Lord Conroy who wants to influence politics. When Victoria comes to the crown at age 18, she falls in love with her Prime Minister, who is in his 50s and more of a father figure guiding her how to be queen, but also loves her while keeping to his duty. Victoria insists she will never marry, but her uncle Leopold, King of Belgium, brother of Victoria's mother, desperately wants her to marry his nephew Albert and keep the power in the family.
*I won an ARC of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway*
I know very little about Queen Victoria and was excited to win a copy of this book. I am not familiar with Daisy Goodwin's work but I was aware going in that she had written a TV series about Victoria that follows the same plot. I'm not sure if this book is meant to be a companion or novelization of the series, but it certainly felt that way; at times it read far more like a script than a novel, and it didn't have much depth. However, I was interested and engaged through the whole book and appreciated that the story also provided some political and social background on the era as well.
Unfortunately, I found Victoria very unlikable, and even though this is marketed as a coming of age story I don't think we see much growth from her. This made it pretty tough to actually enjoy the story, and I found myself rooting against her. Victoria never truly comes off as having matured (), and neither do the people around her. Not being very familiar with Victoria or the surrounding players, these characterizations could have been true to life but I hope they weren't.
Without giving too much away plot-wise, I have to flag the use of the "he's mean to you because he likes you" cliche. I find it toxic and it perpetuates cycles of abuse. Condescension, irritation, belittling of things you enjoy, making you doubt yourself; none of that is OK. It's not romantic, it's not attractive, and I also don't think that there's historical evidence to support that this took place as portrayed in the book.
I received an uncorrected proof so I also don't know if an epilogue or bibliography was added in final publication, but when I read historical fiction I expect to get some kind of wrap-up and the author's acknowledgement that these were real people whose life stories she likely embellished in places, either for entertainment purposes or to fill in gaps in the historical record. Goodwin also must have had primary source documents and professionals she relied on to build this story and they deserve to be cited and given credit. For someone who wants to learn and understand what elements of the narrative are real vs. fiction, not having any kind of historical notes or bibliography was very frustrating.
Overall, I think this makes an interesting companion novel to what I am sure will be a beautiful TV series, but for a historical novel that provides more depth and insight into the characters and broader socio-political landscape, I would look elsewhere.
I know very little about Queen Victoria and was excited to win a copy of this book. I am not familiar with Daisy Goodwin's work but I was aware going in that she had written a TV series about Victoria that follows the same plot. I'm not sure if this book is meant to be a companion or novelization of the series, but it certainly felt that way; at times it read far more like a script than a novel, and it didn't have much depth. However, I was interested and engaged through the whole book and appreciated that the story also provided some political and social background on the era as well.
Unfortunately, I found Victoria very unlikable, and even though this is marketed as a coming of age story I don't think we see much growth from her. This made it pretty tough to actually enjoy the story, and I found myself rooting against her. Victoria never truly comes off as having matured (
Spoiler
she falls in love with Albert very quickly because, well, he's super hot.Without giving too much away plot-wise, I have to flag the use of the "he's mean to you because he likes you" cliche. I find it toxic and it perpetuates cycles of abuse. Condescension, irritation, belittling of things you enjoy, making you doubt yourself; none of that is OK. It's not romantic, it's not attractive, and I also don't think that there's historical evidence to support that this took place as portrayed in the book.
Spoiler
I tried to do some digging and records indicated that Victoria and Albert hit it off pretty quickly. He was often characterized in Victoria's diaries by his kindness and respectfulness towards her. In the book, Victoria basically says that he always looked disappointed or angry at something she's done, and he actively makes her feel bad about doing things she enjoys that he deems frivolous. This is unhealthy! Don't marry someone who makes you feel small and ashamed of things you like! Goodwin could have characterized the relationship between Albert and Victoria so many ways, but she chose this one and I fault her for it.I received an uncorrected proof so I also don't know if an epilogue or bibliography was added in final publication, but when I read historical fiction I expect to get some kind of wrap-up and the author's acknowledgement that these were real people whose life stories she likely embellished in places, either for entertainment purposes or to fill in gaps in the historical record. Goodwin also must have had primary source documents and professionals she relied on to build this story and they deserve to be cited and given credit. For someone who wants to learn and understand what elements of the narrative are real vs. fiction, not having any kind of historical notes or bibliography was very frustrating.
Overall, I think this makes an interesting companion novel to what I am sure will be a beautiful TV series, but for a historical novel that provides more depth and insight into the characters and broader socio-political landscape, I would look elsewhere.
Nicely written. Enjoyable read. Looking forward to watching the pbs series from the same author.
A lovely, brilliant story of the early years of Victoria's reign. If you're a fan of the ITV drama Victoria, then this book will sound very familiar to you, with some extra goodies thrown in that wouldn't work well in the television format but are just perfect for a novel. An excellent story, and Anna Wilson-Jones' narration was wonderful too.
If I hadn’t watched the series “Victoria” prior to reading this book perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more. The colourful tv series left me with high hopes in written form. Victoria the novel is nothing more than a dragged out coming of age of a bratty 18 year old rebelling against her mother and falling in love.
The characters fell into their assigned places and stayed there the whole 400 pages. The lacking dynamism left me teetering between putting this one down and not picking it up again or trudging through.
Overall, would pass on this read. If historical romantic fiction tickles your fancy try the Other Boleyn Girl.
The characters fell into their assigned places and stayed there the whole 400 pages. The lacking dynamism left me teetering between putting this one down and not picking it up again or trudging through.
Overall, would pass on this read. If historical romantic fiction tickles your fancy try the Other Boleyn Girl.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
I listened to the audiobook. When I listen to a book, I need it to be easy to follow, engaging and light-hearted. Typically, I listen to series as audiobooks because they are easy to follow (the plots of books in the same series typically follow the same paths). As an audiobook, this was worth listening to - while I was driving to work, cleaning around the house, and cooking. I think I could've done without the Lord M/Victoria affair/romance.
The PBS show is true to the book, even down to some of the dialogue word-for-word.
The PBS show is true to the book, even down to some of the dialogue word-for-word.
Naïve, excitable and a bit haughty. This may be expected from an eighteen year old girl, but what about an eighteen year old queen? Goodwin brings to life the first few years of Queen Victoria’s reign in her amusing historical fiction novel. Alexandrina Victoria ascends the throne with little monarchical sensibilities and leans on her Prime Minister for guidance. And lean she does! Goodwin presents Victoria as the young adult she was with all of the new budding emotions of first loves, the desire to escape parental entrapment and oh yeah, the matter of being the head of state and government. Victoria is an enjoyably nimble read. –Sara G.
3.5
After watching the first series of Victoria on PBS, I was excited to read the novel that Daisy Goodwin wrote alongside it. Going into the story, I expected it to go into more detail about events that happened in the show and explore events that couldn't be in the show. Instead, it read almost as if the scripts were bound together to form a book. A good part of the dialogue was even written word for word as it was written for the show. Yes, there was a bit more detail and some new events, but overall I was disappointed. While I still enjoyed the book because I love the subject and already enjoyed the show, the book fell flatter than I expected.
One of the biggest disappointments was how the book ended.
As for the characters, there are so many that play a part in Victoria's story, yet were severely lacking in depth, especially for historical characters that have been well documented and researched. Victoria herself is most often portrayed as a young, naive child that is unable to make her own decisions, or when she does make her own decisions they are criticized as childish and attention seeking. While some of this portrayal is accurate, especially considering how young Victoria was at the start of her reign and her sheltered upbringing, it is overstressed in the novel. While it attempts to paint Victoria as a forward-thinking, trailblazing Queen like Elizabeth I by consistently referencing back to Elizabeth I in the second half of the book, it fails to do so with its constant reminders of her childishness. Prime Minister Melbourne is perhaps the most fleshed out character as the novel explores his political and personal life as well as his internal feelings towards Victoria and it often felt as if the novel was competing to either be Victoria's story or Melbourne's story of Victoria through his eyes. Other characters such as the Duchess of Kent, Conroy, and many government officials are one-sided throughout the story. Albert's character development is hinted at in the last part of the book, including his emphatic depth and great desire to learn from the past and encourage technological developments, but his development seemed to always be cut short in favor of an exchange between Victoria and Melbourne or the increasing number of perspectives that the novel attempted to portray at the end of the story.
As a history person, I wish the book included a bibliography, notes, and perhaps even a table of who was who in the government, or at a family tree since I know Daisy Goodwin has a background with Victoria's diaries. Obviously, since this is a work of historical fiction those things aren't necessary but it would have added more to the story and could have filled in gaps in the narrative.
Overall, while I still enjoyed the story and Goodwin's easy to read style of writing, I wish I would have read the book first and then watched the TV show. I believe the show is actually much better than the book (which I pretty much never think) because it takes the time to flesh out the characters (especially the Queen's staff, who are only seen through Victoria's eyes in the novel) and highlights the complications that arise in each relationship without making the story too cringy. If you've already watched series 1 of the show, I wouldn't bother reading the book since it adds very little new content and the plot points are essentially the exact same as episodes 1-4. If you haven't watched series 1, then I think the book would be rather enjoyable and if you enjoy the book you'll want to watch the series simply because of the book's ending.
After watching the first series of Victoria on PBS, I was excited to read the novel that Daisy Goodwin wrote alongside it. Going into the story, I expected it to go into more detail about events that happened in the show and explore events that couldn't be in the show. Instead, it read almost as if the scripts were bound together to form a book. A good part of the dialogue was even written word for word as it was written for the show. Yes, there was a bit more detail and some new events, but overall I was disappointed. While I still enjoyed the book because I love the subject and already enjoyed the show, the book fell flatter than I expected.
One of the biggest disappointments was how the book ended.
Spoiler
Whereas series 1 of the show ends with Victoria giving birth to her first child, the book ends on Victoria and Albert's engagement, which happens in episode 4 of the show (out of 8 episodes in series 1). While I appreciated that the book spent more time on Victoria's earliest years of being Queen and delved deeper into her complex relationship with Melbourne, it ended at an odd place. Some might say it's supposed to be a cliffhanger but it reads more like a happy ending with zero closure for those who aren't aware of the historical facts that surround Victoria and Albert's relationship, or Victoria's reign for that matter. It would have made more sense to at least end after their marriage and flesh out Albert's character arc more.As for the characters, there are so many that play a part in Victoria's story, yet were severely lacking in depth, especially for historical characters that have been well documented and researched. Victoria herself is most often portrayed as a young, naive child that is unable to make her own decisions, or when she does make her own decisions they are criticized as childish and attention seeking. While some of this portrayal is accurate, especially considering how young Victoria was at the start of her reign and her sheltered upbringing, it is overstressed in the novel. While it attempts to paint Victoria as a forward-thinking, trailblazing Queen like Elizabeth I by consistently referencing back to Elizabeth I in the second half of the book, it fails to do so with its constant reminders of her childishness. Prime Minister Melbourne is perhaps the most fleshed out character as the novel explores his political and personal life as well as his internal feelings towards Victoria and it often felt as if the novel was competing to either be Victoria's story or Melbourne's story of Victoria through his eyes. Other characters such as the Duchess of Kent, Conroy, and many government officials are one-sided throughout the story. Albert's character development is hinted at in the last part of the book, including his emphatic depth and great desire to learn from the past and encourage technological developments, but his development seemed to always be cut short in favor of an exchange between Victoria and Melbourne or the increasing number of perspectives that the novel attempted to portray at the end of the story.
As a history person, I wish the book included a bibliography, notes, and perhaps even a table of who was who in the government, or at a family tree since I know Daisy Goodwin has a background with Victoria's diaries. Obviously, since this is a work of historical fiction those things aren't necessary but it would have added more to the story and could have filled in gaps in the narrative.
Overall, while I still enjoyed the story and Goodwin's easy to read style of writing, I wish I would have read the book first and then watched the TV show. I believe the show is actually much better than the book (which I pretty much never think) because it takes the time to flesh out the characters (especially the Queen's staff, who are only seen through Victoria's eyes in the novel) and highlights the complications that arise in each relationship without making the story too cringy. If you've already watched series 1 of the show, I wouldn't bother reading the book since it adds very little new content and the plot points are essentially the exact same as episodes 1-4. If you haven't watched series 1, then I think the book would be rather enjoyable and if you enjoy the book you'll want to watch the series simply because of the book's ending.
Stories like these have so much potential. This one didn't live up to its name.