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jessmanners 's review for:
Victoria
by Daisy Goodwin
I’m not sure about this one…one of the fun things about historical fiction is that it fills in lots of little gaps (I don’t think I knew Victoria was her middle name, for example, and I didn’t know about any of the early “scandals”, or that stamps were basically invented for her, or that she had to be the one to propose)…but then again, I also don’t know how much of that is fact and how much of it is creative liberty…and while obviously all of this could be resolved with a quick visit to Wikipedia, it still dampens the pleasure of being about to tell someone an historical factoid when there’s a distinct possibility that you could embarrass yourself and reveal your gullibility…
The other problem with historical fiction is at the opposite end of the spectrum—basically the one thing I was SURE I knew about Victoria was that she married Albert, so it pretty much spoils the romance with Melbourne when you know from the outset that it is a dead end…also, I have zero idea if there’s any basis in reality for that story, but either way, it just never really worked for me—she felt too young and naive, and he should know better! Which is, of course, the point—but the ick factor remains.
I also felt conflicted about Victoria herself. Again, I think part of the point is that she’s super young and sheltered when she takes the throne, and is in way over her head…and I would get it if that were the arc of the novel, but it seems as if we’re supposed to be impressed with her aptitude and wit from the start, so when she DOES act like a naive girl in over her head, it feels jarring…and the arc isn’t as present as I’d like it to be.
I’m not sure I’ve explained that well…basically, I’m not sure how much I liked her, or how much I was supposed to…
The other problem with historical fiction is at the opposite end of the spectrum—basically the one thing I was SURE I knew about Victoria was that she married Albert, so it pretty much spoils the romance with Melbourne when you know from the outset that it is a dead end…also, I have zero idea if there’s any basis in reality for that story, but either way, it just never really worked for me—she felt too young and naive, and he should know better! Which is, of course, the point—but the ick factor remains.
I also felt conflicted about Victoria herself. Again, I think part of the point is that she’s super young and sheltered when she takes the throne, and is in way over her head…and I would get it if that were the arc of the novel, but it seems as if we’re supposed to be impressed with her aptitude and wit from the start, so when she DOES act like a naive girl in over her head, it feels jarring…and the arc isn’t as present as I’d like it to be.
I’m not sure I’ve explained that well…basically, I’m not sure how much I liked her, or how much I was supposed to…