Scan barcode
A review by heejung
Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch by Kate Williams
4.0
An enjoyable and easy-to-read overview about the end of the Hanoverian dynasty in England and the beginning of the Victorian Age.
Victoria was the last Hanoverian monarch, of course, but her rule so eclipsed that of her predecessors that she got an entire era named after herself. This book doesn't cover Victoria's entire reign - just the first couple years as she gets settled into the role.
The main characters of this book are Princess Charlotte and Victoria. Most people don't know about Princess Charlotte, who was Victoria's cousin and heir to the throne before an untimely death by childbirth, and it was fascinating to read about this lesser known historical figure.
But we do get an insight into the whole cast of royal and noble historical figures. What I like about this books is that there is relatively little whitewashing, not even of Charlotte and the young Victoria. They're all awful, petty people, as you would expect privileged, out-of-touch royalty to be. More of this, please, and less whitewashing!
Victoria was the last Hanoverian monarch, of course, but her rule so eclipsed that of her predecessors that she got an entire era named after herself. This book doesn't cover Victoria's entire reign - just the first couple years as she gets settled into the role.
The main characters of this book are Princess Charlotte and Victoria. Most people don't know about Princess Charlotte, who was Victoria's cousin and heir to the throne before an untimely death by childbirth, and it was fascinating to read about this lesser known historical figure.
But we do get an insight into the whole cast of royal and noble historical figures. What I like about this books is that there is relatively little whitewashing, not even of Charlotte and the young Victoria. They're all awful, petty people, as you would expect privileged, out-of-touch royalty to be. More of this, please, and less whitewashing!