Reviews (11)

Wow! As good as it gets...
"Queen Victoria's Family" by Charlotte Zeepvat is a wonderful book, one of the best books I ever read. I like Queen Victoria very much and have already read so many books about her and her family, but this is my special favorite. Because of the fantastic pictures Victoria and her family become alive again in this book. I think there is no other book about Victoria with so many and such beautiful pictures. Besides, I can say that Charlotte Zeepvat is an excellent author, her other book about Queen Victoria's son Leopold is also great. "Queen Victoria's Family" is a must-read book for everyone who is interested in this topic. Read it, you will be as enthusiastic about it as I am.

Magnificent
Absolutely the ultimate book for photographs of Queen Victoria's extended family. Not only are the pictures wonderful but the author's captions put them in context and it is very easy to follow relationships within family lines.

Loved it!
Absolutely remarkable. Charlotte Zeepvat takes the reader into the lives of Queen Victoria and her family with the amazing photographs, both candid and formal. The pictures are rare. They are well organized and have excellent captions. Zeepvat is a great writer/historian and I recommend her books to all.

What a photo collection!
There are certain photos that I simply expect to see when perusing volumes about European royalty. However, upon receiving Zeepvat's book, I was thrilled to find so many rarely seen photos of some of the more obscure descendants of the "Grandmother of Europe." If you're a royalty buff like I am, you can spend hours immersed in this marvelous book and its detailed family trees.

Great book
for those interested in royalty. While some of these photos can be found in many different books, some of them I've seen for the first time. Queen Victoria's decendants are so numerous and belong to so many different royal houses. Definitely a worthwhile purchase! ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Interesting biography of a tragic woman
It is rare to find a biography so readable and interesting. The Kaiserin's life was very complicated and tragic, yet this author presents the facts clearly. There is a lot of German history presented also, but this is necessary to put the actions and feelings of the Empress into context. In addition to the Kaiserin Friedrich, one also gains much insight into the lives of Queen Victoria of England, her consort Prince Albert, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Kaiserin Augusta, Otto von Bismarck, Kaiser Friedrich and Kaiser Wilhelm II. I hesitated to keep reading this book because I knew that the end would come faster if I did. To me this was a "pager-turner." The author makes Queen Victoria's daughter's life come alive! I highly recommend this book!!

Amazing! A "must read" book if German History is your bag.
This book is an amazing mixture of biography, political history and peeks inside the royal houses of 19th century Europe. The story of Vickie is the premise of this detailed book but the author has made it so much more than that. "An Uncommon Woman" not only taught me about the tragic life of The Empress Frederick but also presented the story of the German people and creation of The German Empire in such a clear, concise and detailed manner that for the first time ever, German history actually makes sense to me.

A study in contrasts
Like many royal personages,Kaiserin Friedrich was multi-faceted and a mass of contradictions.Ms. Pakula guides us masterfully through this remarkable woman's life.The more one learns of her often difficult role as crown princess and later empress ,the more one admires her .This book provides excellent material for the history scholar and succeeds in being highly enjoyable-historian or not.

Adjunct Primer to the Political Evolution of Modern Germany
The subject of this biography is the counterpoint from which one can view the development of the personalities and politics which molded the Germany of two world wars. But for chance, Victoria's husband Frederick William 3rd would have spread their liberal and constitutional views, and would have countered Bismarck's repressive policies which set the perfect stage for Kaiser Wilhelm II and Adolf Hitler. This interesting, carefully researched and documented, well-writen book adds an essential facet and perspective to the drama and misfortune of modern German history.

A good biography of a remarkable woman
This book is well-written and researched, and has much to recommend it. However, I gave it three stars because I prefer "Vicky" by Daphne Bennett, which is out of print but much more symphathetic to its subject. Ms. Pakula is a little harsh in her judgments. Neither book explores Vicky's health problems, which are set forth in John Rohl's (et al.) "Purple Secret", containing an excellent chapter on Vicky. All three books should be read for a complete understanding of her personality. ... Read more

Book Description

First time in paperback: An intimate biography of a larger-than-life persona-and a radical reassessment of a monarch we thought we knew.

In this surprising new life of Victoria, Christopher Hibbert, master of the telling anecdote and peerless biographer of England's great leaders, paints a fresh and intimate portrait of the woman who shaped a century. His Victoria is not only the formidable, demanding, capricious queen of popular imagination-she is also often shy, diffident, and vulnerable, prone to giggling fits and crying jags. Often censorious when confronted with her mother's moral lapses, she herself could be passionately sensual, emotional, and deeply sentimental. Ascending to the throne at age eighteen, Victoria ruled for sixty-four years-an astounding length for any world leader. During her reign, she dealt with conflicts ranging from royal quarrels to war in Crimea and rebellion in India. She saw monarchs fall, empires crumble, new continents explored, and England grow into a dominant global and industrial power. This personal history is a compelling look at the complex woman whom, until now, we only thought we knew. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

In depth look at a fascinating subject
Christopher Hibbert's fascinating biography of Queen Victoria is aptly subtitled "A Personal History". This book focuses on Victoria's personal relationship with her family, her ministers and her staff. Given her extraordinary long life, there is a lot of material to cover. I was particularly interested in Victoria's contentious early relationship with her mother and the way the young queen was so successful in establishing her independence from the forces that hoped to use her as a tool for their personal ambitions. Equally fascinating was her relationship with Albert, the Prince Consort. Victoria's long widowhood and deification of her husband's memory is well-known. Her infamous grief has overshadowed Albert's real accomplishments and contributions to her reign. Hibbert also paints an in-depth portrait of Victoria's difficult relationships with her many children. After reading the book I impressed both with the queen's obvious charm and intelligence and equally appalled by her selfishness. In many ways Victoria's contradictory character shaped the world for nearly a decade. Hibbert has done an excellent job of portraying all facets of Victoria's life and written an entertaining and highly readable book.

Rippingly Good Read!
While adding nothing radically new to the story of Britain's Queen Victoria, this biography is still an engrossing read. Hibbert, a chronicler of several historical royals as well as military figures, has written an engaging book.

I especially liked the rare picture of QV smiling, as well as the compartmentalization into chapters of various aspects of her life (e.g., chapters highlight the Queen's Indian servants, the Queen's travels, the Queen's daughters, etc.) Also quotes at length from the correspondence from Victoria's beloved Prince Albert, which I had never before seen. My favorite vignette was Albert writing to her after a quarrel, where he complained that when he left the room hoping to finish the argument, QV followed him anyway and continued to harangue him.

Another nice element was the clear explanation of the various machinations and events that led to Victoria's assuming the throne (such as the Duke of Kent abandoning a mistress to marry Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg in order to father a legitimate heir). Also delves into a discussion of QV and her loyal servant (but probably not lover), John Brown.

All told, a smashing biography of Prince William's great-great-great-great-great-grandmama.

Dull and boring!!
As i read the book, i realized that Mr Hibbert was not going to give me a very good account of the Queen.He constantly talks about the Queen's changing moods, her dislikes for some of her prime ministers and her treatment of her servants.To me this things are a waste of time.Mr Hibbert fails to tells us how the Queen felt about the political situation of Europe in her time.The author very rarely mentions her views on the different wars England waged during her time. At times i felt like i was reading a gossip column on a supermarket tabloid.Mr Hibbert wastes too many chapters on things like her servants, dinner parties and the sort.The book is too tight since most of the times it covers the Queen's opinion of non-important things.

Victoria, warts and all
After reading some glittering medieval and Tudor biographies, I wanted to fill in the gaps closer to our own day. Christopher Hibbert's comprehensive, readable biography is a good starting-point. However, as detractors have pointed out, it is short on political analysis. The emphasis is on "royal".

Hibbert sets the stage for Victoria's accession with a marvellous summary of how her various royal forebears failed to provide an heir, so that she succeeded by default. He delineates Queen Victoria's complex relationships with several Prime Ministers: her neediness with Lord Melbourne and Disraeli, antipathy towards Palmerston and Gladstone, respect for Salisbury. Unfortunately he does not clearly enough differentiate between Whigs and Tories. But he does acquaint the reader with the major political personalities and put you in a position to explore further. A useful reference alongside this book is "The Prime Ministers from Walpole to Macmillan" (possibly only available in the UK, and in danger of going out of print).

Skilfully interweaving Victoria's personal history with national and international landmark events, Hibbert provides handy, if underwritten, overviews of the Indian Mutiny, the Crimean War, the Great Exhibition, and Chartism. He also sketches contemporary European royals like Napoleon III, exploring tensions between France, Italy and Austria.

Co-dependency, egotism and self-pity characterised Victoria's personal contacts. Her henpecking of her intelligent, unpopular consort Albert, and later selfish blocking of her children's marriages in order to keep them around, echo her own repressive childhood. But Victoria's households at Balmoral and Osborne were beacons of domesticity, and she was well-travelled and sophisticated.

She hated pregnancy, resented her children, and was scathingly dismissive of the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII). After Prince Albert's untimely death, she avoided official engagements for years, to the consternation of her government and people. She fostered obsessional bonds with her Scottish and Indian servants.

Her prolific writings reveal a needy, infantile and self-obsessed woman. Her USE of CAPITALS in an age before the telephone, is a way of SHOUTING (not unlike the internet), and italics give her prose stridency.

So what were Queen Victoria's merits, if any? By dint of longevity she was the epoxy glue of the Age which took her name, and her progeny peopled the Royal houses of Europe. Surviving several assasination attempts, Victoria held her family and household in thrall, and the country in awe. Somehow she inspired the loyalty, if also exasperation, of her Governments.

Henry VIII or Elizabeth I she ain't, but the story is worth reading. Christopher Hibbert gives an urbane, accessible account, with mercifully short chapters.

MOST EXCELLENT!
This book was an excellent read. Mr. Hibbert does an outstanding job bringing this great woman back to life. He makes her human. I was expecting yet another book that would read more like a text book, but was very suprised and pleased to find that it reads like a novel. In a word, FABULOUS! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Incisive character studies of Queen Victoria's five daughters provide the framework for a lively survey of 19th-century European history. With three brothers securing the English throne, the princesses' royal duty was to further Britain's interests through marriage. Vivacious, intelligent Vicky (1840-1901), the spoiled eldest, had a happy union with Hohenzollern prince Frederick William, though her liberal views were unpopular in Prussia and vehemently resisted by her son Willy, who eventually became the emperor of Germany. Sensitive, altruistic Alice (1843-78); dutiful, dull Lenchen (1846-1923); and shy baby sister Beatrice (1857-1944) all married minor German royalty--though Beatrice, intended to be her domineering mother's spinster companion, didn't marry until she was 28 and continued to live in England at Victoria's beck and call. Centuries-old custom dictated that princesses must not wed subjects, but artistic, rebellious Louise (1848-1939) married a Scottish nobleman anyway and managed to lead a slightly less restricted life than her sisters, particularly as a strong supporter of charitable organizations for women. Jerrold Packard, a veteran historian-biographer with six previous books to his credit, spins an enjoyably old-fashioned narrative emphasizing personal relationships among Europe's royalty and their impact on political developments. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (33)

a fantastic way to learn more about history
This was a fantastic way to learn more about the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. I have to admit that although I have a master's degree in history, my major focus has always been ancient history, particularly ancient Near Eastern history (I was one of those people who felt that "modern history" meant everything after 1200 BC.--yes, BC.). Only just lately have I begun to follow up intriguing trails through other periods. Some time ago, I began to realize that one could really gain incredible insight into the events of an era by studying peripherals: the history of countries peripheral to the main stage, side issues like trade, crafts, and long distance contacts, and the women and others behind the main historical figures, etc. Jerrold Packard's book Victoria's Daughters seemed to be just the book I needed to learn about a period in time about which I knew next to nothing, the late 19th Century.

At first it seemed as though the book would be more about Queen Victoria herself than about her daughters. As I read on, though, I realized that the oddity of Victoria's succession to the throne had much to do with the lives of her daughters, as did her early life and her own upbringing. Furthermore, it is against her long life and protracted reign that not only the events in her daughters' lives were measured and chronicled but those of most of the lives of the world's population. There was a reason that most of the 19th Century was labeled "the Victorian era!"

In the past I had given very little thought about the connections that existed throughout European history or about what actually brought about the events that occurred during the turn of the century. I knew of course that the Tsarina of Russia was "Victoria's granddaughter" and a "Prussian princess," but I hardly gave thought to what that really meant. Nicholas and Alexandra were charismatic historical figures in their own right. They were a fairy tale couple, much in love, with a cozy little family living the life of a Russian folktale, and their poetic tale came to a tragic but colorful and certainly very memorable finish. End of story, or so it seemed to me. One knows about World War I, I suppose, and all the people that died in trenches of disease and exposure and mustard gas and enemy fire. One has heard of Bismark and Wilhelm II and Lord Mountbattan, but they're all just interesting names, names one memorizes to answer our world history tests, right? Not when one reads Mr. Packard's story of the children of Queen Victoria.

Each of the daughters, Victoria, Alice, Helena, Louise, and Beatrice had a unique relationship with their mother. Because of whom and what she was, Victoria's was not a particularly warm and maternal presence in their lives. When she was a presence at all, she was distant, self-centered, imperious, and controlling. Unfortunately some of this early relationship translated into problems with parent-child interactions when the girls had children of their own. Lest anyone think that women do not have an impact on the course of history because they don't lead armies into battle--often anyway--one only need read about the relationships between some of these women and their children. That between Victoria, "Vicky," and her eldest son, Willy--later Wilhelm II--will quickly disabuse one of the notion.

Furthermore, the five girls were married into some of the key families of Europe. The titles of each and their in-laws read like a who's who of European nobility, and their sons and daughters became kings, queens, and dukes, many of whom ended up on opposite sides of wars in Europe during the late 19th and early 20th century. The tangled web of personal relationships, treaties, and ambitions ultimately brought about World War I.

I was especially entranced with the intimate detail woven into the stories of each of the women. The author mined diaries, extensive family correspondence, and biographies written about each to create very personal characterizations. The reader becomes as engaged in the story of their lives as in those of fictional characters; one just does feels connected.

FOR THOSE WRITING PAPERS: in history, anthropology, political science, sociology. One might use this book to discuss the limitations of women of the upper classes at the time and their effects on history. One might look at individuals like Alice, who became a follower of the practices of Florence Nightengale, or her sister Louise, who was an accomplished and professional sculptor, who attempted to break out of the social mold of the time to create an identity and existence of their own. What types of role models did they make for others? What changes did they bring about in society? How did they set the stage for our own era? Might the events of WWI been less likely to have happened if the relationships between countries had been based on less personal grounds? Did the relationships between these women and their children and spouses affect the course of events significantly? Or would they have happened anyway? Would they have happened for the same reasons? How was this era a transitional time?

Now, which daughter was that??
This is a very readable and interesting book. I think it is one of the few sources in print for information about Queen Victoria's daughters. However, the way the author presents the information can get confusing to the reader. Packard goes from talking about one daughter to the next in the same chapter. This is especially confusing when there is a reference mentioned from earlier in the book. I found myself having to check which daughter I was reading about and looking back at times to remember and item or two. Another slight problem was the author seeming to judge past attitudes and customs by today's standards. I also question some of the facts presented particulary about Queen Victoria. Some disagree with the many other things I have read about this grand lady. Other than these things, I did enjoy the book. I recommend it especially since it is one of the few sources out there.

Loved It!
I'm an avid reader of royal biographies. I prefer learning about how people lived the personal side of their lives. Of course, all of these people (given their positions) had some role in politics of the time. I never paid much attention to that aspect and only now realize what a mistake that was.

This book is wonderful simply for it's attention to royal women (some who are often overlooked by other authors) and especially for it's coverage of the family dynamics. But, I also appreciated the way the author described each family member's involvement in wide-reaching European politics. This information is so well weaved into the "story" of their lives, that I was not at all put-off (bored) by it as I usually am. I was quite surprised to finally understand the unification of Germany, the role of landgraves and all those little principalities, and the formation of Canada. Granted, a book of this scope can only touch the surface of these issues. Still, I found it entertaining and elightening.

Lackluster writing with plenty of mistakes
This is one book on the Queen and her daughters I would pass on. Packard failed to do any proper research on the princesses and it shows in several huge mistakes committed by the author. I am glad I bought this used as it would have been a waste of my money if I bought it brand new and only to see what a huge dissappoint it was (and is).

Victoria's Daughters
This is totally captivating...these very priviledged daughters grew into socially active adults. Very interesting read. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Victoria's Secret
This book is very well written. THere are many similies and metaphors which put you back into the life of Queen Victoria. It is an educational book, yet it reads like a story. It is most definetly not like most historical non-fiction books.

Great for a quick over view...
This is a small book for such a large subject. It keeps to the facts and indeed it does not overwhelm you with those. I found some of the expressions used in the book to be a little odd, almost as if the writer was trying to write in style that she thinks is "real" English.

I enjoyed the book and it has made me want to learn more about this quite remarkable woman. In short ;read it and enjoy , but don't expect to be turned into an expert by the end of the book.

Very Good
This is a very well-written and researched biography. Queen Victoria is vividly brought to life and her colorful era brilliantly conveyed. Quite an enjoyable read!

Superficial
Not much more than a quick overview of the Queen's life. Try Giles St. Aubyn or Stanley Weintraub for more detailed and thoughtful accounts.

Very Readable
This book was very readable, enjoyable, and historically fascinating. It was not as indepth as one would expect of a monarch with such longevity or for a woman with such fascinating children. But for your history buff that doesn't have time to be a scholar this was the must read book about Victoria. It provided a glimpse of her personal and public life and showed the world what "Victorian" really meant. ... Read more

Book Description

Queen Victoria's death in January 1901 shook Britain to its core, and reverberated not just throughout the Commonwealth, but around the world.She was a woman in her eighties, and yet it seems no one could contemplate the end of a reign that had lasted so long.Most could not remember a time when she was not Queen, and the very stability of everyday life seemed to depend on her regency.The anxiety of the government and the royal family about the prospect of the Queen's death was such that the news of her illness was deliberately concealed from the public for more than a week. When it came, people from England to Jamaica wept in the streets, and this grief was surpassed only by fear for the future."God help us" was the standard reaction from all strata of society.

Last Days of Glory is the definitive account of those last 23 days in January 1901, when Victoria traveled to Osborne House to die.The momentous reaction to the Queen's passing attached to it more significance and a greater sense of change than the turn of the century had carried just a year earlier. Through the prism of those last days Tony Rennell presents us with a series of resonant and absorbing snapshots of a fading Empire at the end of the Victorian Age, and captures a nation coping with change, balancing comfortable nostalgia with the arrival of a new order.
... Read more

Reviews (7)

Interesting insight into Victorian society
A surprisingly entertaining book. Surprisingly because Rennell writes quite a dry book, not sensationalising the story of Victoria's death, or attempting to get too personal. Rather, he takes the reader through Victoria's last days, her death and the funeral, relating aspects from the point of view of those close to Victoria and the press. He never directly writes political analysis, but rather hints at it, only occasionally drawing parallels with the modern British monarchy. By taking one small episode - lasting only a year really - Rennell manages to explore various facets of Victorian life and it's legacy.

The most striking point in this book is the fact that no-one seemed prepared for Queen Victoria's death, which is amazing considering the woman was in her eighties! But it also entertainingly covers the small facts - the internal squabbles within the large and extended royal family; the fact the Queen was a bit of a glutton until her final illness; the boy who flicked a match and set fire to a man's hat while the public watched the funeral procession move through London. Rennell manages to steer a course between the academic and the 'dumbing down' sometimes prevalent in modern day 'popular history'. Rather, he just sticks to the facts and supposes his readers are intelligent enough to understand and interpret them.

A glorious effort...
When I first saw that this book was published, I was skeptical that enough information could be gathered about Queen Victoria's death to make for interesting reading. Was I wrong! The Last Days of Glory: The Death of Queen Victoria by Tony Rennell contains not just lots of interesting information, but also all the high drama required of a good Victorian novel. The cast of characters is unbelievable. They include: 1. a robust queen whose rapidly failing health is kept from her public until the last minute 2. a reluctant heir who would rather go fox hunting and spend time with his mistresses than attend his mother's deathbed or assume the throne 3. a passel of children and grandchildren who hover about and argue with each other 4. an obnoxious, arrogant and overbearing grandson (Kaiser William II) trying to make nice with his British cousins (who all loathe him) while trying to muscle his way into the death scene 5. a personal doctor who is second guessed at every opportunity, is never allowed to physically examine the queen and who serves as a spy to the Kaiser 6. a bishop who tries to interject too much "churchiness" into the death scene and is finally asked to leave 7. a head dresser who has promised the queen to sneak a large number of objects and mementos into the queen's coffin (without her family's knowledge) including several from the queen's devoted Scottish servant, John Brown (also rumored to be her secret husband) 8. a large number of heads of state who scheme and plot and politic against each other at the funeral, even though most of them are related to each other 9. an Empire of British subjects who have never known another sovereign and 10. a large group of faithful but bumbling government officials who have no clue how to bury the old monarch or install the new one because they haven't had to worry about such things for over 63 years.

Add to this story a lost effigy for the burial sarcophagus and over 100 daily newspapers scrapping for every little tidbit of information, and you have a saga most fiction writers could only dream about. To make the story even more interesting, we learn about the changes in the Empire and the world during the course of Victoria's reign. Telegrams have revolutionized communication, telephones are in their infancy, and no one really believes that the new horseless carraiges will become popular because they're too expensive. Queen Victoria's death takes place at the dawn of a new millennium, so the end of the 19th Century and the end of the Victorian Era occur together. Also, the British Empire will never again be as great or as grand as it was during Victoria's reign. It all makes for fascinating reading.

The only flaw I could find in The Last Dayas of Glory involved a historical fact. The Russian Tsar and Tsarina, Nicholas and Alexandra (Victoria's favorite granddaughter) got married after Nicholas became tsar and not before. But other than this minor error, I find no fault here. Tony Rennell's book is a nice surprise and well worth reading.

Tells of a watershed event, now almost forgotten.
Few of us will ever forget the events of September 11, where we were, how the nation reacted. Tony Rennell tells us of another earthshattering event, for its time, the death of Queen Victoria.

Beginning a few days before the Queen's death, Rennell proceeds slowly through her final illness, providing enough background to satisfy us without boring us. After the Queen passes, he gives us ample reaction to the death, even printing (rather pompous by today's standards) poems and songs written at the time (interesting to compare them with the songs written after September 11). He brings us through the funeral and burial at Windsor.

Rennell tells us what was not widely known before--that Victoria was buried holding a picture of John Brown and a locket with his hair, and wearing a ring he had given her. He is careful to put this in the proper context, devoting an appendix to setting forth his view that Brown and the Queen had an entirely proper, though unconventional, relationship.

Rennell puts the event in historical perspective--the conflict between those who wanted a "proper" amount of mourning, and those who wanted to move on quickly, reopen the theaters, put off mourning dress. I wonder how long it has been since the general public wore mourning for a monarch, and if there will be any expectation that it be done next time. Yet in 1901, the period of public mourning was shortened to "only" six weeks!

This book was published before 9/11, but I wonder, if, in 2101, a similar book will be published to remind the public of our watershed event.

Well worth reading.

A very informative book
I was going to say "enjoyable and informative", but then thought that saying reading about someone dying was enjoyable wasn't quite right. However, the author has given us so much background and detail on what was going on in England at this time that I will say those parts were enjoyable!

It seems unbelievable that the government apparently had not done much advance planning. It's as if no one thought the Queen was going to die. I was reminded of the smooth operation of the Queen Mother's funeral in April where everything went like clockwork. Queen Victoria had given a few orders for her funeral, but the details were left to others with the usual squabbling.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the British Royal family.

Death of Queen Victoria
This book covers, and covers quite well, the events surrounding the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. It's especially relevant now that the "Queen Mum" has passed away, for she was more than likely alive when Victoria died, the last connection in the British royal family to that era of pomp and circumstance. It's very interesting to see how death and services for royals were handled 100 years ago, when there were many more monarchies and the almost reverential attitude towards them had not been soured by WWI.
Victoria was beloved by her people, and almost all of them could not remember another reigning monarch, since she ruled for 64 years, almost a lifetime in those days. There was genuine grief and fear at her departure, and a worry at the changing world everyone would face in her absence. A few years ago I read the book "Farewell In Splendor", which covers the same sets of facts, and both of these works are well worth reading. You will learn many things you didn't know about the end of the Victorian age, and perhaps have an air of nostalgia for what appears to be a quite different, and perhaps better, past. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Interesting book about and interesting woman
I liked the book. I thought it had a lot of information well presented but also found it to be less than perfect.

"Farewell in Splendor" is an interesting and readable account of the last week in the life of Queen Victoria and her funeral. When an old woman has nine children and forty grandchildren, it is easy to see that there is bound to be confusion and differences of opinion about her care. However when that woman is also the Empress of the largest empire on earth. The difficulties seem to multiply for each of her subjects. This is the case in 1901 as Victoria, the doyen of Royalty, finally fades after a record breaking sixty-four years on the throne.

Jerrold M. Packard has written two books on the subject of Victoria and her family. I found that much of the background material in this book was a reprieve of "Victoria's Daughters". Since any book about the death of Victoria is bound to have a limited audience, much of the background material seemed to be out of place in a book devoted mostly to a three-week period. I think that people willing to read about Victoria's death might already know something about her life.

From the book, I get have a strong impression that Packard simply does not like Queen Victoria and saw her only as a mean and selfish old woman. I'll grant you that in many ways she was, but in this book so many of her more endearing traits are omitted. It draws a rather one-sided picture of Victoria and not the most flattering side. I think that a little more balance would have served this book well.

I like that fact that the book was easily readable and had many interesting facts to present. His parenthetical remarks really added to the book and helped it rise above being a rehash of newspaper accounts and old. Letters. However, I also found that on occasion there was too much trying to show how much better the late 20th century was from the 19th. His interjection of the modern mind-set into the Edwardian/Victorian eras was a more of hindrance than help.

I did enjopy the book and think is a solid additon to the world of victoria Liturature but I would not reccommend it as a starter book.

Well crafted analysis of an overlooked historical event.
The focus of this book is the death and funeral of Queen Victoria. The topic is well-researched, and Jerrold Packard does an excellent job of suitably setting the scene. As he describes the days leading up to the legendary queen's death, he artfully illuminates the cast of supporting characters. Thanks to Victoria's prolificate offspring, this includes most of the European nobility. Packard also examines Victoria's daily life, both personal and public. Furthermore, the significance of the great monarch's passing is put into context by his succinct analysis of the political situation in England and abroad. All in all, a very interesting and well-written book that will whet your appetite for more information about this fascinating era.

Fascinating, but many minor errors and modern stereotypes
Farewell to Splendor is a fascinating look into the private life of the British royal family in the week surrounding the death of Queen Victoria. I found myself spellbound by the atmosphere Packard describes and by the events he relates.

It's too bad, then, that Packard's research is less than sterling, and his work filled with modern stereotypes and assumptions irrelevant to Victorian times.

For instance, Packard writes that Victoria herself was an unpleasant, unamusable person, when in fact the Queen was a normal woman who liked nothing more than a good joke. (She said "We are not amused", but only because her target was telling dirty jokes in the presence of children.)

There are other minor errors in fact, by themselves unimportant perhaps but it does make me wonder: if there are so many minor errors, how many major errors are there?

I was also distracted by Packard's many references to Victoria's fitness level and his wonderment at her reaching an advanced age without being physically fit. Methinks Mr. Packard has been brainwashed by the health and fitness detachment of the Politically Correct Police. People who live long do so for many reasons. Fitness is only one piece of the puzzle, and compared to genetics it may not even be that big a piece. It's also irrelevant on a cultural level. Virtually nobody at the time exercised; to point out that Victoria was out of shape is roughly similar to pointing out that Elizabeth II couldn't fight the Romans because she doesn't paint her face blue as did Boadicea.

The art of mourning
If anyone ever perfected the art of mourning, it was Queen Victoria. Plunging the court into black on the death of the Prince Consort, the Queen maintained full mourning until her own death forty years later.

This book brings to life the final days and subsequent funeral of the monarch who ruled longer than any other in English history. We see Victoria, old and failing, clinging to life. The doctors trying to balance Victoria's last wishes with those of her family. The family frictions as the clan gathers: the Prince, who had waited so long for the throne; the princesses about to lose precedence; Kaiser Wilhelm, a reigning emperor who loved his grandmama but was resented by aunts, uncles and cousins. And the people, waiting outside the palace gates for the next bulletin on the Queen's health. Victoria reigned for 64 years; many were born and grew to old age in her reign. The passing of the Queen was an epic event - literally the end of an era.

A fascinating behind the scenes look at the staging of a state funeral - a funeral for a woman who had devoted much of her life to funereal trappings. The Queen was dead; God save the King ... Read more

Book Description

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-84), considered to have been the most intelligent and the most interesting of Queen Victoria's sons, was also the first royal hemophiliac.This first full-length biography draws on unbpulished papers in the royal archives at Windsor. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Victoria's Little Known Youngest Son
This is the first book, of the many I have read on Queen Victoria and/or her children, that focuses on Prince Leopold. Even reading the edited letters between Victoria and her daughter Vicky had very little mention of this child. The book was informative and I learned a great deal regarding her true obsessive and sometimes vicious behavior to Leopold, as a child and as a grown man. I highly recommend it.

Stinks to High Heavens!
I'd rate this less than zero, if the rating system allowed me to. This is completely lousy book and a huge waste of money! Many facts are wrong, which is a disgrace for someone of Ms. Zeepvat's experience. Her writing is flat and uninspiring and almost anything of interest is obtained from other books about the subject. Personally I'm sick of all these royal books that are basically re-packaged versions of previous books.

Great Bio of a little known royal
In the many books about Queen Victoria's family that I have read, Leopold seems to be known only for his haemophilia. He seems to have been the most popular member within the royal family, although not with his mother, who seemed to see him as a convenient drone. She was notorious for trying to keep her children on a leash long into adulthood. Leopold appears to have overcome these obstacles. In his short life, he accomplished a great deal, he was the first of the royal family to attend Oxford, he was on the boards of a great many charities, he managed to travel, and he worked as an unofficial secretary to his mother.

This is a well written and researched book. The author provides information on other more obscure members of Queen Victoria's family, such as her half sister Feodora and her family. The family tree of the female side of Victoria's family is the most extensive and interesting I have seen, although it does not solve the question of where the haemophilia in the family came from.

An excellent biography of a neglected Prince...
This biography has a wealth of detail and is extremely well written, I recommend it highly. For anyone with an interest in Queen Victoria; hemophaelia in the British Royal family and just Royal history in general, this is a great read. Lots of new information (to me) & very well presented. Leopold had a frustrating life due to his illness and his position, but he overcame a great many difficulties and ultimately had a happy marriage. The book explores Leopold's close relationship with his sister Alice and her family, which has not been covered before. His difficult relationship with Queen Victoria is covered fairly, with sympathy for both parties. Zeepvat is the rare biographer who can really bring the material alive.

An overlooked but gifted Prince
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, was the youngest son of Queen Victoria. His hemophilia caused his mother, a temperamental and difficult parent to all of her children, to smother him with care and starve him of true affection. It is a tribute to Prince Leopold's innate strength of character that he grew up to be mentally sound and in many ways the most gifted of the Queen's nine children. His frequent illnesses forced him to assume a lower profile than did his siblings, but his love of creativity assured him warm friendships with many of the leading artistic and cultural lights of the Victorian era. His ability to cope with his illness with grace and good humor makes his early death an even greater tragedy. If he had lived on into the reign of his niece Alexandra, Empress of Russia, for example, he might have been able to proffer her some fatherly advice on how to handle her son's hemophilia, thus preventing her from falling into Rasputin's clutches. ... Read more

Book Description

Just eight months old when her father, Edward, duke of Kent, diedunexpectedly, the princess Victoria moved significantly closer to England's throne. Thetask of raising a potential female monarch assumed critical importance for the nation, yetVictoria's girlhood and adolescence have received scant attention from historians,cultural critics, and even her biographers. In this engaging and revealing book, LynneVallone shows us a new Victoria—a lively and passionate girl very different from theiconic dour widow of the queen's later life.

Based on a thorough exploration of the young Victoria's own letters, stories, drawings,educational materials, and journals—documents that have been underappreciated untilnow—the book illuminates the princess's childhood from her earliest years to heraccession to the throne at age eighteen in 1837. Vallone presents a fresh assessment of"the rose of England" within the culture of girlhood and domestic life in the 1820s and1830s. The author also explores the complex and often conflicting contexts of the period,including Georgian children's literature, conventional childrearing practices, domesticand familial intrigues, and the frequently turbulent political climate. Part biography, parthistorical and cultural study, this richly illustrated volume uncovers in fascinating detailthe childhood that Victoria actually lived. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Interesting but not terribly exciting
I think the thing I found most interesting about this book was the total screwiness of Victoria's mother, the Dutchess of Kent. I admit that the Dutchess was in kind of a rough spot: She was raising a monarch after all, and yet wanted to raise her to within the standards of ladylike behaviour. Can't have her going around refering to herself with male terminology like Queen Elizabeth I did, y'know.

But in the process, the thing the Dutchess seemed to always have her eye on was the possibility of a Regency. She *wanted* to be Regent. How screwed up do you have to be to *want* to be Regent? All the responsibility, none of the adoring crowds. Yuck!

So she was torn between the necessity of producing in Victoria a princess who could eventually take the throne (because if she failed in providing an appropriate education and upbringing the King had made it pretty clear that he *would* ensure Victoria received same, even if it meant removing her from her mother's tender care) while wanting to keep her daughter from being *able* to take the throne at 18 (there was a possibility of a regency until she reached 21), all the while hoping that King George would hurry up and die already. Which may in part be the author's spin on things, but the good Dutchess did *repeatedly* write about the possibility of a regency until Victoria was 21 even *after* Victoria was declared competent to take the throne when she reached majority at 18 (said declaration taking place several years ahead of time), which kind of points to having some serious hopes caught up in that regency.

Victoria herself just seems like a kid caught in the middle and kept from having much fun. She got to read a lot of "improving" books, which are those sort of kids books that beat you over the head with the idea that you should always do what Mommy tells you and never, ever, talk to strangers and aren't a lot of fun, and the rest of her childhood really does fit with that choice in reading material.

Fascinating Princess
Princesses have become an item of interest in the past few years. Possibly they always have been, but series such as The Royal Diaries--fictional diaries by true life princesses-- are filling library and bookstore shelves.

In this aristocratic climate, Becoming Victoria by Lynne Vallone stands out. Becoming Victoria examines the girlhood/teenagehood of the young woman who became Queen Victoria and consequently, the enduring symbol of an era. Ms Vallone has undertaken the remarkable task of examining how Victoria was reared, comparing her upbringing to the upbringing of contemporaries (not princesses), chronicling Victoria's relationship with her mother and illustrating the gap between the portrayal of Victoria's youth, both at the time and retrospectively, and how Victoria herself truly felt and acted.

The reader leaves this book convinced that truth is indeed stranger than fiction or at least as strange and as remarkable. Although Becoming Victoria is not necessarily geared towards teens (and is more expositive than books such as The Royal Diaries), the insight into a princess' curriculum, familial relationships, day-to-day activities should fascinate the readership that delves into Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries and Gail Levine's The Princess Tales.

Becoming Victoria ends, rather disappointingly, at Victoria's ascension to the throne. This is, however, in accordance with the task set by the author. Victoria the child and teenager is Ms Vallone's focus, and she ends once her subject passes into a different stage. Consequently, the reader's appetite is whet to do further study on a most fascinating woman and queen.

Recommendation: The price is not too bad. It is a beautifully bound book and may be worth buying new. However, if your interest is in the content, not the appearance, try used.

Informative, but dull.
This work was full of interesting facts, but was written more like a college text book. It paints a picture of a very charming child and gives the reader insight into the influences in Victoria's early life and the early formation of her character as she grew into the roll of Queen Mother. The facts are nice, the subject is great, but the text book feel is dull and dry.

Not a biography of Victoria's early life
I was expecting a biography on Victoria's early life, but I would not classify this book as such. It was more a dissertation on how the child rearing practices of Georgian England ultimately affected the personality of the future Queen Victoria.

You can tell after skimming just a few pages of this book that a huge amount of research went into it (there are more that 40 pages of footnotes and references), but I found it very difficult to read and even harder to follow. It concentrated almost exclusively on the mundane facts of how she lived, rather than on who she was. There are hundreds of detailed descriptions of the clothes she wore, the books she read, the food she ate, and the toys she played with. There were even more descriptions on how the people around her influenced the food she ate, the books she read, the toys she played etc, etc.

So don't get this book if you are looking for a biography about Victoria's early life, but check it out from the library if you want to see some truly beautiful illustrations (some by Victoria's own hand) and some outstanding photographs.

A great historical and cultural study crafted around a bio
Lynne Vallone's 'Becoming Victoria' is a superior exploration of the complex historical, cultural, and familial influences which shaped and prepared the Princess for the roles she would assume as the future queen of England. The book explores Georgian child-rearing practices, Victoria's diversions and amusements, studies and training appropriate to her station, the children's literature she enjoyed reading (and writing), drawings and pictures (both of Victoria and by Victoria - an accomplished artist in her own right), the ever-changing political climate of the time, and key individuals who played important roles in Victoria's development. An avid journaler, the book also heavily quotes Victoria's own diaries and notebooks she kept religiously from a very young age on until her death.

Although it would be fine if 'Becoming Victoria' was your first introduction to the life of this remarkable monarch, the book works best as an companion to an existing broader biography - like Christopher Hibbert's 'Queen Victoria: A Personal History,' or any of the other carefully referenced suggestions in the book itself. 'Becoming Victoria' is a marvelous book in its own right, and the only reason I suggest another reference in addition to this one is the very specific scope and focus of this book (which is 'limited' to extensive details from Victoria's birth through her ascension to the throne at age 18 in 1837).

The hardcover book itself it lovely - an unusual yet handy size with fantastic illustrations and reproductions throughout. ... Read more

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Reviews (1)

An excellent overview of the lesser know branches
This book has helped me on more than one occasion, to sort out Queen Victoria's huge family. The book only rates four stars, because I dislike the way it is organized. But the information, as well as the detailed lineage is wonderful. Many of Mr. Aronson's books are out of print, but I find them quite frequently at the Strand in NYC or other used bookstores. ... Read more

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This book, based on new research and the first on Brown for over 30 years, recreates the flavor of their unique relationship and casts new light on the controversy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not as interesting a topic as you'd think.
This book is about Queen Victoria's unusual relationship with her highland servant, John Brown.Most are familiar with the story because of the well-received movie, "Mrs. Brown".While the story made a very interesting movie, for most recreational readers the topic doesn't merita full book.Raymond Lamont-Brown has certainly done excellent research, and I do not doubt that his account of Mr. Brown and his relationship with the queen is as accurate as possible.Unfortunately, oneof Queen Victoria's daughters drastically edited the Queen's personal papers when it came to the topic of Mr. Brown, so much of the historical record is irretrievably lost.Nevertheless,it seems clear that it is unlikely that there was a scandalous relationship and that the Queen simply considered Mr. Brown to be a completely devoted servant .She consequently kept him in constant attendance and was tolerant of his brusque manner.No matter how hard Mr. Lamont-Brown tries to find some actual drama, most of the relationship (and therefore most of the book) revoloved around the mundane routine of the royal household - daily ponyrides, picnics in the Scottish countryside, below-stairs jealousies, etc.Any excitement in the book is the result of speculation, not historical fact.If you have a serious interest in Queen Victoria, you will find this book worthwhile.Otherwise, see the movie.

A Devoted Servant
The release of the well-regarded film _Mrs. Brown_, about Queen Victoria and her gillie John Brown, indicated there was still interest in the story of the Queen and her devoted servant. The full story of their relationship will never be known, but in _John Brown: Queen Victoria's Highland Servant_ (Sutton Publishing), Raymond Lamont-Brown sifts through what can be known to give as good a picture as we are likely to get of the servant beloved by the Queen and detested by so many others.It is a small but successful study of the Queen as honest and loyal, with a love of the outdoors, and with a sense of humor (when will the opposite legend go away?) which Brown must have frequently tickled.They were a good match.He impressed both Albert and the Queen with his knowledge of game and hunting, and a strong friendship grew between the gillie and his Queen.He liked jokes and gossip, and the Queen liked to hear his stories.There are many illustrations here of their familiarity.When the royal family went out on jaunts, John Brown usually brewed the Queen's pot of tea.Early in his service, she remarked that this was "the best cup of tea I ever tasted.""Well, it should be, Ma'am," came Brown's reply."I put a grand nip o' whisky in it."

There is little doubt that the Queen idealized Brown in a way no one else did, but especially after Albert's death, no one tended her as he did.A courtier wrote, "Others had tended her as their Queen and mistress.John Brown protected her as she was, a poor, broken-hearted bairn who wanted looking after and taking out of herself."Many around the Queen disapproved.Brown took his duties so seriously he would deny even her family access to her.His gruffness with others made few friends.Sent to convey the Queen's invitation to dinner to the Lords-in-Waiting, Brown pushed open the door of the billiard room, eyed the aristocrats, and bawled, "All what's here dines with the Queen."The Prince of Wales particularly disliked him, always referring to "that brute" rather than using his name.He obliterated all the busts and mementoes of Brown after the Queen's death, but he was never able to wipe out the rumors that Brown and the Queen were lovers, or that they had a morganatic marriage, or that Brown was her guide in spiritualism.Such evidence as there is shows that they were nothing but devoted friends as well and mistress and servant.This readable book well illustrates the relationship, with ample quotations from the Queen's diary and from remarks of those who knew both parties well. ... Read more

Book Description

An explosive story of colonial life, nineteenth-century science, and the mysteries of sexuality, Rachel Holmes's Scanty Particulars transcends the genre of biography. Through prodigious research and vivid storytelling, Holmes brings to life one of the most enigmatic figures of his time.

In the 1820s, Dr. James Barry burst into the English establishment from nowhere. He landed in Cape Town and became the leading military doctor in the South African colony, working tirelessly to improve the conditions of free and enslaved women, lepers, and the indigent. Barry's further travels included postings to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Canada. In his career, he collided with some of the leading figures of the age, and his exploits were regarded with fascination by Mark Twain and Charles Dickens.

Barry was a flamboyant bon vivant: fashionably dressed, flirtatious, and always accompanied by a poodle. Wherever he went, he sparked gossip, made enemies, and inspired relentless curiosity about his identity--curiosity that erupted into international scandal upon Barry's death, when his maidservant discovered the truth about this brilliant but mysterious icon of the Victorian age. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Dandies!!!
Nothing like a good "dandy" scandal to heat one's blood!!!!

A Dandy Medical Reformer with a Secret
With the attention that we pay these days to sexual issues, and sexual inclinations, and with the increasing realization that there are anatomical and psychological gradations in the spectrum between strictly male and strictly female, it was a sure thing that someone would be retelling the story of Dr. James Barry, one of the truly unique characters of the Victorian era. Rachel Holmes has done so in _Scanty Particulars: The Scandalous Life and Astonishing Secret of Queen Victoria's Most Eminent Military Doctor_ (Random House). Barry's story would have been worth retelling anyway; he was a crusading medical reformer who insisted on novel ideas about health and the running of hospitals that we now take for granted. He made plenty of friends and enemies, many highly placed, and no one seems to have known his secret when he died, although there were those who came out afterwards to say they had known all along. Holmes hints at it throughout her fully researched biography, but does not reveal it until after she has told all that can be known of Barry's eventful life; there will be no explicit spoiler in this review.

Barry was born about 1790 in Edinburgh, the "about" being necessary because his origins are murky and part of his secret. He was a precocious medical student at the University of Edinburgh, which was then at the height of its international prestige for its practical and academic study of diseases. He graduated from the university in 1812, and then served his apprenticeship in London. He was a fashionable dandy, dying his hair red, sporting the longest dress sword he could find, and wearing boots with the highest heels. He was a flirt with all the ladies, and he never seems to have courted any of them. He never married. He was posted as an army doctor in a series of far-flung outposts of the British Empire. He eventually became a medical inspector, with the power to report on the treatment of prisoners and lepers; he refused to accept the hellish accommodations offered such outcasts and would not back down in his reports. His reforms included an insistence on fresh air, good diet (he advocated vegetables especially, as he was a vegetarian), and cleanliness. He extended his protection to slaves, prostitutes, children, and the mentally ill. Holmes says that he was "a radical and progressive modernizer in an age of quacks and mountebanks."

In 1865, afflicted by diseases he had himself picked up during his long battles against them, he died in retirement in England. His tutors before him had decreed that their bodies be given up for autopsy and dissection, and Barry would have been expected to have done the same. However, he repeatedly had insisted that he simply be wrapped in whatever sheets he died upon and buried with no ceremony. (A maidservant, however, saw the body, and her report led to sensational, and naturally erroneous, claims in the press.) He had also been reluctant to be examined by any medical men, and had been fussy about being seen while dressing. Holmes's findings on the truth about Barry are consistent with his life devoted to science and anatomy. There will be no sure answers to the sexual riddle Barry poses, Holmes admits, but her speculations based on Barry's writings, especially his medical writings, are satisfying. _Scanty Particulars_ gives an eventual answer to the puzzle of Barry's "astonishing secret," but even without this key, it is an entertaining biography that includes fascinating details of colony life and of medical practice of the time. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

an excellent piece of writing
This book provides a wonderful history of the grandchildren of Queen Victoria. As well as being detailed and interesting, this book is also rich in photos of the royal family. Through this book, the reader can gain clear insights into this fascinating family and their unique personalities and how their intermarriage linked all of the houses of Europe together. A helpful family tree is also included, and I liked the format of this book, the way it was divided into sections.

Lovely photographic tribute to Victoria's grandchildren
"Queen Victoria's Grandchildren" is not particularly long-- about 130 pages-- but it is large-format (about 8 1/2 by 11 inches). It is a photographic tribute to Queen Victoria's grandchildren. It has been divided into sections, one section for each of the grandchildren. These vary in length from one page to five pages. Except for two grandchildren who died in very young infancy, at least one photograph-- usually more-- is included with each section. I've read a lot of books on Queen Victoria and her various offspring, and many of the photos are new even to me. There is a slight bias, of course, to the more-photographed grandchildren. (A lot of photographs of King George V, Queen Marie of Rumania, and Empress Alexandra of Russia, etc.) But two or three pictures are included of all of them, including the ever-elusive ones who died in childhood (except for the two babies). I especially enjoyed finding a picture of the ever-elusive Prince Frederick (Frittie) of Hesse.

The text serves more as a synopsis of the person's life to provide background for the pictures; there are no real analyses or insights. The writing is usually very simplistic, but get this book for the pictures. ... Read more

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