Reviews (21)

Five Royle Grand Duaghters
This book is an amazing look at five of Queen Victoria's Granddaughters that would themselves be Queens of five countries and affect the course of history.
Fascinating history book
It was always interesting to see how Queen Victoria ruled the world and reading of her granddaughters who became queens,is very fascinating!!! A part of history that will probably not be repeated except for the present Queen of England.
A good book to read if your familar with Queen Victoria.
This is a good book to read if you are extremely familar with Queen Victoria. There are two problems with this book, (1) The author did not focus or give enough information about Queen Maud's life as she did with the other grandaughters. (2) It's lacking information in certain places.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Europe    6. Historical - General    7. Queens    8. Royalty    9. Russia    10. Victoria,    11. Women   

Reviews (29)

A sympathetic, but great biography!
This was a great biography that made you feel the happiness and sadnest moments in Empress Frederick's life time. Although I must admit there were moments in the book, particularly when Kaiser Frederick as well as the Empress herself were on their death beds, that made me want to box the ears of Kaiser Wihelm if he were still alive today!

The Empress Frederick - revealed!
Hannah Pakula did it again in another superb biography of one of the last great princesses in the sunset of European royalty. The high-minded, brilliant, passionate, beautiful oldest daughter of Queen Victoria was a woman fit to rule in her own right and yet she was shackled by the narrow, rigid Hohenzollern court. The very liberalism with which her father Prince Albert indoctrinated her ended up working against her ability to influence German political affairs in a positive way. Her great love for her husband and their passionate relationship is captured as well as the tragic dimensions of his death. It is horrible how Vicky dies, and especially the way her awful son treated her. A book that shows that sometimes marrying the handsome prince of your dreams is not enough. Highly recommended!

Excellent Portrait of Empress Frederick and Her Times
An Uncommon Woman is an excellent, first rate biography of Vicky, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria who, through marriage, became the Crown Princess of Prussia, and then Princess and later Empress Frederick of the German Empire.She played an influential (and one wishes a much more influential) role in German, and more broadly European, history during the latter 19th to early 20th centuries. Vicky strove to move German politics towards a more liberal, democratic, parliamentary form of government, but was successfully opposed by the autocracy of Chancellor Bismarck and even her son, who eventually became the Kaiser.The author persuasively implies that had this "uncommon woman" been able to prevail, European history may have benefited.The book succeeds as both an intimate, full-fledged account of this remarkable woman, her family members, and the many important historical persons of the times, as well as a comprehensive history of the creation of the German Empire, the rise of autocracy and militarism, and the lead-up to World War I.The writing style is excellent; the author is exceptionally skilled at presenting a thoroughly well-researched life of Vicky and detailed history of the times in a highly readable, well paced narrative.One of the most engaging and informative biographies I have read.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. 1840-1901    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Empress, consort of Frederick III, German Emperor,    7. Germany    8. Great Britain    9. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    10. Monarchy And Aristocracy    11. Queen of Great Britain,    12. Relations    13. Royalty    14. Victoria,    15. Women    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. Victoria   

Reviews (4)

Sadly, it's not much more than an overview of a deserving subject.
"Oh madam, it is a princess!"
Very competent survey
This author produces very workmanlike and highly readable popular histories of the modern period, this time with a bio-political survey of Victoria's nine children and forty grandchildren. They possessed widely differing personalities but remained a close-knit family -- though relations often were strained by divided loyalties through marriage into other European dynasties. The author also makes good use of illustration and includes a good (though brief) bibliography.

Good overview of all 9 children
If you have nothing else in your library re: the 9 children of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert -- no other biographies of Vicky, Albert Edward, et al.-- then this is the book to have.It gives a good overview of the lives of all nine children.However, I found it a little tedious to read because I HAVE read separate biographies of Vicky, Albert Edward, Louise, Arthur & Beatrice, and those biographies are the sources for Van der Kiste's book.So, if you are like me a royalty buff who's already got the biographies, you don't need to read this because it has nothing to add.But it's a well-written & concise history of all the children's lives. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. General    3. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    4. Historical - General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Biography: historical    9. Biography: royalty    10. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    11. History / Great Britain    12. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Editorial Review

British scholar Christopher Hibbert adds another engrossing volume tohis long list of informative and entertaining histories and biographies. Aptlysubtitled "A Personal History," this portrait of England's longest reigningmonarch focuses on Victoria's character, as well as her relationships with herhusband, children, and the politicians who directed her government. UnlikeRead more

Reviews (16)

Allows you to step in Queen Victoria's shoes!
Once again, Christopher Hibbert has spun a wonderful biography that makes his subject come alive before you're eyes, and at times to allow the reader's imagination into the very shoes of Queen Victoria!

Wonderful Book
Christopher Hibbert has the marvelous ability to make historical subjects come alive. He succeeds again in this biography of Queen Victoria,
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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. General    4. Biography/Memoir    5. History   

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Great Britain    7. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    8. Historical - British    9. Marriage    10. Princes    11. Queen of Great Britain,    12. Queens    13. Royalty    14. Victoria,    15. Albert    16. Victoria   

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Childhood and youth    6. General    7. Great Britain    8. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    9. History    10. Queen of Great Britain,    11. Queens    12. Victoria,    13. Victoria, 1837-1901    14. Biography: historical    15. Biography: royalty    16. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    17. Rank & titles    18. United Kingdom, Great Britain    19. Victoria    20. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

Wets The Appetite
This book details some of the conflicts of the British Empire during the reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1902. The book starts each period by providing brief campaign outlines, India 1837-56, The Mutiny 1857-1860, The Post Mutiny Period 1861-1898, and Africa 1837-1898. It then discusses the major commanders or military personal of note in each period. Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - Other    6. Military - Uniforms    7. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    8. British Empire    9. Dictionaries of biography (Who's Who)    10. History / Military / General    11. Military life & institutions    12. United Kingdom, Great Britain    13. War & defence operations    14. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. 1838-1893    3. Ancient - Rome    4. Biography    5. Duleep Singh,    6. East Indians    7. England    8. Friends and associates    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History: World    12. Maharajah,    13. Queen of Great Britain,    14. Victoria,    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    16. Biography: historical    17. Biography: royalty    18. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    19. History / Ancient / Rome    20. India    21. STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes    22. United Kingdom, Great Britain    23. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. History: World    2. Biography: royalty    3. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    4. c 1800 to c 1900   

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.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1795-1865    2. Barry, James,    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Great Britain    8. Historical - British    9. History    10. History Of Medicine    11. Medical - General    12. Medicine, Military    13. Military    14. Military Medicine    15. Surgeons    16. Barry, James    17. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (6)

bravo, mr strachey!
lytton strachey is my favorite non-fiction writer. he writes non-fiction that is flawless and beautiful. some of the writing in this book is as good as any writing i've seen anywhere. but who cares? who cares? what a shameful culture has been fashioned that has no room for this.

Pioneering biography
This life of Queen Victoria set a new standard for biographies when it was written and it still reads very well today. To the modern ear some of Strachey's language may at times be a bit dry. That aside this is an excellent study of the development of Victoria from infancy to old age. The entanglement's of family and the influence of key ministers is well covered and documented . Especially interesting is the treatment of Prince Albert and the Queen's relationship. queen victoria by Lytton Strachey
I purchased this book at a library sale and it has no copywrit date other then the 1921 date published by Harcourt, Grace &World,Inc and renewed by Jame Strachey, with no renewal date. The copy I have has 434 pages which include an index of subject matter.The only other used books mentioned for sale have acopywrit of 1981 and have 100 less pages.This book is in very good condition and has the original cover jacket.It begins its historic tale in 1817 and includes footnotes at the bottom of the page. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Great Britain    6. Historical - General    7. History    8. Queen of Great Britain,    9. Queens    10. Royalty    11. Victoria,    12. Victoria, 1837-1901   

Reviews (9)

Not much new on Victoria's family, but some interesting unsubstantiated speculations
I think I read this book for different reasons (and got different things out of it) than most of the previous reviewers. One of the first instances of "genetic genealogy" was the investigation into the roots of the hemophilia that plagued the czarevich Alexei of Russia, the only son of Nicholas II, who probably wouldn't have lived long enough to become czar even if the Bolsheviks hadn't liquidated the imperial family. But Victoria's son, Leopold, also died of complications of the disease, and it made its way into the Spanish royal family, as well. Where did the defective gene Victoria carried come from? There are only two medical possibilities: Either she was the victim of a random mutation -- one chance in about 50,000 -- or her father was hemophiliac. And since her father, Edward, Duke of Kent, did *not* have the disease, that would mean Victoria was illegitimate, the offspring of a hemophiliac lover of the Duchess of Kent. The duchess certainly *did* have a lover, and it's also possible, from all the evidence, that the duke was sterile. In which case, the throne should rightfully have gone to King William III's next closest relative, . . . and who would that have been? This is quite a fascinating detective story, investigating in considerable depth the private lives of the Coburgs, and it leaves one to wonder how the 19th century in Britain might have been different if Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and subsequently king of Hanover (a very distasteful individual by all accounts, and a very unpopular ruler), had become king of Great Britain. (His eldest living descendant in the male line today is Ernest Augustus, Prince of Hanover and present husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco.)

Interesting
This book was very interesting. It is a story of Genes. It tells the story about Queen Victoria and her family. Two of her daughters, Alice (As well as two daughters and a son), and Beatrice (as well as two sons and a daughter) were carriers of a disease called hemophilia and her son Leopold (As well as a daughter) had the disorder.One might wonder what the mystery is about it. Well it is this, where did the three children get the disorder? Because the daughters were carriers of it they could not have gotten it from there father Albert, so it must have been Victoria. One problem is that supposedly comes from one the most well documented families off all time (The family can trace there lineage to Adam and Eve) that leaves three posiblities-1. That she is not the Granddaughter of King George III 2. Her mother (Victoria of Sax-Coburg) was a carrier-which turned out to be false or 3. There was a spontaneous combustion of the egg or sperm that made Victoria.The authors get into all three of these hypotheses in order to try to understand just how Victoria got the gene for hemophilia.The authors also delve into the lives of the people who had hemophilia and tells about some of the pretenders to the thrones descendent from Queen Victoria and how with the knowledge of the gene people have figured out they are fakes.

More about hemophilia and history than scandal
It's too bad so many reviewers and editors chose to focus on the small part of this book which questions Queen Victoria's legitimacy, because that's not really what this book is about. It's far more about how the interbreeding of British and other European royalty had profound consequences for world history. Thebulk of the book traces the competitive sexual politics prior to Victoria's birth, and the way inbreeding among royalty contributed to the spread of the hemophilia gene, causing major world upheaval (in particular, to the fall of the Russian tsar). Much has been written of the privileges of 19th century royalty, but this book brings into sharper focus the way these royals' private behavior had public consequences. An interesting treatise on an aspect of history that is often overlooked: that many European wars were family conflicts extended to a grand scale. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - General    2. Europe - Great Britain - General    3. Hematology    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Royalty    8. 20th century    9. Biography: royalty    10. Family    11. Health    12. History / General    13. Rank & titles    14. United Kingdom, Great Britain    15. Victoria    16. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

Classic narrative destroyed by atrocious editing
This book was sloppily produced.Typographical errors permeate.There are distracting mistakes in some of the captions, too, such as that for a picture of a gray bearded, corpulent Prince of Wales supposedly taken in 1863 when he would have been a man in his early twenties (p. 205). The author -- and his subject -- deserve much better.The publisher deserves a spanking.

Wonderfully illustrated, entertaining.
This book is a "must have" for anyone interested in royalty or history in general. It's a lovely book in a scaled down coffee table format. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - British    5. Royalty    6. Biography & Autobiography / Royalty    7. Biography: historical    8. Biography: royalty    9. British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900    10. British Isles   

Reviews (3)

For All Royal Genealogy Buffs
If you are wondering where Victoria's descendants are, this is the book for you.It is in two parts.The first part focuses on the families with many pictures from the author's own collection.The second part focuses on the genealogical information.The format is lucid and newcomers should have no trouble following the family lines.I highly recommend this book.It is a great addition to anyone's royal or historical library.

Excellent source for its subject
If all you want is names and dates, then _Burke's Guide to the Royal Family_ is a better, more detailed source. But if you want more juice, the slightly gossipy chapters of this book -- one chapter per family group -- are informative and well-illustrated, and filled with odd tidbits . . . such as the fact that Queen Margarethe of Denmark is an artist who has designed her country's Christmas seals and also illustrated an edition of _The Lord of the Rings._

We are amused
Queen Victoria's Descendants lists every known descendant of the queen as of the date of writing. It's a good starting point for those interested in royal history and a valuable reference work for historians and royalgenealogists, but it's also an eye-opener for those who think Victoria'sdescendants are all rich, idle jet-setters. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Europe    4. Europe - Great Britain - General    5. Family    6. Family relationships    7. Great Britain    8. History    9. Queen of Great Britain,    10. Queens    11. Royal houses    12. Victoria,    13. Biography: general    14. British & Irish history    15. Family history    16. Genealogy    17. Rank & titles    18. United Kingdom, Great Britain    19. Victoria   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. General    3. History: World    4. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    5. Biography: historical    6. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

A Fabulous Book!!!!
This is a wonderful book which is compiled of letters and journal entries written by Queen Victoria. I have read other books about Queen Victoria and find her life to be very interesting. I thought that this book might be difficult to follow because of the format.Christopher Hibbert does a wonderful job with this book making it very easy to follow because of the bits of information he puts into it as the book goes on.The introduction is also very informative.I have trouble putting the book down and highly recommend it!!!!!

If you want to know Queen Victoria, read this book!
"If you could have dinner with any figure in history, who would it be?"My answer to this question would definately be Queen Victoria.This is especially true after having read this book.Even though Princess Beatrice "edited" Her Majesty's journal, it is still worth the read.These letters and excerpts from the Queen's journal are full of interesting facts, tender moments, and, of course, fiery quotes.I didn't want to put this book down!Even though I now have finished it, I still like to pick up the book and read little sections.I highly recommend this book for those who really want to get to know the real Queen Victoria.My only wish is that the editor had left the Queen's numerous underlines in tact.He says it was too expensive for the printing (which I can understand), but it really adds a lot. If readers are interested in that, they can find it in quotes in other works.This book is a must have! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Europe - Great Britain - General    5. Historical - British    6. Royalty    7. Women    8. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

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. Read more

Reviews (43)

A good book!
If you are just starting to study Queen Victoria or royal history in general, this is a good book to read. However, I recomended that you read a biography of Queen Victoria before you read this book in order to understand the influence that the Queen had on her daughters as well as her sons.
Delectable!
This delightful biography of Queen Victoria's daughters was delicious to read for all the love stories, politics and scandals but also for the information about the queen's younger daughters about whom I knew little or nothing. What a fascinating family about whom there is always more to discover! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys British history and stories about princesses.

Brilliant!
Mr. Packard brilliantly recreates the life and times of Queen Victoria reign and the lives of her daughters. Wonderfully written...if you are a fan of English history, this one is not to be missed! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. 19th century    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Europe - Great Britain - General    6. Family    7. Great Britain    8. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    9. Historical - British    10. History    11. Marriages of royalty and nobil    12. Marriages of royalty and nobility    13. Mothers and daughters    14. Queen of Great Britain,    15. Royalty    16. Victoria,    17. Women    18. Women - 19th Century History    19. Alice    20. Beatrice    21. Biography: royalty    22. Helena Augusta Victoria    23. History / Great Britain    24. Louise    25. United Kingdom, Great Britain    26. Victoria   

Reviews (10)

Unsatisfactory
This is a very brief and often inaccurate portrayal of Queen Victoria and the 19th century, during a time when everything that people knew and accepted was changing. For a more accurate biography about Queen Victoria, I suggest "Victoria Victorious" by Jean Plaidy. Much better.

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 theexpressions used in the book to be a little odd, almost as if the writerwas trying to write in style that she thinks is "real"English.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Europe - Great Britain - General    6. Great Britain    7. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    8. Historical - British    9. History    10. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.    11. Queen of Great Britain,    12. Queens    13. Royalty    14. Victoria,    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. Victoria   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. General    4. Historical - General    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    7. Literary Collections / General   

Subjects:  1. 1819-1901    2. Arnold, Frieda    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Correspondence    5. Court and courtiers    6. Friends and associates    7. Great Britain    8. Great Britain - History - 19th Century    9. Queen of Great Britain,    10. Victoria,    11. Biography: general    12. Biography: royalty    13. United Kingdom, Great Britain    14. Victoria    15. c 1800 to c 1900