This is another one of those books that arrived at the office and somehow ended up on my nightstand, vaulting past other, more difficult, reads. It's...moreThis is another one of those books that arrived at the office and somehow ended up on my nightstand, vaulting past other, more difficult, reads. It's a lightweight jaunt through the lives of eight royal brides, some of which I found irritating--Marie Antoinette--and many I thought sounded long-suffering--such as Alexandra of Denmark, and Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil.
Like most non-fiction works, I learned a few things. I was mostly interested to read about the challenges of living in Brazil in the early 1800s and Prussia in the mid to late 1800s. Both places sounded, well, kind of miserable. All in all, I liked Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples, the best, mostly because I think Naples is one of the most fascinating contemporary cities I've ever visited and I'm sure that it must have been bewitching in the late 1700s, filled with Neapolitan horses, visitors such as Cassanova, Sarah Goudar, Emma Hart, the Hamiltons, and of course, Italian comic opera. I'd be interested in reading more about Naples during this era. (less)
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