Queen Victoria: Icon Of An Era

by Michael W. Simmons

When we think of Queen Victoria, whose reign eclipsed that of every British king and queen before her, we imagine the Widow of Windsor, reclusive in her palace, draped in permanent mourning for her beloved husband, Albert, the Prince Consort, who died in 1861. But this book takes the reader on a journey that starts before her marriage, before she came to be seen as the static icon of the age that bears her name. From her isolated childhood at Kensington Palace, where her daily life was controlled by a man who plotted to one day seize power through her, Victoria emerged shortly after her 18th birthday as a fully-fledged Queen, a young woman who gloried in her newfound power and freedom. Over the next twenty years, she fell in love—twice, if the rumors are to be believed—bore nine children, and kept a daily diary which recorded her private, inward how to reconcile her role as monarch with her duties as a wife and mother, how to protect her country and her throne in an age of revolution. Ultimately, readers of this book will discover how Queen Victoria redefined the monarchy for her own age—and afterwards.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2017

Reviews

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems to have been written for one audience (people who've seen the miniseries Victoria and/or the movie Young Victoria) and with one purpose (fulfill the interest/make $$ from people who want to know more about young Victoria but don't want to invest a lot of time and money in a long biography). I did not realize going in that this was not going to be a full biography -- Albert doesn't enter until 1/2 way through and it basically ends in 1861 with Albert's death. The final chapter simply swoops through the last, oh, forty-odd years of her life.

I get the point -- yes, there HAS been a lot of interest lately in uncovering the young Victoria as a counterpart to our deeply embedded cultural image of her as an old, dour, fat lady in black. And yes, people have been trying to repaint her as a vibrant, young, lively woman and her life as a fairy tale. And yes, the real story is a lot more complex than that.

There's nothing essentially wrong with the story he tells, as far as it goes, and he does make a few good points. And yes, her life WAS far more complex and she was much more than a beautiful princess. But why not just read a full biography?

There are a few egregious errors here -- the one I remember most is when he mentioned that Bertie (the future Edward VII) was something like 13 when his older sister Vicky was married. Since Bertie was born in 1841 and Vicky in 1840, that would have made her a shockingly young bride, even in those days.

I don't mind authors and speakers who link up with a current cultural fad out of a desire to genuinely deepen the interest of viewers who want to learn more. But given the timing of this book, and the fact that it says nothing about covering only her early life, and the fact that it doesn't say much that's new, I got the unpleasant feeling it was rushed out simply to cash in on current interest.

[Atila Yumusakkaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queen Victoria is the longest-standing person in the English throne after the current queen Elizabeth. Interestingly, in those days the British people were more interested in the sect of the king's or queen's spouse rather than their nationalities. A person from a different sect was not accepted in any way. Therefore, the queen had not much choice for marriage.

What remained in my mind from the book:
- The queen was raised under unnecessary strict discipline.
- She was half German.
- She married to her German cousin.
- She had her first child eight months after marriage which may mean she had been together with her husband before marriage.
-She had nine children.
-Some of her children and grandchildren were married to people from other royal families.
-Christal Palace was built with the efforts of the Quenn's husband Albert. This seemed to be his biggest achievement.

I couldn't get much information about the Great Britain's acquisitions, poitical climate and technological and economic developments in this country during the Victoria era. The author had been mostly focused on the Queen's personal life.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses entirely on the life of the young Queen, before the death of Albert. It's very short and easy-to-read, though it does contain a few typos (that were minor enough to not irritate me). Overall, this is a good, quick introduction to the life of Victoria for those who know absolutely nothing about her, as I did. It won't be interesting at all to those who are already knowledgeable about her reign.

[Gail Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written biography of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

A poignant adaptation of her diaries. Giving the reader a glimpse of life and the conflicts of being a Queen and woman in 1800's England.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to go back to my historical Queen obsession to learn about the Woman and Era that many things I am drawn to seem to be named after or stem from. It was nice to learn instead of just reading my fantasy books.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a lot, but there was little of her later life. Interesting material.

[Marion L. Pinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria the young queen

Loved this book and this subject. Well written and will continue to read this author. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Victoria's story.

[Kim Woodbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and I learned a lot, but it was too short. It basically ended after Albert died and skipped over the last 30 years of her life. So it was good but not quite enough.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

SO. MANY. TYPOS!