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The Prince of Mirrors

Alan Robert Clark

3.90 · Rating details · 101 ratings · 43 reviews

Two men with expectations. One predicted to succeed, the other to fail...

Prince Albert Victor, heir presumptive to the British throne, is seen as disastrously inadequate to be king. The grandson of Queen Victoria, he is good-hearted but intensely shy and, some whisper, even slow-witted.

By contrast, Jem Stephen is a renowned intellectual, a poet and a golden boy worshipped ...more

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Hardcover, 336 pages

Published June 7th 2018 by Fairlight Books

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· 101 ratings · 43 reviews

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Apr 03, 2018 The Girl Murdered by Her TBR rated it did not like it

Shelves: historical-fiction, ebooks, glbt, arcs-of-mine

1.5 star

ARC generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review .

ARC # 1

‘There are many worlds, Eddy,’ he says. ‘Not just the geographical one you’ve already seen. But worlds we can visit inside ourselves. They are lying at your feet, waiting for us to enter them. Will you come and explore them with me?”

This book is just wasn’t for me. I tried my very best. I did.

I struggled a lot with this book. I pushed myself to read it because I’m waiting for some ...more

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Mar 29, 2018 TS rated it it was ok

Shelves: lgbtqia, mental-illness-rep, 2-stars, arc

ARC generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How do you even go about writing a review when you haven’t reviewed a book for months?

To be honest, I finished this ARC about 3 days ago and I’m still unsure on what to say about it. The only reason this review is coming out right now is because the book will be released tomorrow so hopefully my jumbled up thoughts will make sense, or at the very least, forcing me to write this review will help me make sense ...more

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Mar 26, 2018 - ̗̀ DANY ̖́- (danyreads) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbt, arc, 2018-reads

. : ☾⋆ — 5 ★

arc provided from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you fairlight books!!)

ohhhhh my heart!! what a lovely, lovely book.

part fact, part fiction, The Prince of Mirrors follows the story of prince eddy, better known as prince albert victor, and his tutor jem stephen. their story, though heartbreakingly tragic, is also astonishingly beautiful and so full of life that it hardly seems possible that both historical figures have almost been forgotten with t . : ☾⋆ — 5 ★

arc provided from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you fairlight books!!)

ohhhhh my heart!! what a lovely, lovely book.

part fact, part fiction, The Prince of Mirrors follows the story of prince eddy, better known as prince albert victor, and his tutor jem stephen. their story, though heartbreakingly tragic, is also astonishingly beautiful and so full of life that it hardly seems possible that both historical figures have almost been forgotten with the passage of time. i’m no kirkus reviewer, but if i may say so, Alan Robert Clark manages to bring life to this book in a masterful way, his writing style leaps off the pages and into your heart gracefully so. i’m surprised and slightly offended that i’ve never heard of him before.

speaking of Alan Robert Clark’s writing style—jesus, can this man write. it’s rare to read such natural and organic interactions that feel so inherently realistic. it almost hurts, honestly. i wasn’t lying or vaguely exaggerating with the “leaps of the pages and into your heart” part, either. this book feels like picking up a piece, a string, of any of these characters’ lives. if the pensieve from harry potter were real and the british royal family ~through the ages~ had poured their memories into little flasks to be used for later date, this book would be it.

the pacing is slow but understandably so. i personally didn’t find it tedious or boring to read, but maybe that’s just me.

as far as diversity goes, i think The Prince of Mirrors did a good job. there’s obviously the lgbt aspect, but i’d like to point out that, while jem identifies strongly as gay, eddy is very clearly and very explicitly bisexual. bisexuality in this book is depicted in a very positive light as far as representation goes (obviously during the time this book takes place it wasn’t particularly a ‘good’ thing to be even remotely attracted to the same gender) and what i mean by it being depicted positively is that it shines on a very healthy part of it that we rarely see in other books, the stereotype being “oh this character is bisexual! they’re very promiscuous and immoral and sleep around a lot” which is, you know, wrong. anyway, eddy’s bisexuality is very important to his character and to his development and it really made him pop in my eyes. speaking of a different aspect of diversity, (which is also rarely seen in books these days unless you’re actively searching for it), is the fact that jem is plus size. also depicted in a very healthy way and was also intrinsic to jem’s character and development.

i don’t want to give too much away since it’s gonna be a long time still before this book is published but all in all, this story was engaging and beautifully told. all the issues that Alan Robert Clark wanted to address, he did so perfectly. love, love, love all around. ...more

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Mar 24, 2018 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: historic-fiction-1800s

Find this and other reviews at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...

I picked up Alan Robert Clark’s The Prince of Mirrors as a palate cleanser between Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House by Peter Baker and Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith. The novel is a far cry from the heavy political dialogues that characterize my Presidential Reading Challenge and I gave the premise no more than a superficial glance before jumping into the story. This wasn’t a book I expected Find this and other reviews at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...

I picked up Alan Robert Clark’s The Prince of Mirrors as a palate cleanser between Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House by Peter Baker and Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith. The novel is a far cry from the heavy political dialogues that characterize my Presidential Reading Challenge and I gave the premise no more than a superficial glance before jumping into the story. This wasn’t a book I expected to get swept up in, but that is exactly what happened.

Rumor and speculation tie Eddy to both the Cleveland Street scandal and the infamous Whitechapel murders, but unlike Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, Clark downplays the sensational and crafts a penetrating fictional portrait of a man struggling to come into his own. At its heart, The Prince of Mirrors is a story of identity, the burden of expectation, and the challenges of living by stringent standards of duty, faith, and traditional morality.

Eddy’s journey of self-discovery is prompted in many ways by his tutor, James Kenneth Stephen. I don’t want to give too much away, but I loved how Clark framed this story. Trends in historic fiction don’t lend themselves to male-driven narratives and I adored indulging in social rhythms and perspectives that are so often ignored and disregarded by mainstream publishers.

I was equally enthralled by Clark’s fearless portrayal of bi-polar disorder. When people talk about diversity in historical fiction, the question usually centers on race, but the term is just as applicable to sexuality, gender, age, religion, nationality, and representation of disabilities and disorders. Kate Quinn featured a heroine with a stutter in The Alice Network, Marie Benedict’s lead has a club foot in The Other Einstein, and Karen Harper tackled epilepsy in The Royal Nanny, but such depictions are more exception than norm. I don’t mean to get on a soapbox here, but we need more fiction like this; more stories by authors who are not afraid of tearing down barriers and erasing social stigma through the creativity of their pens and keyboards.

Clark’s characterizations of Princess Hélène of Orléans, Queen Victoria, Edward VII, Alexandra of Denmark, and George V are worth mentioning, as is his command of language and prose. The novel is slow in terms of pacing, but I found it thematically thought-provoking and brilliantly imagined. Highly recommended.

The following does not factor in my review, but I feel it worth noting for readers who are sensitive to particular content: The Prince of Mirrors includes descriptions of same-sex intimacy. ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Fatma marked it as dnfs

Shelves: lgbtqia, arcs-e-review-copies, historical-fiction

Thank you to Fairlight Books for sending me an e-ARC of this via NetGalley!

This really wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't personally for me.

The Prince of Mirrors follows Prince Albert Victor ("Eddy") as he navigates his life as part of British royalty in the late 1800s. At its heart, the story is about Eddy exploring his identity and figuring out how he wants to fit into this life that he's been thrown into.

I'd recommend this book if you like:
☑ historical fiction
☑ stories about royalty
☑ diversi ...more

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Apr 18, 2018 Gillian rated it it was ok

Reviewed for Just Love

2 stars

The first thing you need to know about his book is that it is NOT a romance.

Had I realized it wasn’t a romance, I would have gone into it with a different frame of mind. In fact, had I known it was based on real life events, I would have Googled the story beforehand. At least then I would have been prepared for how the story ends.

The Prince of Mirrors blends fact and fiction to tell the story of Prince Albert Victor (Eddy) grandson to Queen Victoria and heir to the t ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 Ashwini Abhyankar rated it it was amazing

First, thank you NetGalley for providing me with such a wonderful book. This is my honest review of the book.

From the moment I read the setting of the book and the summary, I knew I was going to like it. For some reason, I have never thought of Prince Eddy when it comes to history but for once, I thought of him and even though this is a historical fiction, I think, in a way, I got to know him. While reading this, I was transported to that time when everything was different.

The relationship bet ...more

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Feb 15, 2018 Yves Donlon rated it it was amazing

*I received an ARC of this book for review, but my opinions are entirely my own*

Captivating. Enthralling. Utterly engaging. These are the first words to flit across my mind upon finishing this book. It is beautifully written and flows with complete grace from chapter to chapter. Each character seems to leap off the page, not simply a lifeless imitation of a historical figure but a real flesh-and-blood person who you bond with over the course of the novel. It is the first novel in a long time tha ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Annette rated it liked it

The story of Prince Albert Victor ‘Eddy’ is about Eddy discovering himself and fitting into the world that was bestow upon him.

The story starts with Eddy at the age of 8 in 1872 Windsor. As a child he misses his father dearly sometimes gone for months at a time. As Eddy grows and matures, he observes his parent’s as they observe him. They are not sure what to think of Eddy as he is the first in line for throne. They send him on a three year sailing trip around the world in hopes it will solve th ...more

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Nov 18, 2019 Victoria (Eve's Alexandria) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, bought-2019, lgbt

An utterly unexpected thing of beauty and light, the story of Prince Victor Albert, known as ‘Eddy’, the grandson of Queen Victoria, and his great friend and tutor, Jem Stephen. A slice of queer history as brilliantly written as it is tragic. It’s quiet, and focused entirely on character rather than incident, but so tender and precise about the relationships between the royal family. It broke my heart into tiny pieces, and I hate to be sad because of books right now, but I have no regrets. Thank ...more

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Feb 15, 2018 Dora Okeyo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

I could not put this book down yesterday. Set in the 1860s to 1890s, it tells the story of Prince Albert Victor, the would be Uncle of Queen Elizabeth II.
Albert is known as Eddy and he is the heir while his younger brother Georgie is what you'd could the spare, but everyone sees Eddy as weak, naive, and undecided- and his ability to reign is unknown to everyone including his parents. They send him to university at some point.
It's at the university that he meets Jem, his new tutor, but it’s at ...more

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Apr 11, 2018 Abi Walton rated it really liked it

Shelves: revisionary-fiction, lgbt, history, a-good-book

ARC generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a stunning gem of a book The Prince of Mirrors is. Part fact, part fiction, as Clark explains at the end of this novel, The Prince Of Mirrors explores the tragically short life of Queen Victoria's grandson Prince Albert Victor, or Eddy, and his relationship with Jem Stephen (Virginia Woolf's much older cousin).

This is a quietly powerful novel that is heartbreakingly tragic and beautifully written even i ...more

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Apr 29, 2018 CoffeeandInk rated it it was amazing

This is a brilliantly written historical extrapolation of the rather mysterious and yet notorious Prince Albert Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria, second in line to the throne. Clark dives deeply into the episodes that appear to define the prince’s life—the poor student, the dullard, the naval cadet, the good brother, the voluptuary. The prince was also named in the Cleveland Street Scandal, a male brothel, and suspected of being Jack the Ripper (“The Final Solution” by Stephen Knight).

At the h ...more

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May 14, 2018 Alexis rated it really liked it

This was a really interesting look at a person history has mostly forgotten, or labelled as a serial killer for fun. Even if the historical Albert wasn't actually interested in men, this would still be an interesting read, simply because there is too little written about him. He may have been romantically linked to men; I've watched some documentaries that state he was and others that say he wasn't, but he is an interesting subject all the same. The relationship between him and his brother was f ...more

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Apr 25, 2018 Hridi rated it really liked it

The Prince of Mirrors by Alan Robert Clark is a beautifully written novel. Reading this story reminded me of Maurice and Call Me By Your Name. The Prince of Mirrors is a completely different story with vastly different characters. The little moments like falling in love and spending seemingly ordinary days that would forever remain in the heart were just so sweet and heartwarming. The story of Eddy and Jem was so heartbreaking. My heart sunk when I finished the novel. Still, I enjoyed reading th ...more

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May 20, 2018 Victoria Ellis rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, advance-reader-copies, 2018

I was very kindly sent an eARC of this book by the publishers, via NetGalley, but all opinions are, as always, my own. This LGBTQ+ historical fiction novel tells the story of Prince Eddy, eldest grandchild of Queen Victoria, focusing primary on his late teens, early twenties, and his Cambridge tutor Jem Stephens. I had no idea who either of these men were before I started so Clark really had a blank canvas and I enjoyed the book I wasn't as in love with these characters as I could have been. I a ...more

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Mar 23, 2018 ABCme rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, netgalley

Thank you Netgalley and Fairlight Books for the ARC.

This is the story of Eddy, the bland future king of England and his tutor Jem, a scolar with a zest for life, and their transformation from young boys into responsible adults. Will they end up where they're supposted to be?
A heartbreakingly beautiful read, written at a pleasant pace with indepth characters and prosaic observations throughout. Must read! ...more

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May 16, 2018 Barbara Rohde rated it really liked it

A thoroughly engaging read concerning Prince Eddy and his relationship with his Cambridge tutor, Jem Stephen. It explores the constraints of the monarchy with the morals of the day. A clever blend of fact and fiction, this had me captivated from the opening page. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction.

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Jul 02, 2020 Helen Carolan rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. The story of prince Eddy, his difficult relationship with his father, his love for his mother and his easier relationship with his grandmother queen Victoria. It also looks at his sexual preferences and his love affair with his tutor Jem Stephens. excellent read.

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Apr 16, 2018 Eric rated it really liked it

This book is very good and falls just short of being excellent. It tells the interleaved stories of Prince Albert Victor and his Cambridge tutor and friend, James Kenneth Stephen.They were known to family and friends as “Eddy” and “Jem”.

Both men were troubled and their lives blighted, not least by family expectations. In this novel, a beguiling blend of imagination and fact, they are bound together in a love which finds no physical sexual expression.The Prince was possibly bisexual and Stephen p This book is very good and falls just short of being excellent. It tells the interleaved stories of Prince Albert Victor and his Cambridge tutor and friend, James Kenneth Stephen.They were known to family and friends as “Eddy” and “Jem”.

Both men were troubled and their lives blighted, not least by family expectations. In this novel, a beguiling blend of imagination and fact, they are bound together in a love which finds no physical sexual expression.The Prince was possibly bisexual and Stephen probably homosexual. Eddy had learning difficulties and Jem bipolar disorder. The Prince died of pneumonia aged 28. Stephen, by then committed to St Andrew’s Hospital for Mental Diseases, stopped eating on hearing the news of Eddy’s death, and died, twenty days later, aged 32.

Their story is told in a series of episodes exploring their internal thoughts and external experiences. There are few invented characters and lots of interesting historical ones outwith both immediate families. These include Monty James (the writer and academic, M.R.James), John Neale Dalton (Eddy’s tutor and father of his godson, the future Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, Hugh Dalton) and Harry Goodhart (who played in four F.A. Cup finals before becoming Professor of Humanity at the University of Edinburgh).

Of the royal characters portrayed, Queen Victoria and May of Teck, the future Queen Mary, both appeared in in a new light and gained added dimension.

Incidentally, one may ponder about how things might have gone if Edward Carpenter, Queen Victoria’s first choice to tutor the young Eddy and his brother, had accepted the job. Carpenter, a lifelong friend of Dalton, was an early advocate of homosexual rights.

There is some fine writing here and a lot of fascinating detail. The historical content is enriched, but not overshadowed, by the author’s imagination and speculation.

I think the problem for me lies in the structure rather than the content. The book felt unduly fragmented and was sometimes repetitive. It might have worked better if the structure had been similar to that of Alan Hollinghurst’s latest,“The Sparsholt Affair”, in which the narrative has discrete but related chronological sections.

I recommend this highly.It is one of the most involving and well-written historical novels I have read recently. It deals sensibly with sensitive issues and, happily, the author avoids the well-trodden and spurious paths of the Cleveland Street Scandal and Jack the Ripper.

4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for the digital ARC. ...more

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May 28, 2018 Kathy rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical, main-lgbtq, summer-2018, mental-health-issues, victorian, disappointment

This ended up being very different from what I'd expected. From the blurb and the cover, I'd been expecting a character-driven romp through Victorian England. What I got was more of a series of vignettes. The timeline jumps quickly from one to the next and it was hard for be to get attached to the characters or the setting. And the relationship between Jem and the Prince, which was supposed to be at the heart of the story, felt flat and undeveloped.

It does however explore themes of LGBTQ and me ...more

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Jun 17, 2018 Erin rated it liked it

Shelves: royalty, historical, lgbtq, 2018, 3-stars, netgalley

(Yes I'm posting this review over two years after the book was published. Shut up, I forgot.)

Tiny bit spoilery, but also this is history, so not really, and this was published two years ago.

You can give me any historical novel about an obscure member of any royal family and I will immediately want to read it, which is how I got my hands on this one. There is nothing more intriguing than the lives of those who disappear from history well before their time is up - especially those who were suppose (Yes I'm posting this review over two years after the book was published. Shut up, I forgot.)

Tiny bit spoilery, but also this is history, so not really, and this was published two years ago.

You can give me any historical novel about an obscure member of any royal family and I will immediately want to read it, which is how I got my hands on this one. There is nothing more intriguing than the lives of those who disappear from history well before their time is up - especially those who were supposed to go onto great things, such as we see here. It's no surprise that Eddy dies at the end of it - it's historical fact, after all. Frankly, I think you would be doing yourself a bit of a disservice if you didn't know that before hand. If you didn't, this book ends rather abruptly and you'll be left offended and unfulfilled.

However, I did know that, so it gave me a bit of an insight and I could see foreshadowing where those who didn't would not. Before reading this I took a quick peek at Prince Albert Victor's Wikipedia page, which was largely very helpful. Because, if you hadn't noticed, there is no mention of the prince being anything other than heterosexual in the book summary. Thus, you would likely be a very shocked reader when all of a sudden he's in a quite intimate position with another man - and there are many of those scenes, that pop up often with very little warning at all.

The first thing I noticed was that this book is split into two different perspectives - that of Prince Albert Victor, known as Eddy, and that of Jem Stephen, his tutor. Because it takes place over several years and across many different locations in the UK, you get a nice little timestamp to go with each new chapter. However, I wish that there was also a little subtitle that stated who's chapter we were about to read - sometimes it took nearly half a page before I realised I was imagining the wrong character. Especially since some of the secondary characters intermingled between the two.

The writing is okay. Nothing special when it comes to historical novels, however. The dialogue seemed a bit too modern compared to the prose. It did make the life of a royal sound terribly dull - which I imagine at some points it is, but I have nearly always found royal life interesting, so if I say it sounded boring...well, it probably is. The characters themselves were okay. Jem seemed a bit full of himself at first which made it hard to like him. As for Eddy, I found that it was also difficult to get to know him as a person as the character exploration is really only skin deep. There isn't much plot line though, to be quite honest. Just an awful lot of intimate sex scenes which made me wonder if the author had done any research on what makes a good sex scene at all. Some of it was truly cringeworthy. It was interesting to see the relationship between the two characters though. There is never any confirmation that they have an attraction to each other, and all of a sudden Eddy is doing his best to make Jem jealous of the other men that float through his life. An interesting thing to note though is that even though Jem is Eddy's tutor, there isn't really any mention of their relationship outside of their attraction to each other. It's almost as if instead of showing the progression of their relationship, from all angles (not just the sexual fantasy ones), we only get to see the parts where they are lusting after one another.

Which comes to my next observation. This isn't really a historical novel, or at least a historical novel that you would expect it to be. The plot line of the story isn't about Eddy and his relationship with his father, the queen, the kingdom, or his path to the throne. It could really be any old decade, or any old century. It is much more about the romance of the intimate relationship between these two men rather than their place in history. It's almost like it's coincidental that Eddy is the heir presumptive of the throne. It's because of this that I'm doing my best not to critique it quite so much as a historical story, because ultimately it is not. Also, it is way too smutty to even focus on any other aspect.

I do feel for both of these characters though. Not only because they are both non-straight men in a world that isn't even close to accepting it, but also because they can't have a happy ending - and they know it. They don't even attempt to want it because they know it isn't even in the realm of possibility. Jem is well aware that his position and relationship to Eddy makes anything more than friendship impossible. Eddy knows that he is expected to ascend the throne one day, which means that he must marry and produce an heir, and soon, to avoid suspicion. They don't even try to be together, which is heartbreaking on its own. Eddy spends his time doing his very best to find a girl that he doesn't hate. He must settle for what he does not want, but willingly gives in anyway, because it's his duty to the crown. However, when it comes to May - the future Queen Mary - I do think that eventually, he would have come around to loving her. It's a bit clear early on that Eddy isn't so much homosexual as he is bisexual - or even pansexual, I would argue. Still, his heart lies with Jem and he can't have him. Jem's story is almost sadder - he gets sent to an asylum and it doesn't appear that he will live a happy life at all. In this particular book, he is portrayed as the sad gay man who must simply be satisfied with what he has, and will never have what will truly make him happy. He actually ends up dying within three weeks of Eddy's death because of his broken heart. I do think they were meant for each other, but society simply couldn't let them be.

I did start this book a little disappointed because it wasn't what I hoped it would be. But once I did start to clue in, my ideas changed about how I expected it to portray the story. In some parts, it is clear the author isn't exactly aiming for accuracy, but illustration in the actions of his characters. If you are looking for a great historical novel, I would suggest looking elsewhere. But if you are looking for a forbidden love that can never come to fruition, and the story of two men who are forced to go down separate paths of life, then I would suggest this. Because it doesn't matter what century this story lives in - at the end of the day, it's not about the line of accession or their untimely deaths - it's about two parallel lines that fate has forced apart.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 17, 2018 Jule rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, lgbt, historical-before-1900

There is a curious figure in the British monarchs' family tree: grandson of Queen Victoria and uncle to King George VI (whom you might know from "The Kings Speech"), himself father to Queen Elizabeth II: Prince Albert Victor, called "Eddy" - raised as the heir, but dead before he would ever sit on the throne. There are some major controversies surrounding his figure, the wildest of which is the idea that he could have been Jack the Ripper. This book, however, takes a look at a less scandalous (f There is a curious figure in the British monarchs' family tree: grandson of Queen Victoria and uncle to King George VI (whom you might know from "The Kings Speech"), himself father to Queen Elizabeth II: Prince Albert Victor, called "Eddy" - raised as the heir, but dead before he would ever sit on the throne. There are some major controversies surrounding his figure, the wildest of which is the idea that he could have been Jack the Ripper. This book, however, takes a look at a less scandalous (for today's minds) and more believable side of him - his (presumed) homosexuality.

The novel is sold as a romance story, but that fell short for me. His mentor and love interest is James "Jem" Kenneth Stephen, another real historical figure (who, by the way, was Virginia Woolf's cousin). But I will get to the two of them in a bit. At first, the good points of the novel: I liked the fact that Eddy was not heroic or particularly smart, and did not even want to become king. That was unexpected. I also liked the talk about the politics and complications of dating the heir to the throne of the British Empire. And Jem's mental health was also an important part of the novel.

But that is where my problems with it started: nothing is ever spelled out. I guessed anxiety, and it took until the afterword for the author to make explicit that he is actually bipolar. Same with many other things: it is not even made clear in the beginning why Eddy is so important. One could just as easily believe he is to inherit a large family business or maybe a small dukedom. It takes forever for the book to outwardly explain that he is to become THE king. So many things are just implied, and I don't even want to know how much I missed because of that. Which brings me to the love story. Yes, they write letters to each other which are pretty saucy considering the time, and Eddy being a prince, and homosexuality being illegal and all that. But other than that? Both sleep with other men, so that is not a problem. And the one sex scene between them is first of all really vague and does not go into detail, and secondly, it could just be a fever dream (or otherwise be real, but denied the entire time). In any case: I did not buy the romance between them, which was pretty disappointing for a book sold as a romance. I expected something a little different. But with that out of the way, it is still a great book!

~ I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions expressed above are my own. ...more

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Jul 02, 2018 Madame rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-books-that-has-my-heart

"You'll be alright now?"

"I'll be alright."

My heart and soul has been crushed. What have you done to me, dear Author?

Such gift with words, a few lines, and a few scenes are enough to make your heart bleed. Part fiction and part fact, Prince of Mirrors paints an intimate portrait of the Prince life and all he went through, everyone he met and how it changed his life and perspective. All the relationships he had and their impact. A tale of shouldering heavy expectations, finding self-identity and living under the crushing rules of society.

I absolutely love that the author decided to chronicle the Prince's life and not specifically write about the scandals and speculations. He made the Prince not THE prince but a human, a man, a soul living a difficult life. He told a story you cannot forget once you close the book, you can't let it go and as if you come across the mention of Prince Albert ever again, you will remember this human and you will empathize and you will feel like you have been there all that time. I have never before much heard about Prince Albert and now he's made into a man I can't forget. Kudos to Mr. Clark for doing a marvelous job of depicting mental illness and LBGTQ+ representation.

All the characters had so much life in them from his brother, father, Jem, May, Helene, his mother, Dalton etc. Every time they interacted, you don't even feel like this can hit but it does - it hits you hard. It will make you smile. It will you cry too. Oh, how it will make you cry.

Especially the relationship shared between the Golden boy, Jem Stephen and his student the Prince, Eddy. They have such a great love, they don't even kiss yet what they share is so much more meaningful. This relationship breaks your heart to pieces and then unexpectedly starts to glue them only to tear it to pieces again. Oh, how they have made me cry. Their relationship was one of the best parts of the book.

I wish more people had read it and given it a chance. Such a good book and so beautifully written. I'll never be able to capture in words the kind of journey this book takes you on.

P.S Many thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher to allow me access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 23, 2018 Jaffareadstoo rated it really liked it

Prince Albert Victor, known as Eddy, is the grandson of Queen Victoria, and the heir presumptive to the British throne. Eddy is a quiet and sensitive soul, often overshadowed by his more rambunctious younger brother, George, and completely at odds with his philandering father, Bertie. Never quite sure of his place in the world but with the weight of future responsibility lying heavily on his young shoulders Eddy finds the strength of purpose he needs in his relationship with the man appointed as
Prince Albert Victor, known as Eddy, is the grandson of Queen Victoria, and the heir presumptive to the British throne. Eddy is a quiet and sensitive soul, often overshadowed by his more rambunctious younger brother, George, and completely at odds with his philandering father, Bertie. Never quite sure of his place in the world but with the weight of future responsibility lying heavily on his young shoulders Eddy finds the strength of purpose he needs in his relationship with the man appointed as his tutor at Eton. The charismatic, Jem Stephens, is everything that Eddy strives, and wants to be, and yet, this close relationship is also filled with a powerful sense of destiny.

Moving between locations in London and Norfolk, the world of the nineteenth century aristocrat is brought sharply into focus. As a young man, Eddy moves, almost aimlessly, amongst society, and as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, so society eventually starts to dictate how Eddy should behave. His entrée into the clandestine world of Victorian homosexuality is explored in some detail where it is debatable whether any of the, sometimes sordid, relationships he embarked upon brought him any degree of happiness.

The Prince of Mirrors is an interesting combination of weaving together a fictional tale alongside what is known in history. Of course, there is speculation about Prince Albert Victor, as some of the more lurid gossip of the time tried, and it must be said, failed to pin the Whitechapel murders, more associated with Jack the Ripper, on Prince Eddy. That the Prince moved in the secretive world of homosexual London is also the subject of conjecture, however, his close association with Jem Stephens is certainly based on factual evidence.

The author succeeds in bringing into focus the vagaries of Victorian morals whilst at the same time bringing this rather forlorn Prince to life and although there were times when I felt that the story appeared a little disjointed in places, overall this didn’t detract from my enjoyment in reading, and learning more about, Prince Albert Victor, The Prince of Mirror ...more

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Jun 12, 2018 Rupa Suresh rated it it was amazing

Having read some of the previous reviews before reading, I was concerned I wouldn't particularly enjoy this book, but found it to be a touching exploration of the protagonist, Prince Albert Victor (Prince Eddy), and his battle to reconcile who he is and who he must become.

Clark deals with themes of LGBT, mental health and self-discovery with depth and understanding, along with a great sensitivity I felt throughout his book. This is not a book I would recommend for all, but it was an interesting ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Elizabeth Hopkinson rated it it was amazing

A shadowy, half-forgotten figure from history steps out of the mirror and into real life in this sensitive and well-researched novel about Prince Albert Victor aka “Eddy”, Queen Victoria’s grandson and the man who would have been king instead of George V.

Can’t help wondering if there are any connections between Eddy’s life and Oscar Wilde’s creations, Dorian Gray and the Happy Prince.

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Jun 30, 2018 Nessa rated it really liked it

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully and sensitively written novel. A real gem. Thoroughly recommended for all who love reading authors who make you feel you really understand the inner life of the characters and not just what happens to them.

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Apr 16, 2018 Victoria Catherine rated it it was ok

ARC generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review .

Oh this book had so much potential!

I really hate giving less than positive feedback, and I don’t intend to really go negative on this book because of course, I’m aware of how subjective reading tastes are. But my goodness this was not for me.

It was really really boring. The problem with saying that is that ‘boring’ is such an individual assessment. I really thought this book would check all my boxes, its a h ...more

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Sep 06, 2019 Stephen Gourlay rated it really liked it

This is an absolute gem.

A lost and mysterious part of British history.
did they/didn't they/should they/shouldn't they.
A story of love, lust, romance, Victorian restraint, British royalty weirdness, family ties and duty, sexuality and mental illness all brought together beautifully in an engaging and flowingly descriptive manner.
Despite knowing how this ended, I was still rooting for them.
This was man/man but could easily have been man/woman or woman/woman.
As a purely fiction reader, I continuall ...more

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About Alan Robert Clark

Alan Robert Clark

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Alan Robert Clark is a freelance writer and the author of Fairlight Books’ upcoming historical novel The Prince of Mirrors.

Born in Scotland, Alan attended Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire before joining King’s College in London. However, due to a protracted illness, he had to abandon the degree and go into advertising, working as a copywriter and creative director. Throughout his career Alan has ...more