Queen Victoria at Home

by Michael De-la-Noy

Alexandrina Victoria may have been an exemplary constitutional monarch in politics and international affairs, but she was equally interested and active in her domestic life, both as a wife and mother and as a ruler over her household. This combination of decorum and dignity with a genuine love of home and family life provides the ultimate key to her character. Michael de-la-Noy, biographer of the Queen Mother and of George IV, has fashioned a revealing and thorough portrait of this other side to her reign, from her youth spent in preparation for succession to her final years as matriarch of a family that extended into all the royal houses of Europe. De-la-Noy's impressionistic, intimate biography focuses on her personal life, her relations with her family and household, and her various residences. Queen Victoria at Home goes behind her civic role of a conscientious and hardworking sovereign to reveal a most devoted wife and the mother of nine children, who treasured domestic privacy over public adulation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History

287 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2002

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should have been named Queen Victoria's Houses since it is a tour of the many castles/estates in which she lived periodically. It really never touches on her home life as indicated by the title but as most readers of Victoriana know, she really didn't have one, especially after Prince Albert died. Some of the history of the various royal residences is interesting but I don't really need to know about the furniture, paintings, and other accoutrements that made up each one. Not what I expected at all.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought. From the description of the book, I thought there would be more information and tidbits regarding Queen Victoria's daily life with her family and her advisors. However, much of the book was detailed historical information relating to each of the palaces at which she resided at various times of the year. When there was information about her daily life, it tended to skip around to various years and was quite confusing.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent peek into the life of Queen Victoria

[Ayne Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adequate, but much better choices are available.

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I read of the book essentially involved descriptions of furniture...

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The description on the book jacket didn't really show just how much of this was going to spent detailing furniture and construction details and not really any info on the actual people.

[Clair Schaler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but boorish, too.