“Victoria is an absolutely captivating novel of youth, love, and the often painful transition from immaturity to adulthood. Daisy Goodwin breathes new life into Victoria’s story, and does so with sensitivity, verve, and wit.” – AMANDA FOREMANDrawing on Queen Victoria’s diaries, which she first started reading when she was a student at Cambridge University, Daisy Goodwin-creator and writer of the … University, Daisy Goodwin-creator and writer of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria and author of the bestselling novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter-brings the young nineteenth-century monarch, who would go on to reign for 63 years, richly to life in this magnificent novel.
Early one morning, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria is roused from bed with the news that her uncle William IV has died and she is now Queen of England. The men who run the country have doubts about whether this sheltered young woman, who stands less than five feet tall, can rule the greatest nation in the world.
Despite her age, however, the young queen is no puppet. She has very definite ideas about the kind of queen she wants to be, and the first thing is to choose her name.
“I do not like the name Alexandrina,” she proclaims. “From now on I wish to be known only by my second name, Victoria.”
Next, people say she must choose a husband. Everyone keeps telling her she’s destined to marry her first cousin, Prince Albert, but Victoria found him dull and priggish when they met three years ago. She is quite happy being queen with the help of her prime minister, Lord Melbourne, who may be old enough to be her father but is the first person to take her seriously.
On June 19th, 1837, she was a teenager. On June 20th, 1837, she was a queen. Daisy Goodwin’s impeccably researched and vividly imagined new book brings readers Queen Victoria as they have never seen her before.
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i wasn’t sure I would like this book when given to me. But feel in love with it after first chapter. I was not so familiar with Victoria’s story but now I want to read even more about her.
Highly recommend.
I am a huge fan of historical romance but I have never read anything regarding any of the British Royal Family until now. This is the story of Queen Victoria from the days before her ascent to the throne in 1835 through approximately the late 1830s when she is reunited with her cousin Albert when they are both adults. Author Daisy Goodwin writes a fairly accurate portrayal of Victoria’s life thanks to her research into Victoria’s personal diaries.
Raised in almost total seclusion and away from society, she is handled by her mother and her mother’s “comptroller”. She has no friends but for those people who are allowed to spend time with her. So when she turns 18 and her uncle the King dies, she takes control of her own life and picks the experienced Lord Melbourne to instruct her on running the country.
While she is learning to get along in British society those in government work hard to try to marry her off to an appropriate partner to keep her under control and at the same time try to take over the throne from Victoria. In the end, history shows what happened. Because I was not familiar with this particular piece of history I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
Ms. Goodwin writes well and Victoria drew me in. I had a difficult time putting the book down. While I read it in 5 days in the middle of work, school, and life, this book could easily be read in a day or two. It was a great escape from the world and bring memories of being a child and longing to be a princess.