Product Description
This lavishly illustrated book shows the extended Romanov family in formal and informal poses and traces the last days of a dynasty as well as the beginnings of commercial photography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
Although this book is advertised as a photo book, particuarly interesting for me was the information it gives about other, more obscure members of the Romanov family. Most photo's are accompanied by a paragraph discussing the family member involved, and this is especially helpful to me as a fan of woman's history when discussing Romanov Princesses who married into other European royal families. I believe these women, coming from the family they came from, were probably very formidable and interesting individuals in their own right, and I think it's a shame there is so little reading material available about them.

Nice collection of photos.
From the cover of this book I believed that I was purchasing a family album of JUST Tsar Nicholas II's immediate family.Although there is a whole chapter devoted to him and his children, this book is mostly filled with pictures of other Romanovs.The few pictures of Nicholas II and his children have been previously published.

The chapters of the book are as follows:
1. The Last Tsar
2. The Family
3. Marrying into the Family
4. Born Romanov
5. The Training of Princes
6. A Suitable Marriage
7. Family Ties
8. The Family at Work
9. The Family at Play
10. The Passing of the Tsar
11. War and Revolution
12. Full Circle

A Window Back in Time Through the Camera
This is a wonderful Zeepvat book.It is similar in nature to others she has written.Although I enjoyed the book a lot, some of the pictures had been previously published in other books and forums.I would have liked to have seen more pictures that had never been published about their day to day life at Livadia, Tsarskoe Selo and on board the Standart.What i am saying is that maybe more access could be granted to different photo albums than just the usual that are referenced in other books and this one as well.
... Read more

Product Description
Following on from the success of Brief Lives, published in 1997, and Political Lives, Stage and Screen Lives, and Literary Lives, published in 2001, Royal Lives, which will publish alongside three other titles, Musical Lives, Secret Lives, and Military Lives, will be a welcome addition to the series to anyone with an interest in the history of the British royal family. Being born a member of the royal family is not a choice a person can make. It is not a career that can be decided upon and it is not something that can be done in isolation from the outside world. People have always been interested in the lives of the royals, past and present, and how they each have coped with being in the most famous family in Britain.The entries in this collection of mini-biographies should be viewed within the historical context in which they were written. For example, the Victorian editors of the DNB took great care to ensure that what was written about the subjects would adequately reflect the status of the monarchy at that time. This fact in itself says a lot about the era in which these particular entries came from. Viewed as a whole this anthology gives an idea of just how much the role of the monarchy has changed from the days of George III to those of Elizabeth II.The authors of the entries aren't all well known to the outside world, but more importantly they were well known to their subjects and it is this fact that provides for a fascinating and varied read.Entries include: John Grigg on Edward VIII Owen Morshead on George V G. K. S. Hamilton-Edwards on Marina, Duchess of Kent Theo Aronson on Alice Keppel F. E. G. Ponsonby on Francis Knollys Michael Maclagan on Alan Lascelles Kenneth Rose on Lady Patricia Ramsay Sidney Lee on Queen Victoria John Gore on Clive Wigram Philip Ziegler on Wallis Simpson ... Read more

Product Description
A concise and entertaining guide to all aspects of the British monarchy. ... Read more

Product Description
No ruler in modern times reigned in full sovereignty for as long as Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia - and many other lands, too. Titular master of central Europe from 1848 until 1916, he was centre stage throughout the dramatic era in which Italy and Germany emerged as united nation states. His personal decisions were vital both to the outcome of the Crimean War and to the onset of World War I, sixty years later. ... Read more

Product Description
In April of 1992 John L. Van der Heyden registered a trademark for courses, trainings and education at the Benelux Trade Registrar in The Hague with the name Instituto Cervantes and founded the Foundation Cervantes Benelux. Four years later, on the 31st of July he invited the Crown Princes of The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Spain to become the government of the foundation. The next day -- the first of August -- Van der Heyden went to England and lighted a candle at Canterbury Cathedral. From that time it became clear to him that Princess Diana was also interested in his project. How things developed from that time is explained in Letters to Diana, Princess of Wales. The story ends with the fatal kidnapping in Paris, exactly four weeks before Diana and Van der Heyden's proposed wedding day in The Netherlands. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Prussia (Germany); ... Read more

Product Description
Here is a touching and funny memoir of how one mans life became interwoven with the Royal family. While also a reflection on royalty and writing, the gems youll discover along the way are hilarious descriptions of lunching on a scotch egg (and Scotch) with Margaret, bizarrely gracious teas with the Queen Mother, tales of the ageing aunts in Kensington Palace and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Royal Subject is "Revenge"
After hearing Theo Aronson talk about the pending publication of his latest book on a radio show, I hastened to order it.It sounded like it would be a lively insider's account of less-known incidents and anecdotes about the British Royal Family.Instead it turned out to be a thinly-disguised autobiography of Mr. Aronson with very few interesting stories and some very hissy jabs at the Windsor family.Perhaps his other biographies may be more interesting, but this one was very disappointing.

An Affectionate But Realistic View
Theo Aronson is a well known biographer of European royalty past and present.Royal Subjects is a description in diary form of twenty years or so of contacts with British Royals both well known (The Queen Mother, Prince Charles) and almost unknown (Colonel Sir Henry and the Lady May Abel Smith).Aronson clearly enjoyed meeting these people and likes most of them quite a bit, but he is not blind to their character flaws and is on the whole refreshingly unidolatrous. (Not to say he isn't loyal, as he obviously has little truck with republican sentiment)

Royal Subjects will appeal to you even if you are not a royal aficionado because Aronson very humorously describes the day to day sillinesses he puts up, from inane phone calls and letters to being interviewed by people who have obviously not read his books.Most appealingly of all, Aronson never takes himself or his subjects too seriously, even when he has to deal with prostate cancer.He has had a full life which he has enjoyed immensely, and you will enjoy this glimpse of part of it, too.

"A Jewel of a Book" says the Sunday Times of London...
Based on the annotated information in the journals he's kept for years, Theo Aronsono has written a light and interesting book on the English Royals.As he's interviewed many of them for his other books, this is a chronoligical walk through his memories (from 1979 to the present).It's fascinating. I ordered this book after I heard an interview with him on the radio.It arrived yesterday, and I read it in its entirety last night.If you're interested in the Windsors, this is a slice of life from a man who doesn't pull any punches.And yet he still remains a gentleman.I really enjoyed it. ... Read more

Product Description
This rich and compelling volume, translated from the German edition, describes the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II from his birth in 1859 to his accession in 1888. Its aim is to allow the characters on the stage to speak for themselves, in letters and diaries of quite extraordinary clarity and persuasive power.The central theme is the bitter conflict between the handicapped Prince and his liberal parents, especially his mother, Queen Victoria's eldest child "Vicky." ... Read more

Product Description
From the flower power of the sixties we have moved on to the flowers outside Kensington Palace which grew in the week following the death of Diana Princess of Wales. Her death and its aftermath raised crucial questions about the nature of monarchy and the concept of democracy, about how "the people" are defined in modern Britain, about the nature of the constitution, the power of mass authority and the nature of legitimacy and popular consent. Anthony Barnett and Carol Watts describe the connections between that intense moment of collective mourning and the Labour landslide of May 1st, while Heather Nunn compares public representations of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher, and the different ways in which they shaped the feminization of contemporary politics. ... Read more

Product Description
Though many have written about Diana, Princess of Wales, few have known Diana as intimately as Simone Simmons, the woman who became Diana's close personal friend and confidante following her painful and much-publicized separation and divorce. In 1993, Diana sought seclusion, recovery, and refuge. After meeting Simone at the Hale Clinic where she worked as a healer, Diana invited her to Kensington Palace. Their relationship soon blossomed into a precious friendship, as Diana trusted Simone with her most private thoughts, sharing every detail of her life and loves, her hopes and dreams.

This lovingly written book offers a rare glimpse inside the life of the real Diana, revealing casual, contemplative moments, daily routines, and simple pleasures at home; the secret forays she took, often hiding in plain sight in various disguises, to Hampstead Heath and the jazz clubs of Soho; illuminating insight into her sometimes mercurial changes in temperament, stormy friendships, and complex relationship with the press; her deepest feelings about Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, the royal family, and her two cherished sons, Princes William and Harry; the shocking truth about Diana's one true love and how losing him led her into the arms of playboy millionaire Dodi Fayed; and the astonishing stages of Diana's healing and personal growth, as she transformed herself from emotionally defeated victim to confident and self-reliant role model for millions of women around the world.

A beautiful tribute to the remarkable woman behind the image, here is Diana as we have never seen her before--frank and off-guard, in leggings and plain T-shirts, honest and open and completely at ease. Full of penetrating insight, startling new revelations, and sixteen pages of candid color photographs, Diana: The Secret Years brings the People's Princess vividly to life for the people who love her--and who continue to celebrate her enduring memory and lasting legacy.
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Customer Reviews (16)

Fascinating, insightful and under-rated
What an under rated book this is. I've just finished reading it, after Paul Burrell's book in which he speaks so well of Miss Simmons' friendship with Princess Diana. Although I'd heard of the book, but not Ms. Simmons, I took Burrell's mention of her as a recommendation.

I was surprised that some of the so-called "new" revelations in our newspapers and on our TV, were first written about in this book which was published in 1998.

I found this a genuine and very warm account of a close personal friendship between the author and the Princess. I'm just sorry I never read this earlier.

load of bunkum
This is the biggest load of trash I have ever read.A complete fabrication by the author IMO.I'm just glad Diana is not around to read this utter rubbish.

Very Interesting Reading
I own practically every book ever written about Diana, Princess of Wales, but I think this has to be the most interesting account ever written.I loved it - it's very well-written, very insightful into her personality, and contains information I had never known before.It truly does explore "the secret years" of Diana's life in the 1990s.As a healer and close friend of Diana's, Simone Simmons had access to knowledge and personal details of Diana's life.But rather than seeing this account as a betrayal, I see it rather as a healer's insight into a unique personality.Much of what is written here is a healer's psychoanalysis of Diana's mind.I continue to be a great fan of Princess Diana's and am thrilled to have come across this book.You won't be able to put it down!

The Private Diana
I had vowed never to read, much less buy, another book about Diana, but I read the excerpts and decided I wanted to read more.

The author tells us about the problems Diana had in her everyday life in a matter-of-fact way.She is not overly sympathetic, but relates what happened.Unfortunately she was one of the friends/helpers Diana had turned away from by the time of her death and Ms. Simmons describes why.I think if the accident hadn't happened they'd have made up by now.

This book doesn't praise or bash a very sad and mixed-up young woman.I would recommend it to anyone interested in Diana.

From Trash to Tuth
When I first heard about this book I thought what a load of rubbish, but since it has been written, far too many people have come forward and confirmed everything that Ms. Simmons had been the first to write about. Leading world figures and close friends of Diana have spoken out in TV interviews and other books about the Princess, which now gives this book total credibility and shows it to be 100% truthful. All the facts about Diana's private life have been revealed here and it's very sad that so few people appreciated this book when it was first written.

The fact is that this book is the story of a friendship between two women who shared many emotional experiences, helped each other and grew together - despite obvious class differences. The way in which Ms. Simmons remembers Diana is very touching indeed. She was obviously a true friend whom I believe Diana did ask to write a book and "tell it like it is". ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This study of "a court in exile" covers all aspects of the grandeur of court life. When King James II was deposed during the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688-89, he came with his family to France, where his cousin, Louis XIV allowed him to establish a large court-in-exile in the Château of Saint-Germain near Versailles. The book describes the magnificent setting of the court, the way it was organized, and how the exiled courtiers lived.Particular attention is given to the close relationships between the British and French royal families. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another Whig Myth Bites the Dust
A Court in Exile offers a revisionist view of the Jacobite community at St. Germain-en-Laye, west of Paris. Guests of King Louis XIV, King James II and Queen Mary of Modena established their court in exile at the Old Chateau in 1689, and the court remained there until the death of the last Catholic queen of England during the "reign" of James III.

The revisionist aspect of this study corrects the Whig view that this court in exile was dismal, poor, and inconsequential. With the assistance of three colleagues--Edward Gregg, Howard Erskine-Hill, and Geoffrey Scott--Edward Corp traces the history of the courts of the Kings Over the Water through the Jacobite attempts to regain the throne, the relationships between Louis XIV and James II and between Louis and James III, and the transitions between St. Germain to Lorraine to Avignon to Rome after France recognized the Georgian succession in England and James III could not remain in France.

To reassess the court of St. Germain-en-Laye, the author and his three contributors describe the organization of the household and the court, its finances and its relationship to the court and government of France, the practice of the arts of portraiture, poetry, music, opera, and theatre, the education of James III, and the devotional life of James II.

Father Geoffrey Scott addresses this last topic, recounting the faithful piety of James II, influenced by both Jesuit and Salesian spirituality. James came to regard his expulsion from the throne as just punishment for his infidelities and affairs, especially those occurring after his conversion to Catholicism. He assiduously attended daily Mass and practiced many devotions (attending Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, Forty Hours, and the Canonical hours of prayer), counseling his son and heir to remain absolutely true to the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, James II certainly offered religious freedom to his Anglican supporters at Court, even though Louis XIV forbade them to hold religious services. James III continued his father's practice, free to hire Anglican chaplains at his courts after the death of Louis.

James III's education highlights the divisions between Jesuit and Jansenists in France at the time; his formation was definitely in view of his succession to the throne, emphasizing character, linguistic facility, and proper deportment.

After both James III and Mary of Modena left St. Germain (and Corp explains how much a catalyst the death of Princess Louise-Marie in 1712 was in this regard) the Jacobite community did suffer from penury and neglect. As Corp notes, this is the image the Whig school used to depict the earlier Court, quite unjustly in his view.

Sometimes the details seem almost superfluous, as when Corp analyses and diagrams the arrangement of rooms and the location of the court and household staff--but the details are indeed important to depict the munificence of the Court. Both James II and James III maintained these Courts in the expectation of their return as rightful monarchs of England, and that hope was demonstrated by Court etiquette and organization until those expectations met their ultimate failure.

I regret the paucity of portraiture and the black and white reproductions of the portraits included. A map of France and a map of Europe and England at the time would also have been helpful to understand the movements of James III from St. Germain-en-Laye to Lorraine to Avignon to the Papal States. Those minor regrets aside, this book provides excellent context and significance to a comparatively unfamiliar circumstance in English history--a Court in Exile awaiting return.
... Read more

Product Description
Advance Praise

"Fascinating and well researched.... Dr. Swift is the first to concentrate on this unusual subject with such a wealth of sympathetic detail."
–Sarah Bradford, author of America’s Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth: A Biography of Britain’s Queen, and The Reluctant King: The Life and Reign of George VI, 1895—1952

"A splendid addition to our understanding of an extraordinary Anglo-American partnership. Both intimate and expansive, Will Swift’s vigorously researched book is timely, illuminating, and dramatic."
–Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 1: 1884-1933 and Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol. 2: The Defining Years, 1933-1938

"The Anglo-American alliance has long been a bedrock of the global order, and Will Swift’s The Roosevelts and the Royals details an important chapter in that fascinating story with warmth and verve."
–Jon Meacham, author of Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship

"Those who remember only that the Roosevelts served hot dogs to the royals will be fascinated by this well-researched account of an historic and ennobling relationship–a great story!"
–James MacGregor Burns, author of The Three Roosevelts: Patrician Leaders Who Transformed America and Roosevelt: Soldier of Freedom

"A gripping account of four very different lives that were woven together to change the world in wartime."
–Hugo Vickers, author of Cecil Beaton and Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece

"Written in fluid and lucid prose, this book is not only eminently readable but also historically illuminating. It explores the contrasting personalities of the four main protagonists with skill and insight and it is both convincing and refreshingly candid."
–Brian Roberts, author of Randolph: A Study of Churchill’s Son and Cecil Rhodes and the Princess

"This book brings to life my grandmother and her royal friends. Reading it, I found myself reliving the times I shared with them. A wonderful story."
–Nina Roosevelt Gibson, Ph.D., psychologist and granddaughter of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The Human Dimension of History
We often loose sight of the reality that even the most globally sweeping events in history are ultimately influenced by the individual personalities of the protagonists. Broad political and economic forces are certainly the context and catalysts behind major historical developments, but the actual sequence and nature of events can often be most fully understood by an analysis of the psychological and emotional temperament of the key players in the drama.Will Swift's fascinating study of one paradigm moment in the history of the 20th Century clearly illustrates this premise.In clear, colorful and energetic prose, he unfolds the narrative of the evolving relationships between two of the most influential married couples of the century, Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.The fascinating counterpoint of both parallels and contrasts between the respective partners themselves and the two couples, are traced with the evident professional expertise that Dr. Swift brings to this study as a psychotherapist. Of particular interest are his portraits of the First Lady and the Queen.The unsensationalist, candid and sympathetic discussion of Eleanor's intimate relationship with Lorena Hickcok is nothing less than the coming of age of Roosevelt scholarship, which for too long has been unable to confront this dimension of the story with the calm objectivity it calls for.And for those of us for whom the Queen Mother was little more than a silent, smiling, waving icon with extravagant hats for the past fifty years, this portrait brings a remarkably strong and intelligent woman to life.

While the narrative builds up to its symbolic climax with the Windsor's famous visit to Hyde Park in June 1939, all of the complex events, personalities and issues surrounding the alliance of the United States and Great Britain in the years preceding and following World War II, are covered and synthesized with clarity.And while the focus is certainly the War years, the respective chapters offer comprehensive and intriguing personality-centered biographies of the four individuals whose lives they weave together.

I have long been an admirer and student of both the Roosevelts and of British royalty - a combination that is not unlikely, and clearly has contemporary parallels in the popular linkage between Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana and their respective personalities and experiences.I found "The Roosevelts and the Royals" a wonderful addition to the literature of both Anglo-American relations, and the distinctive culture of both countries. It's a great read, fun and even suspenseful as it's subject unfolds... the lavish praise of the leading scholars of the Roosevelts and the Royal Family are richly deserved !

"Padded" history of a political friendship
The professional book review cited by Amazon really says it all about this book. The author's premise - that the Roosevelts and King George VI & Elizabeth had an extra-special relationship - is very overreaching, and padded to the nth degree.I guess that Hugo Vickers (per the Author's introduction) who is supposed to have read it from cover to cover before publishing, didn't notice the flawed research, the melodramatic phrasing, and repetition of hoary old gossip as the truth.I am so glad I only borrowed this from the library and didn't waste my money on a purchase.

A Brilliant Account of Fascinating Historical Figures
If you like a blend of biography and history as I do, you will love this book. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth are vividly portrayed here. Their alliance and, later friendship, and their commitment to mix charm and duty for the public good are set against Joseph Kennedy and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's self-serving attempts to gain attention and power. The author, a psychologist, shows us the inner workings and motivations of all the main characters without sounding like he is doing a case study.
Most of us are aware how FDR and Churchill worked together to build the "special relationship" between America and Britain, but this book rounds out the story by showing the complicated three-way partnership between Churchill, Roosevelt and the king. I was surprised by how little I knew about the king and queen's role in softening American isolationism and in persuading Roosevelt to send war materials to Britain when it was at the brink of extinction.
I was fascinated by how the king and queen won over Americans in Washington and New York during their 1939 state visit. The author gives us the full drama of the hot dog picnic at Hyde Park and explores how it helped to heal British-American relations.
The Roosevelts and the royal family remained friends until Eleanor's death in 1962. There is a wonderful vignette in the book about Eleanor's visit with her granddaughter to Buckingham Palace for tea with Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. The Roosevelt- royal connection has recently been revived by Prince Andrew on visits to Hyde Park.
The author has obviously done his homework- with careful research at both the FDR Library and Windsor Castle- and has talked to many of the Roosevelt grandchildren. Like Jon Meacham's Franklin and Winston, and Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time, this book brings historical relationships to life, and provides an accurate depiction of a period in time. This is a truly impressive biography of four of the twentieth century's greatest leaders.

This Book Must Be Read
Will Swift does a terrific job in bringing to life the personalities and issues of a critical time in world history. This book is a must read for those interested in the events of the time, and how those events influenced today's relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Hot Dogs Symbolize Core American Values....
The potential audience for this engaging work extends far beyond the royal watchers. Will Swift's unique lens framing The Roosevelts and the Royals brilliantly illustrates thepolitical culture tie (not ascot) that binds. This psychologist masterfully showcases the subtlety that allowed the American public to access the royalty from which they once fled. As world reknowned Seymour Martin Lipset tells us in his theory of American exceptionalism, Americans have more values that join them than separate them-but always assumed that these value distinctions are what cut the cord from the mother country.The visit between the Roosevelts and the Royals tapped a major American vein, the undercurrent of core American values-egalitarianism, populism, individualism, laissez faire and liberty. We were "free" to serve hot dogs, what many Americans might be dining on in picnics across America. Compelling in both organization and writing, the bookreveals the ultimate complexity of people, and that leaders can serve distinctive purposes in different time periods, often based on our fundamental orientations as people. Perhaps only such a well-trained psychologist could detect and successfully communicate what resonated between these people, in quite genuinely a friendship that changed history, and could capture the symbolical roots of the now formidable US-British alliance. Swift is able to show the generational learning the can occur between countries-the mother country, and the rebellion of the fledgling toddler nation, who ultimately sees what "genetic" propensities remain. So well-researched and written, it need not be reserved for political scientists and royal watchers, but for good book lovers everywhere, who truly appreciate an original. ... Read more

Product Description
Five women who shared one of the most extraordinary and privileged sisterhoods of all time...

Vicky, Alice, Helena, Louise, and Beatrice were historically unique sisters, born to a sovereign who ruled over a quarter of the earth's people and who gave her name to an era: Queen Victoria. Two of these princesses would themselves produce children of immense consequence. All five would face the social restrictions and familial machinations borne by ninetheenth-century women of far less exalted class.

Researched at the houses and palaces of its five subjects-- in London, Scotland, Berlin, Darmstadt, and Ottawa-- Victoria's Daughters examines a generation of royal women who were dominated by their mother, married off as much for political advantage as for love, and passed over entirely when their brother Bertie ascended to the throne. Packard, an experienced biographer whose last book chronicled Victoria's final days, provides valuable insights into their complex, oft-tragic lives as scions of Europe's most influential dynasty, and daughters of their own very troubled times.
Amazon.com Review
Incisive character studies of Queen Victoria's five daughtersprovide the framework for a lively survey of 19th-century Europeanhistory. With three brothers securing the English throne, theprincesses' royal duty was to further Britain's interests throughmarriage. Vivacious, intelligent Vicky (1840-1901), the spoiledeldest, had a happy union with Hohenzollern prince Frederick William,though her liberal views were unpopular in Prussia and vehementlyresisted by her son Willy, who eventually became the emperor ofGermany. Sensitive, altruistic Alice (1843-78); dutiful, dull Lenchen(1846-1923); and shy baby sister Beatrice (1857-1944) all marriedminor German royalty--though Beatrice, intended to be her domineeringmother's spinster companion, didn't marry until she was 28 andcontinued to live in England at Victoria's beck andcall. Centuries-old custom dictated that princesses must not wedsubjects, but artistic, rebellious Louise (1848-1939) married aScottish nobleman anyway and managed to lead a slightly lessrestricted life than her sisters, particularly as a strong supporterof charitable organizations for women. Jerrold Packard, a veteranhistorian-biographer with six previous books to his credit, spins anenjoyably old-fashioned narrative emphasizing personal relationshipsamong Europe's royalty and their impact on politicaldevelopments. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Customer Reviews (60)

thorough, interesting, informative
Having read The Last Princess, I became interested in learningmore about the remaining daughters of Queen Victoria.This book did not disappoint. Each daughter was thoroughly researched in a spiraling presentation. The daughters were not discussed separately.The author kept returning to each one in the historical timeline, as they lived. The reader also learns more about the queen's obsessive characteristics, her severely controlling behavior, the princesses' brothers, the social expectations of the times, and the historically important events of the times and how the Royal Family was involved in each.A good read!

Superbly written piece of history!
I have long been a fan and serious student of the British monarchy and have quite a fine collecion of books on the subject.This one seemed to me a fine addition to that collection.I am nearly finished with the book and it is absolutely wonderful!It is very well written and the research is superb!The author writes in such a way to pique the reader's interest without seeming at all stuffy, the way some biographies are.He goes into geat detail of the lives of Victoria's daughters while weaving all the history of the period into the drama.We don't just get Victoria's daugthers but the entire history of the time as well.It is way, way intersting.I am going to look into buying more of Packard's books now that I have read this one.It is a wonderful book to purchase and my advice is, you don't want to miss this one.

A "don't miss it" book for those interested in this period of European history
This period in European history has always intrigued me, and the roles women have played in history - from the most public to the most private - form another of my interests. So I picked up this book with delight at discovering it, and with high expectations. It didn't disappoint.

Victoria came to the throne of Britain at 18, after a childhood so dominated by her mother that she had never been allowed to sleep anywhere else but in her mother's room. She threw off that domination the minute her new status made it possible. She married the man of her choice - a suitable consort for a queen, to be sure! - and lived with him happily despite her dislike for what she called the "shadow side" (the physical side) of marriage. She bore nine children, and she turned her early widowhood into perpetual mourning for everyone around her. I knew all that. But I did not know the stories of the five remarkable women who were her daughters, and through their stories I learned a considerable amount I didn't already know about the entwined royal houses of Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. How did this world in which first cousins led their countries to war against each other come into being?

Each of Victoria's daughters is an individual in this book, one for whom the reader can feel both understanding and empathy. Each has her own destiny, and each has her own impact on her society as a person - not just as a daughter, wife, and mother. The level of detail may be overwhelming for a reader expecting light biography, but anyone who already knows the essentials of this time and place should find that detail both appropriate and enlightening.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

Interesting Biography ...
I know next to nothing of Queen Victoria and this book is an eye-opener and definitely has me even more interested in knowing more about this intriguing queen, who has spawned most of the royals that we know today. I picked this biography up at an antique store because I wanted to know more about this queen and her family. I definitely got my wish. This is a thorough biography of Queen Victoria and her five daughters, and their relationships with their mother.

This is also one of the well-written biographies I have read in quite some time. It wasn't dry or boring though it could be confusing at times (especially when the daughters married and changed their names), but Packard managed to have a handy genealogy chart available in the beginning of the book, to help the reader navigate through all the names and who belong to whom. Every one of Victoria's daughters had chapters devoted to her life and marriage as well as relationship with Victoria. Vicky, the eldest and the mother of the Kaiser Wilhem, Emperor of Germany, had the most devoted to her since she was an influential woman in Europe of that time, but the other daughters were written about as well.

There is one disappointment though. The book started to slow down after Victoria's death and the last few chapters felt rushed instead of it being fleshed out more. It was as if Victoria was the main character in this book and her daughters ended up being nobodies when she died. That is my biggest gripe about this book.

Other than that, it was very well-written and it was intriguing to boot. It managed to keep my interest during the busiest time of the year for me. I literally could not wait to get into bed and read a chapter or two since it was engrossing. It is amazing how one woman and her daughters were such central characters in the events that unfolded across Europe at that time. And for people who really aren't interested in history, there is no mention of politics in this biography. It is mainly a book about a woman and her daughters ... though they were of historical importance. That alone was the fascinating part for me.

12/22/09

Victoria's Daughters
the book was received in excellent condition, a great read, particularly since this book has relevance to our family history. im looking forward to reading the books that follow this family history.
... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Prussia (Germany); ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Prussia (Germany); ... Read more