The Private Life of Victoria: Queen, Empress, Mother of the Nation by Alexander Macdonald: A Book Review

The Private Life of Victoria: Queen, Empress, Mother of the Nation
Author: Alexander Macdonald
Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography
Publisher: Arcturus
Release Date: June 5, 2018
Pages: 194
Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Now the second-longest-reigning monarch after Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria ruled at the height of Britain's power on the world stage and was a symbol of stability at home and abroad. Against this background of pomp and power, she was a passionate woman who led an often turbulent private life. Victoria was just eight months old when her father died and his paternal role was taken by her uncle Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Sir John Conroy, an ally of her mother. The two of them sought to control Victoria and isolate her from others. This is the story of the Queen of England who had to fight to forge her own way in the world, and who found true romance with Prince Albert only to have happiness snatched from her when he died of typhoid at the age of 42.

My Review: Queen Victoria is one of England’s most famous monarchs. She helped bring England into the modern age. While there has been much written about her, this biography sheds light into her private life. The Private Life of Victoria focuses on how the queen balances her role as a wife and a mother while struggling to rule an empire.

This biography spends a part of the book discussing her childhood. While her mother and Sir John Conroy sought to control Victoria, Victoria found solace in her tutor whom she looked up to as a mother. The Private Life of Victoria also discusses her loving marriage to Albert and his role as Prince Consort. In many ways, Prince Albert acted as the true ruler of Britain. This was apparent when Queen Victoria was in childbirth, he would do the actual ruling. The author also discusses her friendships with John Brown and Abdul Karim. While Mr. Macdonald does not go into much detail about them, it is clear that John Brown had a place in the queen’s heart because she was buried with his ring. Mr. Macdonald explains that the reason he does not go into much detail into Victoria’s relationship with John Brown was that her daughter, Beatrice, edited her diaries. He also speculates that Beatrice may have deleted some of her mother’s passages about her intimacy with Mr. Brown.

Overall, this was a short and comprehensive biography of Queen Victoria. The Private Life of Victoria does not discuss the politics of the Victorian era or her role as queen. Instead, it focuses solely on her private life. Therefore, as someone who has read many biographies on Queen Victoria, I found this to be a very pleasant and refreshing read. I was not bogged down with heavy details on politics that is often prevalent in biographies, and instead focused on the queen’s personal relationships, loves, and infatuations. While there is no new information on Victoria, The Private Life of Victoria is an excellent biography for those who want to read more about her personal life.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein: A Book Review

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower Author: Patricia Bernstein Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: History Through Fiction Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 266 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the true story of persecuted Catholic noblewoman Winifred Maxwell, who rescued her husband from the Tower of London with the help of a group of devoted women friends in 1716. A Noble Cunning is a novel based on the life of Winifred Herbert Maxwell (1680-1749), who became the Countess of Nithsdale in 1699. Set amidst the 1715 Rebellion against England’s first German king, George I, the novel depicts the ruthless persecution of Catholics and the relentless determination of protagonist Bethan Glentaggart to save the life of husband Gavin after he is captured and condemned to death. Bethan faces down a mob attack on her home, travels alone from the Scottish Lowlands to London through one of the wo

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Search This Blog