The Printed Page

Oh man I so didn’t want to be writing this about Becoming Queen Victoria by Kate Williams but its another for the DNF pile. I did make it to page 82 before making this decision. And this wasn’t an easy decision as I usually enjoy reading about the British monarchy. I’m sure the author has her reasons for spending so much of book (140 pgs or a third of the book) recounting Princess Charlotte’s life and times but my interest isn’t with her. My interest is with Queen Victoria. Becoming Queen Victoria is non-fiction which means loads of detail which I’m fine with except when most of its too dry for me to plow my way through. I’ve read plenty of non-fiction which grabs me from the start but this isn’t one of those. What I can tell you from reading 82 pages is Princess Charlotte was born into a family that puts the ‘dys’ in dysfunctional.

Here’s what others are saying: ARC – release date is August ’10

Toward the end of the eighteenth century, monarchies across Europe found themselves in crisis. With mad King George III and his delinquent offspring tarnishing the realm, the English pinned their hopes on the only legitimate heir to the throne: the lovely and prudent Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince of Wales and granddaughter of the king. Sadly, those dreams faded when, at age twenty-one, she died after a complicated pregnancy and stillbirth. While a nation grieved, Charlotte’s power-hungry uncles plotted quickly to produce a new heir. Only the Duke of Kent proved successful in his endeavor, with the birth of a girl named Victoria.

Writing with a combination of novelistic flair and historical precision, Williams reveals an energetic and vibrant woman in the prime of her life, while chronicling the byzantine machinations behind Victoria’s struggle to occupy the throne—scheming that continued even after the crown was placed on her head.

Upon hearing of the death of her predecessor, King William IV, Victoria—in her bold first act as queen—banished her overambitious mother from the room, a simple yet resolute move that would set the tone for her reign. The queen clashed constantly not only with her mother and her mother’s adviser, the Irish adventurer John Conroy, but with her ministers and even her beloved Prince Albert, all of whom, in one way or another, attempted to seize control from her.