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Victoria A novel of a young queen by the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS Daisy Goodwin Books

Download As PDF : Victoria A novel of a young queen by the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS Daisy Goodwin Books

Victoria A novel of a young queen by the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS Daisy Goodwin Books

Most know her for her long-lived, powerful rule over Great Britain, but very few know her story outside of the monarchy. Victoria is a dazzling glimpse of Queen Victoria not only during her reign; rather, it covers the four-year timespan before she ever thought to ascend throne, to her first few years in.

There's a really interesting dynamic between the struggle for power that surrounds young Alexandrina (Victoria's birth name), as well as her hard-earned path to ascension. A great player in this is Lord Melbourne, Victoria's closest friend and confidante upon King William IV's death—unusual because he was 40 years her senior—who would go on to be a hugely successful mentor in Victoria's most critical years. Goodwin portrays him as a charismatic, hard-to-figure-out character, and I loved the ambiguous but wholly intriguing relationship between him and Victoria.

Victoria is also highly empowering; I loved reading about the obstacles she faced just for being a female ruler, and how she overcame them. Who would have thought, in 1837, that such a small girl, hardly a woman at eighteen, would end up ruling the world?

While well researched, this novel isn't bogged down with facts or a timeline of events that usually makes historical fiction difficult for me. It felt like a natural story, specifically about Victoria's development in her teenage years and early adulthood. It portrays the Queen in a relatable, human light—a perspective I've never seen before, and appreciate extremely. This is a very approachable account of the more intimate details of Victoria's life; Anglican history buffs and romance lovers alike will really enjoy this.

Pros: Story flows well and the ending is satisfying // Many points of rising action and tension // Well-fleshed characters: Victoria is easy to sympathize with and Lord Melbourne is fascinating // A great historical perspective of an endearing character

Cons: Some parts are melodramatic (not that they're overly dramatic, but the characters just act really scandalized over the smallest things) // I wish the subplot with Victoria's domineering mother had been more developed in the latter half of the book

Verdict: Less of an all-encompassing biopic and more of a glimmering coming-of-age story of one of the most powerful female rulers in history, Victoria is a historical drama that paints a vivid picture of the Queen's earliest, most transformative years. Daisy Goodwin is a natural storyteller; lovers of all things British Royalty will eat this book up. Equal parts political examination and budding romance, it left me thinking: What a beautiful novel. If you're curious about Queen Victoria as a person rather than just her political roles, go pick this up immediately.

Rating: 7 out of 10 hearts (3.5 stars): Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; would recommend, but borrow a copy before you buy!

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist via publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, SheSpeaks and St. Martin's Press!)


Tags : Amazon.com: Victoria: A novel of a young queen by the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS (9781250045461): Daisy Goodwin: Books,Daisy Goodwin,Victoria: A novel of a young queen by the CreatorWriter of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS,St. Martin's Press,1250045460,Historical,Albert,Biographical fiction,Biographical fiction.,Great Britain - Kings and rulers - Succession - History,Great Britain;Kings and rulers;Succession;History;Fiction.,Historical fiction,Historical fiction.,Victoria,060101 St Martins Trade Fiction,Biographical,ENGLISH HISTORICAL FICTION,FICTION Biographical,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction-Historical,FictionBiographical,GENERAL,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,Queen Victoria; british royalty books; biographical fiction; Historical fiction; victoria pbs; victoria TV; victoria television; masterpiece theater; victoria novel; historical fiction england; british historical fiction,United States

Victoria A novel of a young queen by the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS Daisy Goodwin Books Reviews

Victoria takes place just as 18-year-old “Drina” is made queen and must navigate newfound leadership and independence with PM Lord Melbourne at her side. The young Victoria (also a great Emily Blunt movie by the way…) is not always likable. In fact, she is often quite annoying and frivolous as any teenager would be. She treats her mother coldly, throws tantrums, and is generally self-centered without a real care about the well-being of her people (there is a glimmer of compassion later). It was interesting to read this novel right after watching The Crown, because I found a lot of parallels between a young Victoria taking the throne and being guided by Lord M and a young Elizabeth II taking the throne and being (somewhat) guided by Churchill.

Goodwin crafts a would-be love story between the young queen and the middle-aged Lord M, when in reality their relationship was nothing more than mentor/mente or father/daughter. But, of course, it’s easy to image a romance with Lord M when he’s played by the dashing and talented Rufus Sewell…which was my mental image throughout since this book is so closely tied with the TV series. What readers may be surprised to find is that Albert does not come into the narrative until about 80% into the book, which makes for a sweet but seemingly rushed love story. Goodwin’s Albert and Victoria continually get off on the wrong foot, their exchanges ranging from heated to awkward with only a brush of tenderness, but we never really get enough interaction between them to fully believe Victoria’s proposal. Victoria is headstrong and stubborn, yet with everyone telling her to marry Albert I don’t find it fully believable, within Goodwin’s narrative, that she would take one or two tender moments as good enough reason to propose. And although there is a physical attraction, Albert is too awkward and stiff for the reader to ever really get inside his head.

Which brings me to my next point head jumping. This novel is not exactly close third person, but rather third person hopping from one characters’ head to another within the same chapter, even within the same paragraph, which left me feeling a bit disoriented as to whose perspective I was supposed to be following. I’m generally not a fan of this style not only due to the whiplash, but also because of the restriction when wanting to explore a character’s deeper thoughts and emotions. I feel a close third person, or even a first person perspective, may have worked better here.
The reading public is eager for a fictional historic novel about Queen Victoria, but this isn't it. Hopefully it is accurate as far as dates etc., but I found it rather juvenile, geared more to teen readers. I read the American Heiress and wasn't terribly impressed, but was hoping for more here. Won't be purchasing anything else by this author.
Saw a new book by The author and ordered it immediately. Loved the two other books she's written, so jumped on this one. Did not connect the "masterpiece" reference until I got to the Lady Flora incident. I then realized that it was exactly like the PBS presentation, which I had seen and enjoyed. I continued thinking that there would be more "meat" because I thought that PBS adapted the book, but no.

Nothing wrong with the book, but I spent $12 on simply the written version of the PBS presentation... aka screenplay.

Bottom line, if you've seen the PBS version, don't bother with the book. If not, it is a good read.
Usually a movie or series does not or cannot cover all the material in the source novel. That is not the case here. If you have not seen the series, you will find this novel enjoyable enough. But if you have seen it, there is little expounded on here, if anything. The series follows the book when dealing with Victoria's life upstairs almost verbatim. The intrigue that occurs with the downstairs staff in the series is nonexistent here and makes me believe it was added to the series to appeal to the Downton Abbey fans. Further, this book covers only the first four episodes of the series, so if you were wanting more after viewing it, you will be sorely disappointed.

I would recommend this novel only if you have no intention of viewing the series.
Most know her for her long-lived, powerful rule over Great Britain, but very few know her story outside of the monarchy. Victoria is a dazzling glimpse of Queen Victoria not only during her reign; rather, it covers the four-year timespan before she ever thought to ascend throne, to her first few years in.

There's a really interesting dynamic between the struggle for power that surrounds young Alexandrina (Victoria's birth name), as well as her hard-earned path to ascension. A great player in this is Lord Melbourne, Victoria's closest friend and confidante upon King William IV's death—unusual because he was 40 years her senior—who would go on to be a hugely successful mentor in Victoria's most critical years. Goodwin portrays him as a charismatic, hard-to-figure-out character, and I loved the ambiguous but wholly intriguing relationship between him and Victoria.

Victoria is also highly empowering; I loved reading about the obstacles she faced just for being a female ruler, and how she overcame them. Who would have thought, in 1837, that such a small girl, hardly a woman at eighteen, would end up ruling the world?

While well researched, this novel isn't bogged down with facts or a timeline of events that usually makes historical fiction difficult for me. It felt like a natural story, specifically about Victoria's development in her teenage years and early adulthood. It portrays the Queen in a relatable, human light—a perspective I've never seen before, and appreciate extremely. This is a very approachable account of the more intimate details of Victoria's life; Anglican history buffs and romance lovers alike will really enjoy this.

Pros Story flows well and the ending is satisfying // Many points of rising action and tension // Well-fleshed characters Victoria is easy to sympathize with and Lord Melbourne is fascinating // A great historical perspective of an endearing character

Cons Some parts are melodramatic (not that they're overly dramatic, but the characters just act really scandalized over the smallest things) // I wish the subplot with Victoria's domineering mother had been more developed in the latter half of the book

Verdict Less of an all-encompassing biopic and more of a glimmering coming-of-age story of one of the most powerful female rulers in history, Victoria is a historical drama that paints a vivid picture of the Queen's earliest, most transformative years. Daisy Goodwin is a natural storyteller; lovers of all things British Royalty will eat this book up. Equal parts political examination and budding romance, it left me thinking What a beautiful novel. If you're curious about Queen Victoria as a person rather than just her political roles, go pick this up immediately.

Rating 7 out of 10 hearts (3.5 stars) Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; would recommend, but borrow a copy before you buy!

Source Complimentary copy provided by publicist via publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, SheSpeaks and St. Martin's Press!)