No comments about WINSTON S. CHURCHILL: VOLUME VII - ROAD TO VICTORY, 1941-1945..

No comments about Sir John Gorman: The Times of My Life.

No comments about Victoria, Portrait of a Queen.

No comments about Histoire générale, physique et civile de l\'Europe, depuis les dernières années du cinquième siècle jusque vers le milieu du dix-huitième: Tome 16.

No comments about Images of Oliver Cromwell: Essays for and by Roger Howell, Jr.

No comments about The Survivor: Tony Blair in Peace and War.

No comments about The Greatness of Oliver Cromwell.

5 comments about The Nine Days Queen.

1. Wonderful storytelling embellishing a few well known facts. No new material. More questions arise as a result of this book than are answered.



2. Very colorful if this was a fiction format. This book is not for anyone who wishes to review the literay remains of Lady Jane Grey or relevant information. Several pieces of information are inaccurate. A great use of embellishments nonetheless.



3. Mary M. Luke's basic facts are correct, and personally I enjoyed the book. But unfortunately I feel she had to resort to some novelizing as she couldn't possibly know what was going on inside Jane's head in between her daily lessons, other people's letters to and about her, and her own letter writing. She also wasn't there to personally observe Jane's interactions with others or question her about them, always a dilemma for historians and historical fiction writers. Ms. Luke's writing style is clear and fluid; she's excellent at creating mental images with her words, so you have no problem following her narrative. However, I feel that in this case this book should have been a historical novel instead of an attempt at non-fiction. She would have then been forgiven for whatever embellishments or speculations she had to come up with to fill out the book and hold her readers' interest.



4. The story of lady jane grey begins with a plot of selfishness and greed between the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk and the Duke of Northumberland.The Duchess is Jane's mother and the Duke is her future husband's Father.After King Edward died the dukes and the Duchess plotted to have Mary Tudor's, next heir after edwrad,claim set aside to put Jane on the thrown. To keep both families happy Jane is forced to marry Guilford Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland's son. Jane had to be literally beat to inch of her life to agree.Mary Luke goes into the in depth trials and tribulations of torttured youth used for parental gain. Lady Jane who is not quite sixteen is forced to excepot the crown, the Orb, and the Sceptre of England fully acknowledging her right of queenship.Sadly Jane only wears the crwon for nine days before country rose for Mary Tudor and is convicted of treason is executed.Nine Days Queen is the most detailed and accurate biography of the Tudor Family so I highly recommend it.



5. 
   This is simply one of the best historical biographies that I have ever read. Well-researched, the book tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, the daughter of Francis Brandon Grey, the Duchess of Suffolk, who was the daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister, Mary. As one of royal blood, Jane was in the royal line of succession. Her highly ambitious parents, together with the avaricious and manipulative John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, concocted a scheme by which Jane would be named Queen of England, usurping the succession rights of Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, as well as that of Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
   
   Jane was forced by her parents to wed John Dudley's son, Guildford. Then, dominated as she was by her cruel and overreaching parents, when King Edward VI died, Jane was declared to be Queen of England. Although it was clearly against her will that she usurped her cousin Mary's throne and was not yet sixteen at the time, she would pay dearly for her nine days reign,
   
   The author writes a historical biography that brings Lady Jane Grey to life. Grounded in the political strifes, religious tumult, and social mores and events that shaped sixteenth century England, the author paints a portrait of a young, intelligent woman who ultimately acquiesced to the demands of those more ambitious than she. This is a well-written historical biography that is positively riveting. Bravo!

No comments about Turnbull: A Welsh Sporting Hero.

5 comments about Becoming Victoria.

1. I was expecting a biography on Victoria's early life, but I would not classify this book as such. It was more a dissertation on how the child rearing practices of Georgian England ultimately affected the personality of the future Queen Victoria.

   You can tell after skimming just a few pages of this book that a huge amount of research went into it (there are more that 40 pages of footnotes and references), but I found it very difficult to read and even harder to follow. It concentrated almost exclusively on the mundane facts of how she lived, rather than on who she was. There are hundreds of detailed descriptions of the clothes she wore, the books she read, the food she ate, and the toys she played with. There were even more descriptions on how the people around her influenced the food she ate, the books she read, the toys she played etc, etc.

   So don't get this book if you are looking for a biography about Victoria's early life, but check it out from the library if you want to see some truly beautiful illustrations (some by Victoria's own hand) and some outstanding photographs.




2. This work was full of interesting facts, but was written more like a college text book. It paints a picture of a very charming child and gives the reader insight into the influences in Victoria's early life and the early formation of her character as she grew into the roll of Queen Mother. The facts are nice, the subject is great, but the text book feel is dull and dry.



3. Princesses have become an item of interest in the past few years. Possibly they always have been, but series such as The Royal Diaries--fictional diaries by true life princesses-- are filling library and bookstore shelves.

   In this aristocratic climate, Becoming Victoria by Lynne Vallone stands out. Becoming Victoria examines the girlhood/teenagehood of the young woman who became Queen Victoria and consequently, the enduring symbol of an era. Ms Vallone has undertaken the remarkable task of examining how Victoria was reared, comparing her upbringing to the upbringing of contemporaries (not princesses), chronicling Victoria's relationship with her mother and illustrating the gap between the portrayal of Victoria's youth, both at the time and retrospectively, and how Victoria herself truly felt and acted.

   The reader leaves this book convinced that truth is indeed stranger than fiction or at least as strange and as remarkable. Although Becoming Victoria is not necessarily geared towards teens (and is more expositive than books such as The Royal Diaries), the insight into a princess' curriculum, familial relationships, day-to-day activities should fascinate the readership that delves into Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries and Gail Levine's The Princess Tales.

   Becoming Victoria ends, rather disappointingly, at Victoria's ascension to the throne. This is, however, in accordance with the task set by the author. Victoria the child and teenager is Ms Vallone's focus, and she ends once her subject passes into a different stage. Consequently, the reader's appetite is whet to do further study on a most fascinating woman and queen.

   Recommendation: The price is not too bad. It is a beautifully bound book and may be worth buying new. However, if your interest is in the content, not the appearance, try used.




4. I think the thing I found most interesting about this book was the total screwiness of Victoria's mother, the Dutchess of Kent. I admit that the Dutchess was in kind of a rough spot: She was raising a monarch after all, and yet wanted to raise her to within the standards of ladylike behaviour. Can't have her going around refering to herself with male terminology like Queen Elizabeth I did, y'know.

   But in the process, the thing the Dutchess seemed to always have her eye on was the possibility of a Regency. She *wanted* to be Regent. How screwed up do you have to be to *want* to be Regent? All the responsibility, none of the adoring crowds. Yuck!

   So she was torn between the necessity of producing in Victoria a princess who could eventually take the throne (because if she failed in providing an appropriate education and upbringing the King had made it pretty clear that he *would* ensure Victoria received same, even if it meant removing her from her mother's tender care) while wanting to keep her daughter from being *able* to take the throne at 18 (there was a possibility of a regency until she reached 21), all the while hoping that King George would hurry up and die already. Which may in part be the author's spin on things, but the good Dutchess did *repeatedly* write about the possibility of a regency until Victoria was 21 even *after* Victoria was declared competent to take the throne when she reached majority at 18 (said declaration taking place several years ahead of time), which kind of points to having some serious hopes caught up in that regency.

   Victoria herself just seems like a kid caught in the middle and kept from having much fun. She got to read a lot of "improving" books, which are those sort of kids books that beat you over the head with the idea that you should always do what Mommy tells you and never, ever, talk to strangers and aren't a lot of fun, and the rest of her childhood really does fit with that choice in reading material.




5. her father died when she was a baby ,her mother was determine to keep her to herself by controling her ever move and thought.she even had victoria sleep ing everynight in her bedroom.victoria didn't get any freedom until becoming queen.