No comments about Winston Churchill: Road to Victory 1941-1945.

No comments about The Life of Captain Frederick Marryat (A Fireship CONTEMPORIZED CLASSIC).

No comments about The Married Life Of Queen Victoria (1913).

No comments about A Companion to the Royal Heritage of Britain.

No comments about The Life of William Ewart Gladstone Part One.

1 comments about Burghley: William Cecil, Lord Burghley (Profiles in Power).

1. Michael A. R. Graves is one of the leading authorities on Elizabethan parliaments, so one might expect his book on the leading Elizabethan statesman to be good. And in many ways it is. Wide-ranging and erudite, in easily-digested short segments concerning various modules of William Cecil's career, 'Burghley' offers an excellent if condensed overview of the achievements of Elizabeth I's chief adviser. Unlike earlier books on the subject, 'Burghley' does not pursue every minute (and often unnecessary) aspect of his career. However, during some sections of the book, Graves' love for the minutiae of politics and economics becomes apparent, although regrettably is not likewise communicated to the reader. The final chapter is therefore extremely welcome and useful, containing a subjective but learned analysis of Burghley the man. The sheer vastness of Burghley's surviving documentation makes the task of his biographer an incredibly daunting one, and in my opinion, Graves has done a commendable job. Although not recommended for the casual reader with a passing interest in Burghley's life, the book is excellently suited to students of Elizabethan politics, for whom it was clearly written. For the purpose of last-minute cramming or essay research, this slim volume is a welcome and detailed alternative to the considerably thicker, more in-depth tomes of Hume, Read, Beckingsale, et al.

No comments about Queen Elizabeth I (Studien Zur Englischen Literature).

No comments about Histoire du Consulat et de l\'Empire faisant suite a l\'Histoire de la révolution française: Tome 3.

No comments about Lloyd George: The Man and His Story.

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.