2 comments about Diana: The People's Princess.

1. Diana: The People's Princess is a lavish picture book provides a close-up of Princess Diana's life, providing over a hundred photos and a lively text which chronicles the progress of her life both before and after her marriage to Charles. Fans of Diana who want a coffee table celebration of her accomplishments will find Diana: The People's Princess to be satisfying and colorful.



2. This book covers Diana's entire life including baby pictures of her. The color photographs are large-size and high quality. The book is suitable to place on a coffee table. The informative text fully explains the more than 125 photographs included in the book. If you like Diana you will love this book and not be disappointed. Enjoy!

No comments about The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin: Including an Autobiographical Chapter. Edited by his son. Volume 2.

1 comments about From Coloman the Learned to Bela 111.

1. Good Points: This book covers the reigns of the 12th century kings of Hungary following a straightforward reign-by-reign approach. It is well researched, so if you're interested in the period, you'll find the facts that you want in here. You probably can't find this amount of detail in another English-language book, and I certainly knew much more about this period than I did before I opened the book.

   Downsides: It's expensive and not very long -- presumably inevitable for a small monograph. The writing is a bit unpolished (I suspect that the author is writing in his second language) although there is never a problem in understanding what is being said. The book is stronger on facts than analysis (it would be interesting, for example, to know why the Byzantine emperor Manuel I was so determined to overthrow Stephen III).

   I also thought that the space used for the two chapters that did not focus on a single ruler would have been nmore effectively devoted to a couple of extra reigns (either before or after the ones covered). One was on the laws of Ladislas I; without a chapter on Ladislas's reign, it just didn't fit. The other was on the investiture controversy. That story wasn't specific to Hungary, and has been told elsewhere.

2 comments about Diana, Princess of Wales: A Tribute (BBC).

1. I'm genuinely shocked there are no reviews to date of this double CD!
   
   Beware of a BBC documentary! Boy, can they dig out the dirt and have absolutely no problem at all with rubbing it into the person's face forever more! I guess they couldn't (or wouldn't) do that with Diana, Princess of Wales, as this was released within months of her death.
   
   Either way, this is an excellent audio documentary that chronicles Diana's life from birth to death and seemingly every major detail in between - from the intense media scrutiny that followed her for a good portion of her life, to the excitement leading up to the "Wedding of the Century," to the birth of her beloved sons, to her marital difficulties that the world is very familiar with by this point in time, to her well-publicized battles with depression and bulimia, and, finally, to the unprecendented outpouring of emotion in England - the depth and scale of which was never experienced in recent memory there - that followed her death (and I don't think I'm exaggerating by stating that).
   
   I am 31 and, truth be told, I wasn't a fan of the late Princess's when she was alive. I didn't hate her, but I wasn't crazy about her, either. It was only after her sudden death that I got into her (and, no, I will never, ever forget what I was doing when I heard the news). I've since read countless books about her life and respect her for the fact that she was able to come from a broken home and, eventually, a broken marriage herself, and try to turn it into something positive by helping the people who needed it the most.
   
   At one of the lowest points in her life (which probably would have been in the early-90s), she bravely fought against the very well coordinated palace machine that set out to destroy her by conveying to the public an image of Diana as a loony bin ready to kill herself at any moment. Through it all, though, Diana prioritized and remained a committed mother and a devotee to the charity work that, as it turned out, was one of the only sources of comfort to her (besides her beloved William and Harry).
   
   What comes through crystal clear with this documentary is the fact that Diana was on her own when it came to the continuous press inquiries into every detail of her life. The palace staff, and the always up-to-date and in-touch Queen herself, stood by the sidelines and watched Diana with the philosophy of "sink or swim." Naturally, a young woman who's all of 19 when the press first trained their cameras on her would have had zero idea of how to handle herself with the media and would become friendly with, and even dependent on, photographers because she sure wasn't getting any help from the palace!
   
   Some could assume this is a fluff piece on Diana designed to make money from her death, and that could very well be true to some extent. But the BBC didn't attempt to rewrite history and presented the facts as they happened and that's what makes this audio documentary a pleasure to listen to and absorb.
   
   The two CDs run for about a total of two hours, but it's so worth the time if you want to get a better picture of Diana. (A bonus that was included with the original CD was a {very!} abbreviated copy of her pedigree.) - Donna Di Giacomo



2. I listened to this audiobook on my commute to/from work. Even after arriving home, I actually sat in my car, in my driveway, to continue listening to it. It is a fascinating account of a beautiful, courageous person who learned to use her resources and privilege for the greater good, making the most of her (short) time on earth. If you question how she could have been the most popular and loved woman on earth (and still is), then this book will answer that for you.

No comments about The Life Of Charles XII, King Of Sweden.

No comments about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: The Life that Spanned a Century 1900-2002 (Illustrated London News).

2 comments about Royal Sisters.

1. you will stay up all night to finish this gem, I know i did, it was so fantastic right now i'm loaeded up on caffeine just to finish the work day because i was so addicted on this book that i HAD to stay up all night to savor every little word in this masterpiece! READ IT!!!!!!



2. Helen Keller once wrote, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." These words perhaps portray the making of the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret of Great Britain from their celebrated birth to their early adult lives. Anne Edwards, an experienced biographer who has written books such as "Queen Mary and the House of Windsor", "Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led", and "Sonya: The Life of Countess Tolstoy", among many others, is no stranger to the British Royal Family. Her thorough research on the subject, extensive notes, and detailed descriptions highly contributed to the understanding of a reader who started out not knowing much about the hierarchy of the British Crown. A book about the adolescent and early adult lives of the two princesses, I found it to be at times, like chicken soup for the reader's soul. It teaches the lesson of not being bitter and jealous through unfavorable and painful experiences and to love from the bottom of your heart by giving all you have. The royal sisters Elizabeth and Margaret have gone through so many unfair and trying circumstances together, and have truly succeeded in carrying out the message that "the great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it" (William James)--just look at all their contributions to the world!

No comments about Edward and Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives.

No comments about Kings & Queens of Scotland (The Scottish Histories).

No comments about William and Mary (Very Interesting People S.).