No comments about Queen Margrethe I, 1353-1412, and the Founding of the Nordic Union (Northern World, V. 9) (Northern World, V. 9).

1 comments about In Private - In Public: The Prince and Princess of Wales.

1. This is a very well illustrated, matter-of-fact volume which presents a picture that we now know never existed of the Royal couple. It is a good reference to know the way a Royal Household is run; the tours, the public events, the planning and the organization of it all. Other than that, the book mostly focuses on the opinions and ideas of Prince Charles at the time, making very brief references to Diana, most of them untrue. One cannot help becoming nostalgic at the sight of so many idyllic pictures of a family life that never was, and it makes one wonder: what would it have been like if Charles and Diana had remained married AND in love? Most likely, the Princess would be alive today, probably with a couple more children and, like a banner in the crowd read on their wedding day - "Charles and Diana will rule U.K.". It is a shame that the Establishment authorizes books like this, so untrue.

1 comments about The Life and Times of Victoria (Kings and Queens of England Series).

1. Marshall puts together a comprehensive view of the life of Queen Victoria. She illustrates the book with many photos, newspaper clippings, and other publications of the time. Queen Victoria's life is covered completely, from her humble beginings and then throughout her long reign. Through reading this book you will see what made Queen Victoria so special in the lives of her countrymen.
   
   One of the qualities of this book in addition to good solid writing is the amount of pictures, paintings, and publications that are in this book. She includes not only formal well known publications, but also satire of the day. I believe that with this comprehensive view of Victoria you get a well rounded picture of her reign and how her subjects felt about her.
   
   The book is comprehensive as it covers her whole life. Her very humble beginings, being ruled by her mother until she took the throne. Influential people are discussed thoroughly. Marshell writes with an even hand discussing both the good qualities and the negative qualities of Victoria, and all of those who touched her life.
   
   Throughout the book you get the sense that Victor worked very hard for her country, and did the best that she could. She loved fully, her love for her husband, her children, and her country was boundless. She showed her love of her family and friends openly, even if at times there may have been reason not to demonstrate this love so fully.
   
   This is an excellent book to read, and gather a sense of the life and times of Queen Victoria. The book is packed with paintings, pictures, and timely newspaper articles. Marshall discusses her life, and the lives of the people around her very openly. I feel that reading this book you with gather a definate sense of who Queen Victoria was and what made her so special.

No comments about History of Friedrich II of Prussia, Volume IV (Dodo Press).

No comments about Lunalilo (Intermediate Reading Program Series).

1 comments about The Mystery of Anastasia Romanov.

1. Was not even a book it was a phamplet. It was of good quality with pictures and basic information, but I was disappointed.

No comments about Memorias/ Memories.

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.

5 comments about Prince William: A Journey To The Throne.

1. This book provides a very limited perspective on the life of the heir-but-one to the British throne. It adds no new pictures, and no new information about his life. What it does do, is to provide readers with a number of nice images of Prince William, which they may not previously have had access to.

   It has been suggested in some circles that the interview quoted in the book was "faked". This is not correct. The interview was, in fact, a series of e-mail exchanges between a webmaster and someone claiming to be William. After some investigation, I am convinced that the exchanges were made in good faith by the webmaster. While it has not been proven that the person on the other end was William, neither has it been disproven. So, the jury is still out on this point.




2. This book was just OK...it hardly had any words. I think that if you are only interested in William for his looks, and just want a "fan" book, you'd enjoy it. But, if your really interested in him as a person, you might not like it as much.



3. I liked it very well. It did have more pictures than letters but does life really need a narrarator? I think for we right side of the brain people who read art and not silly little word soundtracks, it's a must have! Because the pictures explain his life and it is well formatted.



4. This book is neither authorized nor endorsed by Prince William or the Royal Family, and I doubt very seriously that it would ever be endorsed by them. This book can be read easily in fifteen minutes or less. I bought this book ONLY because I collect books on the Royal Family.

   The pictures of Prince William are great as in the one on page 28 which pictures him with her brother - Prince Harry, as well as, the one on page 35 with his brother and her father. All of these pictures have been in British magazines and in some American magazines to which I subsrcibe.

   There's nothing new here except for the inaccuries. Everyone knows that Prince William is left-handed if one's has ever looked at his signing in at Eton while his mother, father, and brother watch. Prince William has many, many nicknames which have been given to him by his family and his friends but are not mentioned. If one has done any reading at all, the individual knows everything in this book and more. It is a known fact that Prince William is the most handsome Royal ever, that he is extremely intelligent, that her is very atheletic and excels in many sports, that he possesses his mother's charm and poise, and that he is artistic.

   As I have said previously, I bought this book only because of my collection of books. This is one book which was written purely to make money. This is a paperback book




5. I really enjoyed reading The Journey to the throne. I was very please with the contents of this book. I thought it couldn't be more full of information about the king of our hearts. I hope Walters continues to write. She is very talented.

No comments about Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois: (Large Print).