3 comments about George V's Children.

1. Great Profile on each of George V's children everyone knows about his first two sons both who became kings Edward and George but it was nice learning about his other children. Each dysfunctional and interesting.



2. It's a good book, and the author describe the personalities of King George V's children quite well; particular the eldest two. There are only two problems I had with this book:
   
   (1) The copy that I had read, (which was new) apparently when they printed the book, on some of the pages the words are faded.
   
   (2)Some of the quotes that the author used were not consistant/right with the timeline of the book.



3. a cold father who frighten his kids ,a cold mother who never bonded with her six kids.is it not a surprize these kids had drinking problems ,drug addiction.george iv had a soech problem because treatment by his father,david fool around with married women who give his love his mother never could.

1 comments about Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961-97: A Tribute in Photographs (Diana Princess of Wales).

1. This book is very well designed with all its colored pictures that are just so beautiful. Please visit angelfire.com/journal/grahamw to see my sale of this book.

2 comments about Las Cadenas de Sultana (Biblioteca).

1. this book moved my soul to another level it was sad and frustrating at times but in the end you can see how a woman can survive in a world where she has no alies just the will to be heard and fight for her life.



2. I'm sorry I can't write a reveiw because the book was not in English,and I dom't know how to return it for English,PLEASE HELP,THANKS

No comments about Tudor Queens And Princesses.

5 comments about The Empress of Farewells: The Story of Charlotte, Empress of Mexico.

1. Delightful and anctedotal. If you're already familiar with the subjects, then you'll enjoy the author's presentation of some heretofore undisclosed "facts" as well as insightful speculations to explain the ill-fated royal couple who claimed Mexican territories as their God-given right. Having read letters of accounts from the ladies of the court and compared them to libraried American minutes of the Congressional attention on the "Mexican Problem" during the Civil War era, the author's focus on the human sides of the royal couple and the cause that brought them together is icing on the cake. Since the revolutionaries of Mexico habitually killed the captive officers and freed the women to wander and make it on their own, once can only imagine what drove the Empress - at one time called the Dove by the Mexicans - to the brink of madness. Read by a warm fireplace...



2. Like many of the other reviewers here, I bought this book because I knew something of the history, and wanted to learn more. (Having lived in Mexico from first grade through high school, I had often visited the Castle in Chapultepec, and had studied Mexican history in grade school.) My first disappointment with the book was to see that it was intellectually lazy, with no index, no sources identified. One of the Amazon reviewers generously awarded the book three stars, "because it was an easy read." It was an easy read, but not a particularly pleasant one. Another Amazon reviewer mentioned apparent anomalies in speech -- I wondered as I read the book how much of the responsibility for the slangy and/or pedestrian language lay with the translator. Finally, are there no editors or proof readers at publishers any longer? Not everyone would catch the fact that Michoacán, referred to in the book as being east of Mexico City, is actually west of Mexico City, but anyone who was awake while proofreading should have been brought up short by the statement that "Porfirio Díaz seized power in 1876 and held it until his death in 1872." Porfirio Díaz did seize power in 1876, he held it until 1910, and he died in 1915. So not only did he not seize power after his death, his death was not the cause of his relinquishing power. Whenever I read a book where I catch such errors, I wonder how much I can trust the areas I don't know as much about -- such as European geography, history, etc.



3. This book should have been more informative....and it really wasn't. Charlotte was a daughter of the King of Belgium, 1st cousin to Queen Victoria, sister-in-law to the powerful Emperor Franz Joseph, and yet the book was just an empty shell at points. There was no genelogical table for reference, and no pictures except on the cover to even think about how truely beautiful Charlotte was until she went insane. There is evidence that says it might have been easier for her to do so to escape her brother, but she was certainly (and who could blame her) never able to handle the loss of Maximilian the way she did.
   
   Check this out @ the library, buy it if you really think you need to add it to your collection, but this was not the steller book it should have been. Heres to hoping someone else will do it better next time!!



4. I have picked this book because I wanted to learn about the Princess Charlotte of Belgium who was raised her entire life to one day assume a position of a sovereign. She gets to be an Empress not of one, but two different countries. Her reign is short lived in both instances and she spends another 60 years of her life locked up in comfortable surroundings, insane and alone.
   Princess Charlotte is married at age 15 for the second in line to the Austrian Hungarian throne. As a consolation prize, her brother-in-law awards his brother Maximillian, Charlotte's husband, reign over Italian northern provinces. Shortly after unification of Italy, the couple is forced out of country. They were in position to choose if they wanted to reign over Greece, or assume new position in the new world and become Emperial couple of Mexico. They chose, to their doom, to go to Mexico if for no other reason than for the reason of not giving up their Catholic faith for Greek Orthodox Christian faith. As North American and Mexican rebels fight for their independence from European monarchies, the young couple looses their standing as Emperor and Empress of Mexico. Emperor Maximillian is executed, while Charlotte spends the next 60 years of her life in European exile insane. Her insanity is a reason for fight between powerful European royal families. Assuming guardinaship over her well-being means assuming control over her enourmous financial fortunes.
   This is one of the books that takes us thru fascinating times in both European and North American history. Both continents were being defined by the changing world. That element alone gives book unpresedented twist. However, writing is not as strong. As times it almost feels that Prince Michael of Greece is getting bored with his task of writing this biography. He uses phrases such as "Empress fell of her chair" many times to describe her surprise in certain situations and he describes her neurotic personality by drawing a picture of an Empress who is pacing around the room chewing on her handkerchief, tearing up the lace and damaging the monogram on it. The ambigiuty of the marriage between Maximillian and Charlotte is apparent. They seem to live separate lives, often away from each other for the long stretches of time. Rather than having children of their own, it is Maximillian who decides to adopt Mexican child of royal Actec heritage. Charlotte is marginalized to the point that she has no influence to the matters of state. It seems that all those factors, isolation, lack of cultural life and lack of intellectually stimulating ladies-in-waiting, all contributed to her nervous breakdown and ultimately to her insanity. She gets to live thru it all and she dies at an old age, alone and pieceful. Charlotte's own life story is definitely sad and touching. Book however, could have been written much better as it has errors in couple of chapters that cause interruptions in any attempt of reading the text flawlessly.



5. An overly simplistic attempt at history, this book is definied by its failure to satisfy on any level.
   Initially I was disappointed by the lack of pictures, and maps, always useful when reading history. As I reached the middle of the book, it became clear that such trappings would have done little to improve matters.
   Written with the inexplicable self-confidence of a nineteen year old, the author hovers at fingertips length over history, all the while dispensing with moral judgements, and grand pronouncement of little to no value.
   Pass this one up. You will thank me.

No comments about Royal Family Album.

No comments about Queens and Courtesans: Women of Power in Medieval England (National Archives).

No comments about The Romanovs - The Final Chapter.

3 comments about Napoleon : The Man Who Shaped Europe.

1. Napoleon: The Man Who Shaped Europe by Ben Weider helped me understand Napoleon better than any other book. It is so clearly written and very compelling, I just couldn't put it down. Numerous biographies of Napoleon are available, but this work is the most straightforward, convincing biography I've ever read. Napoleon Bonaparte's character and achievements have always divided critics and commentators, but in this new book by Ben Weider, I felt I have "met" a Napoleon that is totally different from all the other books I've read. Weider has established his credentials as one of the most evocative of popular historians. It's a must read!!



2. I find Napoleon fascinating and the book excellent. From what I read, I certainly now believe Napoleon was misunderstood and his death misdiagnosed. Ben Weider has changed history forever with his groundbreaking evidence that Napoleon was murdered and his research shows that there is still much to learn about Napoleon. I learned a great deal about not only Napoleon, one of the world's leading men, but of the happenings in Europe during his era. When I first saw this book available for sale, I could not wait to read it. I am really pleased that I bought it!!



3. What shocked me above all, reading this book was the complete lack of objectivity manifested by the author. It seems Napoleon can do no wrong and this is emphasized by the constant need for the author to justify the Emperor's actions, by way of asking rather childish questions and making easy assertions, bordering on sophism. The overall feeling we get is Mr. Weider's need for historical "revenge" and the need to clean Napoleon's name. The autor wants to make us see Napoleon as a martyr, a man who was not a conqueror and made war out of strict necessity. This book is neither intended for neophytes, as it glances too rapidly over key historical moments, nor is it intended for experts, because of its biaised approach to the main protagonist and simplistic approach to events. The writing style is dry, almost newspaper-like and fails to carry the reader. Finally, although Mr. Weider theory of assassination is interesting, recent discoveries have discarted his theory. Overall, a deception.

4 comments about Brother to the Sun King: Philippe, Duke of Orleans.

1. The story of Philippe, brother of Louis XIV (also known as Sun King) is very exciting and iteresting. The book provides knowledge not only about Philippe, but also about his surroundings and with link to all possible things that were happening in France of that time. The description of his life is not like in most history books - you can even feel the atmosphere as you were there! You can also learn about Louis XIV from it and about their family realtions. The book covers both official and privat aspects of Philippe's life. Great book and very good work of the author!



2. As only brother to the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, Philippe, Duke of Orleans lived forever in the shadow of his older brother. Because of the numerous uprisings in France by a younger brother of the King, Philippe was taught from birth that he could never outshine his brother or be given any prominent place in his government. Because of this, Philippe led a fairly "wasted" life, perhaps best known for his flagrant homosexuality. Yet author Nancy Nichols Barker points out that when allowed to shine, the Duke was a competent soldier, lover of fine arts, good father and the founder of the Orleans dynasty which eventually ruled France. While the progeny of Louis XIV died out with the revolution, the descendants of Philippe populated the great Catholic thrones of Europe.

   The author does a good job with source material and especially the "psychological" background of her characters, such as Philippe and his two wives, Henriette of England and Elizabeth Charlotte of Palatine. The first marriage was a disaster but the second marriage flourished for a long time. Elizabeth Charlotte or Liselotte is given a major part of the biography and her background is presented in a very interesting manner. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in French history.




3. This book sets out to right a great wrong. The Duke of Orleans comes across as a petty and, at times, annoying figure in the Memoirs of St Simon. Ms. Barker's work does much to make up for what St Simon has done in the past. However, the work is flawed by Ms Barker's use of Freudian psychology to explain the Duke's homosexuality. This is probably the only real flaw in this book, but it is sufficient to undermine an unqualified recommendation.



4. Though I disagree with some of the author's opinions, it's always good to read and learn more about easily misjudged historic characters.