No comments about Wallis: Secret Lives of the Duchess of Windsor: The Scandalous Truth about the Century's Most Infamous Woman.

No comments about King David and Queen Victoria: The Inside Story of the Beckhams.

No comments about Pickle the Spy - or, The Incognito of Prince Charles.

1 comments about The Queen Mother's Century.

1. I bought this book for mt 981/2 year old cousin. She is just 6 months younger. My cousin is not in good health now bur is a great admirer of the older generation of the family. This book brought a big smile to her face, when she saw the cover. Made her day, Thanks for the book. You made someone very happy.

No comments about Queen Victoria - The Story of Her Life and Reign.

No comments about Henry VIII (Seminar Studies in History).

2 comments about George I (The English Monarchs Series).

1. The author's writing style is easy to follow, without being simplistic and her grasp of the historical issues of the period is excellent.

   She presents a great deal of information about the women involved in the history of George, which is unusual for a historian of the Hanovers.

   The book is approachable without an in-depth knowledge of the German principalities (though this obviously helps).

   Solidly recommended.




2. I read a Hard back copy from the local library and could not believe it. I loved this bio. I have read many other biographies and books on the Stuart and Hanover Dynasties of Britain but most were from Charles II and the pretenders and George III through Victoria. George I seems to be remembered as the British King who really didn't care; He took his time accepting the throne, refused to learn English, ran away to Hanover every chance he got and only wanted English money proven by the South Sea Bubble scandal. This book gives us more. A lot more. It shows the who and why, it dispels the stories I have listed above and gives us the man, flesh, blood and emotions. He becomes a real and more understood human than just an uncaring figure from history. I highly recommend this book. It is a great read. I didn't want to put it down. It flows easy and gives enough detail and background to keep you moving through history and his life without bogging you down. All those, Jacobites included :) who do not know George I outside of the usual should read this book. I can't say enough about it.

5 comments about Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II.

1. Obviously, Robert Lacey is a dedicated biographer. His book is characterized by research, depth, and scope. What's more, he doesn't resort to cheap sensationalism to add a few more chapters. Yet somehow, "Monarch" is still one of those books that doesn't just capture you and leave you gushing about how wonderful it was.
   
   Lacey begins his book by attempting to chronicle the development of the "modern" royal family, beginning with reign of Queen Victoria and providing glimpses into several other monarchs' rule. It would be true to say that these "foundations" help one understand the current queen. Occasionally, this extended history lesson was just plain fascinating, too, imparting nuggets of history that any royal buff delights in.
   
   Unfortunately, the history lessons definitely became too textbook-ish at times, too. Lacey has an extremely unfortunate habit of seeming to bring up every single name, place, and government activity when talking about an event. This leaves the reader with an overly long and dull account of event that could have been summed up much more interestingly.
   
   The same analysis, to a lesser extent, holds true for the queen's own story in this book. At times, Lacey fabulously describes people and events, knows just where to place a well-chosen quote, and makes one want to read about the queen's life forever (as in the opening chapters about the queen's dealings with Diana's funeral). Yet the "bogged-down-in-boring-detail" problem still surfaced in this part (the parts dealing with the Margaret-Townsend affair were dry and too long).
   
   Lacey is certainly to be commended for his obvious knowledge about the queen, and it is also fortunate for readers that he is able to convey his respect for the queen while still offering up intelligent, constructive criticism. If you really must read everything about the British royal family or the queen, this is a solid offering, yet other readers would probably enjoy Carolly Erickson's masterfully written "Lillibet" much more.



2. I was kind of hoping that Robert Lacey did a follow-up to his earlier biography, Majesty but instead, he seem to rehashed many of the old material from that book while writing a whole new biography. So while this book proves to be an interesting read to those who have not read Majesty, you cannot help but to be disappointed by how the last 20 years of Elizabeth's reign have been written. Its almost appears to be a mini-biography of Princess Diana. I believed this spell out the major weakness in this biography of Elizabeth II. Some of the readers might questioned although others may praised the fact that Lacey did not treat Diana with any sort of adoration that seem to be so typical of many of the current writers.
   
   I thought the book could have better written, in more details and with more insights to Elizabeth's character as she grew older. There's probably not enough information on her husband in this book as well. He's probably more important to Elizabeth's life then Diana could ever be. The author's unwillingness to dig deeper for a more complete biography make this book somewhat of a compromise quality. There's really nothing written about Elizabeth in this book toward her last 20 years of reign that we couldn't pick up already from the mass media. Do we have to wait until after Elizabeth's death to get a decent indepth biography on her life??



3. Enjoyable and educational - very well done. Lacey is a very good "royal watcher" - always seems to be honest enough without blowing his own horn.



4. I was preparing for a speech about Queen Elizabeth the Second, purchased this book and never looked back. Full of information but not over one's head, a very enjoyable read.



5. I have read numerous books about the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II/the British Royal Family and this is one of the best so far. It feels more like history than tabloid and is easy to follow. I also feel that it sets the record straight on many subjects, especially the difficulties with Diana. I truly could not put this book down! Read and enjoy!

2 comments about Prince William: Born to Be King.

1. The author promises to let the reader know: " Why William was know as 'Billy the Basher,' How he coped with his parents' troubled marriage, What he does for fun and excitement, Why his former nanny is now his closest friend, and How he feels about being popular with girls all over the world." Richard Buskin does accomplished these things. However, if one has kept up with the Royal Family, then, one know everything in the book and much more. Princes William possesses many more nicknames than just 'Billy the Basher.'

   Despite this, the book is well-written which one can not say about many of the books written about Prince William. This book can be appreciated by adults and not just gushing teenagers who are crazy over Prince William. It's easy reading and can be easily read in an hour.

   Richard Buskin has written several books about the Royal Family - Diana in particular.

   Prince William has had to grow up rapidly considering the events which have taken place in his life. As everyone knows, the world is on the verge of a new millennium, and for William, the twenty-first century king, it appears to be there for the taking. There are many picture of Prince William from infancy to the present; however, there are no new ones.

   Since the death of his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William has grown into a mature young man, and whatever the future holds, the eyes of the world will certainly be on Prince William.

   This is a paperback book which contains 159 pages and measures 4x63/4 inches.




2. I live in England but, do you know, I've never followed the activities of the royal family. It's not always something special when you've grown up with it all your life, and they've done much to let themselves down in the past 20 years, the poor souls. So I've never followed Prince William and, really, know nothing about him. That is, I didn't until I read this book. I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, flying back to England, when I saw it in at the bookstall. Something made me take it off the shelf - I've no idea to this day why - and it caught my interest as I flicked idly through the pages. I immediately liked the writing style - it's very descriptive, but not too much: it's artfully done. Why, for just a few bucks I got to learn more, much more than I ever thought I'd want to know about William. But I enjoyed it! It's quite a rollercoaster story, and an amusing though pretty accurate insight into British life and culture, written by one who should know - The author biography says that Mr Buskin "is a British journalist". It shows. (It also says that another of his books, about Princess Diana, was a New York Times bestseller. That must be one heck of a book - I'm already looking out for a copy.) I think Buskin must be a pretty savvy guy, and he certainly writes a witty line reminiscent of the British Carry On films. For example, I think he had tongue firmly in cheek when he wrote: "And so the stage was set: His naughtiness was about to evolve into Dreamboat Willy."

No comments about Margaret Pole, 1473-1541.