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Victoria's Daughters |  | Author: Jerrold M. Packard
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
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Seller: holgifts
Rating:  60 reviews
Sales Rank: 105846
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 370
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0312244967
Dewey Decimal Number: 941.0810922
EAN: 9780312244965
ASIN: 0312244967
Publication Date: December 23, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Incisive character studies of Queen Victoria's five daughters provide the framework for a lively survey of 19th-century European history. With three brothers securing the English throne, the princesses' royal duty was to further Britain's interests through marriage. Vivacious, intelligent Vicky (1840-1901), the spoiled eldest, had a happy union with Hohenzollern prince Frederick William, though her liberal views were unpopular in Prussia and vehemently resisted by her son Willy, who eventually became the emperor of Germany. Sensitive, altruistic Alice (1843-78); dutiful, dull Lenchen (1846-1923); and shy baby sister Beatrice (1857-1944) all married minor German royalty--though Beatrice, intended to be her domineering mother's spinster companion, didn't marry until she was 28 and continued to live in England at Victoria's beck and call. Centuries-old custom dictated that princesses must not wed subjects, but artistic, rebellious Louise (1848-1939) married a Scottish nobleman anyway and managed to lead a slightly less restricted life than her sisters, particularly as a strong supporter of charitable organizations for women. Jerrold Packard, a veteran historian-biographer with six previous books to his credit, spins an enjoyably old-fashioned narrative emphasizing personal relationships among Europe's royalty and their impact on political developments. --Wendy Smith
Product Description
Five women who shared one of the most extraordinary and privileged sisterhoods of all time...
Vicky, Alice, Helena, Louise, and Beatrice were historically unique sisters, born to a sovereign who ruled over a quarter of the earth's people and who gave her name to an era: Queen Victoria. Two of these princesses would themselves produce children of immense consequence. All five would face the social restrictions and familial machinations borne by ninetheenth-century women of far less exalted class.
Researched at the houses and palaces of its five subjects-- in London, Scotland, Berlin, Darmstadt, and Ottawa-- Victoria's Daughters examines a generation of royal women who were dominated by their mother, married off as much for political advantage as for love, and passed over entirely when their brother Bertie ascended to the throne. Packard, an experienced biographer whose last book chronicled Victoria's final days, provides valuable insights into their complex, oft-tragic lives as scions of Europe's most influential dynasty, and daughters of their own very troubled times.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 60
thorough, interesting, informative July 28, 2010
katie
Having read The Last Princess, I became interested in learning more about the remaining daughters of Queen Victoria. This book did not disappoint. Each daughter was thoroughly researched in a spiraling presentation. The daughters were not discussed separately. The author kept returning to each one in the historical timeline, as they lived. The reader also learns more about the queen's obsessive characteristics, her severely controlling behavior, the princesses' brothers, the social expectations of the times, and the historically important events of the times and how the Royal Family was involved in each. A good read!
 Superbly written piece of history! June 9, 2010
S. Snodgrass (SC)
I have long been a fan and serious student of the British monarchy and have quite a fine collecion of books on the subject. This one seemed to me a fine addition to that collection. I am nearly finished with the book and it is absolutely wonderful! It is very well written and the research is superb! The author writes in such a way to pique the reader's interest without seeming at all stuffy, the way some biographies are. He goes into geat detail of the lives of Victoria's daughters while weaving all the history of the period into the drama. We don't just get Victoria's daugthers but the entire history of the time as well. It is way, way intersting. I am going to look into buying more of Packard's books now that I have read this one. It is a wonderful book to purchase and my advice is, you don't want to miss this one.
A "don't miss it" book for those interested in this period of European history June 5, 2010
Nina M. Osier (Augusta, ME USA)
This period in European history has always intrigued me, and the roles women have played in history - from the most public to the most private - form another of my interests. So I picked up this book with delight at discovering it, and with high expectations. It didn't disappoint.
Victoria came to the throne of Britain at 18, after a childhood so dominated by her mother that she had never been allowed to sleep anywhere else but in her mother's room. She threw off that domination the minute her new status made it possible. She married the man of her choice - a suitable consort for a queen, to be sure! - and lived with him happily despite her dislike for what she called the "shadow side" (the physical side) of marriage. She bore nine children, and she turned her early widowhood into perpetual mourning for everyone around her. I knew all that. But I did not know the stories of the five remarkable women who were her daughters, and through their stories I learned a considerable amount I didn't already know about the entwined royal houses of Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. How did this world in which first cousins led their countries to war against each other come into being?
Each of Victoria's daughters is an individual in this book, one for whom the reader can feel both understanding and empathy. Each has her own destiny, and each has her own impact on her society as a person - not just as a daughter, wife, and mother. The level of detail may be overwhelming for a reader expecting light biography, but anyone who already knows the essentials of this time and place should find that detail both appropriate and enlightening.
--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"
Interesting Biography ... December 23, 2009
Busy Mom (Ohio)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I know next to nothing of Queen Victoria and this book is an eye-opener and definitely has me even more interested in knowing more about this intriguing queen, who has spawned most of the royals that we know today. I picked this biography up at an antique store because I wanted to know more about this queen and her family. I definitely got my wish. This is a thorough biography of Queen Victoria and her five daughters, and their relationships with their mother.
This is also one of the well-written biographies I have read in quite some time. It wasn't dry or boring though it could be confusing at times (especially when the daughters married and changed their names), but Packard managed to have a handy genealogy chart available in the beginning of the book, to help the reader navigate through all the names and who belong to whom. Every one of Victoria's daughters had chapters devoted to her life and marriage as well as relationship with Victoria. Vicky, the eldest and the mother of the Kaiser Wilhem, Emperor of Germany, had the most devoted to her since she was an influential woman in Europe of that time, but the other daughters were written about as well.
There is one disappointment though. The book started to slow down after Victoria's death and the last few chapters felt rushed instead of it being fleshed out more. It was as if Victoria was the main character in this book and her daughters ended up being nobodies when she died. That is my biggest gripe about this book.
Other than that, it was very well-written and it was intriguing to boot. It managed to keep my interest during the busiest time of the year for me. I literally could not wait to get into bed and read a chapter or two since it was engrossing. It is amazing how one woman and her daughters were such central characters in the events that unfolded across Europe at that time. And for people who really aren't interested in history, there is no mention of politics in this biography. It is mainly a book about a woman and her daughters ... though they were of historical importance. That alone was the fascinating part for me.
12/22/09
Victoria's Daughters November 17, 2009
Stephanie Dean (Australia)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
the book was received in excellent condition, a great read, particularly since this book has relevance to our family history. im looking forward to reading the books that follow this family history.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 60
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