REVIEW: Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow (Lucy Worsley)
Author: Lucy Worsley
My rating: 4/5.
Premise: Who was Queen Victoria? A little old lady, potato-like in appearance, dressed in everlasting black? Or a passionate young princess, a romantic heroine with a love of dancing? There is also a third Victoria - a woman who was also a remarkably successful queen, one who found a way of being a respected sovereign in an age when people were deeply uncomfortable with having a woman on the throne. Examining twenty-four days of her life, through diaries, letters and more, allows us to see, and to celebrate, the contradictions at the heart of British history's most recognisable woman.
Having watched the show Victoria, I wanted to find out more about Queen Victoria. And this book didn't disappoint. Lucy Worsley goes through 24 days that describe the Queen and give context to how she became who she was. I had no idea as to the lead up to her birth and how "political" it was. To be honest, I felt disillusioned throughout this book, mostly from when she married. I think, having watched TV shows and films about her, it's quite easy to see her marriage and life portrayed in the way we want to see it - her marriage for love, her and Albert as equals, her overcoming sexism of the day. But Lucy Worsley gave a more realistic representation. I was shocked at the idea of Victoria being subordinate to Albert and her being against women's votes, but you have to remember that Victoria excelled by being the epitemy of a "good" Victorian woman, and that helped her sustain the monarchy. I think this book gave a good balance of the ups and downs from Victoria's life, and made her seem more human in the sense that her bad traits aren't smoothed over. A really interesting and eye-opening read for me!