A brief biography written in gushy style, with clichs to match, Her Little Majesty-the title is apparently ironic in several senses-is a portrayal of the queen who, at the close of her reign, was "almost as broad as she was long." Erickson (Bloody Mary) has apparently put her book together from other books, with no new documentation and with errors emerging as early as the second page. One discovers there that Victoria was the only living legitimate heir to the throne in her generation, although she had two male cousins of her age, each a Prince George. Erickson also has a tendency to put thoughts-often total irrelevancies-into the heads of her characters: "But of course she could not go to [live in] Australia, for Albert would not have gone with her, and she needed Albert desperately." Fictional devices proliferate: "The baby slept on, and her mother, feeling safer than she had in months...." The biography is most striking in undoing the fawning portraiture of artistic flatterers ("Beneath her layers of fat, her lined face and heavy round cheeks") and in exploiting at length costume and fashion over the Victorian decades to exemplify social change. That strategy may also serve to keep some readers turning pages to learn about "lemon bosoms" and "bustle pads." Entire years escape the narrative, but Erickson has a knack for plucking pithy quotes, and the essentials of the queen's life are often deftly set out. Illustrations not seen by PW. BOMC, QPB and History Book Club alternates. (Mar.)
Her Little Majesty is a fresh and fascinating portrait of the diminutive monarch who ruled the vast British empire for over 60 years. Award-winning biographer and historian, Carolly Erickson, transports you behind the walls of Buckingham Palace to introduce you to the quirky, loveable Queen Victoria-revealed only to her closest associates. Emotionally deprived, inadequately educated, and socially isolated for much of her life, young Victoria felt ill-prepared to ascend the throne. But the 19-year-old queen met her coronation day with outward dignity and confidence-then went home to bathe her pet dog. Even though her frequent temper tantrums and neurotic obsessions would have critics repeatedly fearing for her sanity, she became a powerful ruler, relentlessly leading her country through devastating wars and sweeping political reform. Carolly Erickson draws on diaries, letters, and historical documents to pen this dramatic account of England's popular matriarch and the turbulent era that carries her name. Narrator Nelson Runger will hold you enthralled as the glory and the adversities of the Victorian age unfold.
"1111416653"
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria
Her Little Majesty is a fresh and fascinating portrait of the diminutive monarch who ruled the vast British empire for over 60 years. Award-winning biographer and historian, Carolly Erickson, transports you behind the walls of Buckingham Palace to introduce you to the quirky, loveable Queen Victoria-revealed only to her closest associates. Emotionally deprived, inadequately educated, and socially isolated for much of her life, young Victoria felt ill-prepared to ascend the throne. But the 19-year-old queen met her coronation day with outward dignity and confidence-then went home to bathe her pet dog. Even though her frequent temper tantrums and neurotic obsessions would have critics repeatedly fearing for her sanity, she became a powerful ruler, relentlessly leading her country through devastating wars and sweeping political reform. Carolly Erickson draws on diaries, letters, and historical documents to pen this dramatic account of England's popular matriarch and the turbulent era that carries her name. Narrator Nelson Runger will hold you enthralled as the glory and the adversities of the Victorian age unfold.
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Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170730759 |
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Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
Publication date: | 09/30/2011 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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