03/19/2018
This suspenseful, entertaining tale presents a view of the young Queen Victoria as seen through the eyes of Victoria Conroy, the shy, unobtrusive daughter of Sir John Conroy, advisor and keeper of the purse strings for Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent. Known to everybody as Miss V, she is brought to Kensington Palace at the age of 11 to serve as companion to the temperamental princess and, as she soon learns, to be the eyes and ears of her powerful, plotting father. As a bond grows between the girls, Miss V becomes ever more uneasy about her father’s true motives and his role in the household. Is the “Kensington System,” which prohibits the princess from having contact with the outside world, truly meant to protect her? Worlsey (Maid of the King’s Court) is a curator for England’s historic royal palaces, and she makes good use of her expertise and her imagination to bring historical figures to life and draw readers into the novel’s mid-19th-century royal world. Miss V’s seven-year tenure with Victoria is marked by suspicions, tensions, revelations, and unexpected alliances; the girls’ physical similarity to each other develops alongside their friendship, making for a deliciously surprising and satisfying ending. Ages 12–up. Agent: Catherine Clarke, Felicity Bryan Assoc. (May)
My Name Is Victoria
Narrated by Henrietta Meire
Lucy WorsleyUnabridged — 6 hours, 55 minutes
My Name Is Victoria
Narrated by Henrietta Meire
Lucy WorsleyUnabridged — 6 hours, 55 minutes
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Overview
By turns thrilling, dramatic, and touching, this is the story of Queen Victoria's childhood as you've never heard it before.
Miss V. Conroy is good at keeping secrets. She likes to sit as quiet as a mouse, neat and discreet. But when her father sends her to Kensington Palace to become the companion to Princess Victoria, Miss V soon finds that she can no longer remain in the shadows. Her father is Sir John Conroy, confidant and financial advisor to Victoria's mother, and he has devised a strict set of rules for the young princess that he calls the Kensington System. It governs Princess Victoria's behavior and keeps her locked away from the world. Sir John says it's for the princess's safety, but Victoria herself is convinced that it's to keep her lonely and unhappy. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing friendship with the willful and passionate princess, Miss V has a decision to make: continue in silence or speak out. In an engaging, immersive tale, Lucy Worsley spins one of England's best-known periods into a fresh and surprising story that will delight both young readers of historical fiction and fans of the television show featuring Victoria.
Editorial Reviews
Contemporary customs and royal politics round out the narrative to provide an intriguing glimpse into the girlhood of one of the most powerful women in European history as imagined by one of Britain's most popular historians. A brilliant blend of historical fact and artistic license.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Worsley’s expertise in the subject creates an intimate story accurate enough to feel plausible...those intrigued by Queen Victoria or historical fiction will find this volume moving. Give to teens who are ready to graduate from the “Royal Diary” series. A rich and moving historical fiction about one of England’s best-known monarchs; recommended for fans of Carolyn Meyer and Michaela MacColl.
—School Library Journal
This suspenseful, entertaining tale presents a view of the young Queen Victoria as seen through the eyes of Victoria Conroy...Miss V’s seven-year tenure with Victoria is marked by suspicions, tensions, revelations, and unexpected alliances; the girls’ physical similarity to each other develops alongside their friendship, making for a deliciously surprising and satisfying ending.
—Publishers Weekly
Worsley (Maid of the King’s Court, 2017), the chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, digs into the details of the time period with aplomb, offering up a slice-of-life examination of pre-Victorian England...for history buffs, the period details will fascinate.
—Booklist Online
Author Worsley, curator for England’s historic royal palaces, brings to live those inhabiting Kensington Palace, as well as the other residences where Victoria lived before becoming queen. She’s given this story historical relevance and accuracy, while weaving a delightful fantasy about the woman who became one of the United Kingdom’s most famous monarchs.
—New York Journal of Books
07/01/2018
Gr 8 Up—Miss V Conroy is a young girl sent by her father—Sir John Conroy, the comptroller and confidant for the Princess Royal's mother—to befriend the future Queen Victoria at Kensington Palace. Victoria is stifled under a strict set of rules called the Kensington System, which keep her locked away from public view, isolated and lonely. Miss V's father assures her it is for Victoria's safety and requests that Miss V pass along details of their conversations. However, as the girls' friendship blossoms and Victoria nears the crown, Miss V begins to doubt her father's true intentions. Power struggles permeate Victoria's life with her mother and Sir John hoping to continue exerting influence and matrimonial choices, her Uncle Leopold voicing his own opinions, and Victoria wishing to be free of all of it. Worsley boasts expertise as the joint chief curator at the Historic Royal Palaces, and she speculates on Victoria's childhood and vividly brings it to life—albeit with some twists that classify this imagined perspective as an alternate history. Henrietta Meire narrates with ease, making for a pleasant listening experience. VERDICT A solid choice for libraries desiring more historical fiction that will especially appeal to fans of the British monarchy.—Megan Huenemann, Norris High School, Firth, NE
03/01/2018
Gr 8 Up—An interesting twist on the early life of Queen Victoria. Miss V. Conroy joins the household of the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace. Miss V is to be Victoria's companion, but also secretly spy for Sir John Conroy, the comptroller of the household and Victoria's nemesis. Miss V learns about the Kensington System, a set of rules created by Sir John to keep Victoria safe, which the princess finds oppressive. Torn between loyalty to her father and her deep bond with Victoria; Miss V learns, over time, to balance the needs of the System with that of her friend. However, Prince Albert's arrival to Kensington Palace forces Miss V to take control of her life. The fascinating turn of events creates an engaging alternate history for fans of historical fiction and Queen Victoria. Worsley's expertise in the subject creates an intimate story accurate enough to feel plausible. However, readers unfamiliar with the British royal family may find the story overwhelming in detail, especially as Part One tends to drag. However, those intrigued by Queen Victoria or historical fiction will find this volume moving. Give to teens who are ready to graduate from the "Royal Diary" series. VERDICT A rich and moving historical fiction about one of England's best-known monarchs; recommended for fans of Carolyn Meyer and Michaela MacColl.—Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask.
Historian Lucy Worsley’s experience with England’s palaces and royalty provides fodder for her compelling story of Miss V. Conroy, whose father sends her to Kensington Palace to be Princess Victoria’s companion. Miss V. is the daughter of Sir John Conroy, creator of the Kensington System, a set of rules designed to control the princess and keep her behind closed doors. Soon Miss V.’s future becomes entwined with the royal family’s. The characters provide narrator Henrietta Meire with a number of challenges as she portrays the austere and imperious Sir John and contrasts the calm Miss V. and the high-strung and Victoria, who is German. This imaginative and entertaining historical fiction presents a fresh take on a well-known queen in her youth. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
★ 2018-03-20
Historian Worsley's (Jane Austen at Home, 2017, etc.) second novel for young adults puts a unique spin on Queen Victoria's childhood and path to the throne.Miss Victoria Conroy, daughter of Sir John Conroy, the royal comptroller, is going to London to be a companion for Her Royal Highness the Princess Victoria. The 11-year-old "Miss V" finds the prospect of meeting the princess and living at Kensington Palace both thrilling and terrifying. However, the quiet, obedient, and shy Miss V is surprised to find that the possible future queen of England is dirty, boisterous, and prone to tantrums. Claiming he has Victoria's best interests at heart, Miss V's father has devised the oppressive Kensington System ostensibly to protect the princess from would-be assassins. As the years pass, the girls grow closer, and Miss V discovers her father is using the System to feed his own hunger for power. Miss V's duty is to the princess, and it's up to her to beat the System and help ensure that Victoria takes her rightful place on the throne at 18. Contemporary customs and royal politics round out the narrative to provide an intriguing glimpse into the girlhood of one of the most powerful women in European history as imagined by one of Britain's most popular historians.A brilliant blend of historical fact and artistic license. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-adult)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169586459 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 05/08/2018 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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