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Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria was the longest reigning monarch in British history. In this concise biography, Lady Longford, long recognised as an authority on the subject, gives a full account of Queen Victoria?s life and provides her unique assessment of the monarch. Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 on the death of her uncle William IV. In 1840 she married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and for the next twenty years they were inseparable. Their descendants were to succeed to most of the thrones of Europe. When Albert died in 1861 Victoria?s overwhelming grief caused her to almost withdraw from public life for several years. This perceived dereliction of public duty, coupled with rumours about her relationship with her Scottish ghillie, John Brown, led to increasing criticism. Coaxed back into the public eye by Disraeli, she resumed her political and constitutional interest with vigour until her death in 1901. This classic and concise biography of Britain?s longest-reigning monarch was written by Lady Elizabeth Longford who was a renowned biographer (she died in 2002). Her other titles include Wellington, Byron and the Queen Mother. Elizabeth Longford's first work on Queen Victoria, Victoria RI, won the James Tait Black memorial prize.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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About the author
Elizabeth Longford
64 books23 followersElizabeth (Harman) Pakenham, Countess of Longford, CBE was born on 30 August 1906. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Bishop Harman. She married Sir Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, KG, PC, son of Thomas Pakenham, 5th Earl of Longford and Lady Mary Julia Child-Villiers, on 3 November 1931. She died on 23 October 2002.
Her married name became Pakenham.
The Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography was established in 2003 in memory of Elizabeth Longford (1906-2002), the British author, biographer and historian. The £5,000 prize is awarded annually for a historical biography published in the preceding year. The Elizabeth Longford Prize is sponsored by Flora Fraser and Peter Soros and administered by the Society of Authors.
Her married name became Pakenham.
The Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography was established in 2003 in memory of Elizabeth Longford (1906-2002), the British author, biographer and historian. The £5,000 prize is awarded annually for a historical biography published in the preceding year. The Elizabeth Longford Prize is sponsored by Flora Fraser and Peter Soros and administered by the Society of Authors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 25, 2022
بیشترمون در مورد دوران ویکتوریایی چیزهایی شنیدیم، دورانی که انگلستان در اوج صنعت و قدرت بود، و پرچمش با شکوه در بیشتر نقاط دنیا برافراشته شده بود. کتاب از ابتدای زندگی ویکتوریا شروع میشه و تا پایان مرگ اون ادامه داره، در کنار زندگی شخصی ویکتوریا و سختی ها و فراز و نشیبی که در زندگی داشته ، نویسنده به ما اطلاعاتی در مورد شرایط انگلستان، میزان نفوذ آن در سایر نقاط دنیا، تحولات سیاسی و اجتماعی در داخل و خارج کشور و مواردی از این دست میده
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اکثر زندگی نامه هایی که تا به اینجا خوندم نگاه کلی به حوادث و اتفاقات داشتند و بیشتر روی موضوعات مهم تاکید میکردن، اما نویسنده این کتاب جزئی ترین چیزها رو هم نوشته، مثل از خواب بیدار شدن و یا حتی سرما خوردن ملکه! این توچه به جزئیات از یک طرف میتونه جالب باشه، و از طرف دیگه میتونه خسته کننده باشه. برای من باعث خستگی شد، نویسنده انقدر به مسائل کم اهمیت پرداخته که در بیشتر قسمت ها حوصله آدم رو سر می برد. البته به همه اینها برداشت آزاد و دخل و تصرف مترجم رو هم باید اضافه کرد
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اکثر زندگی نامه هایی که تا به اینجا خوندم نگاه کلی به حوادث و اتفاقات داشتند و بیشتر روی موضوعات مهم تاکید میکردن، اما نویسنده این کتاب جزئی ترین چیزها رو هم نوشته، مثل از خواب بیدار شدن و یا حتی سرما خوردن ملکه! این توچه به جزئیات از یک طرف میتونه جالب باشه، و از طرف دیگه میتونه خسته کننده باشه. برای من باعث خستگی شد، نویسنده انقدر به مسائل کم اهمیت پرداخته که در بیشتر قسمت ها حوصله آدم رو سر می برد. البته به همه اینها برداشت آزاد و دخل و تصرف مترجم رو هم باید اضافه کرد
November 20, 2012
It was interesting to read about Queen Victoria. Lady Longford had access to the queen's private journals, so the tone of the book is generally sympathetic to the queen, though not sycophantic or necessarily flattering. Longford clears up some rumors or misunderstandings that have been perpetrated by other biographers.
Unfortunately, Longford's focus on using the queen's journals as her primary source materials means that the scope of the book is narrowed to what the queen wrote about. I learned more in just a few pages of reading "Monarch: The Life and Reign of Queen Elizabeth II" about the significance of Victoria's golden jubilee than I did in reading all of "QV". It's especially frustrating because Longford doesn't include much (if any) context for what the queen is commenting upon. For example, on page 462 she writes, "Meanwhile the Queen was glad when the Criminal Amendment Act of 1885 became law." She doesn't tell us what the provisions of the Criminal Amendment Act were, why it pleased the queen, nor how it relates to the prisoner she was discussing earlier in the paragraph.
Elsewhere she writes that the queen allowed Oscar Wilde into the chapel at Windsor. According to one of the source documents Longford used, Mr. Wilde "was most affected". However, we don't learn how he was affected, or what he wrote in The Telegraph as a result of the visit. Given Mr. Wilde's way with words, I would imagine it would be quite interesting to read his opinion.
Lady Longford uses the name or title of a royal personage that was in use at the time about which she is writing. So Queen Victoria's eldest daughter is Vicky, then The Princess Royal, then Empress Frederick of Prussia. Given the vast number of people in QV's family, it's nigh on impossible to keep them straight when their names keep changing. And she does not make it explicit that the names have changed. She writes about Disraeli, then mentions that he accepted a peerage, then starts writing about Lord Beaconsfield without making it explicit that Beaconsfield and Disraeli are the same person.
It seems clear that Lady Longford wrote this book for people who are already quite familiar with British history and royal lineages. I am not, so I found the book rather irritating and hard to follow. I also had the feeling I was supposed to be keeping notes throughout - on page 501 Longford writes, "When the princesses came up to kiss the Queen's hand and receive their mother's embrace, it was the Prince's favourite child whom she clasped longest." At that point, the Prince has been dead for over 200 pages, and I could no longer remember which of the princesses had been his favorite.
Bottom line: interesting, but not extremely well-written.
Unfortunately, Longford's focus on using the queen's journals as her primary source materials means that the scope of the book is narrowed to what the queen wrote about. I learned more in just a few pages of reading "Monarch: The Life and Reign of Queen Elizabeth II" about the significance of Victoria's golden jubilee than I did in reading all of "QV". It's especially frustrating because Longford doesn't include much (if any) context for what the queen is commenting upon. For example, on page 462 she writes, "Meanwhile the Queen was glad when the Criminal Amendment Act of 1885 became law." She doesn't tell us what the provisions of the Criminal Amendment Act were, why it pleased the queen, nor how it relates to the prisoner she was discussing earlier in the paragraph.
Elsewhere she writes that the queen allowed Oscar Wilde into the chapel at Windsor. According to one of the source documents Longford used, Mr. Wilde "was most affected". However, we don't learn how he was affected, or what he wrote in The Telegraph as a result of the visit. Given Mr. Wilde's way with words, I would imagine it would be quite interesting to read his opinion.
Lady Longford uses the name or title of a royal personage that was in use at the time about which she is writing. So Queen Victoria's eldest daughter is Vicky, then The Princess Royal, then Empress Frederick of Prussia. Given the vast number of people in QV's family, it's nigh on impossible to keep them straight when their names keep changing. And she does not make it explicit that the names have changed. She writes about Disraeli, then mentions that he accepted a peerage, then starts writing about Lord Beaconsfield without making it explicit that Beaconsfield and Disraeli are the same person.
It seems clear that Lady Longford wrote this book for people who are already quite familiar with British history and royal lineages. I am not, so I found the book rather irritating and hard to follow. I also had the feeling I was supposed to be keeping notes throughout - on page 501 Longford writes, "When the princesses came up to kiss the Queen's hand and receive their mother's embrace, it was the Prince's favourite child whom she clasped longest." At that point, the Prince has been dead for over 200 pages, and I could no longer remember which of the princesses had been his favorite.
Bottom line: interesting, but not extremely well-written.
did-not-finish
October 11, 2025This is just too long, too detailed and I’m not in the right mood (so I know, not your fault!), so moving on to something different!
January 11, 2010
After the last Victoria biography I read Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria, this one was a breath of fresh air. The author, Lady Elizabeth Longford, actually used primary sources with citations instead of guessing how Victoria "must have felt." So that was nice.
Longford also showed that Victoria was a complex woman who matured and took her role very seriously instead of a melodramatic, half-crazy figurehead. She went into far more detail on the politics of the era, painting wonderful pictures of all her prime ministers, children, and even servants. In short, this was a well-researched, thorough biography of a compelling leader.
There were some excellent pictures, including a rare one in which Queen Victoria was smiling broadly.
However, the book had its drawbacks. Longford wrote the book in the 1960s for a clearly British audience. Some of the governmental procedures and laws that I assume most Britons are familiar with were incomprehensible to me. I knew something about the Corn Laws, so that was less difficult, but other bills or practices (such as Home Rule) were never explained. I also struggled to keep all Victoria's descendants straight. She had nine children and whenever they got married or ascended a foreign throne, their titles would change (e.g. The Princess Royal became Crown Princess of Prussia who became Empress Fredrick). With so many descendants, I got confused trying to remember which grandchild belonged to with prince or princess, and which princess married which German. There is an excellent family tree, which helped immensely, but I wish there was an easier way to keep everyone and everything straight.
Longford also showed that Victoria was a complex woman who matured and took her role very seriously instead of a melodramatic, half-crazy figurehead. She went into far more detail on the politics of the era, painting wonderful pictures of all her prime ministers, children, and even servants. In short, this was a well-researched, thorough biography of a compelling leader.
There were some excellent pictures, including a rare one in which Queen Victoria was smiling broadly.
However, the book had its drawbacks. Longford wrote the book in the 1960s for a clearly British audience. Some of the governmental procedures and laws that I assume most Britons are familiar with were incomprehensible to me. I knew something about the Corn Laws, so that was less difficult, but other bills or practices (such as Home Rule) were never explained. I also struggled to keep all Victoria's descendants straight. She had nine children and whenever they got married or ascended a foreign throne, their titles would change (e.g. The Princess Royal became Crown Princess of Prussia who became Empress Fredrick). With so many descendants, I got confused trying to remember which grandchild belonged to with prince or princess, and which princess married which German. There is an excellent family tree, which helped immensely, but I wish there was an easier way to keep everyone and everything straight.
November 25, 2014
A seminal biography of a fascinating figure. It is well written and deeply researched by a writer who understood the age. Whilst her sympathy for her subject is clear, Elizabeth Longford is cold eyed about what a monster the old queen could be and the terror she inspired in her family. Still worth reading despite its age.
August 22, 2013
One of the better biographies of Queen Victoria, this was beautifully written, well researched, with meaningful notes and references. Lady Longford has respect but not reverence for her subject, and is able to make, where possible, Victoria's motives and actions clear without using psychological speculation or her own inference. A highly entertaining read.
March 2, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. It helped connect a lot of dots for me. We don't often get a "big picture" of Queen Victoria. A lot of the stuff I've seen and heard of her was caricature. There was a lot more to her life and times than I had seen on the surface.
This book was also great for a concise summary. Most of the time, if I just want an introduction or an overview, I have to read a kids book, but this wasn't a tone that was talking down to me like a kid. I appreciated that.
The down side was that there are a couple of places where the author makes reference assuming that the audience knows more about what's going on than they do. I'm sure it's hard in a small book, and maybe some of the things were also because I think she was assuming a British audience. There were just some times when she would throw something out and move on leaving me thinking, "What?" I'm glad that I also checked out a larger book about Queen Victoria. I'm hoping to have a chance to read it and maybe fill in some more blanks in my understanding.
This book was also great for a concise summary. Most of the time, if I just want an introduction or an overview, I have to read a kids book, but this wasn't a tone that was talking down to me like a kid. I appreciated that.
The down side was that there are a couple of places where the author makes reference assuming that the audience knows more about what's going on than they do. I'm sure it's hard in a small book, and maybe some of the things were also because I think she was assuming a British audience. There were just some times when she would throw something out and move on leaving me thinking, "What?" I'm glad that I also checked out a larger book about Queen Victoria. I'm hoping to have a chance to read it and maybe fill in some more blanks in my understanding.
February 23, 2023
The details in this book.....wow!! But.....I just couldn't properly immerse myself in the book. I finished it but really don't feel I took as much from it as I wanted to
February 6, 2017
Very well researched and well written biography of Queen Victoria. It changed my view a little bit on her as a mother - I always saw her as quite a hard mother but actually this book shows a slightly softer side of her. It perhaps also hints as to why she appears to be such a hard mother - the climate of the world at the time was such that her children had to behave a certain way, had to marry into certain fmailies to keep the dynasty alive.
It also deals with her loss of Albert , this was not quite the all consuming loss that we are led to believe. Yes she probably mourned more than the average lady but we see this from a modern perspective. It was quite normal to have a long mourning period in those days.
The book look at her entire reign, both from a personal and a political viewpoint. Slightly hardgoing in places - particularly in the period just after Albert dies but overall a good read.
It also deals with her loss of Albert , this was not quite the all consuming loss that we are led to believe. Yes she probably mourned more than the average lady but we see this from a modern perspective. It was quite normal to have a long mourning period in those days.
The book look at her entire reign, both from a personal and a political viewpoint. Slightly hardgoing in places - particularly in the period just after Albert dies but overall a good read.
August 12, 2012
A very readable biography and incredibly detailed for the length. Of course, not much historical detail was possible given how short the book is, but a very fair introduction to the life of Queen Victoria and a good lead-in to a longer work.
August 23, 2012
Wow. What an amazing, thoroughly detailed biography, on Queen Victoria. Highly recommended. It's a very long book,but well worth the read.
June 18, 2016
لذت بخش بود. گرچه ديگر دنبال اينكه واقعا اين كتاب وجود داشته و نويسنده اي فرنگي داشته يا زاده ي ذهن ذبيح الله منصوري است ، نيستم. داستان داستان است و بهتر است لذت برد.
February 3, 2018
Interesting review of Queen Victoria's life. Couple of quibbles. One, the author doesn't make much of a case for the relevance of the British Monarchy, now or then. There are many references to the evolution of the monarch over the course of Victoria's life from direct ruler to soft-power/influencer and figurehead, but no case how the Monarch (as represented by the transitional Victoria) maintained relevance. Additionally, the author makes many references to Victoria's political astuteness, apparently she could sense political changes before others and change message accordingly. However, very few examples are provided, her savvy nature is just something the reader has to accept as a fact. These are minor points, but my mind kept coming back to them because both points (relevant monarch and political sharpness) are made to highlight her ongoing historical importance. Additionally, much of the record on point two seems to be countered by the fact that Albert was the politically astute leader and once he passed away Victoria became increasingly less effective and thus, increasingly less relevant (corresponding to the increasing effectiveness and rise in relevance of parliament, particularly the house of commons). One final point is the author's repeated assertion that Victoria was an exemplar of an emerging model of tolerance; tolerance for diffuse political and religious views, race, color, and gender. It is sad that that tolerance did not extend to Catholics, and specially Irish Catholics who suffered under repeated famines under her rule, setting the stage for many of the Troubles that came later. The vastly underrated William Gladstone certainly understood the implications of Victoria's less than hospitable views towards Catholics and the Irish.
March 31, 2022
Queen Victoria is definitely one of my favorite royals. An interesting character, which I try to read as much as possible. That is how I came into possession of the book “Queen Victoria – Essential Biographies” by Elizabeth Longford. A compact, narrow format book, not too many pages and yet packed with information.
An informative and engaging biography of Queen Victoria, based primarily on her personal diaries and correspondence and those of prominent family and politicians.
Much is still being written about Queen Victoria, so it is always a matter of waiting to see whether a book will deliver what you expect. However, this is one of the better biographies of Queen Victoria, well researched with the author also being quite critical of Queen Victoria. Her good and bad sides are well presented in this biography. As it turns out, Queen Victoria was only human.
The book describes Victoria’s life from birth to death, provides insight into her personal life, her love for Prince Consort Albert, her deep friendship with loyal vassal John Brown, the birth of her nine children and the politics of her time.
In summary : A very interesting biography, well detailed for such a compact book. It is impossible to cover all the historical facts of Queen Victoria at 128 pages, but this book gives a very reasonable introduction to Queen Victoria’s life and life and can be a good stepping stone into the more serious biographies of Victoria.
An informative and engaging biography of Queen Victoria, based primarily on her personal diaries and correspondence and those of prominent family and politicians.
Much is still being written about Queen Victoria, so it is always a matter of waiting to see whether a book will deliver what you expect. However, this is one of the better biographies of Queen Victoria, well researched with the author also being quite critical of Queen Victoria. Her good and bad sides are well presented in this biography. As it turns out, Queen Victoria was only human.
The book describes Victoria’s life from birth to death, provides insight into her personal life, her love for Prince Consort Albert, her deep friendship with loyal vassal John Brown, the birth of her nine children and the politics of her time.
In summary : A very interesting biography, well detailed for such a compact book. It is impossible to cover all the historical facts of Queen Victoria at 128 pages, but this book gives a very reasonable introduction to Queen Victoria’s life and life and can be a good stepping stone into the more serious biographies of Victoria.
October 17, 2022
While I prefer Julia Baird's more recent biography, this older biography of Queen Victoria nevertheless manages to capture much about the iconic British queen. I particularly appreciated the author's note that Victoria was somewhat behind her own times on women's issues, but ahead of her times on racial issues. Towards the end of her life, Victoria brought several Indian attendants into her household (Abdul Karim is the most famous), to the displeasure of her children and ministers. She also survived multiple attempts on her life, kept a close eye on Parliamentary politics, and made matches for her children and grandchildren across Europe. Several times while I reading this, I thought of one of her descendants, who has a similar story of a long reign that spans the better part of a century. I would recommend this biography for those seeking to better understand Queen Victoria both as a person and as a monarch.
June 16, 2022
A nice blend of political and personal history, there are sprinkles of really fine writing in this 600 page 1964 biography.
The heavy use and reliance on Victoria's personal journals gives an intimacy to this account of her life. The author's admiration of her subject is unconcealed, and while the reader must bear it in mind, it does not meaningfully diminish the book. Having said that, those seeking to learn about the life and times of Victoria should probably not limit themselves to this book.
The heavy use and reliance on Victoria's personal journals gives an intimacy to this account of her life. The author's admiration of her subject is unconcealed, and while the reader must bear it in mind, it does not meaningfully diminish the book. Having said that, those seeking to learn about the life and times of Victoria should probably not limit themselves to this book.
January 9, 2023
Bowling along for 700 pages, the book succeeds in offering an intimate and vivid portrait of her subject, and of the key figures in her life (Prince Albert, Lord Melbourne, John Brown, John Conroy, William Gladstone) Less compelling is the evocation of the Victorian Age and the great events of the day. We skate over the wider history. The Indian Mutiny, for instance, gets a page or so. But that’s not surprising. There’s just too much to cover in a single volume, and Longford sticks to her brief … Victoria the character.
Read
August 4, 2025I only previewed the beginning.
The chapter on her childhood moved along at such a clipping pace that if I hadn't once written a substantive research paper on Victoria, reading several more detailed books, I'm not sure I would have grasped the more important details.
Going to look for something else for my girls.
The chapter on her childhood moved along at such a clipping pace that if I hadn't once written a substantive research paper on Victoria, reading several more detailed books, I'm not sure I would have grasped the more important details.
Going to look for something else for my girls.
February 13, 2017
I hate to give up on any book, particularly non-fiction. The writing is so tedious, I do not want to go further. 200 pages out of 600 convinced me it is time to move on
April 25, 2025
Couldn’t even get through the first 10 pages. Writing style too circular, making what is already a complicated story (European monarchy) completely opaque.
March 21, 2017
Longford assumes some fluency with nineteenth-century British government and politics, as well as the ability to keep straight the membership of several royal houses, so it's tough sledding at times. Overall not quite the Victoria biography I'd been looking for, but it's well-researched and I learned a lot.
September 14, 2017
A very interesting, well written biography, ruined in my view by the overtly sympathetic tone adopted by the the author, it's not that Victoria's bad traits are glossed over, this is a good book, is that they are persistently justified one way or another.
Truth be told this is an old book, so the perspectives are a a bit dated.
Truth be told this is an old book, so the perspectives are a a bit dated.
April 26, 2022
Overall an informative read and I liked the insight into Queen Victoria's personality and thoughts. I did find it at times a bit disjointed in that some of the events going on didn't really have an explanation or background. I think this shows my own gap in my knowledge of British politics and affairs during the time period Queen Victoria reigned.
February 12, 2010
It was a long and strange path that led to my reading this book, starting with the broadcast of the made-for-TV movie Longford, about the controversial relationship between Lord Longford and notorious child-murderer Myra Hindley, to a biography of Elizabeth Longford, and finally, to Elizabeth Longford's best-known work.
I was relieved to discover that Elizabeth Longford was a meticulous biographer with a pleasant, no-nonsense writing style -- an added blessing in such a long book! Longford herself was a woman of strong liberal and social convictions and she tends to highlight the more enlightened views that Victoria held, or came to hold, over her long reign. However, while this is an empathetic account of the queen's life, Longford strives to provide a balanced picture of this complex and emotional person, including Victoria's less-than-serene family life, and her varying relationships with her various prime ministers. (Those with even a passing familiarity with the life of Queen Victoria probably know that she got on well with Disraeli and barely got on at all with Gladstone.) The monarch's controversial friendship with Balmoral servant John Brown is also thoroughly covered. Longford is evidently keen to disprove that the latter had any connection with spiritualism and argues the point at least three times when the first time was adequate.
Very long, but very thorough, and very readable.
I was relieved to discover that Elizabeth Longford was a meticulous biographer with a pleasant, no-nonsense writing style -- an added blessing in such a long book! Longford herself was a woman of strong liberal and social convictions and she tends to highlight the more enlightened views that Victoria held, or came to hold, over her long reign. However, while this is an empathetic account of the queen's life, Longford strives to provide a balanced picture of this complex and emotional person, including Victoria's less-than-serene family life, and her varying relationships with her various prime ministers. (Those with even a passing familiarity with the life of Queen Victoria probably know that she got on well with Disraeli and barely got on at all with Gladstone.) The monarch's controversial friendship with Balmoral servant John Brown is also thoroughly covered. Longford is evidently keen to disprove that the latter had any connection with spiritualism and argues the point at least three times when the first time was adequate.
Very long, but very thorough, and very readable.
January 18, 2012
Fascinating, but written in that oblique English way of referring to things by other than their real names ... e.g. lots of references to VR's difficult 'temperament', her lack of control over her emotions and the effects of 'the change' - presumably menopause! Probably not surprising given that the book was first written in the 60s and has recently been re-released, but still rather frustrating for the contemporary reader! After I finished the book I felt that now I had the basic sweep of things I needed to read something else to tell me what really happened. Interesting nonetheless ... I never realised that prior to VR the royals were so hopeless they were in serious danger of going out of existence nor that Victoria was a virtual recluse for about thirty years of her reign. Book also brought home that the German and British Royal Families were really one and the same clan ... which makes WWI seem all the more unlikely! ... Why am I reading so much history? Hope I am not avoiding the present for some deep, unacknowledged reason?
May 8, 2021
A informative and moving biography of Queen Victoria, based mainly upon her personal diaries and correspondence and that of notable family and politicians. I felt that after listening to this audiobook, I knew more about the Queen than ever before, although this approach does somewhat limit the impartiality of the book, in my view.
I found many moments to be moving, including Prince Albert's death, the Queen's accession and coronation as well as her death.
I also found the first few chapters detailing the succession crisis in the latter half of George III's reign, which led to Victoria's birth, as well as her troubled childhood to be very interesting.
Julia Franklin does an excellent job at narration, which led to a very pleasant listening experience.
I would recommend this to someone who perhaps wanted to learn more about the Queen rather than as an introduction, as it assumes the reader already has a deal of knowledge about the Queen, her life and family.
I found many moments to be moving, including Prince Albert's death, the Queen's accession and coronation as well as her death.
I also found the first few chapters detailing the succession crisis in the latter half of George III's reign, which led to Victoria's birth, as well as her troubled childhood to be very interesting.
Julia Franklin does an excellent job at narration, which led to a very pleasant listening experience.
I would recommend this to someone who perhaps wanted to learn more about the Queen rather than as an introduction, as it assumes the reader already has a deal of knowledge about the Queen, her life and family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2009
Lady Longford is brilliant - Victoria R.I. (or "Victoria - Born to Succeed") is by far the best work I've read on Queen Victoria's life. The writing is superb, not one detail goes by unmentioned and Lady Longford devotes pages to all aspects of the Queen's life. I've read a lot of biographies where authors keep writing about the politic scenario of Victorian England or switch into a biography of Prince Albert or Prime Ministers and forget Queen Victoria and her contributions but this book never does. There's Victoria the girl, the young monarch, the wife, the widow (I love the name of the first chapter on the years after Prince Albert's death: "Still December"), the Queen, but most of all it's a study on Victoria the woman. I'd give this 6 starts if I could.
February 3, 2011
It was a fairly good introduction to the life of Queen Victoria, however at only 118 pages of text, it was very much cramming too much information into too short a book. There was no room for explanations of people, places, or events. This was detrimental because quite often the book jumped back and forth between dates. As is the case with many biographies, the tone is very dry and more concerned with spitting out facts than creating a story. I do love researching Queen Victoria, so I overlooked many of the faults of this book. There was also a lovely 4 page spread of illustrations (portraits and photos) which helped with some identifiers. I would only recommend this book to someone extremely interested in Victorian England.
January 14, 2013
As a blurb on the cover states, Longford's "Queen Victoria" is an excellent introduction to the life of the longest-reigning British monarch. This slim (114 pages) volume covers Victoria's life from birth to death, provides insight into her personal life and discusses her love of Prince Consort Albert, her deep friendship with loyal retainer John Brown, the births of her nine children, and the politics of her time. The best part of this introduction (interesting as it is), is the style in which Elizabeth Longford has written it. I felt as if I was having a tea-time gossip session with a confidant of the Queen herself--and it worked. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning a bit about Queen Victoria--the real person, not the shrike portrayed in popular myth.
June 22, 2010
This book was intriguing in the early to middle chapters, where the author presented more fully developed stories/relationships from Victoria's life. Towards the end, however, the chapters became more like the rattling off of lists that fit the chapter's theme. Not altogether uninteresting, but certainly not reading what I would call engrossing.
Overall, I think the fact that I finished a book of this length must be some testament to the ability of the writer and the worthiness of the subject.
Overall, I think the fact that I finished a book of this length must be some testament to the ability of the writer and the worthiness of the subject.
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