Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow

by Lucy Worsley

Bestselling author and historian Lucy Worsley tracks a new course through Queen Victoria's life, examining how she transformed from dancing princess to the Widow of Windsor and became one of Britain's greatest monarchs along the way. Taking twenty-four significant days from Victoria's life, from her birth, her wedding, her coronation to her husband's death, and many more in between, allows us to see Victoria up close and personal, examining how she lived hour to hour. Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth, this major new biography will celebrate Queen Victoria as a woman of her time, who lived an extraordinary life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Historical, Audiobook, Victorian, Royalty

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

I was born in Reading (not great, but it could have been Slough), studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, and I've got a PhD in art history from the University of Sussex.

My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)

You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.

***

Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.

Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).

-From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one. Lucy Worsley just writes fantastic nonfiction.

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5

Mane visada traukė Anglijos monarchai ir jų istorijos. Sunku paneigti jų įtaką Europai, menui, madai, mokslui, literatūrai, bendram kultūriniam, politiniam progresui. Karalienė Viktorija, nors soste sėdėjo daugiau nei šešis dešimtmečius, vis dėlto man visuomet reiškė daugiau savo vardo erą, nei kad žmogų, pagal kurį buvo pavadinta. Ne veltui. Mano išankstinį nusiteikimą, gal šiek tiek arogantišką ir snobišką, patvirtino ir pati knygos autorė – Viktorija iš tiesų yra ne pats įdomiausias žmogus. Kur kas įdomesnis yra laikotarpis, kuriame ji gyveno ir valdė. Vis dėlto, nors ji nebuvo nei apdovanota išskirtiniu protu, nei išvaizda, Viktorija yra geriausias įrodymas, kad net ir patys paprasčiausi žmonės, tiesiog per atsitiktinumą atsidūrę tinkamoje vietoje ir tinkamu laiku, gali padaryti milžiniškus pokyčius – neišsišokdami, vertindami pareigas, kurios buvo jiems patikėtos (net jei tiesiog per laimėtas Kūdikių lenktynes), tarnaudami taip, kaip jaučia, kad yra geriausia. Viktorijos atveju – geranoriškai, nuoširdžiai trokštant, jos pačios žodžiais, „padaryti tai, kas tinkama ir teisinga“.

Nors Viktorija ir nebuvo įdomiausia asmenybė iš visų, valdžiusių Angliją, ši knyga – nepaprastai daugialypė ir pilna mane vis stebinusių atradimų, o ir itin reikalinga, norint geriau suvokti nelabai įdomios Viktorijos labai įdomų palikimą. Knyga ne tik išsiskiria smulkmeniškumu, kuris netampa nuobodžiu ir nevirsta tiesiog plokščiu įvykių atpasakojimu, bet ir L.Worsley noru Viktorijos bei ją supančiųjų elgesį paaiškinti ne dabartiniais, o tuometiniais standartais. Karalienės santykis su jos vyru Albertu, vaikais, šalimi, politika, yra paaiškinamas istorinėje perspektyvoje, pagrindžiamas pačios karalienės dienoraščių, laiškų ištraukomis. Užsimenama apie temas, kurios itin aktualios ir šiandien – lyčių lygybę, psichinius sutrikimus (pavyzdžiui, pogimdyvinę depresiją), stereotipus laužančius, o kartais juos iš naujo atkuriančius Viktorijos ir Alberto santykius. Autorė labai aiškiai argumentuoja šiais laikais sunkiai suvokiamą karalienės Viktorijos ir jos aplinkinių elgesį, nutildydama privilegijuotą šių dienų feministę manyje, liepdama mažiau vartyti akis ir daugiau gilintis į kontekstą. Jis šioje knygoje ir tampa bene antruoju pagrindiniu veikėju po pačios karalienės. Skaityti knygą įdomu ne tik dėl akivaizdžios autorės kompetencijos, bet ir dėl gyvos kalbos, subtilaus britiško humoro. Vienintelis dalykas, kurio pasigedau, buvo iliustracijos, kurios, tikiu, būtų ir taip gyvą knygą perkėlę į visai kitą lygmenį.

Papasakoti žmogaus gyvenimo istoriją – sąžiningai, be perteikiamų asmeninių nuostatų skaitytojui, be sudievinimo ir tuo labiau be sumenkinimo, atsižvelgiant į tuometines politines, socialines aplinkybes, remiantis patikimais istoriniais šaltiniais – toli gražu nėra lengva. Viena, kai pasakojama apie roko ar kino žvaigždę – norinčių ir galinčių pasipasakoti daug, puslapius lengva užpildyti gal nebūtinai realiomis, tačiau smagiomis pasakoti istorijomis, nuotraukomis. Visai kas kita, kai kalbama apie tokią asmenybę kaip karalienė Viktorija, kurios įvaizdis buvo griežtai formuojamas, kurią valdė ne tik monarchijos tradicijos ir ritualai, bet ir įsipareigojimai tautai, karūnai, tuometiniams įpročiams. Vis dėlto, perskaičius Lucy Worsley „Karalienę Viktoriją“, jaučiu absoliučią po-biografinę ramybę. Nejaučiu poreikio ieškoti daugiau knygų apie šią asmenybę, o ir nuoširdžiai tikiu, kad mano turėtos istorijos spragos buvo rūpestingai ir patikimai užpildytos. Talentingai autorės nupieštas karalienės portretas yra toks įvairialypis, kad neįsivaizduoju kaip istoriją galima būtų papasakoti įdomiau, smulkmeniškiau ir kompetetingiau.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tl;dr: Queen Victoria: Twenty Four Days that Changed Her Life has an mouthful of a title but is an engaging piece of popular culture history.

It focuses on 24 "days" or periods in Queen Victoria's life, covering the period from her birth to death, with roughly half the book devoted to her early life and marriage to Prince Albert, with the remainder focusing on her widowhood and later reign.

Covering Queen Victoria is a lot--she ruled for over sixty years, and was an astonishing popular figure for most of her life.

By breaking her long life and reign into 24 sections, readers are able to get an overview of Victoria moving from sheltered princess to new Queen, to wife, and then to how she used (unwittingly or not) popular opinion to solidify her presence and pave the way for popular consumption of British royalty today.

It's impossible, given the constraints of the book, to be an exhaustive biography of Victoria, but cleverly, Lucy Worsley focuses instead on how Victoria constructed her own life in both private and in public.

Even as a teenager, Victoria was aware of her power, and the way she maneuvered through what she felt were the machinations of her mother and her mother's closest adviser into her own woman, a young Queen, is fascinating.

Equally as interesting is how she constructed the narrative of her marriage. I didn't realize how their marriage started (she proposed) nor did I realize that she spent her entire marriage being happy to be lectured to and being told to not have intemperate displays (you know, feelings) -- Victoria felt it was a love match, but that love came only as she completely bent to Albert's will.

I did know she was a largely indifferent mother who ended up disappointed by her eldest son and that she pretty much yoked her last child (Beatrice) to her, and I wish there had been more about her relationships with her other children, but as there were 7 others and she outlived several of them, that would be an entire book in and of itself.

Queen Victoria: Twenty Four Days is at its weakest when examining the close friendships she formed with male members of her household later in life in that there is so much time devoted to how the relationships weren't romantic that I never got a sense of what they were actually like.

The sections on her final years, especially her Diamond Jubilee, don't break any new ground, but do provide a good introduction to how Victoria instinctively nutured the cult of personality around herself as both a woman and Queen.

Given that there's a fair amount of both television and film released about her early years recently, as well as best selling historical fiction, this book fits in very well--it is presented in an interesting way, it's readable (not always the case with popular history) and the sources offer several other books that readers can follow up with.

Overall, a well written book with a very engaging concept. 3.5 stars.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent books and films have overturned the popular image of Queen Victoria as a dour recluse widow of ponderous dimensions to include the lively, stubborn girl-queen who loved dancing and wine and the young wife who enjoyed sex.

Lucy Worsley wanted to expand Victoria's story beyond the "dancing princess to potato" to include the woman who preserved the monarchy and ruled an empire. Worsley draws from Victoria's diaries and journals, probing behind the polished exterior presented for posterity. Her Victoria is a fully human, complicated, person, someone we can admire and dislike at the same time.

The book concentrates on twenty-four days in Victoria's life through which readers come to understand her family background and relationships, her love for Albert (who both supported and limited her as queen), the places she loved, her political alliances and battles, the few people who became more than servants and valued as trusted friends, and her grief, loneliness, and physical incapacities in old age.

Worsley writes in the preface, "I hope that seeing her [Victoria] up close, examining her face-to-face, as she lived hour-to-hour through twenty-four days of her life, might help you to imagine meeting her yourself, so that you can form your own opinion on the contradictions at the heart of British history's most recognizable woman."

The physical woman Victoria is given attention. At her prime, Victoria was 5 feet and 1 1/4 inch tall, with tiny feet, large blue prominent eyes, and a "fine bust." Her lower lip hung open, but she also had a wide-open smile when delighted. Her weight yo-yoed with health, illness, pregnancy, dieting, and the incapacitation that in old age left her unable to walk. And she loved to walk on a brisk, cold day.

Victoria ruled throughout most of the 19th c when monarchies across Europe were ended by revolutions. She came to the throne with everything against her, especially being a young and inexperienced girl.

She was constantly being watched for signs of madness, both genetic and related to the "female problems" which were believed to trigger hysteria and madness.

It was imperative that she marry and it was arranged she marry her German cousin Albert. She fell in love with his beauty and goodness. To compensate for his parental scandalous infidelities he was committed to being a loving father and husband. But Albert was a German and he had to win the British people's trust and love. His German coldness and exacting values could be hard to live with. He did not approve of Victoria's love of dancing and drinking.

With Victoria perpetually pregnant (nine times!), Albert applied himself to fulfill her duties. Victoria came to rely on his guidance; his early death was devastating to her as queen as well as wife.

In spite of her liaisons with unsuitable friends, the gilly John Brown and the Muslim Abdul, Victoria became the public image of the proper Victorian wife and widow, an "ordinary good woman."

I found the book to be vastly interesting and enjoyable. It expanded my understanding of Victoria. It amazed me how much of Victoria's life Worsley covered in those twenty-four days!

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

[Henk · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and humanising account of Queen Victoria her life, told in 24 days during her life and reign. Despite all the wealth and power, she comes across as an often unhappy monarch, trapped in her role
The crown is visible by its absence

More thoughts to follow but a nice read in anticipation of the coronation of Charles in less than a week! 🇬🇧 👑

[Eglė / Gal paskaitom? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy Worsley “Karalienė Viktorija“ 👸🏻

Tai knyga, kurioje atskleidžiamos įvairios, niekur kitur negirdėtos, vienos garsiausių visų laikų karalienių gyvenimo detalės.

Savo kuklia ir nelabai išvaizdžia išore Viktorija sudarė įspūdį, kad ji ganėtinai paprasta ir niekuo neypatinga. Tačiau ar tai tikrai atspindi tikrąją ją? Juk kadaise ji buvo labai romantiška ir žaisminga mergina, vėliau sėkmingai valdanti karalienė susilaukusi net devynių vaikų ir galiausiai – gedinti moteris, praradusi savo gyvenimo meilę. Knyga padeda pažvelgti į šią valdovę visai kitomis akimis, suprasti jos vidinius išgyvenimus ir tai, kas paskatino Viktoriją įvykdyti tam tikras, iki šių laikų labai svarbias reformas. Čia aprašomos 24, didelę reikšmę turėjusios, Viktorijos gyvenimo dienos. Jos perteikiamos pasitelkus ypatingai kruopščiai surinktą medžiagą, tad skaitytojui labai lengva persikelti į tuos laikus ir pajausti tomis dienomis tvyrojusią atmosferą.

Ši knyga mane nustebino tuo, kad joje buvo labai mažai kalbama apie patį Viktorijos valdymą, tačiau be galo daug apie jos patirtus asmeninius išgyvenimus. Joje be jokių užuolankų, labai drąsiai atskleidžiamos slapčiausios Viktorijos mintys paimtos tiesiai iš jos dienoraščių. Puikiai atvaizduojamas jos charakteris, asmenybės brendimas ir savybių keitimasis gyvenimo eigoje. Viktoriją pamatome iš keturių amplua – dukros, žmonos, motinos bei našlės ir patys, iš atskirų detalių, galime susidėlioti visą, stebinantį jos paveikslą. Knyga parašyta labai gerai, ji viską pateikia be pagrąžinimų, be liaupsinimų ir leidžia skaitytojui pačiam nuspręsti ar Viktorija jį žavi, ar ne. 😊

Labai rekomenduoju šią biografiją visiems skaitytojams mėgstantiems tikrų faktų ir citatų kupinas knygas bei norintiems šiek tiek daugiau sužinoti apie didingosios Viktorijos asmenybę.

4,5 | 2021 – 62 📚

[Kurkulis (Lililasa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Britu monarhi mani nekad nav vairāk interesējuši kā fakts, ka viņi ir (bija).
Vēsturiskie romāni ir ok, bet tā nav mana aizraušanās.

Iespējams, ja Sandra @pielasīt_sirdi savā IG atsauksmē nebūtu ierakstījusi, ka grāmatas beigās ir 70 (!) lappuses ar izmantoto literatūru, avotiem un atsaucēm, šo grāmatu nemaz nebūtu ņēmusi lasīt, domājot, ka tas ir kārtējais vēsturiskais romāns, t.i., daiļliteratūra.

Bet, pat ja britu monarhi mani maz interesē, tad Viktorijas laikmets gan. Runājot par 19.gadsimtu, uz to tik bieži izskan atsauces, ka gribēju rast atbildi, kāpēc.

Lasīt "Karalieni Viktoriju" bija kā klausīties Viasat History raidījumu (nesaku skatīties, jo ilustratīvais materiāls ir vai nu jāiedomājas no aprakstiem vai jāmeklē).
Stāstījums ir raits, par spīti nemitīgajām atsaucēm vai nu uz citu vēsturnieku teikto, vai uz karalienes un laikabiedru dienasgrāmatām.

Es guvu ieskatu laikmetā un, jā, ieraudzīju Viktoriju kā dzīvu cilvēku, monarhu un sava laika produktu (kad sievietes loma bija 'aiz vīrieša').

Iesaku.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this type of non-fiction. This gives you detail to Queen Victoria's life and experiences in the super "now" mode of living with her certain days (24) within her long lifetime.

This author also does documentary film with PBS upon minutia of "days" for other monarchs, like Elizabeth I. But I've seen her do placement pieces on Victoria that are just superb. Including duplicating all the garments for her wedding. And her guests at that wedding. No small feat. Lucy Worsley dressed too for the memorial "replay" wedding event and demonstrated the guests' differences of "layers". And how Victoria put her own Mother "out of view" for her own eyes and placements. On purpose.

This seems to do the same within the closest associates during these different days' periods of context. In print, prose and exchanges of that particular placement for the day. So varied and yet Victoria WAS so Victoria. Throughout the best and the worst of times and situations; she actually little changes during those more than 80 years, IMHO, except in physical appearance. Her personality of stubbornness, passionate whim served her well too. It probably saved the monarchy form itself in the UK.

This also gives a look into the marriage of Albert and Victoria, that intertwined relationship of voids and meshes, quite well. Even better than the films or biographies I've read before.

Lastly, I need to add that I read the others' reviews of this book. And I am still daily flabbergasted at how current readers seem to consistently and constantly in some cases, judge all manners, motivations, addresses, relationships and priorities from one era, long past- by the standards and "eyes" of the present current intolerance to "good" being anything that isn't deemed so today.

Albert was a man of his era. And possibly just the leverage as a husband and as a measure of OCD persnickety logic that Victoria needed. He was rigid and also extremely sensitive in that rigidity. So he could "tell" her the types of emotional overblown episodes she was prone to. And so many Albert haters too overlook the core of all this for over 80 years- that Victoria loved a good fight. And found few who had enough guts or onus of their own to give her one. It was her much needed adrenaline source. She always had to have a focus for displeasure too in this sense of "other" or "target" from the time she was very young until her old age. Then, within the allowances of women in general- that quality greatly expanded her "authority" role. Nothing works better for a queen, despite all the Cinderella stories you hear in fairy tales.

Victoria was not the Elizabeth I who had the heart and soul to do it alone. She was a woman of her time and her time alone, as well. That would have been heretic to her own self-identity to parse that thought for more than a minute- avoiding marriage. It would be equal to rejecting her own womanliness and the roles that being a woman surmount.

We are ALL products of our own times. Every human who lived has been a product of his own times. Victoria earned (despite all downsides of every slant re colonial and empire running) each and every accolade given to her- and hence the entire period becoming "Victorian" named.

All the photos and portrays printed are 5 star. And sincerely, I don't know how they could have dealt with all those clothes. Despite lack of central heating.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Worsley writes about history in a very accessible style, and her biography of Queen Victoria is an enjoyable read. She frames the biography in an interesting way: by selecting 24 meaningful days and using them as a springboard to explain the queen's life and development.
This technique feels most effective in the first part of the book, where Victoria's childhood, accession to the throne, engagement, and marriage form a natural narrative. Where she begins to leap forward in time to the middle and late parts of the queen's life, I began to feel like I was just getting peeps through small windows and missing a connected story. Still, she does a good job at filling in context and bringing the reader up to speed for the events of the days she has chosen.
In a way, this is not a biography in the conventional sense, because it doesn't cover the facts exhaustively; it does leave large gaps. Instead, it chooses to focus more on what made the queen the way she was, and examples of her personality and relations with her family.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of this book.

[Daiva Boleišienė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tai buvo puiki galimybe suzinoti apie karaliene Viktorija. Si knyga padalinti i 24 skyrius, kuriuose aprasomos 24 karalienes dienos pradedant pasakojimu apie jos seneli, pacios karalienes gimima ir baigiant karalienes mirtimi. Taip pat visas pasakojimas eina nuosekliai pradedant jos buvimu dukra, veliau zmona ir galiausiai nasle. Verta perskaityti.

[Sophie]

Started reading this and got to the introduction which had this line, " On the face of it, she was deeply socially conservative. The idea of votes for women, for example, completely disgusted her. But if you look at her actions rather than her words, she was in fact tearing up the rule book for how to be female."

That's a no from me.

This new feminist approach to Victoria is really frustrating. She can be an interesting figure and one I certainly like to read about, but not like this.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in time for the premiere of the third season of Victoria on Masterpiece Classic on PBS on 13 January 2019, this new biography of one of the United Kingdom's (and the world's) most famous queen arrives like a gift on a red velvet pillow for fans of the TV series and British history to devour and adore.

In her usually upbeat and engaging style, social historian and Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, Lucy Worsley's biography of Queen Victoria is a selective view of the life of the most powerful woman of her generation. Structured in 24 significant dates in her life, it is a personal look at her family history, social context and her inner thoughts and impressions. Drawing upon a variety of sources including her own personal diaries and of those around her, Worsley also adds quotes and references from the Queen's major biographers and historians of the era.

While this is written for pleasure readers, scholars will be happy to discover that all of the sources are cited in the text and detailed in the back. I have read other recent biographies of Queen Victoria, but Worsley and her vivacious and earthy style brought the life of Victoria, her family history & dynamics, vividly to life for me in a new way. Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, will alter your previous perceptions of the Queen, her husband Albert, her family, and her realm.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose.com

[Inese Okonova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lūsiju Vērsliju biju ievērojusi kā neskaitāmu BBC vēstures tēmām (visām 100% ļoti populārām tēmām un cilvēkiem) veltītu raidījumu simpātisko, kaut arī mazliet par daudz uz sevi vērsto vadītāju, kurai dikti patīk pārģērbties apskatāmā laikmeta tērpos. Patiesībā pat biju jau apņēmusies šo grāmatu izlasīt angliski, un, kad iznāca latviskais tulkojums, romānam piemērotais vāks mani nemaldināja.

Un arī saturs nesagādāja vilšanos. Tas ir profesionālas pētnieces darbs, bet pēc formas un satura viegli lasāms un drīzāk populārzinātnisks nekā strikti akadēmisks. Te neatradīsiet nekādas sensācijas vai mazticamus skandalozus atklājumus, bet gan raiti izklāstītu, ieinteresētu un patīkami personīgu autores skatu uz Viktorijas dzīves svarīgākajiem pagrieziena punktiem, kas simboliski attēlots 24 nodaļās - 24 viņas dzīves stundās.

[Dar vieną puslapį · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prisipažinsiu - jau tikrai buvau išsiilgus stiprios biografijos. Eina gandas, kad leidykla “Tyto alba” būtent tokias leidžia. “Karalienę Viktoriją” senokai nusižiūrėjau būsimų leidinių skyrelyje leidyklos puslapyje ir su nekantrumu laukiau. Įdomu buvo sužinoti - kuo ypatinga karalienė Viktorija, kad net iki dabar girdime tokias sąvokas kaip “Viktorijos laikų Anglija”, “Viktorijos epocha”. Kažką ši moteris tikrai darė gerai! Tuomet išgirdau vieno istorikos pagyras knygos autorei - dar labiau suintrigavo. Be to Lucy Worslei yra BBC laidų apie istoriją vedėja ir taip pat pelniusi Britanijos imperijos ordiną už nuopelnus istorijai.

Autorė sumanė labai įdomų knygos konceptą. Joje aptinkame 24 skyrius, kurie atspindi svarbiausias karalienės Viktorijos gyvenimo dienas. Taip biografija įgauna struktūrą ir yra sudėliojami svarbiausi akcentai. Nėra apsiribojama Viktorijos kaip karalienės vaidmeniu. Ji atskleidžiama kaip dukra, žmona ir motina.

Skaitant vis sugrįždavo mintys apie tai, kiek daug darbo įdėta - išnašų bene 50 puslapių, o autorės kūrybos mažai arba net minimaliai. Daugybę laiškų, dienoraščių ir kitų šaltinių autorė turėjo atsiversti, kad gimtų ši puiki biografija. Be to nėra jokio migla aptraukto įsimylėjusio žvilgsnio į karalienę. Žvelgiama blaiviai, kritiškai ir objektyviai. Yra visko: tai, kas žavės ir tai, kas galbūt nelabai imponuos. Viktorija tikra ir ji buvo visokia. Objektyvumas sukuria pasitikėjimą tarp skaitytojo ir autorės.

Tie skaitytojai, kurie labai gerai susipažinę su karalienės Viktorijos gyvenimu, čia kažko naujo ir detalaus neras. Autorė biografijos neapkrauna detalumu. Tai kokybiška, pakankamai išsami, bet nėra detali iki smulkmenų. Man asmeniškai visko buvo tiek, kiek reikia.

Pritrūko gilesnės Viktorijos kaip valdovės analizės. Tapusi žmona ji valdžią atiduoda vyrui, o jam mirus turi valdyti pati. Kaip jai tai sekasi? Ką svarbaus ji nuveikia? Šios infomacijos pasigedau.

Ši biografija - tai pasakojimas apie netobulą žmogų, kuriam teko atsakomybė tapti ne bet kuo, o karaliene. Kaip jai sekasi? Kaip atrodo tų laikų Anglija? Patiks tiems, kurie ieško objektyvumo, kuriems svarbu rėmimasis pirminiais šaltiniais. Svarbu - skaitosi maloniai ir lengvai.

[Sammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows 23 (not counting her parents wedding day??) days in Queen Victoria's life, and involved an amalgamation of information drawn from various primary and secondary sources. I read this really REALLY quick for a non-fiction book (and for me) as it was truly different.

First things first, I don't think this book is very new with information given and wouldn't really be a good recommendation if you're looking for an incredibly in depth or detailed account of Queen Victoria. I do feel a lot was missed out, not necessarily specific events I could think of, just that there seemed to be big stretches of time in between 'days'. However I would recommend this book if you enjoy learning broad over views about people without getting battered down with the heavy details, as a lot of biographies can be in danger of doing. I would also recommend this book if you're just generally interested in Queen Victoria and Victorian England as a whole. While events may not be necessarily new to you, I think Worsley really achieved bringing Victoria into her period, instead of just analysing her as a separate entity which many people do fall into the trap of doing. Basically, in this biography you could really see Queen Victoria as being a person, an imperfect person and creation of her time period.

I enjoyed the '24 days' theme as I think it gave structure, and confined the chapters to interesting, readable amounts, hence part of the reason I think I read it so fast. I didn't really feel as if any part 'dragged on', which I highly, highly unusual for me when reading non-fiction, as maybe it's easier to write things and get caught up in the details of it, or even just cover a topic I'm not interested in. However the only reason I dropped a star is because I think a lot was missed out, and it was just a face value look at some primary sources: which is good for me in the way I'm not looking for a reference book, but made me drop a star simply because it made something feel lacking (sorry ahaha, feel as if Lucy Worsley can't win with me and it's not even her fault, she's a fantastic author, unfortunately I'm just a history grad reading popular history books and expecting them to be 10000000 pages long but also never boring, basically I can't win myself). I enjoyed the heavy involvement of other figures, as I feel it was a perfect balance of the Queen, but also her interaction with other people, after all no individual exists alone really. I also feel it's not really possible to understand history or an individual either without looking at other people, we definitely wouldn't have a 'truer' idea about the Queen or her life if other people's sources WEREN'T involved. For one thing, the Queen's primary sources and letters would be one sided, biased and there would be massive gaps of missing information.

I also think Lucy Worsley avoided going into great depth on the 'popular' topics which circulate the general public, or become popular because of tv shows like 'Victoria', and this is a! good! thing!! because I don't just want to reread the same stuff over and over again just because people decided it's interesting. Topics like those become so repetitive. Obviously you can't avoid her love for Albert, but the approach to her wedding and love/married life was an interesting perspective in this book. It shows a contrast between the popular thought of 'they loved each other INSTANTLY' to something more realistic and even fitting of the time period she actually lived in. I feel Queen Victoria's 'submission?' as a wife to Albert illustrates the role of women in Victorian England, but also Victoria's own ideas of what a wife should be, and her gradual reliance on your average victorian man who's ideals of masculinity were rooted in being in charge and providing... something difficult to achieve when your wife is Queen. I felt it drew a bit more criticism to their characters as people, which IS A GOOD THING. While a person can be seen as forward thinking for their time... lbr she did massive things for the perception of women in society but she also.... didn't??? She wasn't a supporter of the right for women to vote and she was a flawed character...but she was brought up in Victorian England. I feel people forget that and it can be easy for her, and many other historical figures images to be painted as either SAINTLY AND GOOD AND PROGRESSIVE or they go completely the other way and are seen as DISGUSTING, RACIST, SEXIST AWFUL people, when really people are confined to the period they grow up in and unfortunately while it isn't an excuse for certain behaviours or beliefs... it sort of also... is?? Everyone is just
a product of their own society, and no historical figure will ever be perfect, people are people. Basically (sorry for the rant), this book was less idealised and romanticised to how we perceive the queen SHOULD have been and how she SHOULDN'T have relied on, or given into, Albert and her relationship with him and her family. Saying that, I do feel as if this book still portrays the queen in a more positive light, however Worsley is still apt to point out any negative characteristics or events and so is not completely a book praising her.

Overall I think this book is a good read if you're looking for something light or are wanting to look into Queen Victoria as a person, or the period in general. It's often hard to write something interesting on someone who must have like 2345652356763456 books already written about her, but this book remains fresh and interesting. It's written really, really well and just flows from interesting event to interesting event, and is a well-rounded, summary of 24 days of a massive historical individual.

[Knygų Lentyna | Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maža, pikta, juodai vilkinti senutė. Toks karalienės Viktorijos vaizdinys buvo įstrigęs mano atmintyje. Ši biografija monarchės paveikslui suteikė daugiau spalvų ir atskleidė, kokia ji buvo dukra, žmona, motina bei valdovė. Pastaroji dalis mane labiausiai domino. Šioje knygoje norėjau rasti atsakymą į klausimą, kaip karalienė Viktorija tokiu audringu Europos monarchijoms laikotarpiu sugebėjo išlaikyti sostą ir pagrįsti savo insititucijos svarbą šaliai. Atsakymą gavau ir jis nustebino.
◻️
Tikėjausi, kad karalienė pasirodys buvusi talentinga strategė ir politikė. Vis dėlto, nereikia pamiršti, kad jos valdymo metais moterys dar neturėjo teisės balsuoti rinkimuose (ji pati labai priešinosi šiai idėjai), o moteris-valdovė buvo neįprastas reiškinys. Tad ji, vos ištekėjusi, faktinę valdžią perleido į savo skrupulingo vyro Alberto rankas, o pati visa galva paniro į šeimyninius reikalus. Po netikėtos jo mirties, karalienė dešimčiai metų visiškai pasitraukė iš viešumos ir politikos. Gedulo drabužių taip ir nenusivilko, bet vėliau grįžo ir dėmesį skyrė daugiausia užsienio reikalams. Kaip ši monarchija išliko?
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Viktorijai pavaldinius pavyko įtikinti, kad ji buvo ne tik karalienė, bet ir gera paprasta moteris. Tautos močiutė. Jos graži meilės istorija, gailestį keliantys asmeniniai išgyvenimai, atrodytų, kuklūs drabužiai bei puikiai slepiama prabanga leido Anglijos vidurinei klasei tapatintis su ja ir tikėtis, kad karalienė yra jų pusėje. “Viktorijos karūna buvo matoma todėl, kad jos nebuvo”.
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Knyga remiasi išlikusiais Viktorijos ir jos aplinkos žmonių dienoraščiais bei laiškais. Prisiminimai gali meluoti, tad autorė lygindama skirtingus šaltinius stengiasi pateikti kuo objektyvesnį vaizdą. Nustebino ir knygos kalba. Iš pirmo žvilgsnio, citatų ir faktų prigrūstą tekstą skaičiau labai lengvai. Žmogus, bent šiek tiek besidomintis karališkosios šeimos istorija, čia taip pat ras daug negirdėtų ir intriguojančių detalių.

[Pranykustolumoj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jei yra mokslo populiarinimo knygos, tai šioji - istorijos populiarinimo. Skaitosi kaip romanas.

[Sandra Koka (pielasit_sirdi)]

👑Iespējams apraksts var saturēt maitekļus, bet no otras puses- par tik nozīmīgu personību maz ko var paturēt noslēpumā.

Vai tu zini, kas kopīgs baltajam līgavas kāzu tērpam un karalienei Viktorijai?

“Viktorijas vienkāršais krēmkrāsas tērps bija kleita, kas aizsāka miljoniem citu baltu kāzu.” (170.lpp.)

“Kapā jau visu līdzi nepaņemsi”- tā mums saka. Bet karaliene Viktorija pierādījusi pretējo- ja labi gribas, kapā var paņemt visu, ko vēlies, gan nelaiķa vīra apmetni un halātu, gan fotogrāfjas un citas dzīves laikā iemīļotas un nozīmīgas lietas.

🌸Iespaidīgā apjoma grāmata vēsta, ka šis būs pamatīgs un detalizēts karalienes Viktorijas dzīves gaitas apraksts- tikpat apjomīgs (70.lpp.!!!) ir arī izmantotās literatūras saraksts ar avotiem, atsaucēm un piezīmēm.

Rakstniece Lūsija Vērslija ir mēģinājusi skrupolozi šķetināt nozīmīgās Britu impērijas valdnieces personību, attiecības ar galminiekiem un ģimeni. Kā pati autore min, Viktorijas personība nav nemaz tik viennozīmīga, tomēr viņas valdīšanas laikā, monarhija nostiprināja savu varu ne tikai iekšpolitikā, bet arī pasaules mērogā.

Viņas askētiskais ģērbšanās stils un piezemētā izturēšanās uzrunāja augstākās viduššķiras daļu, kas palīdzēja atjaunot monarhijas reputāciju.

Laikā, kad mēs augot sapņojām par dienu princeses kurpēs, izrādās, ka būšanai par karalieni ne vienmēr ir sapņa piepildījums. Dažkārt izvēles vienkārši nav un par spīti saviem personīgajiem mērķiem, ir jāupurē sava brīvība impērijas vārdā.

“..tu nevari izbēgt... no situācijas, kurā tu esi piedzimusi.” (405.lpp.)

Grāmatā lasītājam ir iespēja ieskatīties uz Viktorijas dzīvi caur viņas piezīmēm, kas gan laika gaitā ir rediģētas.🍋‍🟩

Kā ir dzīvot pasaulē, kurā ik solis tiek vērtēts, piefiskēts un analizēts? Kā ir dzīvot pasaulē, kurā tuvākais cilvēks ir tavs kalps? Šis ir ieskats ne tikai pašas karalienes Viktorijas dzīvē, karaļnama virtuvē un viņas attiecībās ar Albertu, bet arī laikmeta politiskais un vēsturiskais atspoguļojums, kurā parādās sabiedrības normas, tradīcijas un ieradumi.

"Karaliene bija pazemināta uz sievu." (180.lpp.)

Man patīk, ka grāmatas sākumā ir uzzīmēts ciltskoks, jo monarhijas radu raksti ir patiesi iespaidīgi. Šis vismaz palīdzēja apzināties, cik daudz Viktoriju, Džordžu, Albertu un Edvardu ir karaļnamā.

Visiem tiem, kam interesē vēsture un britu monarhija.

[Ieva Strazdiņa [mrs.lasitaja] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,6⭐️

Viktorijas laikmets. Kurš gan nav dzirdējis šādu apzīmējumi. Taču, ko par to zinām?

Grāmata vēsta par sievietei – Anglijas karalieni Viktoriju, kuras vārdā nosaukts šis laikmets. Vitorijas bērnība bijusi diezgan depresīva un noslēgta, sievas un mātes gadi sevis atdodoši. Kā karaliene viņa drīzāk bijusi nopietna, pēc skata skarba, tomēr tautai drīzāk “savējā”.

Grāmata ir apjomīga un tas nav romāns – dokumentāls stāsts, kam pamatā gan ir Viktorijas dienasgrāmatas (kas gan nereti tika rakstītas “tā kā vajag” nevis “tā kā ir”, gadījumam, ja kāds tās atrod) un vēstules, kuras saņēmēji bija izvēlējušies saglabāt. Tādēļ, protams, kā jau lielā vairumā šādu vēsturisku personu biogrāfiju – iespējams tajā ir daudz interpretāciju un minējumu, taču tas nu ir neizbēgami. Tomēr izmantotās literatūras avotu saraksts 70 lappušu garumā liecina, ka autore ir pamatīgi iedziļinājusies tēmā. Reizēm domāju, ka papīra taupības nolūkos, to gan varētu likt zem kāda QR koda, jo ar vislielāko varbūtību šo sarakstu izlasa pavisam neliels lasītāju skaits.
Lai gan bija daļas, kas šķiet diezgan aizraujošas, kopumā man grāmata bija par garu, drusku par smagnēju un izvēlētie notikumi, ne tik sasitoši. Par šo laiku laikam man labāk patīk lasīt romānus, kas balstīti patiesos notikumos. Grāmatas valoda nav sarežģīta, bet tā lasījās samērā lēni.

Patika, ka grāmata savijās ar citiem stāstiem, ko iepriekš biju lasījusi, piemēram, stāsts par Romanovu imperatori, ko arī izdevusi izdevniecība @latvijasmediji. Kā arī bija aizraujoši uzzināt par tradīcijām, kuras aizsākusi tieši karaliene Viktorija, piemēram, baltas kleitas vilkšanu kāzās.

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Lucy Worsley, who manages to make history accessible to everyone without ever dumbing it down, so this book was an automatic read for me. Queen Victoria and the era she ushered in, is endlessly fascinating. Just take a moment and think about all the books that use Victorian England as a backdrop that have been written in the last few years - of all genres too from crime to horror, from urban fantasy to steampunk. There's something about the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901) that just captures the imagination. Perhaps because she came to the throne at the age of only just 18, it makes her more accessible to children and young adults. Or perhaps it's the strange mixture of progress and social restriction typical of the mindset of the time. Either way, behind the figure and the mythology, lived a woman who was as trapped and concealed by her role as ruler as she was empowered by it.

We like to believe that she was either rather wet and wishywashy - as Prince Albert biographers have always said - or a great ruler of the nation upon which the sun never set, as so many of her fan club have always maintained. The truth is always both and neither and something in between. Victoria was a product of her conditioning and that played greatly into some of the most well known but misunderstood facets of her life. Her love match with Albert for example - there really wasn't much chance of her marrying anyone else so perhaps it's as well that Victoria, a lifelong fan of the romances of Sir Walter Scott, threw herself into a grande passion with him. Doubtless there was affection there on both sides but it seems he also undermined her, gaslighted her and wrested a lot of power for himself while keeping her pretty constantly pregnant and in ill health to distract her.

Just one of the examples where we have settled for a back and white narrative when the truth was most likely grey, complicated and far more interesting. Worsley may take non traditional views of her subject matter but her theories are always backed up by meticulous research and plausible evidence. This was a fascinating account of a woman who was by turns monstrous, generous and pitiable.

[౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just binged TWO of Lucy’s books and I am not okay.

Lucy, I’ll mail you my therapy bill, hope you don’t mind 🥰

[Rasa-Skaitau ir keliauju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mano nuomonė: Karalienė Viktorija – viena garsiausių visų laikų valdovių, o ši knyga yra visapusiškas jos portretas.
Tai istorija moters, kuri labai jauna tapo karaliene, o vėliau – viena įtakingiausių valdovių pasaulyje. Karalienės Viktorijos gyvenimo istorija prilygsta romanui, ir jos vardu pavadinta ištisa epocha. Ir ne tik dėl to, kad Britų imperija tapo galinga kaip niekad. Jos valdymo laiku keitėsi daugybė politinio, visuomeninio ir socialinio gyvenimo normų. Jos valdymo metais keitėsi moters vaidmuo šeimoje ir visuomenėje.
Tai ne grožinės literatūros kūrinys, lengvų romanų mėgėjai neapsigaukite. Knygoje karalienės portretas atskleidžiamas 24 svarbiausių jos gyvenimo dienų scenomis; remiamasi ne tik istoriniais šaltiniais, bet ir jos ir jos aplinkos žmonių asmeniniais laiškais bei dienoraščiais. Knygoje beveik 50 puslapių išnašų, tai pagalvokite koks autorės atliktas didžiulis darbas.
Labai patiko ši knyga. Praktiskai negalėjau atsitraukti. Skaičiau ir kaifavau. Nepamenu kada būčiau skaičiusi tokią gerą negrožinės literatūros knygą. Ir jau žinau, kad tai bus viena iš geriausių šių metų knygų (2021)… Nors gal ir ankstoka spręsti sausio mėnesį😊
Labai rekomenduoju šią knygą mėgstantiems istorines knygas ir moterų biografijas.

[Mary Grand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, it made a real change to read nonfiction. Lucy Worsley is such an amazing and knowledgeable writer, loved it.

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long wanted to read one of Lucy Worsley's books, so I'm thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read and review this one.

As the title suggests, this book takes you into 24 days that shaped and influenced QV's life and reign. Although it seems very straight forward, Worsley is careful to include relevant background and events to streamline the narrative. In that regard, I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was very well done.

I've always been curious about Queen Victoria, but knew very little about her. This ended up being the perfect way to get additional information without having to read a dense biography that included every detail about her life. I often feel bored with biographies, and thus barely read them, but this kept my attention throughout. If I was bored by a certain "day" (ie chapter), I knew that another one was right around the corner. I appreciated this format so much that I think Worsley and/or the publisher should turn it into a series, with other notable figures.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I know a great deal about Queen Victoria, but I loved the concept of focussing on 24 pivotal days within her life, and I learned even more about her and Albert’s dynamics.

The pictures are gorgeous. Dame Lucy has done it again! I just love her.

5/5 stars

[Sphinx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autorė, remdamasi įvairiais šaltiniais, pasakoja apie Viktorijos gyvenimą. Tad tai tikrai ne romanas, o dokumentinė - istorinė knyga, tačiau skaitoma gana lengvai, kalba nėra sausa ir sprangi. Knygą sudaro 24 skyriai, t.y. 24 dienos iš Viktorijos gyvenimo. Aišku, autorė parodo ir tam tikrų įvykių priešistorę - praplečia pasakojimą truputį labiau nei viena konkreti diena ir jos metu vykę įvykiai. Jaučiasi, kad autorė nelaikė Viktorijos ir Alberto santuokos labai gera ir laiminga. Nors karalienė mylėjo vyrą, jo jausmai jai nėra aiškūs (bent jau man, perskaičius knygą, jie liko migloti). Tiesa, sugyveno jie neblogai, tačiau Albertas, po Viktorijos gimdymų, pasistengė nustumti ją nuo karalystės reikalų ir perėmė viską į savo rankas. Be to, įdiegė jai nepilnavertiškumo kompleksą, ji tapo visiškai priklausoma nuo jo ir jo pritarimo. Man nelabai įdomus pasirodė pats Viktorijos gyvenimas - gerokai įdomiau buvo skaityti apie to laikmečio papročius ir gyvenimą, nesusijusį su karaliene. Pati Viktorija nelabai patiko, bet kokį gyvenimą ji nugyveno - tokį. Kaip sakoma - who am I to juge. Na ir apibendrinant: nesužavėjo, bet nesigailiu, kad skaičiau, nes vis tiek sužinoti kiek daugiau apie karalienės Viktorijos gyvenimą buvo įdomu, nes praktiškai nieko apie jį nežinojau. Kilo noras paieškoti informacijos apie Airiją, Škotiją ir daugiau apie Viktorijos laikmečio papročius, žmonių gyvenimo, nes viso to čia parodyta mažokai.

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The last 25% of book are sources. Review to come.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look at Queen Victoria. I particularly enjoyed learning about her childhood where she was raised more or less in isolation at Kensington Palace; also how Albert sounded like a bit of an arsehole!; also how Victoria really came into her own in the post Albert era. I cant normally tolerate non fiction historical texts, but Lucy Worsley has a gift for making history entertaining and interesting.

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lucy Worsley's approach to history. It's gossipy, full of little-known facts, funny and engaging. She has a knack of giving the reader just enough context, while not detracting from her subject, and she does all of this in this book.

Queen Victoria has been so much written about that it is difficult to get a fresh take on her. Dr Worsley tries to show the person behind the crown by sampling specific days in her very long reign to illustrate her as (the title says) daughter, wife, mother, widow. In all of those excerpts though, she also shows us Victoria the queen (or in the earliest chapter, the queen in waiting).

What interested me was the struggle she had to position herself, a mere woman, in an increasingly paternalistic society. She seems to have been at her happiest in giving way to a male role model, in allowing them to dictate her behaviour and her actions, though not always her thoughts - Albert is the most obvious example, but there are numerous others, from prime ministers to John Brown and her 'Munshi' towards the end of her years. And yet, though she would consult and allow herself to be advised, she did not necessarily defer. Call her stubborn, call her instinctively better informed, call her simply better placed with the experience to make the decision, Victoria grew to be a queen in her own right, to govern (and over-govern) in her own way. There is a big difference, as this book shows nicely, in the model she presented to the world, of comfortable middle-class values, and the life she actually lived, the influence she wielded - and the tyranny too, particularly to her long-suffering family and ladies in waiting.

This is a very easy read of a book. The points I've made are not laboured, they are presented nicely for your delectation, but if you choose to read without analysis, this is also an excellently entertaining book. And that, in my view, is Lucy Worsley's real charm. She's vastly well-read, she does her research, she knows her stuff, but she doesn't ram it down your throat, and she doesn't go off at tedious tangents.

I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Christina Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I run past Kensington Palace almost every morning, and every morning I see a tourist taking a picture of the giant white statue of Queen Victoria. I realised, being rather American, that I don't know very much about Queen Victoria. So when I saw that Lucy Worsley wrote a book about her, I felt it was my civic duty to read it. (Side note: Lucy Worsley is one of the best people on the planet, and I want to be her when I grow up.)

I really enjoyed this book. It is interesting, and it reads more like a conversation than a non-fiction history book. Lucy Worsley picked out different moments in Queen Victoria's life to focus on, which was an interesting way to chronologically and topically explore the queen's life.

There was never a moment where I thought Lucy got lost in her own musings or wandered on a random side-topic, which is something a lot of history books tend to do. Instead, she added in quite a few interesting quotes from both the queen and the people around her.

Lucy Worsley was also very candid on how she feels about Queen Victoria. I appreciated that, because Queen Victoria is complex. There were moments where I pity her, where I find her ridiculous and stupid, and times where she is genius and good. I felt a slight bond with Victoria when it spoke about her maternal instincts (She has none. I also have none. Oh, and seeing pictures of your baby on Instagram bores me.) I also felt like I understood her in her extraordinary ordinariness. But then I also can't believe how she witnessed the terrible suffering of her people (think Dicken's Bleak House or the Irish famines), and she didn't do anything to help or stop it.

However, there were times when the book didn't seem quite clear. In two of the later chapters, it was as if topics were wrapped up too quickly. But maybe this was just me wanting to learn more and not any fault of Lucy's (We are on a first-name basis now, Lucy).

Oh, and each time I read the book, I had to will myself to not spill tea on it and ruin the beautiful cover. It was a trying time.