No comments about Five Stuart Princesses: Margaret Of Scotland, Elizabeth Of Bohemia, Mary Of Orange, Henrietta Of Orleans, Sophia Of Hanover.

1 comments about House of the Turquoise Roof.

1. "House of the Turquoise Roof" is a fascinating look into Old Tibet. Customs and religious rituals are described and explained in a detail that provides a clear picture of life as it was for the Tibetan upper class families. The author is a keen observer, and in spite of the difficulties that were encountered in the book's creation, has still given a story well worth reading.

   Even the author's perspective, clearly influenced by the customs and manners she describes, serves to reinforce the picture that she paints. While the casual reader may find the lengthy and often similar Tibetan names to be confusing, the story in itself somehow transcends this minor difficulty.

   The reviewer only regrets that Mrs. Yuthok's associations were primarily limited to the Tibetan upper class and family servants; there is relatively little exploration of Tibetan peasant life, and in spite of Mrs. Yuthok's high family connections in government, little discussion of the political developments of the day.

   Still, for overall interest, this book is more than just "good," and the reviewer recommends that you sit down with a bag of popcorn and enjoy yourself.

2 comments about Burke's Royal Families of the World (Burke's series).

1. Intended as a companion volume to _Burke's Guide to the Royal Family,_ this product of the "new Burke's" follows the familiar indented-outline format and is very easy to use. The early history of each House is only summarized, but is complete from the sixteenth century or so. Families that are "temporarily out of business" make up the bulk of the book, including portraits of the current pretenders (up to c.1980, anyway). Much readable anecdotal material, and the Introduction has some salty comments on the observed results of replacing hereditary monarchy with "mob democracy." An excellent and trustworthy source for ready-reference.



2. This is one of the finest research book set available. All the world's royal families are at your fingertips. Includes photographs & geneological tables. Highly recommended. Please look at this book.

No comments about Earliest English Kings.

No comments about King Rufus: The Life and Mysterious Death of William II of England.

4 comments about Olga Romanov.

1. 
   Read the discussion board on Olga Romanov.....
   I had several things to say...



2. I agree with the reviewer on Amazon.uk who said that this is the best book ever written about the Romanov family. When this book first came out in 1999 it received rave reviews from all the major newspapers in Canada, including The Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, the Winnipeg Free Press, etc.....and for good reason. The book reads like a nonfiction novel. It was never meant to be a stodgy historical tome filled with endless digressions about who was related to whom. It's a book with a heart, and soul. Most historical biographies, especially about the Romanovs, are unreadable primarily because they are so dense with detail that a compelling story never emerges. Patricia Phenix knows how to use research in the form of letters and photographs to tell a story and keep a reader transfixed. It could be argued that no historian or writer of popular history knows every detail of a person's life, even if the author has interviewed the subject. That is why there are ultimately dozens of books written about a person's life, because new information is always being found that contradicts other information. Put simply, newspaper critics are right; this is an excellent book; it humanizes Olga Romanov without deifying her. For more excellent reviews of this book, check Amazon.uk.



3. I found this book to be disappointing because of the lack of family geneaologies. There's a one-page chart showing the Duchess Olga's immediate family, but none of the relationships to the British or German dynasties. And yet, the author mentions Olga's referrals to "cousin Georgie", meaning King George V of England, with no explanation of why they are cousins; in another section the author tells us that the Queen of Greece attended a family function leaving the reader to wonder why a monarch from Greece would show up at a Russian family affair. Also Duke Ernst of Hesse is mentioned frequently but we don't know where he fits into the picture - is he a friend, admirer, or relative? For anyone only interested in what happened to the Grand Duchess Olga and why she emigrated to Canada, this book would suffice. For anyone else interested in the European dynasties and how they were complexly related, this book is devoid of all information. Pages are devoted to the alleged disappearance of the Romanov jewels and fortune in England but we aren't told of the English connection. Olga's brother, the Tsar Nicholas II was married to one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters and this is an important fact . Either the author wasn't interested or didn't know the relationships herself.



4. Years ago Ian Vorres wrote "the last Grand Duchess", which was a biography of the life of Grand Duchess Olga based on a series of personal interviews he had with her before her death. It was hard to imagine at first why this book was written and what it could cover that the first book didn't.

   I found this book very easy to read. It approaches Olga's remarkable life in chronological order and it never looses track of the fact that this book is about Olga's life and not that of some of her more famous relatives.

   Olga was a very adapable woman. She was born to Czar Alexander 3rd and his wife Marie when they were on the throne of Russia. She lived a life in palaces surrounded by servants and guards. Despite this she always carved out an independant niche for herself and this stood her in good stead when the old russia was engulfed in revolution.

   Olga moved from the life of a pampered princess and society woman to that of a nurse at the front line and from there to a refugee, with her family in Europe and Canada.

   This book fills in some of the areas glossed over in Vorres book. It deals with the later problems with her brother Michael, and the heartache her children bought her later in life. It also deals with lingering mysteries like the sale of her mother's jewels to Queen Mary of England.

   I would have to say this is not a minute by minute account of Olga's life but it does bring her life into perspective and presents a woman who wasn't afraid to take life by the horns and run with it. It's book worth a read, especially if you are interested in the old imperial russia or the life of refugees afterwards.

No comments about The Emperor Charles V: Volume 2.

No comments about Queen Victoria.

No comments about Princess Alexandra.

5 comments about Becoming Victoria.

1. her father died when she was a baby ,her mother was determine to keep her to herself by controling her ever move and thought.she even had victoria sleep ing everynight in her bedroom.victoria didn't get any freedom until becoming queen.



2. I think the thing I found most interesting about this book was the total screwiness of Victoria's mother, the Dutchess of Kent. I admit that the Dutchess was in kind of a rough spot: She was raising a monarch after all, and yet wanted to raise her to within the standards of ladylike behaviour. Can't have her going around refering to herself with male terminology like Queen Elizabeth I did, y'know.

   But in the process, the thing the Dutchess seemed to always have her eye on was the possibility of a Regency. She *wanted* to be Regent. How screwed up do you have to be to *want* to be Regent? All the responsibility, none of the adoring crowds. Yuck!

   So she was torn between the necessity of producing in Victoria a princess who could eventually take the throne (because if she failed in providing an appropriate education and upbringing the King had made it pretty clear that he *would* ensure Victoria received same, even if it meant removing her from her mother's tender care) while wanting to keep her daughter from being *able* to take the throne at 18 (there was a possibility of a regency until she reached 21), all the while hoping that King George would hurry up and die already. Which may in part be the author's spin on things, but the good Dutchess did *repeatedly* write about the possibility of a regency until Victoria was 21 even *after* Victoria was declared competent to take the throne when she reached majority at 18 (said declaration taking place several years ahead of time), which kind of points to having some serious hopes caught up in that regency.

   Victoria herself just seems like a kid caught in the middle and kept from having much fun. She got to read a lot of "improving" books, which are those sort of kids books that beat you over the head with the idea that you should always do what Mommy tells you and never, ever, talk to strangers and aren't a lot of fun, and the rest of her childhood really does fit with that choice in reading material.




3. Princesses have become an item of interest in the past few years. Possibly they always have been, but series such as The Royal Diaries--fictional diaries by true life princesses-- are filling library and bookstore shelves.

   In this aristocratic climate, Becoming Victoria by Lynne Vallone stands out. Becoming Victoria examines the girlhood/teenagehood of the young woman who became Queen Victoria and consequently, the enduring symbol of an era. Ms Vallone has undertaken the remarkable task of examining how Victoria was reared, comparing her upbringing to the upbringing of contemporaries (not princesses), chronicling Victoria's relationship with her mother and illustrating the gap between the portrayal of Victoria's youth, both at the time and retrospectively, and how Victoria herself truly felt and acted.

   The reader leaves this book convinced that truth is indeed stranger than fiction or at least as strange and as remarkable. Although Becoming Victoria is not necessarily geared towards teens (and is more expositive than books such as The Royal Diaries), the insight into a princess' curriculum, familial relationships, day-to-day activities should fascinate the readership that delves into Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries and Gail Levine's The Princess Tales.

   Becoming Victoria ends, rather disappointingly, at Victoria's ascension to the throne. This is, however, in accordance with the task set by the author. Victoria the child and teenager is Ms Vallone's focus, and she ends once her subject passes into a different stage. Consequently, the reader's appetite is whet to do further study on a most fascinating woman and queen.

   Recommendation: The price is not too bad. It is a beautifully bound book and may be worth buying new. However, if your interest is in the content, not the appearance, try used.




4. This work was full of interesting facts, but was written more like a college text book. It paints a picture of a very charming child and gives the reader insight into the influences in Victoria's early life and the early formation of her character as she grew into the roll of Queen Mother. The facts are nice, the subject is great, but the text book feel is dull and dry.



5. I was expecting a biography on Victoria's early life, but I would not classify this book as such. It was more a dissertation on how the child rearing practices of Georgian England ultimately affected the personality of the future Queen Victoria.

   You can tell after skimming just a few pages of this book that a huge amount of research went into it (there are more that 40 pages of footnotes and references), but I found it very difficult to read and even harder to follow. It concentrated almost exclusively on the mundane facts of how she lived, rather than on who she was. There are hundreds of detailed descriptions of the clothes she wore, the books she read, the food she ate, and the toys she played with. There were even more descriptions on how the people around her influenced the food she ate, the books she read, the toys she played etc, etc.

   So don't get this book if you are looking for a biography about Victoria's early life, but check it out from the library if you want to see some truly beautiful illustrations (some by Victoria's own hand) and some outstanding photographs.