1 comments about Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother's Equerry.

1. This is a great insight written by a young military officer who was Equerry to the Queen Mother for 2 years. It's written with great respect and fondness of his experiences as her close personal assistant. A rare glimpse into the everyday life of the Queen Mother and her association and influence in the Royal Family. An endearing book that touches on her home at Clarence House, other members of her household, his duties, and describes her "little extravagences" like Lobster, strawberries in winter, champagne, and daily fresh flowers in all the rooms. He describes her other residences at Royal Lodge and the Castle of Mey in Scotland. Full of interesting little known facts and antecdotes. No scandals (she never had any)or unflattering gossip. You'll LOVE this book. Easy reading!!

5 comments about King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins Who Led the World to War.

1. Other reviews have pretty much covered the content and general scope of the book -- a very interesting, fairly detailed (as much as the broad subject matter and limited page count will allow) biography of 3 rulers and the way they were influenced by their world, and influenced the world around them. While very critical of Wilhelm, she is also fairly sympathetic, portraying him as a man who was often 'left out', due to factors largely beyond his control.
   
   While overall it was very well written, the structure of the text led to a few minor issues.
   
   a) Because it covers three people, the content isn't always chronological, leading to some confusion, and occassional repetition of facts and incidents.
   
   b)Some of the repetition got rather annoying. (The author reminds us about 20 times that George was a constitutional monarch [and therefore required to follow the demands of parliament], while Nicky and Willie were absolute monarchs.
   
   c) More pictures would have been nice, as well as a more detailed family-tree. (Many people mentioned in the text are not included in the tree. The extremely complex interrationship between the various royal families would have made a more detailed chart very helpful.)



2. This book has a great premise to it. To inform us of the three cousins and leaders of the major players in the first great war. One that has read about the subject though will find that this book takes on too many tasks and leaves things unsaid. Although it does tell the early history of each king well, when they get older and the story needs to be told in some detail, many events are left out.
   
   First of, as is with many books on this era, this is an anti German book. Laying the blame of the entire war, its continuation and practices on the German side. It lays all the blame on the Kaiser when it was know that they generals were the ones who ran the country towards the end of the war. Plus it fails to prove that one of the major reason of the war was the declining British trade to that of Germany. One thing this books does explain well though is one of the reasons why both Russia and Britain were allies was because the wives of each of the kings hated Germany since it had invaded thier country back in the 1860's. They influenced the kings and made the Kaiser feel even more uneasy than he already was because of his handicap, since he always felt as an outsider to his cousins.
   
   This book does a fair job in both detailing the Tsar and Kaiser but does not say much about England's king. Again this book details a lot on the Kaiser and his follies and hadicaps, both physical and mental. If you are looking for a starter book on the war with an enphasis on the Kings this is a good book for you. But if you are looking into more backround on the war this is not it as this books does not touch much on the war and when it does it does not do a good job at it, even the assasination of the Tsar and why it happened is not clearly explained. So if you want an out the subject book on the Great War this is a good book but not great if you already know a lot about the War.



3. Their era of kingship is long gone but their legacy remains. British historian Catrine Clay has told their fascinating story in this new triple biography of the rulers and the world they lost in the guns of August, 1914. It was in that fateful autumn that the long 19th century of peace in Europe ended with the horrific beginning of the Great War which would claim 10 million lives and over 20 million casualties. Clay's purpose is not to retell that story oft told but to look at the remarkable lives of three ordinary men who led their nations in this dark and dangerous time. The chief players in this drama are:
   1. Queen Victoria-She was the formidable grandmother of all three of the cousins profiled in the book. Victoria ruled the greatest military power on earth whose navy ruled the waves. Despite the Afghan, Zulu and Boer wars Britain was surpreme in its rulership over a vast empire and a democratic society in which the monarch had no real power.
   2. George V-George was the second son of Edward VII (who ruled from 1901-1910 forging the Entente Cordial treaty with France and Russia pledging them to come to the aid of their allies in time of war). The oldest son Edward died in 1892 so George became king in 1910 following the death of Edward VII. George was a momma's boy and was tied to the apron strings of his beautiul mother Alexandra the Danish born queen. She suffered from deafness and putting up with her husband's constant philandering (most notable of Edward's mistresses as Alice Keppel). Alexandra hated Germany following the ravishment of her native Denmark by the Germans in the 1862 war. George is sometimes known as the sailor king due to his long service in the Royal Navy. He was a faithful husband to his wife May Teck and was a good father. He loved his stamp collection and was a good friend to his cousin Nicky the Russian Tsar. George was the only one of the three rulers who emerged unscathed and popular at the end of World War I. He would die in 1936 beloved of his nation. During World War I he left the fighting to professional soldiers encouraging the troops by frequent visits to them.
   3. Kaiser Wilhelm II-He was born to Vicky (the favorite daughter of Queen Victoria) and his father Frederick. Wilhelm was born with a deformed left arm and a severe hearing problem. He had difficulty with the arm throughout his life compensating for it by becoming a militarist. Wilhelm grew to despise the views of his mother the liberally minded Vicky and his father whom he deemed weak. Wilhelm married Dona who supported him and was not very bright. In 1888 old Kaiser Wilhelm I died to be replaced by Frederick who also died that year succumbing to throat cancer. 1888 became known as the year of the three emperors for that is when Wilhelm II got his chance to rule Germany with a strong hand. He favored the extreme right wing views of Chancellor Bulow and his good friend Prince Eulenburgh and his circle of homosexual cronies, Wilhelm fired Bismarck and desired to make Germany a military powerhouse as he built up the navy and strengthened the army. Wilhelm believed that he was surrounded by enemies knowing of the alliance of France, England and Russia. He was emotionaly unstable suffering mood swings and fits of anger. He was virulently anti-semitic and favored the Junker class. Wilhelm would see his dreams turn into nightmares when Germany was crushed in World War I. The defeated Kaiser would die in Holland as an exile in 1941.
   3. Tsar Nicholas II is a tragic figure. His father Alexander III died in 1894 making Nicholas the Tsar. His mother was Minnie the Danish sister of Britain's Queen Alexandra. This formidable woman hated Germany and taught this lesson to Nicholas. He was a small man with an ordinary brain. He was dominated by his German born wife Alexandra who was a favorite of Queen Victoria. Their son Alexi had hemophilia and the couple relied on faith healers like Rasputin to give them hope that the heir to the throne would triumph over the disease inherited through the mother's blood. Many Russians wrongly thought Alexandra was a German spy!Rasputin would be murdered and so would the Tsar, Alexandria and their 4 daughters and Alexis in July, 1917. The Bolsheviks under Lenin ruled supreme as Tsarist Russia and the Romanov dynasty became a casualty of war.
   Clay tells us the story of these men dealing with a new modern age they were unable to deal with. Both Nicholas and Wilhelm believed in absolute monarchy which was doomed. George was guided by his advisors who believed strongly in the British constitutional monarchy the only one of the three systems that worked then and now.
   The book is well illustrated including a family tree evincing just how close were the blood ties uniting the royalty of Europe prior to the holocaust of World War I. The book is recommended as a fine historical account.



4. I think the subtitle of this book, "Three Royal Cousins Who Led The World To War" is a bit misleading. We're dealing with three monarchs who happen to be cousins: the King of England, the German Kaiser, and the Russian Tsar. Of these three, the English King was a constitutional monarch, and really had no say on questions of war and peace. The other two, however, were autocrats and controlled the fates of their respective peoples. The book is an excellent family history of how the various royal courts of Europe were related, and everything related back to Queen Victoria. The author places the bulk of the blame for the war directly on the shoulders of the Kaiser and his paranoia. She concludes that, if his English relations had treated him a bit more inclusively, the war might not have happened. I myself do not subscribe to that belief, but it is plausible. The Tsar was a victim of his own timidity and his wife's overbearing control of him. Of the three monarchs, I have the most sympathy for Nicholas, who really didn't deserve to be deserted by his English cousin when he was in need of a place of exile, nor did he and his entire family deserve to be executed. This is a very interesting, and ultimately sad, book, and I recommend it highly.



5. I must have misread the discription because I thought the book was going to focus completely on their part of leading the world to war, the war and aftermath but that asside the author presents a very good biography on all three men. Very detailed and in depth on everything from their lives from birth to death. I liked having more background on Wilhelm II who's generally considered military monster and the one most pushed the world into World War I. It was very interesting reading about his childhood, his deformed hand and his love-hate relationship with England. Its interesting that Wilhelm and Nicholas didn't get along better since they both drove their countries to ruin and were forced to abdicate. The bio on George V was very good and I like that the author put in the part of him getting the British government to recend the offer of safe haven for Nicholas and his family and that he allowed the prime minister to take the blame for that. Most George V bios I've read either airbrush that detail or skip over it. I caught the Nikolasha error which is the reason for four stars instead of five its a small error but the author or editor should have caught it.

5 comments about Richard the Third.

1. This is a very readable biography of Richard III. While more recent research may have overtaken some of Mr Kendall's conclusions it by no means diminishes his scholarship.
   
   Richard III's life has been the subject of many works of historical fiction. Additionally, he appears in the works of Shakespeare, is dissected by Sir Thomas More and others writing during Tudor times. Variously lionized and demonized, he is considered by many to be either the tragic hero slain in battle at Bosworth Field or the murderer of the princes in the Tower of London.
   
   To see Richard solely as either a villain or a victim is to ignore the realities of the period in which he lived and the circumstances whereby he came to the throne.
   
   I recommend this biography to those who want to know more about the life and reign of Richard III or are seeking some historical background to some of the works of historical fiction in which he features.
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith



2. Paul Murray Kendall writes an objective biography of Richard III from his childhood to his death on Bosworth Field in 1485. He examines contemporary accounts with an emphasis on the reports of Dominic Mancini, who wrote from his own observations. He reviews pro-Richardian or revisionist theories as well as traditionalist viewpoints in an attempt to provide an objective narrative about the king's life.
   
   The book starts with the earliest known information (at about age 10) and continues through Edward IV's reign and into Richard's, ending with his death in 1485. Separate appendices deal with the disappearance of the princes Edward and Richard and Richard's character.
   
   In a nutshell, the author characterizes Richard III as a loyal, honorable, talented (military skills) leader as well as a devoted and religious family man. These strengths, however, were offset by inflexibility - a mind that saw black and white, but nothing in between - and political naivete.
   
   Kendall's analysis of the available information concerning the disappearance of the princes is objective and sensible. His conclusion: Richard probably knew what happened to them. If he sanctioned their deaths, he did so because that's what rulers did to deposed kings in medieval times. The times were cruel and Richard was a man of his times.
   
   Equally objective is Kendall's assessment of Richard's character.
   
   The book is an excellent introduction to the life of a fascinating man as well as the times in which he lived. Highly recommended. FYI, this edition is a reprint of the original work published in 1955.



3. It seems that you can find two camps comcerning Richard III - people who think that he was truly the deforemed monster portrayed by Shakespeare or those who think that he ought to be canonized. Paul Murray Kendall did an excellent job of rendering a portrait of King Richard III that does not revolve around the typical Tudor propoganda and at the same time doesn't clamour for sainthood to be bestowed upon him. Anyone who is looking for a relatively unbiased view of this misunderstood monarch should definitely look into this excellent source!



4. This book is one of the few that succeeds in revising the historical profile of king Richard by giving him the place he deserves. For centuries Tudor historians, particularly More and Vergil (using all the heavy artillery of political propaganda on behalf of their masters the Tudor kings) had drawn a caricature of king Richard, making him a monster, the incarnation of evil, not to speak of Shakespeare's play, as brilliant as false. This book proves that king Richard was a wise ruler, an excellent warrior (he decisively contributes to the final Yorkist victory over the Lancastrians in the battles of Barnet and Tewksbury in 1471), loyal to his brother king Edward IV, tender to his wife, loved by the people (specially by Northerners, by the people of York, where he was almost adored, while Henry VII and Henry VIII, the first Tudor kings, were much hated, which explains the constant rebellions of Yorkshire under Tudor rule) The tragedy of king Richard III has nothing to do with Shakespearean plot; it is very unlikely that he ordered the death of Edward IV's sons (the book provides an interesting appendix on the matter) and, of course, he had no body deformity. His tragedy was both personal and political: a man who saw the death of his beloved wife, son and brothers, a king who tried to rule for the people against the barons and paid a terrible price, the price of being betrayed at Bosworth field in 1485; a ruler who tried to take control of the political turmoil, hopelessly, as he found himself trapped in the turmoil, overwhelmed and finally swept away. However, he set the foundations of modern Britain, creating a strong State by undermining the territorial rebellious powers of the old feudal peerage, which were the cancer that had consumed the nation since the Beauforts had made a puppet of Henry VI, the last Lancastrian king, and which degenerated into the open enmity between the dukes of Somerset and York and the subsequent civil strife. Apart from reading a fascinating period of the History of England, this book made me seriously think of how easy it is to falsify History. Richard III is somebody who definitely deserved rehabilitation. Well done, Paul!



5. I bought this book to help with my a-level history personal study. Out of all the books i have used, this has been the upmost useful. The quotes, references to sources etc help the reader to bind in all the information from the book into a easily readable story. Full of facts whilst interesting. Having use to the appendix was very useful because i needed information about the 'princes in the tower'.

5 comments about The Lonely Empress: Elizabeth of Austria.

1. I enjoyed the book. It was well written and obviously well researched.
   I like the way it had info from personal writtings from the time, also.
   
   I enjoyed the gallery of pictures included in the text, as well.
   
   I will probably read the book at least one more time.



2. to me she should never married franz joseph i,she was to much of a free spirit.austria court was to old fashion for a soul like hers.she had the mother -in law from hell didn't help.



3. I was dreading that this book would be like all other's in that it would portray Elizabeth as a poor little spoiled, mis-understood rich girl. It didn't and I found that very refreshing.
   My only critism of this book is that there is only one occasion when the author translated the french, german, russian, etc. quotes that were used and I found that mildly annoying as I don't speak or read any of those languages.
   Overall a very good book!



4. I really enjoyed this book, there was only a minor matter which rather annoyed me. I wonder why nobody seems to have taken the trouble of checking the proper spelling of all those European names?
   As a native speaker of both German and Hungarian, I was quite
   distracted by reading Gödollo instead of Gödöllõ, to name just one of many blunders.
   Crenneville sometimes becomes Grenneville, Marie Vetsera turns into a Mary, Maria Theresia is always Maria Theresa, robbed of an i, the Ballhausplatz is shortened into Ballplatz, and while Hapsburg is not exactly wrong, it was apparently never used officially - and you don't often come across it even in Austria.
   Perhaps in future editions someone might provide corrections? I think the book is worth it.



5. Top of Form
   
   
   I was somewhat reluctant to first start reading The Lonely Empress because, from the some of the biographies I've read (but certainly not all!), they tend to start out interesting but then become dull and boring. It usually takes a talented author to write a biography on a boring royal. But even an unskilled author would have no trouble about sounding fascinating if their subject matter was Elisabeth of Austria.
   
   Born a mere daughter of a duke in Bavaria, Elisabeth had a fairytale (ish) romance. The emperor of Austria, Francis Joseph, was already engaged to Elisabeth's sister Helen when he fell in love with her. All of a sudden, to everyone's surprise, the Emperor started to rant about the grace and beauty of this younger sister, much to the dismay of his mother, the archduchess Sophie, who thought that Helen would become the perfect empress.
   
   Elisabeth was still a child when she became engaged to the Emperor. Suddenly, she wasn't allowed to run wild, like she had been when she was younger. Elisabeth had been known to skip her lessons and go out riding for hours. She inherited her father's peculiarity and was known to be her happiest when surrounded by less than royal people. Her father, Duke Max, was renowned for his strangeness. He was known to travel the Bavarian countryside to escape his duties and delighted in circuses. The poor Duchess Ludovica, Elisabeth's mother, must have had a terrible time with her daughter and equally childish husband. Because of her strangeness and wild country ways, the Viennese court look down upon Elisabeth.
   
   What makes this book more interesting is how the author has portrayed Elisabeth. She doesn't try to make her into a selfish, spoiled woman yet she doesn't spend the whole book describing her flawless beauty. Elisabeth seems to be a difficult topic to write about. As many people who have met the Empress say about her throughout the book, "She could be quite charming when she wanted to be. Yet she could also become cold and haughty."
   
   Elisabeth has you admiring her at times, like when she tries to help the Hungarian people regain their Constitution, and at other times hating her, the way she treated her husband and children, the woman whose husband spent fortunes building her three homes around Europe and who still wasn't grateful or satisfied. This woman traveled to countries far away so she could escape her duties as an Empress and her husband.
   
   But one feels for Elisabeth at how much misfortune she had dealt with in her life. She seems to be a caged bird, she seems to have those natures that cannot be trapped or caged. She needed wide spaces so she can spread her wings. The author portrayed Elisabeth excellently and made the book an enjoyable read.

5 comments about Elizabeth I.

1. elizabeth was the most fascinating ,complex woman who every rule in the world.the author capture the reader's imagination by tell story of motherless princess who mother beheading darking her life,but her cunning lead her to become ruler over england for 45 years.



2. In my opinion this is the best of the numerous biographies I've read about this fascinating person. A balanced and fair, warts and all approach that allows the reader to form their own opinion. Highly recommended.



3. I had never read a historical biography before, and I had no idea a book like this could be such a page turner. I could hardly put it down! Somerset does a superb job placing this brilliant monarch in the context of her time period. She goes into detail about court intrigues, political strife, and personal relationships. I found the book much more exciting and dramatic than the movie. after reading this book, I felt that I understood not just Elizabeth better, but the whole Elizabethan era. To top things off, Somerset's style is easy to read. The book is well researched and objective; never over romanticizing or over criticizing. Plus, it's a thick book so you get more for your money. I would have liked to hear more about the Queen's supposed virginity (Somerset goes with the Virgin Queen angle) but I'd still pick this book over Allison Weir any day.



4. This is the most substantial and elegantly written of the recent biographies of Elizabeth I. Somerset is especially good on Elizabeth's character (indecisiveness was a big element in it). The book includes excellent summaries of complicated and obscure issues like the England's campaigns in the Netherlands. You get a clear sense of Elizabeth's learning and mastery of languagde, but I did wish for more quotation from Elizabeth's speeches and letters. On that front, it's helpful to read this biography together with Elizabeth I: Collected Works, which includes modern-spelling versions of these (plus her poetry, etc.).



5. This is an insightful and fascinating look into the age of Elizabeth I: not only does the author explore her complex private life, but her techniques of holding and exercising power and diplomacy - always mixed together - are examined with a depth that never romanticises this remarkable leader.
   
   The story begins with a frightening look into the battle for succession. Her half-sister, Bloody Mary, at the moment is attempting to re-convert the country with ruthless brutality to the Catholicism of her mother, whom Henry VIII divorced to marry Anne Boleyn, E I's mother. Thus, E I faced not only the normal suspicion of treasonous intent between bitter blood rivals with a personal twist, but also was open in her protestantism during the bloodiest epoch of the Reformation. While E I survived and was crowned as queen, the legitimacy of her claim was always under threat - her difficult though charismatic Catholic cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, served as a living reminder of how easily E I might be replaced on the throne. E I survives, of course, and more or less triumphs over all her adversaries, but she was never bloodthirsty.
   
   Behind this basic plot, Somerset masterfully dissects the machinery of government of the time. As an absolute sovereign, E I had the last word, but she relied on a series of deeply trusted advisors as well as a network of courtiers, with whom she forged extremely close (perhaps physical) relationships. They form a fascinating backdrop as the story unfolds with their attempts to manipulate while serving her. It is as complex as a Shakespearean drama and yet Somerset is wonderfully even-handed in her treatmet of them all, from Cecil and Dudley to the deranged and dangerous step son of Dudley. E I's missteps, pride, and personal need for attention and love are criticially covered in just the right level of detail: not academically over-exhaustive, but satisfyingly complete nonetheless. After reading this, I went to the National Portrait Gallery in London and immensely enjoyed looking at paintings of virtually all of the characters. Finally, the finances of the Kingdon, so interlinked with the patronage system she managed to keep her aristocrats happy, are explained in perfect detail that is never excessive. There is also a clear explanation of E I's carefully engineered religious compromise as embodied in the Anglican Church.
   
   Then there are the details of E I's diplomacy: she held out the prospect of marriage as a tool of this, ever enticing suitors, but never quite committing. It was a brilliant balancing act, in which she often felt personally vulnerable and perhaps even hopeful of finding a love match, while ever cunningly manipulative. This was perhaps the most fascinating for me, with characters surpassing her courtiers, such as the Duke d'Anjou, who preferred men and was later a transvestite before being murdered as the French King. But there were score of others, including Philip II, her great rival in Spain and former brother-in-law, whose Armada she crippled to make England a true world power with new naval techniques.
   
   Warmly recommended. THis is a masterpiece of popular scholarship, beautifully written, and elegantly subtle as well as demandingly critical. It is the perfect supplement to those who enjoyed Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth. The only thing that I would have wanted in this is a more in-depth cultural explanation of the Age she was identified with, but that would be a book in itself.

5 comments about Catherine the Great.

1. i hard to believe a little german priness would become the most powerful woman in europe.but that catherine story .married to a stupid czravish who had no sense. he was determine to stay greman in russian,but katherina made show she learn langauge ,religion and people.she learn the art of policital when the time was right she took over.brought a new age not seen since peter the great.i would had like more about here early life in german but this book was well done.



2. This is one of the very best biographies I have ever read. Troyat has taken a very interesting but not particularly palatable historical figure ( My mother-in law referred to Catherine as "that awful person")and brought her to life with all of her fascinatingly complex character in a well wrought historical background.



3. Bad translation of a mediocre and sappy history. I couldn't stand it and have gone looking for a different biography of Catherin the Great.



4. Prior to reading this book, the only information that I had on Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was that she was an 18th century Czarina of some repute and that she was essentially a nymphomaniac. While the author disputes my clinical characterization of Catherine's sexual prowess, he certainly does take great pains to point out her long list of conquests, right up until her death at a then advanced age.
   
   This book is very informative and quite enlightening as it relates to the political and social mores of Eastern European and Asian aristocracy during the period of Catherine's reign. The tangled webs of shifting alliances during the roughly 50 years covered by the book are many times fascinating and at times hung by the thread of whether a 16 year old heir to a throne was enchanted at first site by a 13 year old princess. Entire nations hung in the balance.
   
   Especially interesting was the author's repeated juxtaposition between Catherine's espoused liberal "enlightened monarch" ideals and her actual rule over, and disposal of millions of enslaved serfs. Her fascination and financial support of many liberal French and Swiss political reformers and philosophers and then her horror when such philosophies actual came to fruition in the French Revolution.
   
   Ultimately, Catherine was a woman of her times and indisputably proved to be a most able successor to the earlier Peter the Great inasmuch as she made Russia a major player on the European stage and greatly expanded the territory under her control. The personalities involved make for a highly entertaining read.
   
   I've seen some of the comments labeling the prose as dry or tedious and tend to disagree. Certainly, writing style of non-fiction historical biographies differs from that seen in fictionalized accounts. In addition, this is a translation which perhaps hinders certain elements of style that others might prefer. All in all, I was not dissatified with the writing or the content. I recommend this book to any seeking an understanding of Russian or Eastern European history and/or culture during the mid to late 18th century.



5. Troyat needs no bolstering from me: his credentials as a well-known documenter of Russian monarchic history are legion. I relished every page of Troyat's documentaries on Ivan IV, Pjotr I, and Aleksandr I (ranking in strict chronologic order). However, his bio of Yekaterina II--while unquestionably meticulously researched--is dry. For one thing, it is quite overlong, which one must question right out of the starting gate insofar as Henri Troyat's book on Pjotr I--also a fabulous monarch of critical importance to the emergence of the empire, arguably even more so than Yekaterina II--was brief and swift. (Indeed, every paragraph literally burst with fascinating facts and characterizations.) Troyat goes on and on and on about every minor detail to the point where the essential message is basically lost amid the sheer volume: a crystalline example of forest-amid-trees overpowering. As a basis for research, for high school papers, etc., "Catherine the Great" is to be most highly commended. However, as an armchair read for the history devote [only one 'e': I can't render accent aigu through this medium, and devotee is the feminine form--Ed.], it plays marked second fiddle to Henri's Ivan, Peter, and Alex.

5 comments about Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics (P.S.).

1. This is a delicious and oftentimes informative read. However, the back of the paperback edition deems the book "impeccably researched." I think any serious scholar, to put it nicely, would disagree in the extreme with that statement. I was expecting new revelations and information, but the author only puts together a hodgepodge of stories compiled from secondary sources--many of which were based on speculation and rumor themselves. That said, the book overall does not disappoint in entertainment value. Some readers loyal to Princess Diana wil be taken aback by Herman's harsh portrayal of the Princess as a manipulative, mentally unstable wolf in sheep's clothing. One nice feature is the PS section at the back of the book, which has a lot about Herman's journey to becoming a best-selling author. Aspiring writers will enjoy the PS addition to the author's work.



2. I have to say, this book was definitely an enjoyable read. When it got to the sections on princesses whose stories I know, however, I realized that everything leading up to that last chapter would have to be taken with a grain of salt, because the sheer volume of inaccuracies in just those two stories was incredible. I am curious as to where she found the resources she had to use to compile this book. The last chapter only discussed Empress Alexandra of Russia and Princess Diana. Being an avid fan of Russian history whose particular interest lies in that last bunch of Romanovs, I know that it has never been proven that Rasputin was Alexandra's lover (among the other "facts" presented). Ms. Herman obviously didn't get her research from any of the reputable historians, such as Nicholas Massie and Edward Radzinsky. And where on Earth did she get all of those "facts" about Princess Di? Of course the woman couldn't have been the saint she was made out to be. But a manipulative, love-starved, nymphomaniac b*tch? Probably even the queen would have a problem reconciling herself to that description. I actually had to stop reading there because, after all, the poor woman is dead thanks to people like Eleanor Herman, who comes off as nothing more than overzealous paparazzi in her version of Diana's life. With both women, she states assumptions and lies with such conviction that one has to wonder if being the "granddaughter 28 times removed of Eleanore of Aquitaine", and being "related to most of the royal families of Europe" isn't enough for her, and she's jealous of those who actually did get to live a royal life.
   
   Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book - up until the crucifixions in the last chapter. It's well written and one can hope that not every princess in this book is so cruelly slandered, and that there might be some truth in the stories of Sophia Dorothea and Catherine the Great (my interest in the Romanov's doesn't go back that far, so I don't know what liberties were taken with Catherine and Elizabeth's stories). Ms. Herman is indeed talented, but maybe those talents would be better put to use writing historical fiction because she sure does seem to have a flair for making up stories.



3. This is the perfect book-end to this author's "Sex With Kings", for it shows that females were just as inclined to adultery as their male counterparts. The problem with being the Queen (or consort) was that, unlike the male, the female, unless she was ruler in her own right, faced severe penalties if caught in adultery. Henry VIII's wives were a perfect example, but there were others who were divorced, imprisoned, sent to a convent, or even beheaded. It shows that "equality of the sexes" is really a very new idea. What fascinated me about this book was the section about Princess Diana and her many and varied adulteries. I must confess to not being particularly interested in the sex lives of the Windsors, but Diana's erotic adventures amazed me! Obviously the term "people's princess" meant that she was a princess to much of the male population. One learns something new every day!



4. I sometimes wish that Amazon rated on a scale of 10 instead of 5--this is a better-than-3-star book. The book is truly a compendium of the triumphs and tragedies of women in high places for nine hundred years, and it's a romp to read. (It's also a better, and more sympathetic, book than Herman's first effortSex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.)--better organized, and more accurate.) Ms. Herman's preferences for some royal ladies over others is very clear, though that is not a terrible flaw. My main problem with the book is expressed in the certainty of the captions of the many beautiful portraits reprinted in the book--there is some doubt that Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen were actually intimate, and very much doubt that Empress Alexandra ever slept with Rasputin--not that Rasputin wouldn't have tried. Certainly many believe as Ms. Herman does, including many of the subjects of these two queens, but I would have preferred it if she had presented both sides of the case, and let us decide. Nevertheless, especially if it whets your interest in history, royal or otherwise, this is a truly entertaining read.
   
   PS I am curious about the choice of cover art for "Queen" versus that for "Sex with Kings"--why a lovely scantily clad lady on BOTH? Perhaps we would be seeing a more "feminist" work if the cover of "Queen" had featured an analagous male figure!



5. A survey of European queens and princesses who found love and sometimes disaster in marriage and extra-marital affairs. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard are here, and thankfully the author testifies to Anne's innocence in her charges; Catherine the Great of Russia enjoyed lover after lover, well into her dotage; Marie Antoinette's king Louis was not very satisfying, and her nobleman lover's devotion went so far as to try and save her from the guillotine. Many of the kings in these mostly arranged marriages left much to be desired; often they were drunks, or not interested in the arranged queen, or not interested in women at all. Hanoverian Princess Sophia Dorothea (17th c.) was hounded by her mother-in-law and husband until her lover was murdered in her hall, and she spent the rest of her life in a forest castle, cursing her husband with her dying breath - the curse apparently worked, as he died within the year. Intrigue and passion on every page of this breezy read.

5 comments about The Grace Kelly Years: Princess of Monaco.

1. lush product with beautiful previously unseen photos, but family whitewash of anything slightly controversial is ubiquitous



2. I have been searching high and low for the longest time, for books, posters etc on Grace, and have always come up with very little.
   Until, the 25th anniversary of her death.
   This really is a must for all Princess Grace fans, the presentation of the book is stunning and contains images of her I have never seen before, nearly a full picture of her to a page. Great storytelling also.
   Really, THIS is THE book you must own!
   Great price and quick international shipping too.
   Thankyou Amazon!



3. Una verdadera joya que no debe faltar a ningún admirador de la actriz y princesa más hermosa que haya habido nunca.



4. Due to the very good reviews on Amazon and because this book says to be a glimpse of the exhibition on Grace Kelly in Monaco (I was unfortunate not being able to visit), I bought this book. As already mentioned by others, it does have a very nice and high quality look and feel, but still, it did not meet my expectations. Being a Grace Kelly Fan, I am sort of disappointed to find many pictures one can already find in many other publications on her. The personal items are very interesting, but there could be more.
   This book is officially accepted by her family, and it is quite understandable that the image of Grace Kelly had to be a positive one, just like she had wished, as one of her quotes in this book states. But another of her quotes also shows, that she did not seem consistently happy with her fairy tale image, to which she herself had some cause. Is this maybe a glimpse of one extreme in her personality? I think it would have been possible to show more of a "real" person, and maybe the exhibition this book is reflecting did so. If so, this book was not made with care.
   I have read some unauthorized biographies on her and even if they sometimes seem a little too much, too dirty, too revealing, they still appear to describe the life of a human, the ups and downs, the possible reasons for the choices made in life. This book is the absolute contrary, and even seems to be desperately trying to disprove all other books written on her. One example: one nice, short thank you letter from Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis makes the impression of a harmonious friendship. Other biographies claim their relationship to being quite disturbed, Jacqueline not at all being fond of Princess Grace. Well, maybe the exhibition had more to tell on this issue, so I would have rather seen more letters Grace Kelly wrote than thank you notes from her co actors and other celebrities written with typing machines.
   Maybe it would have been better just to display as many pictures as possible from the exhibition, with very little text and without any tendentious comments. This would have let the book be more open and would have let the spectator make up his own mind. But it seems that was not the intention.



5. What a beautiful keepsake book about Grace Kelly. Includes many scrapbook items and is a wonderful tribute to a wonderful lady!

5 comments about Annabel: An Unconventional Life.

1. Reading this, I admired Annabel's easy, natural way of writing her life story. She sounds like a great person to know, too - warm and friendly, with a great heart. By no means has Annabel had a charmed life -- although she has been extremely fortunate regarding her financial situation, her various homes, and in the general good health of her children.
   
   I was a little disturbed by her dependence on men, and the importance she (I think subconsciously) has given to the men in her life, throughout her life, particularly in her involvement and eventual marriage to Jimmy Goldsmith later on. (Putting up with his constant infidelity; the importance she gave to his whims and his desires; his insistence they have children before they married, etc.) The one time, it seems, she stood up to Jimmy and put her foot down was when he tried to insist that she move their family to America, because HE was tired of being brickbatted by the media in England. (Also, apparently, because his newest mistress lived in New York!)
   
   It doesn't appear, at least to me as a reader, that JG was worth the anxiety and heartache that he undoubtedly put Annabel through -- but, I didn't know the man, and, well, Annabel's of a different generation (of women who were trained to give men the upper hand). Also, love is undoubtedly blind and dumb sometimes. There were times, reading about some of Jimmy's demands, when I wanted to tell her, "oh, just tell him to go -- himself! you'll make out fine!"
   
   I was touched when Annabel wrote about the death of her oldest son, Rupert. A real feeling of loss came through and the letter of his that she includes gives you a sense of his charm and intelligence. (He's also the one child of Annabel's who really looked a great deal like her, at least, from the photo she includes.)
   
   I admit, I'm shamelessly addicted to behind-the-scenes stories of upper-crust British society, and Annabel's life story is almost that of a heroine in one of those big, splashy novels that used to be written a few years ago: the kind that take a reader through more than a few decades of love, sex, divorce, some bad decisions, and painful loss.



2. Annabel: An Unconventional Life
   
   A unique life shared without shame or too much regret. An exceptional example of living life fully with care and understanding and with deep unconditional love. A true women warrior of it's times and indeed timeless.



3. I absolutely adored this book. I have read it twice. Although I have little in common with Annabel Goldsmith, I feel that I learned a lot from the way she has lived her life. A few thoughts, in no particular order: Despite having a title and hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank, she comes across as a truly down-to-earth, self-deprecating, and genuine person. She identifies with all types of people, and seems to be totally at peace with her position in life (not ridden with guilt) and yet you get the feeling that she has never tried to nickel and dime her staff or deny someone a tip, because she has enough class to have an understanding for working people. Also - her perspective on fidelity and relationships is fascinating. She is a woman who has always put her family and children first, yet she is far from a boring housewife. In fact, I would love to settle down with Annabel for a cozy chat some day.



4. I loved this book and believe it is not to be missed. She comes across as being a very warm being, and while most people who write their autobiographies portray themselves as being good and kind people, I prefer to give Lady Annabel the benefit of the doubt. I feel the fact that she and her first husband spontaneously decamped to Austria to help Hungarian refugees in 1956 to speak for her selflessness alone. The jaded and cynical might say this was an act of fleeting youthful idealism (Lady Annabel and first husband Mark Birley were only twenty at the time, this was fifty years ago, and her autiobiography refers to no other grand acts of altruism since), but again I prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, what does it matter when and why someone does something good as long as they do it? Lady Annabel does refer to holiday homes in Spain and vacation villa's in Italy as if this something everyone can afford to do, but I think that's the point of the book, and is what makes it so interesting.



5. I couldn't help becoming fond of this thoroughly interesting woman - a Lady by birth in the British aristocratic system, and having experienced every advantage, yet not of course immune from her share of misfortune. She is likable because, although high-born, she appears very down-to-earth, humble and even accessible.
   
   There is absolutely nothing that I have in common with her, but because there is no sign of airs and graces or name-dropping, (for example, although having met royalty, she doesn't claim to have been close to them, although she probably is actually on friendly terms) Annabel's humility actually elevates her in a strange way and evokes my admiration for her. In other words she is not a snob, although she probably has every right to be, which is how her story can even appeal to an non-aristocratic member of a colony on the other side of the world. She is a "class act" without her having to big note herself. She just presents herself as who she is. Fascinating.
   
   One aside, I loved looking through her family photos, and couldn't help noticing an undeniable and uncanny resemblence of her two youngest sons to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. This was my only disappointment: that any connection to Diana by ancestry wasn't mentioned.

5 comments about The Women of Windsor: Their Power, Privilege, and Passions.

1. This is mostly the same old story with a new cover. Some real light is shed on Princess Anne, and some new additions shed on the late Princess Margaret, but by & large its hard to separate this book from so many in the past. Check this book out from the library or borrow it from someone before buying it, unless your knowledge is basic, then its perhaps a great start to extending your knowledge and library on the Windsors.



2. THE WOMEN OF WINDSOR has numerous inaccuracies...to confuse this book with a carefully researched history would be a major mistake for the serious reader. It is not true that Edward VIII "took the name of Edward when he came to the throne", Edward was the first of his given seven names, David being the last and employed by the royal famiy. The author tell us that the Duke of Edinburgh had Michael Parker stand as best man at the wedding...no indeed... the best man was a Mountbatten cousin, David, Marquess of Milford Haven. The Duchy of Cornwall is NOT amongst the Queen's estates...her income derives from the Duchy of Lancaster...Cornwall belongs to The Prince of Wales. Barbara Cartland is not "the step- grandmother of Diana's step- mother, Raine"...Cartland was Raine's mother, thus Diana's step grandmother. The author indulges in a tirade against the eulogy given by Earl Spencer at Diana's funeral, omitting the fact that the congregation and thousands gathered outside the Abbey cheered his words. This poorly researched book was a disappointment. This book is facile, it is a folly.



3. Having said that, and speaking as an Anglophile, I still found the book hard to put down. It doesn't purport to be an in-depth history of any of these women and the only revelation that was new to me was the fact that Princess Margaret could indeed have married Peter Townsend after all by merely giving up her place in the royal line of succession. I did note with dismay, however, that the author stated Prince William's birthday as June 22 when in fact it is June 21. Might that mean there are other, more serious, errors?
   
   If you're looking for juicy bits of gossip, this is not for you but if you want a short walk through the House of Windsor, I would add this to my reading list.



4. As an English Expat I thought the book quite well written and all in all quite fair tho I think this author did not do full justice to our hardworking Princess Royal by dragging up the old chestnut about her not being attractive. I saw Princess Anne in her 20,s and she was stunning, not chocolate box pretty like Princess Diana but a truly regal beauty and of course like most of the Windsor Women she does not photograph well.She was and still is very attractive to men. speaking of which I really do think Ms Whitney did a total hatchet job on the Windsor men especially The Prince of Wales whose Princes Trust is one of the best charities in the World, He is a wonderful man.



5. Don't be deceived by the cover of this book. This is the same old Windsor tale, written in a light and breezy manner. The idea of focusing specifically on these four women is an interesting idea, but the author only seems to remember the point in the last chapter. Instead, what we get is a pretty good portrait of the Queen Mother's early years, and then plow right into Windsor Lite-- standard fare, but certainly nothing new. A good book for starters, but don't be deceived here-- Princess Margaret and Princess Anne are not studied to any degree of depth, nor is Queen Elizabeth II probed and examined as any solid biography would demand.
   
   Interestingly, Diana is in full force throughout the second half of the book because of her obvious impact on the Windsors. Also examined to some degree is Wallis Simpson, and this is important-- although she's an ambiguous character, her impact on the royals was perhaps greater than any other woman in that she literally shifted the course of the accession-- assuming Edward VIII was capable of fathering children, in which case the crown would have fallen to Elizabeth II anyway (as George V well knew).
   
   Nearly invisible in the book is the indomitable Queen Mary, very much a Windsor, and largely responsible for setting the tone of the royal court in the first half of the 20th century-- and for moulding her granddaughter, Elizabeth, into the monarch she is today. This was probably some sort of marketing scheme-- the idea of putting the most well known women on the cover must have been too appealing. And sadly, the intelligent, complex and duty-bound Princess Anne, who truly does deserve a body of work dedicated to her own life, gets little more than superfluous treatment (as does Princess Margaret, who is basically written off as misunderstood, but superfluous in her own right-- haven't we heard all this before?).
   
   Think of this book as Windsor Lite, a current "simple history" starting with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's youth and teen years, through her marriage to Bertie and ultimate accession to Queen Consort, through the highs of the coronation and declines of the 80s, ending with the death of Princess Diana. Nothing new here, and disappointing treatment of women who should be examined far more closely, but a decent job for those just getting to know the history of the royal family in the current century. Otherwise, move on.