Queen Victoria, from Her Birth to the Death of the Prince Consort

The Victorian Era's literature filled my childhood, and its poets (along with the Romantics) remain my favorites. I picked up this biography knowing I would find it interesting, but I didn't anticipate reading it as I would a novel.That's just what happened, though. The author achieves such readability (even, I would think, for those who don't share my interest in European history) by focusing on her subject as if Victoria were a fictional protagonist. While Woodham-Smith supplies the necessary level of detail and background, and demonstrates the solid research skills that make this a serious work, she never forgets that the reason most readers pick up this book is - Victoria! A monarch who was also girl and woman, daughter and sister, wife and mother, in an era when each of those roles conflicted wildly with the one that destiny called on her to play.Long out of print, but well worth tracking down.

The age of Queen Victoria is frought with myths and legends about the woman and her court. Mrs. Woodham-Smith brings the era alive with a personalized look at the queen and the many goings on before, during and after her reign. There are many stories about her and her famous consort, Prince Albert. This book also brings to light the persons that shaped Queen Victoria. You will truely understand why this was the Victorian Era after reading this book.