Victoria

The term "An Intimate Biography" which is the subtitle of this work by Stanley Weintraub is very accurate. This is the bio of Queen Victoria at home. From the race to the successor of the Enlish throne upon the death of the Princess of Wales, to her reign as an eighteen-year old, her happy marriage and numerous offspring, to the fat and stodgy old Empress who gave her name to an era, this is a view of Victoria we seldom see in history accounts.The best part of the book is about her marriage to Saxe-Coburg Prince Albert, who was "hired" by Victoria as her consort but found himself in love with the diminutive German-English queen. They exchanged paintings (Victoria loved male nudes and was always smitten by male beauty), they read novels and poetry outloud to each other. Victoria handed over a key to the dispatch boxes wherein lay the documents of State, and the unpopular German prince soon was an invaluable right-hand man and man behind the throne.Sadly, Prince Albert died (whether from exhaustion after his successful staging of the Crystal Palace exhibition) or from stomach cancer) and Victoria plunged the Throne into interminable mourning. Afterward, her role in the affairs of state, even with important events such as the Sepoy Rebellion and the Boer War, seemed less intense. The biography focuses on the domestic Victoria, less so on her children, especially the wastrel Edward (Bertie) and strives to keep history as a backdrop to Victoria's life. In this, the biography succeeds admirably, but those interested in English history will want to read other accounts to fill in the events and political intricacies that are only sketched out here.

The author does an excellent job of detailing Queen Elizabeth's life, from girlhood to her death. Throughout the book are the Queen's own letters, furthing our insight into this dynamic female ruler. After finishing this book, I felt as though I knew Her Royal Highness personally!