Victoria's Daughters

This was a well written, well laid out timeline. It drew you in and explained not only the lives of her daughters but the world events that were happening at such a rapid pace around them. A great read for anyone with a passing interest in history and enjoyable for the history nerd as well.

I'm an avid reader of royal biographies. I prefer learning about how people lived the personal side of their lives. Of course, all of these people (given their positions) had some role in politics of the time. I never paid much attention to that aspect and only now realize what a mistake that was. This book is wonderful simply for it's attention to royal women (some who are often overlooked by other authors) and especially for it's coverage of the family dynamics. But, I also appreciated the way the author described each family member's involvement in wide-reaching European politics. This information is so well weaved into the "story" of their lives, that I was not at all put-off (bored) by it as I usually am. I was quite surprised to finally understand the unification of Germany, the role of landgraves and all those little principalities, and the formation of Canada. Granted, a book of this scope can only touch the surface of these issues. Still, I found it entertaining and elightening.

Vicky, Alice, Lenchen, Louise and Beatrice were the mothers of the royal dynasties throughout Europe, making their mother Victoria the doyenne of the continent's royal courts. Among the notable offspring were Vicky's son Kaiser Wilhem II, Alice's daughter Tsarina Alexandra, Vicky's daughter Queen Sophie of Greece and Beatrice's daughter Queen Ena of Spain. While Victoria's sons belonged to Great Britain, her daughters were a way for Victoria and Albert to spread their influence over the continent.I questioned why the author restricted his scope to just the daughters, but this made more sense with an explanation of Prince Albert's dreams for a more liberal Europe through the marriage of his daughters into ruling families. These plans were altered with his untimely death and Victoria needed to find another companion and private secretary, a role she demanded her daughters play.There is a confusing layout to the narrative. The book is arranged chronologically and the author tries to tell each daughter's story individually, but the lives of the daughters overlap. There will be a long section detailing Vicky's life for about a decade, including a visit from her sister Alice, then in the next section he moved back by a decade and starts describing Alice's life for the same time period, including a visit to her sister Vicky, and at the end there's a description of what Victoria did in the same time period. Despite all the backtracking, the final product is a complete account of the lives and relationships of the daughters.One thing that surprised me was a generally positive portrayal of Bertie, the eldest brother who eventually became Edward VII. We all know him as the philanderer whose affairs were widely known. But within the framework of his family, Bertie emerges as a family peacemaker and diplomat in adulthood who helps reconcile Victoria and the siblings during family squabbles.Overall, this book was very enjoyable and easy to read and it's sparked an interest in the Victorian age. I'm eager to read more about Victoria's sons and their children.

As a passionate "devourer" of all books pertaining to European history, I had very high expectations of this work before actually picking it up. Was I ever surprised! Not only did it meet my expectations, but surpassed them by far! Thoroughly researched, Packard offers for the most part, a sympathetic view of his subjects; however, he does balance things out by touching on their less stellar qualities, as well. I became more emotionally caught up with each of Victoria's daughters, in turn, as well as with Victoria herself, than I ever thought I possibly could, since I usually tend to view Britain's royal family with a critical eye. Packard really made me feel with the family's triumphs and tragedies and I came away from this reading experience with a greater appreciation of just how much more difficult life was in the 19th century than it is today. Packard also illustrated that even royalty is not immune to life's disappointments. For instance, while I tended to be impatient with eldest daughter, Vicky's, lack of understanding about Prussian life and customs, and her arrogance in thinking that the British way could quite easily be forced down the throats of Europe's other countries, I did pity her frustration at the disintegrated relationship with primarily her 2 eldest children. Many of the dysfunctions that existed in Victoria's immediate family have managed to stay with the family through the present generation, which explains a lot about the present-day group. I highly recommend this book for afficianados of European history. The moment you crack the cover, you won't be able to put it down until you read the very last word!

Mr. Packard does a tremendous job. He is able to convey the princess' personalities, relationships with their parents and brothers, as well as each other. It was an extremely easy book to read. Great for history buffs! I highly recommend it.