99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig Brown
3.5 stars. Certainly a balanced presentation of a figure who attracted constant and varied reviews her entire life. Neither gushing nor accusatory. The numerous “glimpses” provide plenty of room to look from different perspectives.
On the flip side, the structure of “glimpses” leaves room for lack of structure. While largely chronological, the author does occasionally take odd hops out of order. And then there are the odd “what if” moments, including a couple of fantasy romances. Totally weird and meaningless. The final “what if” connected to Margaret being queen was appropriate and, in a discussion of a figure like this, begged for.
Personally, I am grateful that Margaret was not the monarch. She is not suited to neutrality, and I don’t see any amount of training changing that part of her nature. She definitely would have thrived with more purpose in her position, but not as the wearer of the crown. Overall, she is simply driven by her desires, embracing all the values of the changing culture, constantly frustrated when things do not go her way—none of these things queenly.
Desperate for love. Desperate to make her own mark. Desperate for respect.
At Home with the Queen, by Brian Hoey
Great start to my year of studying British monarchs. This was a fun inside glimpse into the workings of the palace–lives of servants, roles of officials, the image that the Queen radiates to her subjects. This is a pretty smooth operation, and I appreciate that the Queen knows what she does and does not like.
Some parts got a little bogged down in tedious details, but overall a compelling insight into the behind-the-scenes lives of the Royals and those who work with/for them.
The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, by Andrew Marr
While this book is obviously, pro-Elizabeth and pro-monarchy, it still provides insights into the life and history of the last truly great Lady. Britain’s monarch truly embodies that title, as she has dedicated (and sacrificed) her life to her subjects and their good. In her quiet, strong way, she has made the “symbolic” monarchy a true backbone of strength for the British Commonwealth. She has learned from careful observation of successes and failures how to delicately adapt while staying true to values that have outlasted convention. She has remained the image of stability and security while her children faced deep personal issues, while her nation has faced economic and political challenges, and while she has grown as a person.
I skimmed the sections that discussed her relationships with her prime ministers, as I was more interested in the Queen than British politics of the last 60 years.
Life at the Court of Queen Victoria, 1861-1901: Illustrated from the Collection of Lord Edward Pelham-Clinton, Master of the Household: With Selections from the Journals of Queen Victoria
Very intimate look at the enigmatic queen. I wish it had covered her whole reign, not just following Albert’s death. I do have the sense of knowing Queen Victoria from the included selections–a shy, deeply-feeling woman, devoted to her family and country. She was well aware of state affairs, but handled most decisions privately. She remained strong after her husband’s death, though she longed for him the rest of her life. I believe she recognized the power of mystery that women can master, as she limited her public speaking and engagements. Even in photos, she looks away from the camera, shielding her face and expressions. Though not as interesting as her great-great-granddaughter, she was a very honest and diplomatic person in her journals, and I admire her dedication to recording the events of her life.
Beautiful pictures!
Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz
Excellent! Obviously a children’s book, but written with insights into King George III’s personality, goals, and perspectives on the American rebellion. I would say this would be appropriate for a middle elementary student who has learned the basics of the War and was ready to think a bit more critically about some of the issues.
Enough general background to create a context and personality, but not so much that the young reader gets bogged down. Honestly, the perfect combo for the extent of research I wanted, which was mainly getting a different perspective on the Revolutionary War and the person of George III.
Illustrations by Tomie de Paola are a perfect pairing.
George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides, by Rosalyn Schanzer
Definitely a heavy pro-American bias, despite the claim to look at both sides of the story. It did, in the sense that it provided a few quotes and insights into events and background in England as well as America, and provided a fairly complementary conclusion about King George. However, readers are still generally left with the typical ideas of the American fight for independence.
I would still recommend this book for school-age children studying the Revolutionary War. The illustrations are well-done; the narrative easy to understand, while still providing quality details that create a vivid story. Third grade and up, perhaps.
Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England, by Thomas Penn
King Henry VII would have been an expert at Survivor. Seizing an opportunity to slip in with a tenuous claim at the English throne following the Wars of the Roses and the usurpation of Richard III, he pulled off his own coup and succeeded in maintaining it for the duration of his reign. An expert at reading European political forecasts, he saw that the wave of the future was to loan money to leaders who wanted to fight. Accordingly, he amassed huge sums of money to lend and gain favor with nations all over Europe. In addition, he arranged marriages for his children with political rulers, even at the cost of previous arrangements. Though his reign was remembered as despotic by his subjects (where else would he get all his money?), he did succeed in establishing his son, Henry VIII, with significantly less controversy than he himself faced. VIII made the most of this and made his own mark on the history of the world.
As part of the thoroughness of this book, there are detailed backgrounds on all the major figures in Henry VII’s life and court–Buckingham, Erasmus, Wolsey, More, etc. This was beyond the scope that I was seeking to research, but if you want to know how these figures intermingled, this would be a wonderful resource.
Writing was clear and smooth–an excellent first book for Thomas Penn.
Royal Panoply: Brief Lives of the English Monarchs, by Carolly Erickson
This book was extremely helpful to me in my nonfiction project of investigating British monarchs. Thorough overview of each monarch with analysis included in the account. Probably too general for someone more expert, but a good fit for someone like me who wanted less than a full length biography.
The art in the book reflected the phases of history and art development and accentuated the content in a relevant and colorful manner.
Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King, by Mike Pitts
Compelling read! Squeezed it in any spare moment I could, as I was eager to find out what happened next. Highly recommend to anyone interested in either English history or archeology. This book is a perfect blend of both–providing a solid background on Richard and the Wars of the Roses, then shifting to the evaluation of the archeological dig that ultimately identified his body.
Archeology is such an interesting, imprecise science, and this narrative provides perfect insights into the process–from garnering interest in the dig, to raising funds, to the discoveries themselves. ULAS was extremely professional in publishing and executing their examination; top-notch scholarship. Their conclusion is sound, and its announcement rocked the press world.
Queen of the World, by Robert Hardman
Four-star read about the subtle yet intentional way Queen Elizabeth has navigated political waters in a post-imperial world. Three stars because sometimes the narrative bogs down and feels a bit repetitive; the middle third for me became a “skim,” when the pattern of the content became clear after the first couple sections. Recommended for fans of the Royal Family; those interested in “soft power” leadership, as this is taking lessons from the master; and those who believe that the Queen is merely a figurehead, for they are vastly mistaken.
On paper, it is a disaster. Piece by piece, the British empire is–violently or not–shaking off the “shackles” of imperial rule in favor of independence. Queen Elizabeth, however, looked these nations in the eye, applauded their shifts toward democracy, then promptly invited them into the wisest political network, perhaps, in history–the Commonwealth. This organization of 53 nations is voluntary, providing advice, support, and unity on multitudes of issues. As Head of the Commonwealth, the queen may direct one member to another for resources, personnel, etc. Nations long to join. Member nations say things like, “We don’t feel so small that we have to reject the monarchy to feel big.” This crowning political achievement, I think, deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, as many of the nations in the Commonwealth might otherwise have been in competition with one another. Now they are allies. The fate of the Commonwealth when the Queen is no longer Head will be a deciding factor in global history.
Uniting 53 countries is no joke. But it came after decades of using her position as opportunity to “make points” and provide implicit endorsement of politics. As in her 1965 visit to Germany where it was said, “In Germany [and, I would argue also true all around the world], we admire the stylistic expression of grandeur. This was a great theatrical event. And Britain is the great country of the stage.” While the British government is, on paper, neatly divided into legislation, run by Parliament, and diplomacy, headed by the Royal Family, the Queen’s grand presence is definitely political, because it is respected. She has definite say in where and when she goes on or receives state visits, many of which have been carefully timed to build alliance and provide positive reinforcement in sticky situations. For instance, as the Soviet Union was dissolving and slowly heading toward a form of democracy, the Queen was one of the first to make an official visit, clearly endorsing this political direction of the once “Iron Curtain” section of the world. Had she not, they may easily have fallen into more controlling forms of government more suited to such a large territory.
On any given state visit, the stops made by the Queen also testify to agendas she is supporting. And these decisions are not dictated to the Queen; she is actively involved in her itineraries. So much for remaining silent and neutral. Her voice is just through actions, rather than endless words.
Quotable quotes from the book: Prince Phillip, on seeing the site where one of his ancestors was brutally massacred–“You can’t condemn a whole nation for what a few extremists do or did.” Regarding newspapers–“The media are seldom, if ever, in the business of helpful quotes. Their business is conflict.”
That Lady Who Reads A Lot 