I really enjoy Lucy Worsley's history programs on BBC. I like her enthusiasm, her respect for sources and love of stories.

While her work on tv is often about proper history, examining what actually happened and what didn't happen (British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley), this novel is about stories, about what could have, might have happened.

The novel, I guess we could call it historical fan-fic, deals with the teenage years of Queen Victoria and her companion Miss V. It is full of palace intrigue, romance, teenage tantrums, and security breaches, and easy read and enjoyable book.

In order to write and reconstruct history, one needs to look at the sources of information that survive. But one also has to think about who wrote them and how reliable they are. Was the person creating the source intent on presenting the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or were they more interested in showing a certain version of the truth or merely explaining the fact in the best light for the current rulers? Since not every detail of life is ever recorded, the narrative of history is often an extrapolation of the sources. Considering that those sources are coloured and possibly unreliable, a lot of what we know as history must be fiction to a certain extent.

In this light I fully encourage these reveries and fantasies about historical figures.

Although I love Lucy Worsley from her BBC documentaries, I knew I'd love this book as soon as I knew of its existence as her first fiction book was one of my favourites in 2016. In that book we learnt of Henry VIII and his many wives. In this, we learn of Queen Victoria, from when she's about 11 years old and through her depressing teenage years in the leadup to her coronation.

A quick look on wikipedia confirms that the book gets the majority of the history right (and it's sad I had to use wiki, but my schooling unfortunately didn't cover England which is why I'm so glad for historical fiction today!) Without a father from a very young age, Princess Victoria was cared for mainly by a German governess, Lehzen. She was controlled by her mother, the Duchess, and Sir John Conroy - the comptroller (as he served with Victoria's father in the army). Sir John brings his own daughter in to befriend (and spy) on poor Victoria, as they are the same age, and his daughter's name being Victoire - though called Miss V to show her place in the world. Differing from history however, in this book we see the two young girls strike up a real friendship. Miss V is pulled left and right by both worlds - hoping to please her father and believing they must do what's right for the princess (even if she isn't aware of it), and then also truly understanding her friend's mind, and wondering whether her father really is in the right.

The next part of the book jumps ahead several years, and we see Miss V firmly entrenched in Victoria's world - now there's no hesitation on where her loyalty lies - and it's the true loyalty of a friend, where she's content to dress plainly, and speak with only Victoria's feelings at the forefront of her mind. Their friendship is lovely to witness, and it's one sturdy constant in Victoria's shaky world of a mother and comptroller she can't trust, and the heartache of being in your teens, growing steadily closer to holding the crown someday, and having your affections toyed with by young men.

The plot (though governed by history) putters along well and the pacing suits the interest - for example, how I said before of how it jumps ahead a few years. Worsley's writing style makes the history come alive as we get to understand it from a human perspective rather than dates and facts, and it makes us care about those involved.

The typeface and small illustrations through the book do it service, and along with Eliza Rose (and hopefully others Worsley will bring out in future), these will someday make a lovely set on a young reader's bookcase.

With an author's note it's easy to understand the minor changes throughout the book. As is with any subject, anything can be taught if the holder of the knowledge is passionate about it - the reader or listener can't help but be caught up in the lesson.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait to get my hands on anything else Worlsey writes.