Victoria
The Widow and Her Son
by Hector Bolitho
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Pub Date 1 Feb 2018 | Archive Date 19 Mar 2018
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Description
‘All these books are interesting, but they have a common fault. The books about King Edward are written at the expense of the Queen and the books about the Queen at the expense of King Edward.’
In this biography, Hector Bolitho attempts to rectify a glaring problem in previous accounts of Queen Victoria and King Edward. Here he paints a fascinating portrait of the life of the two monarchs, focusing on how their relationship struggled and changed after the death of Victoria’s beloved Prince Consort. Victoria and Edward are here given equal attention, viewed as distinct individuals with their own motivations and flaws, without bias, or retrospective judgement.
The narrative begins in 1861 with the death of Albert and Queen Victoria’s inconsolable grief at the loss of her love. As Victoria’s mourning begins to impact her rule, young Edward is torn between his youthful, pleasure-seeking nature and his duties as heir to the throne.
Bolitho’s illustrates, in gripping and absorbing style, the latter part of Victoria’s rule - highlighting the tumultuous relationship between a grieving widow and her unruly son. Victoria and Edward are presented as people, not only monarchs. Under Bolitho’s sympathetic eye two giants of British history are, finally, rendered human.
Victoria, The Widow and Her Son was first published in 1934.
A Note From the Publisher
If you enjoyed reading this title, we'd really appreciate seeing your honest review on Amazon. Thank you and happy reading, Ipso Books.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781912194490 |
| PRICE | £3.99 (GBP) |
Featured Reviews
Terezia C, Educator
It is a great book!
The author describes the 40 years of widowhood of Queen Victoria. In this 40 years many things happend in the world, things that changed her and prepared the Prince of Wales to be the King of England.
The letters, used as sources for the book, offer authenticity.
The relationships that England had with other countries on that period influenced a lot of the changes that happend in the country. They also had a huge impact on the Queen and her son. Because of that the author discribes in detail all the important crisis that the Queen had to face. It helps the reader to understand the role of the Queen, her relationships with her son and with her Ministers.
I particulary enjoyed the short parts in which the author gave interesting information about the Queen. For exemple:
- In the first years of bereavement she left all the objects that Albert used in the place and in the position he left them;
- Although she was very punctual for public occasions, she had a problem with punctuality when she was in her palace.
- she spent 5 years in Scotland during her reign and only few weeks in Ireland
Susan A, Educator
‘All these books are interesting, but they have a common fault. The books about King Edward are written at the expense of the Queen and the books about the Queen at the expense of King Edward.’
I agree with the statement above! This is a fascinating book that looks at the mother-son relationship between Queen Victoria and King Edward. The book focuses on how their relationship struggled and changed after the death of Victoria’s beloved Prince Consort. Queen Victoria absolutely adored Alfred the Prince Consort, and losing him would have been such a devastating moment for her. The narrative begins in 1861 with the death of Albert and Queen Victoria’s inconsolable grief at the loss of her love. It looks at how the grief of Queen Victoria was impacting her role as a Queen and how the future King Edward had to start accepting his role and preparing himself as future heir but at the same time is a young man who does want to enjoy life.
Victoria and Edward are here given equal attention, viewed as distinct individuals with their own motivations and flaws, without bias, or retrospective judgement.
I would recommend it to all those who love to read about Queen Victoria or King Edward.
