Kate Williams (1)Rezensionen

The recent Napoleon 'biopic' with Joaquin Phoenix - go figure - prompted me to read more about his pathetic wife, Josephine, but honestly, I wish I hadn't bothered. Marie Antoinette was born to wealth and privilege, married into French royalty at a very young age, persecuted for her excessive spending, accused of being a whore, and was executed during the Revolution. Josephine - and that wasn't actually her name, but the moniker her narcissistic husband lumped her with - was born on a plantation island, was a whore in all but name, escaped execution by the skin of her rotten teeth, married a French dictator younger than herself, spent even more money than Marie Antoinette, before finally being dumped for a younger woman who could give the little man an heir. I know who I feel sympathy and admiration for, and she didn't have to play at being queen alongside her faker of a husband.

Kate Williams has written a comprehensive biography, even if most of the later chapters are given over to Napoleon because Josephine surrendered her own personality and dignity, but reading about the pair of them made me nauseous. Only men could revere Napoleon, and what was Josephine's claim to fame? Spending money and collecting treasures stolen from France and the countries her husband invaded and tying herself in knots to stay in the obnoxious little bully's good graces. She even forced her only daughter into marriage with her husband's repulsive brother and told her to play nice when Hortense begged to be released from her abusive marriage! Napoleon was the original incel, who instead of hating women on social media, wrote the Code Napoleon to keep them in their place: 'We need the notion of obedience in Paris, especially where women think they have the right to do as they like.' When he came into power, literally crowning himself Emperor, he could force young women into sleeping with him - lasting all of four minutes tops - by staring at them like a creep, but Josephine could not look or talk to other men. And she just accepted his rules! That's not even being the power behind the throne, she was just a doll to be named, dressed and manoeuvred by her husband's fragile masculinity. 'The pride of women consists in submission and we should have no other power than such as a mild and gentle character imparts to us.' Vomit.

Before being mentally sterilised by Napoleon, Josephine's story was actually very interesting, but the bulk of the biography is a repetitive litany of Josephine mothering Napoleon with her soft voice and gentle hands after one of his many tantrums alongside a growing tally of the many millions she frittered on dresses, shoes, plants and paintings. Meanwhile, he storms around Europe and Egypt murdering thousands of men. Lovely couple!

De geschiedenis geschreven rond Josephine de Beauharnais, echtgenote van Napoleon, werpt een heel ander licht op de oorlogszuchtige keizer. In zijn persoonlijke relaties is hij 'maar' een zielig keizertje, die zijn eigen frustraties rond zijn gestalte en zijn afkomst afreageert op wie hij het liefste heeft, zijn Josephine en haar kinderen uit haar eerste huwelijk, Hortense en Eugène. Hij scheidt van haar als zij al in de 40 is, trouwt met Marie Louise van Oostenrijk louter en alleen om een troonopvolger op de wereld te zetten. Dat lukt hem. Josephine moet alle vernederingen van hem en zijn familie genadeloos ondergaan; hij dwingt haar zelfs om 'gelukkig' te zijn voor zijn geluk. Hoe wreed, die historische figuur die te veel glorie toebedeeld krijgt.½

Kind of a cross between Jack the Ripper and Sherlock?? Not really sure. There were so many characters and I was never quite sure which narrator was "speaking". Rathe disjointed story-telling. Could have been much better if the author stayed in one voice.

Finally a biography on Princess Charlotte of Wales.

But why a painting of Queen Victoria as a cover? :/

Victoria Charlotte

Very engaging book. I particularly like how tying the life and death of Princess Charlotte in to the life of Victoria gives a much better context for the time than any book I've read on the subject previously.

This is a bio of Princess Charlotte who was heir to the throne of England and Victoria who took her spot in succession when she tragically dies at the young age of 22. The book follows Victoria through her birth to the same age of 22.

I have read a lot on Victoria, however my reading has never encompassed her childhood, which I knew was horrible. This book really brings that sad childhood to the forefront . She was verbally abused and used as a pawn by her power hungry mother and John Conroy, her adviser.

I enjoyed this book, however I think that some of the "gossip" of the age was presented as fact, and that annoyed me enough to cut a half star.

This is not the book that I expected it to be – it’s more in some ways but less in others.

The title, the image on the front cover, the words on the back cover – they all suggest that this is a book about the early years and the beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria. And it is, but there’s a great deal of ground to cover before the story gets there, because this story goes much further back.

It tells the story of two young women who might have been Queen. Each was her presumptive to the British throne, each seemed likely to ascend to that throne, but only one of them did. And she was only born because the other did not.

It’s an amazing true story – or it might be truer to say a series of stories – very well told, in a style that is both chatty and informative. It’s clear that the storyteller knows and loves her subject, and that she is eager to share what she knows.

Princess Charlotte of Wales was born in 1796 to Prince George – later Prince Regent, later George IV – and his wife, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Although her parents adored her, they detested one another and used her as a weapon in their squabbles. She had a lonely childhood, surrounded by governesses and servants but seeing few other children, and seeing her parents very rarely.

And although it was apparent early on that she might become Queen of England, she was given little education or preparation for the role she was expected to be called upon to play.

Charlotte was born into an age when the large, profligate royal family was poorly regarded by its subjects. But she was popular; the hope of not just the masses but also those of the upper class who saw the desperate need for reform. Her dissolute, spendthrift father hated that, and so he did his level best to keep her away from the public gaze, shut up in a grand mansion run by his own trusted servants. .

She grew up to be spoiled and wilful; but she also grew up to be vibrant, energetic, and very good at managing people.

When her father tried to marry her off to the unattractive and unappealing Prince of Orange she finally rebelled. Charlotte made some missteps, but eventually she turned to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, who she described as “a good tempered man with good sence, with whom I could have a reasonable hope of being less unhappy & comfortless than I have been in a single state.”

Charlotte was eager to escape from her father’s tyranny, and her father was eager to marry her off to a foreign prince and hopefully get her out of England for at least part of each year.

The young couple were married on May 2, 1816, and then moved into their Surrey estate, Claremont House, where for the first time in her life Charlotte was secure and happy. Very soon she was expecting a child.

On November 5, 1817, after nearly three days of labour, Charlotte gave birth to a stillborn boy. The next day, she followed him to the grave.

Public grief was overwhelming. And after the Prince Regent and his six brothers, there was no heir to the throne. George III had ore than fifty grandchildren, but not one was legitimate.

Charlotte’s death set off an unseemly rush to the altar by several the of the sons of George III. Mistresses and morganic wives were cast aside. The Duke of Kent, a lifelong military man, set out to court Prince Leopold’s widowed sister, Victoire. They married in 1818, and barely nine months later, the duchess gave birth to a girl, who would be named Alexandrina Victoria.

The Duke died before his daughter was a year old.

Her mother kept her close, and kept her away from the world, determined that she would reign as her daughter’s regent.

William IV – her uncle, who had come to the throne after the death of George IV – steeled himself to live long enough for his niece to come of age, so that she could rule without a regent.

And her widowed uncle, Prince Leopold, who later became King of the Belgians, remained close to his sister and niece; and he spent years groomed his young nephew, Price Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, for the role that Leopold himself had hoped to assume – Prince Consort to the Queen of England.

That story rolls on until Victoria is a wife and mother and twenty-two years old – the age that Charlotte was when she died.

The telling of this whole extraordinary story is wonderful; it’s full of detail and it is clearly underpinned by a great deal of research.

I loved that it made history a very human story.

But I was disappointed that it didn’t highlight the parallels between Charlotte and Victoria, and that the author seemed more interested in comparisons with the present day. I was disappointed with that lack of analysis generally, and that momentum of the story overtook almost everything else.

I was left to do all of my own thinking, and I loved doing that but I couldn’t help thinking that I shouldn’t have had to do quite so muc hwork.

And yet I was engaged from start to finish by a story I already knew; I had a lovely time reading, and I am eager to read more about many people and events that this books touched upon.½

I think this is the book that the Victoria series is based on? I liked it and will keep it. It's a good reference book but doesn't read like a stodgy reference book.

Listened as an audio book on Audible

This was a really in depth and fascinating history of two truly incredible queens, well written and well narrated. It was well researched and filled with quotes and references to source materials that gave it an extra dimension that I enjoyed. However...

Maybe it was just me, but it felt like there were times where she would go over the same point three or four times. Sometimes she was adding a quote from historical sources and such, which made sense, but there were times when it felt incredibly unnecessary.

All the same I enjoyed this book and I'm glad to have read it.

*Trigger warnings - accounts of sexual assault and rape.

Listened as an audio book on Audible

This was a really in depth and fascinating history of two truly incredible queens, well written and well narrated. It was well researched and filled with quotes and references to source materials that gave it an extra dimension that I enjoyed. However...

Maybe it was just me, but it felt like there were times where she would go over the same point three or four times. Sometimes she was adding a quote from historical sources and such, which made sense, but there were times when it felt incredibly unnecessary.

All the same I enjoyed this book and I'm glad to have read it.

*Trigger warnings - accounts of sexual assault and rape.

In east London in 1840, a serial killer who has been dubbed "The Man of Crows" is preying on young women. Instead of finding a man to marry, Catherine is defying her uncle and following the newspaper reports, worrying about what has happened to the women who disappeared, and trying to piece together what is going on. Can she do this safely and avoid becoming a victim herself?

I'm always a bit worried that serial killer books will turn out to be tacky and exploitative, but Kate Williams' first novel balances great storytelling, an engaging heroine, some rather more malevolent characters (male and female), rather well. I began to feel a sense of real suspense and apprehension. I also liked the use she made of her setting (the Spitalfield area) I did find the shifting narrative point of view and the number of characters a little bit confusing initially.

Williams has written several non fiction books but this is her first novel, I will certainly look out for any future ones she may write.

Reviewed for Amazon Vine February 2012

I LOVED this.
This was well researched, thorough, engaging and covered many other key characters of this period.
Mostly what I love about this is, well, a sex worker becomes Empress.
Hoes be winning!
Another fun fact, it's a nunnery in which she perfected both the skills and charms with which she will use as a Courtesan (fancy sex work is still sex work) both before and during The Revolution.
Napoleon loves her deeply but also appreciates her political contacts and social skill.
She most definitely helped him smooth his way politically which was a vital part of him gaining popularity and stealing power.
She spent soooooooo much money.
Considerably more than Marie Antoinette, ironically.
She perhaps had a shopping addiction?
She was incredibly close to her kids which wasn't as common in that era amongst that social class, where physical and emotional care was provided by staff.
She was extremely reluctant to wed Napoleon and only agreed because her preferred lover wouldn't divorce his wife.
Napoleon was hours late to their wedding and it wasn't at all legal,not even civilly.
Josephine cheats immediately.
Lol!
I just appreciate her.
I don't like how she treated her daughter nor her complete disregard of chattel slavery.
She was Empress though largely powerless she also didn't care.
What a character though.
Her and Napoleon's theatrics sound award worthy, lol!

Very well researched and detailed book!

Vlot en overzichtelijk geschreven½

Awesome. reads like a page turner novel. Napoleon was a vulgar megalomaniac. Josephine was a likeable whore. She could spend money like there was no tomorrow. I strongly urge you to read this popular biography. I will reread it. It was so informative.

Well-written and funny in parts, but this book is just so DENSE. I didn't make it very far. Williams is brilliant and thorough and for long-time fans of Queen Victoria, I imagine reading this would be a delight. Unfortunately, I was instantly bogged down by the minutiae and found it difficult to stay focused on the slim thread of story throughout. I will be moving on to a more accessible non-fiction in order to actually learn something about Victoria, a historical figure who intrigues me greatly.

I'm so glad I went out of my way to read this one (& by out of my way, I mean bought my copy on AmazonUK). I very much enjoyed the story of the de Witts and how they fared during WWI. Celia is the character followed most closely and as she is the youngest in the family, I had moments where watching the family from her perspective reminded me of Atonement (especially in her relationship with Emmeline).

I felt great sorrow and true frustration watching Rudolf and Verena as the reality of their situation kept issuing blows but they were still in denial. To be fair, there wasn't anything that they could have done to mitigate their circumstances and there are far worse things than relying on the world being a rational place & your beloved country treating you fairly as a citizen. These things sadly, have failed people, over & over throughout history. Still, it was painful to read. For Rudolf to find that his chosen country considered him a traitor & inter him for the duration must have been heartbreaking. For Verena to have had to register as an alien because of who she married & have what everyone said was sacrosanct, her birth & English lineage, discounted turns the whole sense & justice of the "system" on its head. I of course felt for Michael, Emmeline & Celia in finding out that they weren't English enough & that what mattered was their paternity which happened to be German. But through it all, I liked how each found ways to participate in making the world a better place. I found Emmeline's choices to be most interesting even though her way infuriated me at times. Michael's time in combat was bittersweet and ended on such a tragic note. Celia's various jobs during the war were interesting even if I didn't quite believe she'd have done all that & even had an offer to be a spy. She was consistently naive and no matter her language skills, that would surely not serve her well in an undercover situation. I don't know what to make of Arthur who was mentioned throughout & only showed up at the very end of everything, the war & the book. And then there's Tom. The servant, friend & possible very close relative to the De Witts in general & problematically to Celia in particular. I can only assume that the next book will delve & clear up that little mystery because Tom & Celia don't have the story right & Mrs. Cotton, for some reason hasn't told her son the truth (that I'm assuming was related in the story by Verena's memories). I also hope the next book explores the fate of Hilde & Johann. Having heard about them, I really want to know how they've fared through the war & what it will all mean now for them as they are in Germany.

I'm definitely going to read the second book in the series. Highly recommended for historical fiction fans & those interested in fiction of the time in particular.

An odd but strangely fascinating story about a young woman's desire to be free of her past and her fears about herself. Excellent read!

I'm familiar with the "love story" of Victoria and Albert because of the A&E movie. However, I really wanted to read more into it, which is why I bought this book. I was unaware of Princess Charlotte who was much closer in line to the throne. Charlotte's story is sad, indeed. These British monarchs sure do love drama: sexual conquests/infidelity, reckless spending, and constant debts. Everyone wants to assume control and no one is really concerned about doing the right thing for the family or the nation at large.

From a historical perspective, it's okay. You're telling the story of how it was and I appreciate that. BUT the writing style did nothing to make me feel "connected" to the story or its characters. I want to feel awful for Victoria and Charlotte and everything that they endured in their lifetimes. I want to feel strong disgust for Sir John Conroy and his greedy meddlesome ways. But when I see writing like this, I just want to put the book down and never re-read it again.

As this it is one hundred years since the first world war there are many books on the shelves covering this terrible time in our history.

This book is the story of one family., the de Witts who have the complication of the father being German at a time when Germany is the enemy.

Told mainly through the eyes of the youngest child Celia we go from a peaceful country estate to the horrors of war. The oldest daughter is excited about her forthcoming marriage and one brother is in Paris with the other at university but through the book we learn of them all as well as the fate of their German father.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which doesn't try to sanitize war and shows how men were affected but also the women who served and home and abroad.

I did feel that the character of Celia seems rather younger at the start of the book than she is but war soon makes her grow up like the young people around her.

The scenes in the trenches were harrowing to read but essential to the story.

I look forward to reading what happens next to the family

I received this book from Goodreads for free in exchange for an honest review.

The last chapter felt rushed - but other than that it was a fascinating read.

A nicely done book on the formative years of Queen Elizabeth. The twists and turns of the Royal Family saga is a tale that leads to the young Elizabeth being positioned for where she is today. I find the whole concept of royalty rather absurd especially the fanaticism with which is held in the U.K. But that is their thing and so be it. This queen showed the early traits of resolve and sense of duty that has definitely served her well as she will become the longest reigning sovereign. Many good insights on what she faced and how she handled it. Also good coverage of the abdication of Edward, Prince Phillip, and Princess Margaret. Mainly the facts without a lot of the dirt.

This was a difficult book to get into, partly because of its length (57 chapters) and partly because the author spends much of the book detailing Emma's background. It's not until Chapter 28 that we meet Nelson for the first time).

Added to this, a number of generalisations make for uncomfortable reading. On Pg. 7, for example, we read:

"Nowadays, suicides peak in the months of May and early June, and it is unlikely the eighteenth century was different. . ."

and then, a bit later:

"At the time, eighty per cent of those accused of witchcraft were older women or widows."

A diagram, or even a family tree, would have helped with the sudden shift from Emma's parents to her grandparents in Chapter 2, and I am still not certain how to read the expression "only for him to pimp her out" in Chapter 20.

The author includes a good deal of domestic detail about 18th century life which is new - for example The Temple of Health, Hairdressing and the duties of a Courtesan - but overall the book is still hard going.

I was always glad when I could put it down and move onto something else.

This was one of the strangest books I have ever read. I liked the premise and plot of the story, but it was so hard to follow. There were so many times I couldn't distinguish if the story was being told from the actual killer's point of view, or the main character's thoughts on the killer's point of view. Because of this, it made it very difficult for me to follow when the POV switched back to the main character herself. If this, plus thoughts and memories of Catherine's, had been presented in a slightly clearer manner, I would have enjoyed reading this story so much more.

The story of the life of Queen Elizabeth II up to the time of her coronation shows that she has not changed much in her life. She was a dutiful child, a dutiful young woman and became a dutiful queen., This is not new information. What was new - at least in the way the author presented it - was how lackadaisical her parents were about her education, not really giving her any firm foundation in history or statecraft until the dowager Queen Mary took it into her own hands. Similarly, when the crisis of the relationship of Princes Margaret and Peter Townsend occurred right under the royal noses, everyone seemed to be too preoccupied with their own concerns to take notice of what was happening.. The whole family seemed to live in their own world, totally ignorant of what was going on outside the palace walls. Maybe the jolts of the 1990's were a good thing after all.