HER LITTLE MAJESTY: The Life of Queen Victoria [Hardcover]

Carolly Erickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 1997

A multilayered portrait of Queen Victoria describes the life and reign of a monarch who ruled for sixty-four years, offering a very human portrait of a woman who lost her beloved husband and went on to carry out her duties as mother, grandmother, and queen of England. 25,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A brief biography written in gushy style, with cliches to match, Her Little Majesty-the title is apparently ironic in several senses-is a portrayal of the queen who, at the close of her reign, was "almost as broad as she was long." Erickson (Bloody Mary) has apparently put her book together from other books, with no new documentation and with errors emerging as early as the second page. One discovers there that Victoria was the only living legitimate heir to the throne in her generation, although she had two male cousins of her age, each a Prince George. Erickson also has a tendency to put thoughts-often total irrelevancies-into the heads of her characters: "But of course she could not go to [live in] Australia, for Albert would not have gone with her, and she needed Albert desperately." Fictional devices proliferate: "The baby slept on, and her mother, feeling safer than she had in months...." The biography is most striking in undoing the fawning portraiture of artistic flatterers ("Beneath her layers of fat, her lined face and heavy round cheeks") and in exploiting at length costume and fashion over the Victorian decades to exemplify social change. That strategy may also serve to keep some readers turning pages to learn about "lemon bosoms" and "bustle pads." Entire years escape the narrative, but Erickson has a knack for plucking pithy quotes, and the essentials of the queen's life are often deftly set out. Illustrations not seen by PW. BOMC, QPB and History Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA. In this entertaining biography of a central figure of the 19th century, YAs will discover many quirks and contradictions about the monarch's life. Her childhood was a sad, lonely affair, stifled by her overbearing mother. An affectionate, strong-willed girl, Victoria had to develop inner resources to survive. Inheriting the throne at age 18, she represented a new age to subjects thoroughly tired of her dissolute uncles and Regency excesses. She married her cousin, Albert, and they poured their considerable energies into raising a large family and running England. Following his death, and through the cataclysmic changes of the century, Victoria ruled steadily, personal strength carrying her through crisis after crisis. Her stodgy reputation is explained more as a phenomenon of the age than a true reflection of her complex personality. Given to romance and melodrama, she was also stubborn and hot tempered. Her life story will appeal to YAs, especially Victoria's difficult teen years, early years on the throne, and passion for Albert. Her strong and weak personality traits are sympathetically discussed and the opinions of her contemporaries give balanced views of the queen. The chronicles of the 19th century are nicely presented in a readable format, relating the great events of the age as they affected Victoria.?Catherine Noonan, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (February 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684807653
• ISBN-13: 978-0684807652
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British > Queen Victoria

More About the Author

Carolly Erickson is the bestselling author of many distinguished works of nonfiction and a series of historical entertainments, blending fact and invention. She lives in Hawaii.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Readable, April 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: HER LITTLE MAJESTY: The Life of Queen Victoria (Hardcover)

This book was very readable, enjoyable, and historically fascinating. It was not as indepth as one would expect of a monarch with such longevity or for a woman with such fascinating children. But for your history buff that doesn't have time to be a scholar this was the must read book about Victoria. It provided a glimpse of her personal and public life and showed the world what "Victorian" really meant.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for a quick over view..., May 20, 2000

By 

Anthony Ilott (Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HER LITTLE MAJESTY: The Life of Queen Victoria (Hardcover)

This is a small book for such a large subject. It keeps to the facts and indeed it does not overwhelm you with those. I found some of the expressions used in the book to be a little odd, almost as if the writer was trying to write in style that she thinks is "real" English.

I enjoyed the book and it has made me want to learn more about this quite remarkable woman. In short ;read it and enjoy , but don't expect to be turned into an expert by the end of the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book showing Queen Victoria, flaws and all!, February 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: HER LITTLE MAJESTY: The Life of Queen Victoria (Hardcover)

it was a book that I couldn't put down until I had finished it! It showed Victoria in a human light, and didn't shy away from her faults.