Customer Reviews

Sex with the Queen LP

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I LOVED, "Sex With Kings" and was SO happy when I heard there was to be a companion book about the Queens. So I waited what seemed like forever for it to come out and when it did, I couldn't put it down! I felt like I was reading, "People," but the historical version. That was great! (I get "People" by the way.) I laughed more than a few times at the insanity of some of the actions of the Queens. Better than a soap opera. But best of all-it REALLY happened! HA!

Two of the best books I've read in a very long time. I'll read whatever Ms. Herman decides to publish in the future. How about a book about all the crazy things the famous poets of the world did? THAT would be great! I have a degree in English Literature and some of the things I've heard would make a GREAT book!

VERY interesting book! I would certainly reccomend it to anyone who's in to history - or even if you're not! It's extremely well-written and gives the reader a very personal look into the lives of royalty.

This book is very well written, I absolutely could not put it down. the title pretty much explains the book but, the information Eleanor provides us with is amazing. It almost seems fictional, but you know it's fact, which makes it even better. I recommend Sex with the Queen to nonfictional and fictional readers everywhere.

I loved this book. I love medieval history (and other eras) and this book taught me a lot about what women went through in history. This book was amazing because it taught me a lot about history but was very entertaining as well. I could not put it down! Unlike a fiction novel, this stuff really happened! Eleanor Herman really knows her stuff and writes in a conversation way that feels like you're talking with a girlfriend, not reading a history lesson!

Fun follow-up to "Sex with the Kings." Some overlapping, as the stories obviously involve the male and female counterparts of the royal lovers and the accompanying scandals. I enjoyed it and found it fascinating that some of the ladies ended up in royal positions, while others ended up in the convents, or got mysteriously sick, or were poverty-stricken and disgraced, or marched to the tune of the executioner. There was a clear explanation, I suppose, of what happened with Diana and her many lovers, and the devilish Rasputin and Empress Alexandra, and Queen Victoria and her Scot, John Brown, and other amorous royals; but there was always the threat of a STD and the many pregnancies, which of course, killed many women in those days. This is definitely a good primer in you ever try and sort out all the royal family members, that went back and forth across the English Channel in marriage, love and lust. Just a enjoyable, informative, interesting piece of work, with hours and hours of research. Recommended reading...

Enjoyed this a lot.....Sex with Kings was good....this was even better....wow, really popped the top off of Princess Diana, but I still like her. Well written, really enjoyed the authors style of writing....seriously, if you like the inside scoop (even if it was 400 years ago)....BUY THIS!!!!!

It took me two nights to read this book .... It was great .... Great follow up to Sex With Kings.... Very easy to read, couldnt put it down :)

I love reading history when it's well-written. Even better when I'm learning something about events/ people I THOUGHT I knew something about - and when it's clever, well-written, and sometimes downright scandalous.

I appreciated the mix of queens both famous (Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Princess Di) and those not so famous (queens of Romania and others). It also gave some fascinating insights into some of the KINGS ........ from their wives' points of view. As someone who enjoys history, but not an ardent STUDENT of history, I've always found it tedious and frustrating to read who's related to whom, who is who's cousin, etc. - something that is unavoidable in royal history, but somewhat annoying w my lack of history degree (and, sometimes, short attention span). The author did enough of this to make it relevant and interesting, but not so much to overwhelm the reader.

I had only one problem with this book. I took it on a trip, thinking I'd read it by the time I got home. I finished it before the plane landed outbound - now, with all the books I have at home, I have to buy a book for the plane ride home!

I could not get enough!!! Of the book that is. :)

The title is naughty but the book is well written, well researched, and filled with a lot of things I had never read before about the royals. This is one of those books I didn't want to put down and wanted to keep reading.

I highly recommend it!

Dozens of royal mistresses had their stories told in detail, thanks to Eleanor Herman's "Sex With Kings" -- the good, the bad, and the romantic.

And Herman does not disappoint in her follow-up, about the other side of royal marriage -- "Sex with the Queen: 900 years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers and Passionate Politics." Without gender bias or a shred of maliciousness, Herman explores centuries of queens who did the same as their kings, sometimes with tragic results. It's a juicy, scholarly book -- and that is not a contradiction.

Most European queens were raised to be chaste, demure and obedient, in the image of the Virgin Mary. They generally married young, knew nothing of sex or pregnancy, and were expected to spawn lots of kids. But some of these queens weren't content to just sit and embroider -- they ran straight into the arms of hot courtiers.

Some of these queens had mad or impotent husbands, and some were married to gay nobles -- one nobleman was overjoyed when his wife had an illegitimate child, which saved him from having to sleep with her. One or two (like Elizabeth I) never wed at all, leaving rumors of lovers and illegitimate children. They slept with warriors, peasants, priests, and other nobles, sometimes with tragic results -- and sometimes not.

There's Elizabeth I, the unwed queen with lots of weird rumours; the hot-blooded Catherine the Great, who lusted after many men but only really loved one; Queen Matilda, whose forceful lover (not her poor mad husband) ruled her country; Queen Victoria's much-whispered-about relationship with her Scottish groom; the flirtatious wives of Henry VIII; Czarina Alexandra and her diabolic lover Rasputin, and of course the ill-fated Princess Diana.

Just as she explored the royal mistresses in "Sex with Kings," Eleanor Herman provides some insights into how the queens of Europe lived and loved, often with men whom they were not technically married to. It's a fun, juicy read (that title says a lot), but also shows us an aspect of Europe's royal families that usually isn't addressed.

Herman also studies the role of the queens in society, the public perception of them, and why it was a bigger deal if they slept around than if the king did. Sexism isn't all to blame, as Herman reminds us. Similarly, she is fair to all the queens and kings, never going out of her way to justify anyone's behavior, but not condemning anyone unfairly either. Actually, some of the royal hubbies were absolutely delighted that their wives found comfort and/or sex elsewhere.

Her writing style strikes a good balance between slightly wry conversation and scholarly insights, with lots of historical details that add a lot of dimension to these illicit romances. It's a bit like trading gossip with a good pal, who has all the dirty laundry from the royal bedroom. Very fun, and it often offers insight into the lives of the pampered, lonely royals.

"Sex with the Queen" is an equally excellent follow-up to Herman's debut, and a delicious historical study. Absolutely one of 2006's must-reads.