Customer Reviews

Ten Queens: Portraits of Women of Power

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

 

 

My nine year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed this overview of famous women rulers from ancient times to the 18th century.

I checked "Ten Queens" out from my local library to brush up on my reading of some of my favorite historical figures of all time- Cleopatra VII and Eleanor of Acquitaine.
While the book shed great light on two of the most famous women in all of ancient/medieval history, the author also brought to light lesser known queens. All of a sudden, I have a great respect for the fearless Zenobia, the corageous Boudicca, and, of course, the Biblical Esther. He has done an oustanding job of researching all of the queens and presenting them all in a favorable light (though let's not forget Christina's hypocritical ways, Cleopatra's love affairs, and Catherine the Great's promiscuity- for history's sake).
All in all, a great book worth the money.

I found Ten Queens to be a valuable read. The inclusion of background information, placing each Queen in her historical context, is a definite plus. Too often biographers neglect to create a broader historical backdrop for their subject. The text is engaging and flows well, particularly after the first two entries. I found the text is neither too dry nor too scholarly, although at times a touch too informal. Yes, even a too casual tone can mar an otherwise good book.

The illustrations are beautifully done, unique and effective, and maps are occasionally included. In addition there are found pertinent insertions of original quotes and verse. For the most part I found I agreed with the recommended reading ages of grades 6-10. I might make it grades 7-12. Actually it makes an excellent read for any adult who enjoys history.

Overall this book is extremely good and may deserve a 4.5 star rating. The difficult issues, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition are handled very well. Each fascinating Queen's life is portrayed rather even-handedly. The Queens are neither exalted as heroines nor condemned for their humanity. Each of these women were placed in extraordinary situations and possessed unusual skills with which to manage those situations. Truth is stranger than fiction, again !

Caveat: There are a few disturbing choices of words, given the intended audience. For instance, on page 11 Cleopatra is termed a possible "sexual glutton". In my opinion something on the order of using her feminine wiles for pleasure and/or in order to manipulate men would be more appropriate. In fact the whole paragraph has a more casual tone and sounds trite in comparison to the bulk of the fine writing in this book. On page 16, "By the time he departed (Caesar), Cleopatra was pregnant." I know this is more nitpicky but I certainly think that "Cleopatra was expecting his child" would be more appropriate. In contrast, on page 20, "Antony...was often the victim of his appetites for love and luxury." In the preceding sentence Antony's behavior is treated less bluntly, and far more tastefully, than the descriptions of Cleopatra. It is the inconsistency of the writer's approach that bothered me. I found it distracting and detracting from the main effort of the book, which appeared to be to offer engaging and rather thorough overviews of the "Ten Queens".

Moving on to page 28, "And then, in a savage climax, they flogged Queen Boudicca and raped her two daughters." I found the statement to be more sensationalistic and attention grabbing than desirable to move the history forward. Why not state that "they...violated her two daughters or used them to satisfy men's lusts." ? There are also some less than optimally worded passages in the last bio., that of Catherine the Great of Russia.

---As the mother of a 13 year old girl/young woman, I only wish to bring the above caveat to the attention of those who may be in a similar parenting situation or are considering gifting this book without reading it first. I do not consider my daughter to be "sheltered" but I do wish to avoid assaulting her sensitivities before she is more firmly established in the pre-adult world and ready to more fully embrace it. It is not that I will withhold this book from her but I will be equipped to comment on its content. I thought there may be many parents who would prefer to at least be aware of the above note before making the decision to have their child read the book. I do not recommend the book for 5th-6th grade and younger and likely not for more sensitive children of the 7th-8th grades. Also I think it is best to wait to confront complex issues such as the Inquisition.

I found this book at the library by chance. I was looking for a more books about Queen Elizabeth I. This book is a great introduction to women in history. It is easy enough for my then 8 year old to read for the Texas Reader's club. I am definitely checking it out for my 7 yr to use for her TX Reader's club requirements.

I enjoy reading stories of women from pre-history to modern times so this one intrigued me, even though it was written for younger readers. This was a well laid-out book overviewing queens. Sequentially, it went from oldest to newest and spanned queens from 5th century A.D. to the 1700's. Each were from a different place and culture. This book was well researched and was easy to read. The illustrations were done well, giving it an air of mystery, romance and dignity. It's one that I'll keep on my shelves to reference when I want a quick, easy to read overview.

(...)"Ten Queens" gives the life story of ten monarchs from diverse time periods and cultures, along with the effects they had on their realms.
The problem with "Queens" is that it reads like a textbook, dryly listing fact after fact. It would be perfect for a research report or biography, as it includes firsthand accounts and scholar's analyses. However, the entertainment quotient is somewhat lacking - as I mentioned before, I could read a textbook and be equally intrigued. However, Mr. Meltzer does manage to portray the personalities of these extraordinary women, and certain passages convey how spectacular their lives must have been.
The illustrations nearly make up for how tedious the text of this tome is. The colorful, barely abstract paintings add an air of fun to the otherwise stringent chapters.

Overall, I suggest "Ten Queens" for those wishing to pen a report/biography on Queen Esther, Cleopatra, Boudicca, Zenobia, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabel of Spain, Elizabeth I, Christina of Sweden, Maria Theresa or Catherine the Great, but if you are seeking entertainment, look elsewhere.