Customer Reviews

Queen Victoria and the Discovery of the Riviera

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This delightful, well researched and eminently readable book carried me along so effortlessly that I had trouble putting it down.

The Queen first came to the Riviera in 1882, and was so pleased with it that she returned whenever she could: 'Oh, if only I were at Nice, I should recover', she said as she was dying.

This story of her sojourns there, far from being a mere travelogue, draws on her journal and on the accounts of many other people to give a fascinating picture, not only of H.M. herself in her lighter moments, but also of many other figures of the day such as the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), Lord Salisbury, Kaiser Bill and King Leopold of the Belgians; and of contemporary events such as the Fashoda incident and the outbreak of the Boer War.

Since she presided over a snobbish era, one might imagine that Victoria was herself a snob. But that is shown clearly not to be the case, and she emerges as compassionate, intelligent, conscientious and rather endearing lady -- although not of course without her quirks!

There are many contemporary photographs, illustrations and cartoons, some in colour.

Oh, and if you were wondering in exactly what circumstances H.M. said 'We are not amused', that's here too.

I now intend to read all of Michael Nelson's books. Next, obviously, is the sequel: Americans and the Making of the Riviera.