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.
See all Editorial Reviews
(15)
$12.89
(20)
$12.89
