Review: Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer

Title: Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer

Published:  January 1^st, 2013 by Paula Wiseman Books

Source: Library

Format: Hardcover

Grade rate: B

Queen Victoria’s personal journals inform this captivating first-person account of one of history’s most prominent female leaders.
Queen Victoria most certainly left a legacy—under her rule as the longest reigning female monarch in history, the British Empire was greatly expanded and significant industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military changes occurred within the United Kingdom. To be a young woman in a time when few other females held positions of power was to lead in a remarkable age—and because Queen Victoria kept personal journals, this historical novel from award-winning author Carolyn Meyer shares authentic emotional insight along with accurate information, weaving a true story of intrigue and romance.

My Review

A few years ago I saw the PBS movie Victoria and Albert and I have to confess to love this type of stuff.  I’m forever watching Jane Eyre, all the movies based in Austen’s books, and so on and so forth.  Of course with a house full of boys, I watch all of these by myself  :)  Anyway, when I say Victoria Rebels I was very curious about it and I ended up reading it on the same day I got it.

I will not recap here the story of Queen Victoria because you can look that up in Google.  The book stars when Victoria is about eight years old and ends after she had her third child.  The ‘feeling’ of the first part of the book is one of despair, loneliness, and a very strict upbringing.  Victoria’s life was a maze of politics, manipulation, and fight for power.  She had a very strong character and was prone to very strong emotions (sobbing, screaming, getting angry, you get the idea).  The second part of the book, after she turns 18, is one of hope, learning politics and protocol, and most of all freedom.  I just can’t imagine having that sort of life, can you?

Victoria and Albert really did care for each other, but their marriage was not a smooth ride.  As I said, the Queen had a nasty temper and she wasn’t easy to live with in the first place.  I was happy that at last she found someone who loved her unconditionally.  Overall I did like the book.  The story is told from Victoria’s point of view and parts of the entries come from her own journals and they use her own convections, such as the use of capitals and underlined words. 

About the cover:  Really pretty, I love the colors and the font as well.