IPhone 3G used's review (Correct book title: How Cecil Beaton viewed the Queen Mother) 『After reading Vicker's excellent bio of Princess Alice [Prince Philip's mother] I looked forward to reading his take on the Queen Mother. Sadly this is a pretty awful book. He quotes ad nausea from the diaries of Cecil Beaton--so often in fact that at one point I threw the book across the room in exasperation!!! It seems he tried to make he Beaton research work for two books!! He also, ridiculously, worked in references to Vivien Leigh--another former subject of his!! But, where else these days can you find a book that uses the phrase "post-pradinal" twice in one volume!
In spite of this it does provide a little valuable information on the Queen Mother's support of the arts and does help to clear up the mystery of Marion Crawford's awful book "The Little Princesses." We know know why that book was so uttery inane--it was written not by Miss Crawford, but by a scheme pair of editors at an American women's magazine. The process by which they duped Miss Crawford, aka "Crawfie" out of both her memoirs and her privileged position at Court makes fascinating reading. Poor old Crawfie! For years witless biographers of Queen Elizabeth and her late sister Princess Margaret relied on this sugary send up to explain their childhood. Since it was largely re-written by the editors I would hope no one would ever again "rely" on it. Surely as fictionalized as various parts of the memoirs of the Duchess of Windsor [and the end of a "King's Story"--the memoirs of Edward VIII.]』
(Good Biography, but ......) 『This biography of the much loved late Queen Mother started off impressively, but as other reviewers have commented after the funeral of George VI the quality suffers somewhat from too many facts being delivered in a disorganised manner. Also, the author's blatant anti Labour and Tony Blair bias detracts from the narrative.
Finally, as an Aussie I wasn't impressed by the misspelling of QANTAS airways on a couple of occasions (memo to Author - there is no U in Qantas)』
(Vapid. Doesn't add to your knowledge of her.) 『My view is the opposite of another reviewer's: I thought the first half (up until George VI dies) even worse than the second half. Both halves are poorly organized (sentences that don't belong in the same paragraph; paragraphs that don't relate to one another; passages that should be in another chapter) and sometimes have errors and repetitions, and you don't learn much about her interactions with other family members. There's some about her relationship with her daughter Margaret and grandson Charles, less on that with the Queen, and very little on her dealings with the others - not even the supposed reprimand to Andrew, Sarah, Edward, and Anne for It's a Royal Knockout.
The first half has far too many pages full of: On Day 1 she went to A, where B, C, D, and E were also guests (biographical footnotes on all four), and she wore X. Then on Day 2, she was at G for lunch and H. D, I, J, H, and M (biographical footnotes on the new ones) were there. She wore N. Then she went to P....
In the whole book, there were a few interesting bits, but nothing significant I haven't read in other books on the family.
Nice family trees and pictures, but they aren't enough unless you get the book for a great discount.』
(Great book about a greatly loved Queen) 『Hugo Vickers book about the Her Late Majesty, The Queen Mother was well done. It gave you some insights about Queen Mother's life and some information that was not as well known. I would reccomend the book for anyone who is a fan of British Royalty or anyone who is a student of History.』
(Half Excellent, the other half...could have been better.) 『I really enjoyed the first half of the book, however, once the author got to the end of King George VI's furneral...well, he could have done a better job.』 『An authoritative and affectionate biography of the Late Queen Mother.
Harold Nicolson called her“the greatest Queen since Cleopatra,” while Cecil Beaton called her “a marshmallow made on a welding machine.” Stephen Tennant said: “She looked everything that she was not: gentle, gullible, tenderness mingled with dispassionate serenity, cool, well-bred, remote. Behind this veil she schemed and vacillated, hard as nails.” Who was she?
The Queen Mother’s story has not yet been properly told. This was partly due to her long life, and the difficulty that always exists when a biography of a living person is attempted, partly because she was a queen — and the real person gets hidden behind the perceived image — and partly because she is hard topin down. From her privileged aristocratic childhood, to the abdication and the problems with Diana, this book questions how she faced her challenges and crises, assesses her role, how powerful she was, and how she coped. This is a candid, personal portrait of one of Britain’s most loved nationaltreasures』
Kakaku：195 saved$1.95
Mariner Books
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Well written, informative.) 『This is a well written, informative piece of historical fiction. It is interesting, but not a page turner. Unlike many historical novels, it is more informative about economic and social life and attitudes, than about political history. This is great, but a prologue detailing some of the political background would have really helped. (...) The two protagonists, Elizabeth and the fictional character, Pelagius, are both complex, interesting characters, and while not religious myself, it was refreshing meeting a character like Pelagius, who takes his religion very seriously. The secondary characters, with the exception of Pelagius' patron and one time owner, are simply means to move the plot along, or express social attitudes.』
(Interesting story, writing too complex) 『I love historical fiction and found the premise behind this book compelling enough to want to read it. The plot was easy enough to follow: an exiled queen befriends a recently freed slave (once a prince in his own country) and the two secretly marry and have a child together. This part of the story was interesting and compelling enough to make me want to read on, but the long religious dissertations and never-ending references to upcoming war and the complexities of European politics at the time often left me confused and bored. A geneology chart and a short explanation of the time's politics at the beginning of the book would have been extremely helpful. In addition, the author seems to have a strong preference to elaborate details and conversations with huge, fancy words. I can't imagine that these people would actually use them in daily conversations and it only added to the tediousness of trying to get through the story. Simpler wording and language would have made for an easier and more pleasant read and would not have taken anything away from the storyline. This book was immediately sold to a used bookstore when I finished it. I would have loved to continue on reading the rest of the trilogy, but don't have the time to be so taxed in my reading efforts.』
(Compromising Positions make strange bedfellows�) 『The quality of Stevenson's scholarship is immediately evident, the substantial historical research key to the author's success. A love story set in 17th C. Holland, the widowed Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, begins a friendship with African prince and former slave, Pelagius van Overmeer, now a Calvinist theologian. As the sister of Charles I and daughter of James I, Elizabeth's primary obligation is the protection of her children's positions, maintaining good relations with the Crown, in the person of Charles I, currently engaged in the Thirty Years War that is tearing the country apart.
For his part, Pelagius is a unique man in this country riddled by war, but also undergoing a cultural renaissance, a resurgence of art and culture. Brought to Europe as a slave, Pelagius achieves his freedom, then dedicates himself to the scholarship of the exotic plants of East Asia and their potential use in the healing arts. An erudite man, Pelagius becomes a seer as well, able to sustain his meager subsistence in this manner.
Receiving some notoriety in his capacity as seer, in which he uses ancient African methods to give godly advice to his patrons, Pelagius first awakens the Queen's interest. Engaging in casual conversation, they discover an affinity for one another, having complementary sympathetic natures. While both approach middle age, they are blindsided by their passion and marry in a clandestine ceremony. Once night falls, they are able to give reign to their mutual affection, free of artifice or pretension. As a precaution, Pelagius poses as Elizabeth's Latin tutor and physician, their secret known only by her ladies-in-waiting. Elizabeth's warmth and good humor act as a catalyst to Pelagius' reserved demeanor, deluging him with unexpected joy. Love truly is blind for this extraordinary couple.
When Elizabeth becomes pregnant, she is able to conceal her condition, feigning illness during the dank winter months, a time when she regularly suffers from poor health. After their son, Balthasar, is born, Pelagius transports his child in the deep of night to a couple that has agreed to care for the infant. Although the baby must be safely hidden from gossip or unwarranted curiosity, Pelagius is uncomfortable after leaving the child with strangers.
It is with considerable distress that Elizabeth and Pelagius consider the future parameters of their relationship, having already tempted fate with the birth of their son. Whether or not they can live as man and wife is the most difficult landmark in this fascinating romance, but the couple cannot ignore the danger to their son should his birth be discovered. Pelagius struggles with a deep affection for his wife and small son, offering solutions, but Elizabeth cannot forget her other children's futures. Both vow to make peace with their painful circumstances, yet each choice is fraught with pain, Elizabeth's options restricted by a royal bloodline, hostage to her royal fate.
In prose that transcends the boundaries of race and position, Stevenson lifts her two central characters to a higher plane of existence, joined in marriage with the added bounty of mutual respect. This novel is the first of an intended trilogy. As such, The Winter Queen sets the tone for all, with a tale of clandestine romance between The Queen of Bohemia and her African prince. Their son, Balthasar, is the fruit of the union, their gift to the future and the subject of the second book of the trilogy, The Shadow Prince. Luan Gaines/2003.』
(This Winter Queen isn't Frigid ...) 『Stevenson has crafted an interesting novel for those who are interested in history - with unexpected twists. This is fiction laid on top of historical figures and in the case of Elizabeth, The Winter Queen, her lineage and descendants are important. (Elizabeth was the daughter of James I (1566-1625) of England and sister of Charles I, King of England, during the period of the story.) Yet it is difficult to untangle the characters; a Stuart/Hanover family tree would help a great deal. A listing of the characters would also be very useful. The story takes place when Charles I is king of England; Louis XIII is king of France and Philip IV is king of Spain - and the Netherlands is enormously wealthy by virtue of trade. Set in the Netherlands, the novel hinges on Elizabeth's intimate relationship with an African prince, abducted by Portuguese traders and sold into bondage who "ends up" at the Dutch Court. The well-educated Protestant - and African - prince, Pelegius van Overmeer, becomes a confidante of Elizabeth and from their shared loneliness, love blossoms. There's a fair amount of reference to Pelegius's tribal traditions but it is not clear where the Oyo were located - Nigeria? Pelegius is an interesting character and since this is the first book of a trilogy, Stevenson will undoubtedly clarify the complex history of this period and the role these characters play in history in the next two books. At least, the book had me scurrying to the Internet to try to locate more information!! It's very difficult to locate info on the Yoruba tribe ...』 『An immensely moving account of a strange and magical interracial love affair,The Winter Queen illuminates the Netherlands of the seventeenth century. Amid the dark ambiance of the time, the exiled Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia and Pelagius, a West African prince and former slave, fall in love and secretly marry. With great erudition and compassion, Jane Stevenson vividly renders both a portrait of an extraordinary relationship and a tumultuous political history. Set against a historical backdrop enriched with the art, philosophy, and religion of the Dutch Golden Age, "scene succeeds scene in Vermeer-like richness of color" (Memphis Commercial Appeal).』
Kakaku：995 saved$9.95
Wildside Press
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Getting Prepared) 『I read this short story as preparation for the reading of Alice Randall's latest novel "Pushkin and the Queen of Spades". The main character of Pushkin's short story is Hermann, a man who at the onset of the story appears to be a level headed and prudent engineer. He is able to observe his friends gambling for hours without participating. "I am very much interested in cards," Hermann says, "but I am not in a position to sacrifice the essential in the hope of acquiring the superfluous". After hearing a story of the Countess X and her secret to winning in cards, Hermann undertakes a ploy to romance the Countess's maiden in hopes of gaining access to the Countess and her secret. While I didn't find this story particularly moving or creative in a modern literary sense, I am excited to see how Randall will integrate Pushkin's original story with her latest novel.』 『Alexander Sergeievitch Pushkin (1799-1837) is considered Russia's greatest poet and, by many, the greatest Russian writer. The father of Russian literature, he first achieved fame for his long narrative poems similar to Lord Byron's. In the late 1820s, Pushkin turned to prose and produced a series of outstanding works, influencing all Russian writers who followed.』
Kakaku：650 saved$6.50
Laurel Leaf
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Courtesy of Teens Read Too) 『QUEEN B is the companion novel to Ms. Roberts's The Queen of Second Place. I haven't read the first book, which made me a little nervous when I started to read QUEEN B. Well, I had no need to be nervous because this stands up very well on its own.
The heroine, Cassie Howard, is a flawed but normal teenager who believes that her talent is coming in second place. She spends the whole novel making very big mistakes because she does things without thinking. She has a remarkably patient "hot" boyfriend who she just wants to hear say that he loves her. Her best friend is Hayley, who is also very patient with Cassie, but never lets Cassie get off the hook for stupid things that she has done.
My favorite characters are the gang of popular girls, Sterling Carter, Tiffi,and Ros. Ros is Sterling's best friend, but since she is dating a boy in Cassie's crowd she travels between the two groups, which lets the reader--and Cassie--get insight into the character of Sterling.
Cassie also has problems at home when her dad decides to quit his job because there are no vacations and he becomes a house-husband. Her mother hits the roof and there is tension in the home. Cassie inadvertently lets her grandmother, who doesn't get along with her mother, know what is happening and Grandma comes out to "save" the family. I really believe that grandma is the most intelligent character in the story and I enjoyed her manipulation of her daughter and son-in-law. Her little brother, Trevor, an eighth grader, is having love problems and doesn't want people to know that he can also cook and sew.
I really liked going into Cassie's world. She was making all kinds of mistakes but also learning from them. Most of the characters in QUEEN B aren't flat but have many layers. I especially love the haiku written by Cassie that ends many of the chapters. I also loved the chapter names such as Cupidity, Kiss Off, and Weirdly Normal. Most of them were plays on ideas and words, which I especially enjoy! There also were brilliant lessons to be learned by Cassie and which I believe that we all need to remember.
So buzz by your library, book store, or wherever you get your books and pick up a copy of QUEEN B.
Reviewed by: Marta Morrison』 『To B or to Bee? Cassie has been second best all her life, but as Snow Queen runner-up—with a cute new boyfriend, to boot—she’s determined to reach new social heights this semester. The time has come to move from Queen B to Queen Bee.
But how is she supposed to fly when life keeps pinching her wings? Her lovesick brother is determined to mortify her in public. She’s in charge of her school’s talentless talent show, where at any moment someone could pull back the curtain and expose her (many) insecurities. The people she cares most about are mad at her. (Again.) And her nemesis, Sterling, has an evil new clone, one who’s making a hobby of humiliating Cassie—and making a beeline for Kevin.
Does being popular mean you have to sting like a bee? Or can a girl become queen without losing her honey? Let the buzz begin!
Kakaku：1999 saved$19.99
Arcade Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Tabloid Trash) 『 Seward should be ashamed of herself for this enormously biased gossip rag. It's quite easy to trash the Princess now... after all, the dead have a much more difficult time defending themselves.』
(Palace Propoganda) 『This book is definitely biased in favor of the House of Windsor. It appears that the author thought it prudent to align herself with the powers that be rather than report an accurate historical account. There are too many contradictary sources to believe that this is an accurate portrayal of the relationship between the Queen and Princess Diana.』
(Sad...) 『I find Ms. Seward's writing to be painful to read. For an editor of Majesty magazine, I expected her to have class in her manner of writing and respect in her depiction of the British royal family. She would have been well suited as a writer for the tabloids instead. Her manner of retelling is very gossipy, and biased. She can't seem to help but include her spiteful opinions of the late princess. I find her to be a very disrespectful person to be writing such a book. If you are looking for historical background or a respectful account of the Queen and the late princess, this is not the book to read.』
(The Knowledge of a Misunderstood Relationship) 『If you are like half of the population and interested in all the gossip about the House of Windsor and the late Princess of Wales, then this book should be one that you should read. This book is about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. This book, to my belief, is a piece of evidence on why we as the public should respect Her Majesty, and why we should understand what their relationship is truly about. The book describes Diana's first State duty with the entire Royal Family in November 1984 at the State Opening of Parliament. Diana was having her hair being done for the event and insisted that she wore her hair up knowing that it was not long enough and looked different. The next day Diana's hair was on the headlines not the Queen, on which should have been a day of her publicity. This was the beginning of the popularity contest between these two women. The author Ingrid Seward, is editor of Majesty magazine. She has written many books about the Royal Family that has kept her in the bestsellers list for twelve years. This book all and all will give you a better knowledge about both women and will teach you the inside story of what happened behind the palace walls of two remarkable women and there relationship that is so widely known and questioned by the public.』
(God Save the Queen!) 『Thank you, Ms. Seward for writing a fair and reasonable book. It's gratifying to read a work that illuminates how hard our queen tried to accomodate the late Princess of Wales and what a truly lovely person she is. Elizabeth II is a great queen -- history will bear this out -- and I think we often take her far too much for granted. God bless and keep her!
As a British subject currently residing the states, I remain astonished at the rabid interest our royal family holds for Americans.』
『As the editor of Majesty magazine, author Ingrid Seward developed professional and personal relationships with the royal family. In The Queen&Di, we discover a surprising portrait of the British monarch and the princess, contradicting what the press has previously reported: a fragile Diana battling an unfeeling mother-in-law. And we glimpse much more of the inner workings of the extended royal family.
Entertaining and factual, THE QUEEN&DI stands apart and above the countless, often inaccurate, accounts published to date about Diana. Ingrid Seward reveals for the first time the true relationship between two important women of the 20th century.』
『Ingrid Seward, a prolific writer on the English royal family, was the last journalist to interview Princess Diana before her death in August 1997. In this intriguing book, Seward gives a worm's-eye view of Diana's trouble-plagued life, layered with episodes of betrayal and illness, and she accords full sympathy to the minor noblewoman who became "the people's princess." She is still more sympathetic to Diana's sometime nemesis Queen Elizabeth II, who, in Seward's account, labored endlessly to preserve the dignity of the monarchy in the face of a family that behaved in anything but a dignified manner.
Rising above the caricatures that color the popular press, Seward depicts a queen who tried her best to accommodate Diana--who was, it seems, never shy in voicing her displeasures and had an undeniable flair for recruiting the media in her cause, all the while protesting the press's intrusion into a fairy-tale life that "turned into a Gothic nightmare." Diana's insistence on airing her dirty laundry in public was bound to irritate the ever-sensitive queen, but more, Seward writes, "in her demands for love and sympathy, she gave self-fulfillment precedence over duty"--and for Elizabeth, dereliction of duty was the greatest possible sin one could commit. Their relationship could end only in tears; and so it did, taking much of the English public's good will toward the royal family with it.
Sometimes racy and breathless, but intelligent all the same, Seward's account enlarges our understanding of the internal dynamics of the modern court while delivering no end of scandalous news, just as a palace chronicle should.--Gregory McNamee』
IPhone 3G used's review (Classic narrative destroyed by atrocious editing) 『This book was sloppily produced. Typographical errors permeate. There are distracting mistakes in some of the captions, too, such as that for a picture of a gray bearded, corpulent Prince of Wales supposedly taken in 1863 when he would have been a man in his early twenties (p. 205). The author -- and his subject -- deserve much better. The publisher deserves a spanking.』
(Wonderfully illustrated, entertaining.) 『This book is a "must have" for anyone interested in royalty or history in general. It's a lovely book in a scaled down coffee table format.』 『Lavish illustrations show Queen Victoria, her kin, and life in England and abroad during her reign. Illustrated spreads beautifully depict the great men and women of the time, Victoria's love for Albert, the Great Exhibition of 1851, Balmoral Castle, and scenes of the British Empire at its finest. This classic is republished for the first time in an illustrated gift format. 250 color and b&w illustrations and photos .』
IPhone 3G used's review (Historical Fiction Lovers will Love it!) 『This novel (so aptly named) illustrates the life of Lettice, a cousin to Queen Elizabeth I, from the Queen's mother Anne Boleyn's side. At first the Queen dotes on Lettice, due largely in part because Elizabeth loves showering attention on relatives of her mother. However, Lettice soon finds herself in exhile from court after she secretly marries Elizabeth's favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Rochester.
This book navigates through the intricate and dramatic relationship between the Queen and Lettice. While Lettice possessed the strong, independent nature of the Boleyns, the Queen possessed the one thing that Robert Dudley coveted the most...the crown. A lifetime of a battle of wills took place, and it is not entirely clear who won. While the writing style and lexicon are at the same time advanced and old-fashioned, I feel it was meant to be that way in order to help accurately illustrate the time period in which the story takes place.
Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this novel, especially those who enjoy reading about the Tudor Dynasty of England. This book presents a unique view on the personality of Queen Elizabeth I, and her relationship with Robert Dudley.
The author makes it easy to sympathize with Lettice, and not so easy to sympathize with Elizabeth, although you are still left wanting to. It is a delicate balance, and one that is explored with equal care.
This book is not for everyone, and those who are just starting out in the Historical Fiction genre, should possibly begin with something less involved. This novel is a diamond in the rough for Tudor fans.
Bottom line, I enjoyed this simple treasure, and hope many will be able to do the same. 』
(Interesting at first...but really drags on.) 『I enjoy Victoria Holt's mysteries--they remind me of Mary Stewart and Mary Roberts Rinehart in that they're charming and romantic. However, this historical novel is neither. The protagonist, Elizabeth I's cousin and adversary, is annoying. She also repeats herself--over and over and over and over again. The book could be half as long if the repetitive bits were edited! I actually couldn't finish the book, which is rare for me, because I got so fed up with the totally unlikable characters.
Try Holt's mysteries--they're fun. But this novel is just a bunch of drivel.』 『This is a novel about the only woman who ever challenged Elizabeth I, the only woman who became the great Queen's rival in love. This fascinating novel tells the story of their great rivalry-in love and in power.』
大満足！北国のホタテ・いくら・ボタンエビがぎっしり！
