Daisy Goodwin's novelization of her "Victoria" miniseries ends with the engagement. So last Sunday's episode was the first "off book" installment. It covered the prenuptial negotiations and the wedding itself. 

Now, I don't expect adaptations like this to be perfectly historically accurate - although I do appreciate it when filmmakers get the easy things right. I've already complained about Lord Melbourne's hair - the famous historical blond here portrayed with Rufus Sewell's iconic dark curls instead. 

But Sunday's episode bent history in a way fewer people will catch - and is certainly disappointing. Like it or not, Goodwin's Victoria is a bit of a snippy brat - or bitch, if you feel she's outgrown the appellation of brat. And when she's discussing her wedding plans with the ladies-in-waiting, she is asked who will walk her down the aisle. Necessary, because the story must explain why "Uncle Leopold," kind of the Belgians, and the close male relative we've seen in all the episodes previous, can't do it. Victoria tells her ladies she supposes her "Uncle Sussex" will have to do it - even though the last time she saw him he was wearing a funny cap and rouge (what?). 

Snark, snark, snark. It fits Goodwin's characterization, but is it historical? I'm no expert in the period, but from what I understand, "Uncle Sussex," - Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex - a younger brother to Victoria's late father, was a nice man and perhaps the actual Victoria's favorite uncle. He basically stayed above the fray as the Hanover brothers raced to make legitimate marriages and produce heirs after the death of poor Princess Charlotte and her baby. Perhaps because he was one of the youngest - but still.

Was the historical Victoria so unkind to a purported favorite? I hope not. Was the remark true to the adaptation. Yes, I guess it was. Was I disappointed to hear it? I certainly was. 

-cg

Here's the thing: Daisy Goodwin's "Victoria," written in conjunction with her TV miniseries, isn't a bad book. It's frothy and fast-moving. But it's just a lightweight book. It doesn't feel particularly like a 19th-century story at all. 

Even worse: Take away the overlay of the politics of the British court, and it's basically this: Teenage girl hates her mother. Teenage girl hates her mother's controlling boyfriend. Teenage girl develops inappropriate crush on her much older co-worker and clumsily tries to seduce him. Teenage girl refuses to take her family's advice about ANYTHING - including which boys might be good for her to date . . . until the very end, oh wait, maybe I DO like that one . . .

Seriously, this Victoria isn't very smart, and she's only borderline savvy. The political material isn't covered in much depth, the whole novel lacks pathos, and the prose is functional but not elegant. I much more enjoyed this territory when it was covered in the Emily Blunt/Sarah Ferguson film "The Young Victoria." 

Will I enjoy the upcoming PBS Masterpiece broadcast? Probably - I'm a sucker for pretty costumes (and when doesn't Rufus Sewell steal the show?). But this book doesn't motivate me to read any more of Goodwin's work anytime soon. 

-cg

Of course, I didn't really know a lot about Queen Victoria, but I knew of her. This book, using her diaries, was very interesting. A Queen at the age of 18. She was brought up by her mother as her father died when she was very young. Her mother had a personal secretary whose only interest was to influence Victoria and to gain power over her. His ways and means are secretly shown throughout the book. His cover is blown when Victoria announces in front of her mother (who thinks she's there for her) what he's really after. I LOVED that part.

Victoria, while still young, was able to see people as they really were and if not, she had Lord Melbourne to help her.

This was such an interesting story and a great read. While it only encompasses her life from about 16 years of age to a little over 19, it tells a lot about the strengths and integrity of the Queen.

Apparently this book was written and there is a PBS movie, I'm not sure which came first the book or the screenplay, but I would definitely love to see the movie.

I was mesmerized by this book. I am always interested in reading about the true lives and behind the scenes of important people. This was well written and certainly held my attention.

A huge thanks to St. Martin's Press for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

July is here and I am ready to hit up a new month of reads.

Courtney Milan Challenge

1. The Countess Conspiracy (Brothers Sinister #3)

Regency Box Set

2. His Jilted Bride (Banks Brothers Brides #3) by Rose Gordon (left over from June)

3. Next book

Classics Challenge/John Steinbeck Reader

4. Tortilla Flat

Non-Fiction Challenge

4. Sisters in Law by Linda Hirschman

5. Bourbon: An American Spirit by Dane Huckelbridge

6. Tomorrow-Land by Joseph Tirella

7. Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss

8. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

TBR Pile Down

9. Killer Run (Tourist Trap Mystery #5) by Lynn Cahoon

10. Hearts of Gold by Phoebe Conn

11. The American Bride by Karla Darcy

12. Emily's Vow (A More Perfect Union #1) by Betty Bolte

13. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

14. Gold Rush Brides: Beginnings by Cassie Hayes

15. Easter 1916 by Charles Townsend (Finish)

16. At the Duke's Wedding (Anthology) (Finish)

Happy Reading.

This book was given to me as a gift a couple years ago for Christmas. I had put it on my list, needing to give my family some ideas. I think I had fallen for the "Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal..." line on the cover.

Yes, there was a Downton Abbey feel, mixed in with some Upstairs Downstairs. But no, it was not a good substitute for either one.

Overall I liked the story and the direction it took. There was never any real 'drama' that played out beyond the usual for that time period. In general, I liked most of the characters for their individual differences. I felt that much of it was true to that time - the mother who wanted to purchase a title for her daughter, the spoiled rich heiress, the Duke who married for either money or love, the conniving mistress, the disapproving mother-in-law, and the awkward sister-in-law.

While the cast of characters was what you'd expect, I was a bit pleased that Cora wasn't exceptionally weak. She was naive and spoiled, but I do think she showed tremendous grace in some truly awful situations.

One of the issues I had with this book was the relationship between Cora and Ivo, the Duke. He proposed marriage in less than a week - which I'm OK with given the time period. However, we're never given a reason why he married her. We know that Cora agreed to marriage as a way to get away from her mother. As the story progresses, we're told from Cora and others that they are in fact in love with each other. However, I never figured out why she loved him other than his kiss made her weak in the knees. We also never see why Ivo asked Cora to marry him or that he actually loved her. His one 'proof' that he gives Cora near the end of how he was publicly declaring his love for her (at least to one person specifically) is, in my opinion, complete crap. That's not a show of love - just the opposite. Yet Cora believes him without hesitation. It was all just a stretch for me.

This book is told through multiple PoV's. In general, I'm not a huge fan of more than 2 PoV's in a book, but I have read some where it's done very well. This is not one of them. It was too many, resulting in my inability to become attached to any of the characters. It could have been so much better had it been limited to the perspective of Cora and her maid Bertha. 

Finally, this book was way too long. A good 100 pages could have been cut. Way too much descriptive detail about dresses and couches and tapestries.