Status
Available
Publication
Ballantine Books (2009), Edition: 2nd prt., 480 pages
Description
Gillian Gill offers a revolutionary portrait of a queen and her prince, revealing at once both an intimate but far-from-idyllic relationship that succeeded against all odds as the strong, feisty queen and the brilliant, fragile prince worked together to build a family based on support, trust, and fidelity.
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Media reviews
In We Two, Gillian Gill describes Victoria and Albert's tempestuous yet successful marriage, and the real story behind the powerful couple whom she describes as rulers, partners and rivals.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MickyFine
To quote one of my favourite books, "in vain have I struggled." As much as I wanted to like this book, I couldn't and thus it is my first ditched book of 2011. I had qualms when looking at the author bio and discovering that her PhD was in French literature (not what I want when picking up a
I can see this book being popular with other readers as the style is pretty informal and the author makes many references to the current royals and other modern phenomena but I found it supremely off-putting.
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historical biograph) but I thought I'd try it anyway. And I just could not handle the writing style. Her tone is too much like a narrative and not enough of a history. She also isn't detached enough and her opinion about the personalities being discussed comes through crystal clear in a way I found irritating. Plus, while she has pages of notes on the text in the back of the book, there are no notations for them in the text and quotes from sources to back up her arguments are few and far between. After making it about 80 pages in, I gave up.I can see this book being popular with other readers as the style is pretty informal and the author makes many references to the current royals and other modern phenomena but I found it supremely off-putting.
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LibraryThing member lindap69
also check out bio of Florence Nightingale
LibraryThing member AmberTheHuman
Veryyyy in depth - lovely to read. A gift from my friend Caroline - thanks!
LibraryThing member dhelmen
This is an excellent and thoroughly researched book. It approaches Queen Victoria as she saw herself, one half of a duo and sheds light on the relationship between herself, Prince Albert and the government in new ways which was fascinating. I very much enjoyed reading it.
LibraryThing member AngieN
Well-researched and written, but stretched perhaps a bit too far. The author does a fantastic job of fleshing out the dynamics of the marriage between two fascinating people who were in many ways polar opposites. I loved them both but occasionally wanted to slap them at the same time (good portrait
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of a marriage, right :->)! Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
If you are looking for a credible biography of Victoria and Albert, this probably won't satisfy you. It is written in an easy-flowing, engaging style, but makes assertions that are not backed up. There are detailed notes, but no references in the text to point you to them. Perhaps the author's
I was reading this for a book club and had to finish it. Therefore, I decided to relax about the lack of academic rigour and read this as a story based (largely, I hope) on fact rather than a true biography. That helped me enjoy the book, and I learned about aspects of Victorian society I wasn't previously aware of.
It is a compelling tale of a marriage and the challenges of balancing being Queen of England with being a dutiful, obedient wife and a mother to nine children. Albert, too, struggles with his non-traditional role of being head of the household but not the head of state.
It's also a harrowing tale of child rearing in Victorian royal families -- it's amazing people like Victoria and her son Bertie were able to accomplish what they did given how they were raised.
Bottom line: recommended for people who have a general interest in Victorian times or the life of royals, but not for those with a deeper interest in history or biography.
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degree in literature led her to value a story that flowed over a properly documented text.I was reading this for a book club and had to finish it. Therefore, I decided to relax about the lack of academic rigour and read this as a story based (largely, I hope) on fact rather than a true biography. That helped me enjoy the book, and I learned about aspects of Victorian society I wasn't previously aware of.
It is a compelling tale of a marriage and the challenges of balancing being Queen of England with being a dutiful, obedient wife and a mother to nine children. Albert, too, struggles with his non-traditional role of being head of the household but not the head of state.
It's also a harrowing tale of child rearing in Victorian royal families -- it's amazing people like Victoria and her son Bertie were able to accomplish what they did given how they were raised.
Bottom line: recommended for people who have a general interest in Victorian times or the life of royals, but not for those with a deeper interest in history or biography.
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LibraryThing member vrchristensen
This is truly one of the best non fiction books I've ever read. Granted, I'm particularly infatuated with the Victorian era, but I was pleasantly surprised in this to find it both accessible and concise. Much background history is discussed, which might ordinarily bog down the narrative, but in
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this case it is all presented in the clearest and most insightful of ways. That Victoria was fated for the throne is perhaps evidenced by the complexity of circumstances that surround her history and upbringing. Her influence was magnificent, and is still felt today. I'm grateful for this re-examination of the couple and what they did for England and the Western world. The last several decades have judged them unduly harshly, in my opinion. It's a pleasant read throughout. I read it slowly, since there was so much information to digest, but it was certainly no difficult book to read, and even managed to evoke a little of the flavour of the era. I'm glad I found this book. I found it both informative and inspiring. Show Less
LibraryThing member gayla.bassham
A well-written, engaging look at the marriage of Victoria and Albert. I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, if royal excess makes you impatient, you might not. I was struck by what sad lives they had.
LibraryThing member TheLoisLevel
I'm not really sure if this book covered much new ground...I thought it was going to paint a different picture of Victoria than the one of her staying at home while her husband ran the country.
LibraryThing member kaitanya64
I knew quite a bit about Victorian culture, but not a lot about Victoria and Albert themselves. This was very readable and kept me engaged by focusing on the two personalities and how they influenced political policy. I was interested to see the close relationship between Victoria and Albert and
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their uncle, King Leopold of Belgium, the man responsible for one of the most heinous genocides of a genocide-prone era. Show Less
LibraryThing member knittinkitties
Somewhat dense at times but still a very interesting read. very well researched
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
ISBN
0345484053 / 9780345484055