This book was like reading something by Philippa Gregory, just in a far more simplistic writing style. That isn't to say that the writing was bad. Simplistic writing can be a fantastic way of being more accessible to more readers. The only reason it took me so long to read this one was because it's quite long, detailing the period of time between when Victoria ascends to the throne and her proposal to Prince Albert.

I didn't actually go into this book knowing anything about Queen Victoria, so it was all interesting and new to me, from her relationship with Lord Melbourne (who I actually did know, but as William Lamb through his wife's affair with Lord Byron...), to her idolising of Queen Elizabeth I and the antagonistic relationship she had with her mum and with Conroy. The book is told through multiple points of view, bringing in Albert and his brother towards the end after their father invites them to the palace without getting permission from Victoria to do so.

Reading historical fiction is always down to the writing style alone, since the author can't really control the events that happen in the book, so much as merely make assumptions and narrative through the facts that are available. So from that point of view, Daisy Goodwin did fantastically well with this page turning, accessible novel.

I loved that the author was able to convey how Victoria matured from a girl to a Queen and woman. Victoria showed how strong she could be as a ruler, and how vulnerable she was as a woman and wife. Very much enjoying the PBS series as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this look at how Alexandrina Victoria went from Heir Apparent to Queen Victoria at age 18. Very sheltered as a child, the young queen needs to figure out what it means to be a woman AND a monarch, and how to resist those who would manipulate her. The novel portrays her as headstrong and naive but also as sensitive, well-meaning, and capable of growing into her position. I hope Goodwin writes more novels about QV!

Lovely storytelling. A glimpse into the early days of Victoria's reign told with imagination and empathy.

Oh, my heart could hardly contain the love I felt for this book! Daisy Goodwin pulls you deeply into the heart of Victoria and makes you feel for her. She is far from the "unamused" queen that the world often paints her as. She is a full of vibrancy, passion, romance. I adore her. I adore this book.

Well written story about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. A great love match in the courts of England. I love learning and this book really gave insight into a world I would not normally know anything about. Very well written

This was a good book. Interesting and light. I liked it. I just didn't love it. I anticipated more of the romance between Victoria and Albert than was written here. I found it disappointing that Albert doesn't become much of a character until 80% of the book. I also didn't like that the supposed romance between Melbourne and Victoria took up so much reading space. I grew really tired of it actually. I picked it up and put it down several times, but, I really wanted to see the upcoming series so I determined to finish it.

So, the book coincides with a TV series written by the author, Daisy Goodwin. I finished the book while watching the first couple of episodes of the series. This is one of those times where I prefer the TV series over the book. Albert is much more present and I find him enchanting. The romance is sweet and the visuals are stunning.

I am glad to have read the book and am thankful to NetGalley for providing me a digital copy to review. There was much in it I did not know about Victoria and I enjoyed "knowing" her as a young girl, coming into her own, falling in love, and becoming Queen. I do recommend it for fans of Daisy Goodwin and those interested in young Victoria.

I liked this book but didn't love it. It is very close to the PBS show and at the end I realized it was written at the same time as the show. It was interesting to learn about Queen Victoria young but I found it a little too romance-y for me. But it was quick and easy read and I do love reading about English monarchy!
Thanks #netgalley for the ARC.

I thought this was an excellent portrayal of a young Victoria. I knew she and Melbourne were close, but had no idea just how close. I liked the historical accuracy Goodwin included in the story, as she had access to the royal archives. However, I would have liked to read more about Albert. Perhaps a sequel?

Victoria was an amazing queen who ruled the British Empire when it was at its largest and until recently she was longest reigning monarch of Great Britain. This novel starts about four years before she becomes queen and goes to a few years afterwards. While its scope is not as broad as the recent novel by Julia Baird it is still a good read.

She had an unhappy childhood and was known to throw temper tantrum to get her way. In this book we see how her mother and John Conroy tried to manipulate and control the young princess. Her relationship with her mother, the Duchess of Kent was a constant battle of wills; her mother insisted that someone hold her hand whenever she walked and she was forced to sleep in the same room as her mother. However, her worst mistake was to let John Conroy bully the young girl and attempt to force her to sign a document making her mother (and therefore him) regent of the empire so they could rule in her stead. She never totally forgave her mother for they way they treated her and that they had a relationship at all was due to Albert. Her stubbornness and determination made her a woman who was determined not to be ruled by others. She could also be cruel at times as is shown by her treatment of Lady Flora Hastings and some her of converstati0ons with Lord Melbourne.

If you want to read a detailed; entertaining account of Victoria’s early like this is the book to read. After reading this I can understand why some of her contemporaries would consider her stubborn, without this stubbornness and determination she would not have survived her childhood. However, if you want to read more about her life as a whole you will need to look to another source.

4/5 STARS: **I want to thank the author and/or publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are mine.**

Outside of Emily Blunt's performance of Queen Victoria she is a monarch I know very little about. Daisy Goodwin has created a tapestry in sharing this young Victoria's early reign. At first, her ascent to the throne read like something out of a Tudor novel with constant conniving and scheming to reach the top and win the prize of whispering into Victoria's ear.

Victoria's mother and uncle Leopold got under my skin with their whining and deceiving ways. I wanted to send them to the high tower for their constant attempts at interference. Although, this is what made them a good antagonist.

Lord Melbourne was an interesting character, I felt safe when he was on the page, he was a kind soul who truly had Victoria's best interests at heart and can see why she was crushing on him. However, he was almost old enough to be her grandfather, and he was certainly no Sean Connery! while a first crush is always a bit crushing, I was glad to see her move on to someone her own age, even if it was her cousin.

I was happy that the entire book did not revolve around Albert and Victoria's courtship as that would have been tedious. It is the little nuances of a person that make a first date memorable and I feel that is what Daisy Goodwin accomplished in telling Queen Victoria's and in turn Albert's story.

As a whole, Victoria was beautifully constructed and while the focus of everyone else was Victoria's love life I liked being able to see beyond that and view the unique person Queen Victoria was.

Fans of PBS's Downton Abbey and Netflix's The Crown now have their new fix- Victoria. Author Daisy Goodwin's novel Victoria, about the life of the young Queen of Great Britain who ruled for 63 years, is also the basis for PBS's Masterpiece Classic Victoria, now showing on PBS.

Goodwin also wrote the screenplay for the PBS series, which follows the novel very closely. The novel only covers a few years of Victoria's life, from age 18 until she decides her future husband will be her cousin Albert a few years later. The series, on episode three so far, moves much faster and will clearly cover more of Victoria's life.

Most of the novel deals with the beginning of Victoria's reign. She has a strained relationship with her mother, whose companion, Sir John, wants desperately for Victoria to appoint him as regent and allow him to closely influence her governance.

But Victoria doesn't trust Sir John, instead turning to Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister. Lord Melbourne becomes fond of the young Queen, and Victoria is besotted with Melbourne. Their relationship consumes much of the novel, and Rufus Sewell and Jenna Coleman, who play them in the series, have a wonderful chemistry onscreen. (And Coleman is luminous as the young Queen.)

The series portrays more downstairs activity with the servants, perhaps to appeal more to fans of Downton Abbey.

I truly enjoyed seeing some of the more cinematic scenes from the novel come to life, such as the costume ball, where Victoria goes dressed as Elizabeth I. The ballroom and the costumes are just so stunning, especially Victoria's crown.

I'm glad I read Victoria before watching the series, I felt I had a better sense of the many characters and their relationships and motivations. The book really puts you in the head of Victoria, and what it felt like to be an 18-year-old young woman, who had led a sheltered life in Kensington before ascending to the throne.

Masterpiece Classic Victoria continues on Sundays on PBS and I will be glued to my seat, as by the end of episode three is where the book ends but Victoria's fascinating story continues on. I highly recommend both Victoria the book, and Victoria the series.

More information on Victoria on PBS is here.

This was an engaging way to learn more about Queen Victoria. I'm also looking forward to the PBS series, Victoria after reading this book.

I really enjoyed this one! I have read a great many things set in the Victorian era, and was familiar with Victoria's later (post-Albert) years, but knew very little about her pre-accession and early-reign years, so this one caught my eye immediately. I am so glad it did!

Goodwin's story-telling style is very engaging and easy-going. She really brought the characters to life. Historical fiction can be tricky - so much history is full of features that seem to defy the bounds of reality, that it can be difficult to write a fictionalized version that feels authentic. This book did not suffer from that at all - it felt like reading the best non-fiction: a great intermingling of information and storytelling. I was surprised at much of what I learned in the reading - early-years Victoria and later-years Victoria were VERY different people... This should be surprising given the length of her reign and the changes in the world around her during its course, but it somehow was nevertheless. It made for more than a few "no way?!" moments while reading, which are always fun.

Upon finishing this one I was immediately drawn to find out more - particularly about the Albert/Victoria partnership years. I had picked up a non-fiction piece about precisely that as a kindle daily deal shortly before beginning this one, and turned to that next. That's where I started to get a little, well, less enthusiastic about this Goodwin book...

First, let me say that I KNOW THIS IS FICTION. It's billed as such, and therefore I understand that the author has as much latitude as she wants when writing it. BUT, that said, historical fiction tends to stick to the facts where they are known and only forage into fiction when they are not - e.g., particular conversations, inner monologues, behind-the-scenes things that history never revealed. I found a number of fairly significant discrepancies between the people/relationships presented in this novel and those in the non-fiction book - and those people/relationships were essential to the Goodwin story. I haven't taken the time yet to delve into the reason behind this - did she just want to go in a different direction? did she not intend to actually write historical fiction? did the non-fiction somehow get these issues horribly wrong? - and I know it shouldn't detract from the way I felt about this one, but it did a bit... I don't expect 100% historical specificity in my historical fiction, but if something is billed as a novel about the life of Victoria (the actual historical figure), I expect it to track with the facts wherever possible - otherwise it isn't a novel about the life of Victoria, but about someone based on her... It may seem like nit-picking, but it is something that struck me rather strongly.

Still, I did genuinely enjoy this story for what it was - a story about a girl named Victoria who became queen of England at eighteen. And I enjoyed Goodwin's writing style enough to pick up one of her earlier titles. So in that regard, it was a complete success.

“One day she would be Queen. Then everything would be different. If only her Uncle King would live until she was eighteen.”

I have eagerly anticipated reading this book and I am happy to say it delivered - I LOVED it! I am a big historical fiction fan and found this a highly enjoyable read. Now be warned, this is not the entire Queen Victoria saga and Albert only appears towards the latter part of the book. But, fingers crossed, it sets up for future penned stories. This book I found to be highly engaging as it tells the coming of age story of the young Victoria and her first two years as Queen. She is youthful, she is compulsive, she is immature and at times she is annoying. But gosh, she’s great!

This is a personal fictional recount, based on Daisy Goodwin’s extensive research, makes these early years well and truly come to life. This is not a boring historical tale but a lively, youthful recount of the moulding of a compulsive teenager into one of the most famous Queens of all time. Real historical characters are brought to life in a most compelling way and I admit I loved learning more about Lord Melbourne especially. The changing point of view for the main characters really assist the reader in developing a true understanding of their thoughts and motivations.

Initially Victoria had to battle against what had been traditionally a very male dominated political and royal arena. It was interesting to witness Victoria’s character develop and her determination form when confronted with many either vying for power or in pursuit of her hand in marriage. This is a book about relationships and whether it be with Victoria and her Prime Minister Lord Melbourne or Victoria with her mother or ladies in waiting or Uncle or prospective suitors - they are all presented in way that will please the reader.

“The only way he could serve his Queen was to find her a husband who would make her happy.”

Victoria and led a sheltered life until her ascension to the throne and, as a consequence with Lord Melbourne’s assistance, had to establish her own regal ways. This bonding, without giving anything away, was wonderful. My heart went out to the dashing Lord Melbourne.

“The silence that followed was thick with the weight of all the unspoken feeling. Melbourne saw that Victoria’s lip was trembling, and had to clasp his hands together so that he would not reach out and take her in his arms.”

I ardently hope that Goodwin will continue beyond these first couple of years and gift us with her literary interpretation of the real and lasting love story Victoria eventually develops with Prince Albert. For now - as one simply must read the book before the movie/TV adaptation - I cannot wait to view the BBC series with relish.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

I did not download this book and therefore cannot provide a review.

Great book, drew the reader into the inner thinking of the young queen as she navigates to rule, with all her risks and failures.

Covering Queen Victoria's early years, before she was crowned, until her engagement to Albert this book fills a void for many fans. Parts were slow and Victoria was a snarky and spoiled mean girl at times. But her complex circumstances somehow earn her understanding from sympathetic readers. This is a fascinating read if you have been to London and seen the V and A, the monument to Albert and of course the park and castle where Victoria chose to live. This is a well researched volume that gives a gateway to history and clearly explains the woman who gave us the Victorian age.

I purposely waited until the beginning of the PBS series to write my review. I read the book in a matter of hours, it was that fascinating. I always enjoy a good biography, and this is one of my personal favorites. It is well written, well researched, engaging and easily readable. I will definitely seek out more books by Daisy Goodwin. Now, the reason I waited; Ms Goodwin was also responsible for the writing of the mini series now being telecast by PBS. The series is true to the book, and just as I imagined. Jenna Coleman is doing a fabulous job in the role of Queen Victoria.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great biography, or is just interested in Queen Victoria. You will not be disappointed, I promise.

Wow, in depth detail. It is easier to sit back and imagine what it would like to be a princess or a queen but what I think we imagine is not what it is truly like. The life of Victoria, the fear, the learning curve, the loneliness, seems unimaginable.
I love to read about the more detailed lives of the people who have has such large impact on the world we know now.
I found this book so fascinating, and would recommend to other history lovers.