Wives of the Kings of England: From Hanover to Windsor by Mark Hichens

Just from the title I knew this book was something I was going to like. I was a little more intrigued when I picked up the book on the library shelf: it's less than 200 pages.
Don't get me wrong, I love history, but admittedly, history writing can be rather ... dull. The Queen Mother led a fascinating life, but when I read William Shawcross's official biography (weighing in at more than 1000 pages), it took me more than a month to read. Enjoyable, definitely, but long.
Wives of the Kings of England suited me not only because its length, but because it provided brief snapshots of the nine women, so there was no way for me to be overwhelmed or bogged down by a great number of details. Though entire books could be (and have been) written about each individual woman, this glimpse provides a continuity from the woman dealing with her own parents, her husband, her husband's parents, and then herself as a parent.
I did not know very much about most of these women. I had read The Trial of Queen Caroline by Jane Robins, and The Queen Mother: The Official Biography by William Shawcross, but the rest of the wives (with the exception of the Duchess of Windsor) I was fairly clueless on. The long suffering Charlotte, married to George III, lead an interesting life. Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary I found the most interesting, however, but that may be because that's the time period I find most fascinating. Can you imagine having Queen Victoria as a mother-in-law? I certainly cannot. And that Queen Mary is so very different from Queen Alexandra, in fact George V and Edward VII were quite dissimilar. A fascinating, enjoyable read, well worth the time and energy to peruse the slim volume. Recommended for anglophiles like myself who are enthralled by the history of the royal family.

A Brief, Royal Life

I just finished reading Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People by Sharon Linnea about the last crown princess of Hawaii. She lived only to be 23 years old and witnessed the loss of her sovereignty as well as the loss of many important family members. I don't know much about Hawaiian history but was very intrigued by Ka'iulani's life. She was sent to England to school when she was 13 and it was seven years before she had the opportunity to return home again. There was such turmoil on the Islands when her aunt was dethroned and Ka'iulani was so far away, and could do very little to help. It's difficult to summarize such a story, but it was a good read with some wonderful information about her life, though it only broadly touched on the events surrounding Ka'iulani. But it is a biography of the princess and written for young people, so all in all a good book.
Undecided on what to read next, I remain,
the Savage Librarian.

Yellow Cats, Red Apples, Green Dresses

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell is a neat story about Ottoline, left at her Big City apartment with Mr Munroe, a small, hairy creature (think Cousin It, only shorter and with more visible legs). Ottoline's about 10 years old and her parents travel over the world collecting some very odd things (in a postcard from her mother, Ottoline is reminded to dust the 4 spouted tea pot). With such parents, Ottoline has two budding collections of her own, her Odd Shoe collection (she buys a pair of shoes and will only wear one of the shoes and put the other in the collection, so Riddell's illustrations of her have her walking about with odd shoes on her feet) and her Postcard collection, containing what her parents send her. She seems to miss her parents, but it is not a story for pining, as observant Ottoline has discovered a similarity between burglaries taking place in her neighborhood. Using Mr Munroe to help infiltrate the gang responsible for the jewel thievery, Ottoline cracks the case! A fun read, with detailed illustrations, a neat little mystery, and good for the quiet types. Recommended for 3-5 graders.
Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne is the second book with Melissa Romney-Jones, organizer extraordinaire, and her lovely little agency that sorts out some men's lives. Per the agreement between Melissa and beau Jonathan, 'Honey' no longer steps out on the town with her clients to act as a girlfriend. Melissa's business is still booming and she's found plenty to keep her busy. Her family, ever blissful, has a bit of a shock when older sister Allegra arrives in pomp at the family home. Seems her husband Lars has been up to a few things he should not have been up to. Mel's best friend Nelson (still kind of dating Gabi) has found an opportunity to boss about underprivileged kids on a tall ship, so will be gone for 3 months. And has decided to have the flat entirely re-done, leaving Mel with nowhere to go for a month. Jonathan gets a promotion and must now jet back and forth between London and New York, and needs to spend a large chuck of time setting up in New York. When Jonathan discovers Mel's new homelessness, he tells her to take a holiday and come to New York. After much uncertainty (especially over who will take care of the business), Mel goes. And it is in New York that she meets Jonathan's friends (also his ex-wife's friends) and deals with his go-getting, workaholic attitude. His slightly dismissive attitude about her Agency gets under her skin, and it's a wonder if they will work it out. Well told, entertaining, swift pace, and I can't wait to read The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, currently waiting for me on hold at my public library. Recommended for those who aren't quite ready to admit they like chick lit.
On DVD: The Other Boleyn Girl. Yes, it's been on DVD for a bit, now, but I just got a chance to watch it again. I did see this film in theaters and was jarred by some of the historical inaccuracies, but watching it again as a story, as just to watch it, I enjoyed it. Natalie Portman brings out a side of Anne Boleyn that I had never envisioned before (terrified of the wrath of Henry VIII, small, insecure) and Scarlett Johansson is very good as the patient, though perhaps a bit naive, Mary Boleyn. Beautiful costumes, wonderful use of scenery, and a brooding Eric Bana. Recommended.
In the process of reading Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell (I can't read two books at once, so the Hester Browne will wait), and the DVD of Stop-Loss waiting to be watched at home. I missed that one in theaters and am really intrigued by the story. I hope it's good. Will post when I've finished ... something. In the meantime, I remain your Savage Librarian.

Reign vs. Rule

I finished Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England by Maureen Waller on Monday. It is a very good book. I know I usually don't begin with such a simplistic statement, but I'm still a little awed by Waller's writing. It's a history book, and as much as I love history and usually slog through history books, Waller's writing style is incredibly easy to read and moves the book along a nice pace. To finish a history book in a week? That's rare for me (especially as this one is some 500 pages). Waller's discussions of Mary I, Mary II, and Anne I found particularly interesting as I don't think I knew as much about them as I do about Elizabeth I, Victoria, and Elizabeth II (which to be honest is a whole heck of a lot). I don't know if in my study of the periods I never really thought about women's roles before or Waller just pointed it out nicely for me, but she took into account that these women were raised and trained a certain way, and had to deal with being women in powerful positions at times when normal (for lack of better term) women had no power (Elizabeth II excluded). Mary I, Waller points out, was basing her idea of rule on the stories of Ferdinand and Isabella, her grandparents, and how Isabella retained rule of her lands but shared power with Ferdinand. Perhaps these stories were simply fond memories her mother, Katherine of Aragon, had, but they had quite an effect upon Mary, who was looking for some aspect of her life to go well and happily and thought marriage would be it. Mary II was content to obey her husband, William of Orange, in whatever he decided to do (William is an oddity as he reigned after his wife died, whereas Philip II did not, and after William, not of the Queens' consorts have been given the title of King; George of Denmark, Anne's husband, even though she did fight for the King title for him; Prince Albert, Victoria's husband, and Prince Philip, Elizabeth II's husband). I'll go and on about this book and the random little nuggets of knowledge I learned from it if I don't contain myself. Waller poses a question in the epilogue of whether or not there will be a monarch after Elizabeth II; will the British people decide they've really just had enough and dissolve the monarchy? What a time that will be. She also seems to think that Elizabeth II is going to beat Victoria's reign of 64 years. (This has been a small guess of mine for years and at 56 years she's getting closer.)
I've gotten a good third of the way through The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne. Melissa needs a job and ends up creating an agency for poor London shlubs who can't seem to dress themselves nicely or get any kind of girl. She attempts to help them out (as a different person of course). It's a nice fluffy read so far and I'm liking, I admit, I'm liking this chick lit. I'll see how it ends though because I have an idea of how it should end in my head and I'm beginning to think that's not the direction the story is going.
Until I finish that one and can give you a proper review, I remain your Savage Librarian.
PS--Still no Stop in the Name of Pants! It's driving me crazy!

3 of 6

In my slow going goal this year of reading all 6 Austen novels, I've just reached my half way point. I finished Sense and Sensibility over the weekend and I'm amazed at how fast it went. For some reason the first couple times I tried to read it, I simply could not get through it. I didn't eventually read it all the way through once and was fairly determined not to read it again. But if I'm going to read them, I've got to read all of them. Something about this book has risen in my estimation, or for some reason I have more patience with it than I have had previously. I like the story, particularly Elinor and the situation she finds herself in, and it was less painful than anticipated. There are parts in the book that are not in the movie version Emma Thompson was in, and it was nice to have those tiny fresh reminders that movies indeed are definitely not the books. Elinor forgave Willoughby awfully easily in my mind; I do not forgive easily when it comes to people hurting my family or my close friends. Elinor is supposed to pity him because he has no money or was too spendy with it in the past? He put himself in this whole. Granted, he won't be happy in his marriage, but as Marianne reflects, if he had married her and had no money, he would not have necessarily been happy either. The Middletons and Mrs Jenkins are most certainly nosy and entertaining to read about (I certainly wouldn't want to spend a great deal of time in company with people continuously prying into my private life). I used to steer people away from Sense and Sensibility because I had such a difficult time reading it, but I think that perhaps I will amend my status on this Austen novel.
The remaining three I have to read are: Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Pride and Prejudice. I have read each of these at least twice before (P&P I've read every year since 1998) and am only debating on which novel I should end. Persuasion is slowly becoming quite a favorite with me; is it possibly it could overtake P&P? I am not yet certain. Though there is something about Anne Elliott I identify with perhaps more than Elizabeth Bennet. Friends have placed me as a Jane Bennet in regards to the Bennet sisters, and I see that as accurate. But Anne--! I identify with Anne, especially as I am someone who holds on to affection even when it appears there's no chance of it succeeding. As does Jane Bennet, come to think of it, and Elinor Dashwood to an extent. Picking up on a pattern?
Still waiting for Stop in the Name of Pants! In the meantime I've picked up a gigantically daunting history book, Sovereing Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England by Maureen Waller and while it is a subject I knew I would enjoy, I have to say that I am most impressed with the writing style. As much as I love history, I have a difficult time getting through history books they're usually written in such a dry, dull style (I am sorry to pain history writers, but in my limited experience it's true, and I usually dig my heels in and get through the books because the topics themselves are fascinating) but Waller tells a story and she tells it well. I'm getting through it at a surprising pace for myself and certainly am enjoying. Only on Queen Elizabeth I thus far. Waller brings up many good points about Mary I without absolving her of blame. Before I get too far however, I'll finish the book first.
Steeped in reading, I remain, your Savage Librarian.