Book Review: In the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B. Moore
My Rating: Four Stars
This book offers a fascinating glimpse into life as a royal under Queen Victoria’s rule. The story follows Princess Louise, who was the fourth daughter and sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of England, during a ten-year period from age 13 until age 23. The book is well-named because it seems like Queen Victoria attempts–and often succeeds–to control as much of Louise’s life as possible, despite the princess's fiercely independent nature.
At times this book felt a bit slow-paced and at other times the text was fairly repetitive. However, the work as a whole is worth recognizing because it is very well-researched and there are even historical notes included at the back of the book. I found these just as interesting to read as the story itself.
I will give warning: do not pick up this book expecting it to be a historical romance. Yes, it does take place during a historic time period, and yes, there is some romance. However, I would consider this more a work of biographical fiction than anything else. I say this because the story follows a broad time span of Louise’s young life and relatively little of the book is focused on her courtship and marriage.
Something that really struck me was the sacrifice that royals make in order to serve their country. The responsibility of being a member of the royal family is something that most royal family members are born into--they don't typically choose it. They sacrifice privacy, a normal social and family life, personal dreams and desires, and deal with enormous pressure (from themselves or others) to conduct themselves a certain way. It was humbling to consider what these and other monarchs have given up in behalf of their country and as I read, I felt gratitude for the monarchs who did their best to live exemplary lives.
In all, I thought the book was fascinating and shed light on a family I didn’t know as much about as I thought I did. I recommend it for fans of the British monarchy.
Content Guide:
Sex & Affection--Brief kissing, one character reflects in very general terms on how she enjoys her physical relationship with her husband.
Language--None
Alcohol, & Substance Use--None
Violence & Crime--None
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.com. All opinions are entirely my own.
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