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4.5
Born in 1848, Princess Louise was the fourth daughter and sixth child (of nine) of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert; she lived to the age of 91, dying in late 1939, thus witnessing the two World Wars and a number of “smaller” wars in which the UK was involved. She traveled extensively, became a noted sculptor and artist, served on innumerable boards overseeing “good works,” championed women’s rights, led the fashionable world, and was friendly with and patronized some of the Victorian era’s most bohemian and feted artists. She married slightly late in Victorian terms, at age 23, and her husband, the 9th Duke of Argyll, was considered by her family to be a “commoner” because all the other siblings married European royalty and a mere Duke was, well, practically a peasant in their eyes, but Louise was determined to marry a Brit and to stay in England. However, her husband was soon appointed Governor General of Canada, and Louise traveled with him to that country, although she appears to have disliked the cold and didn’t really spend much time there. Also, her husband was most probably gay, and they seemed to have gotten along the best when they saw each other the least. Her life was unconventional by Victorian standards, and given its longevity and her wealth, it was full of interesting events, people and activities; she herself, having been unloved by her mother (as were all Victoria’s children except Beatrice, the youngest) seems to have gone to great lengths to be loved by “the people,” for the most part successfully so. This biography is very entertaining and full of interesting tidbits about life in the 19th and early 20th Century, but there is one major flaw (which I hasten to add is not the author’s fault): the royal archives concerning and by Louise have long been sealed and the author had no access to them, meaning that she had to rely on secondary sources entirely. This means that the book is full of speculation: Princess Louise “must have” felt this way or that, or “given situation A, it’s likely that her response was B,” and so on. I also noted, as an immigrant to Canada, the author hasn’t done her homework completely, as she refers to the country’s first Prime Minister as “John McDonald,” when even I am fully aware that he was always referred to as “Sir John A. McDonald,” that middle initial being utterly necessary. But she *does* note that Louise steered clear of him after he drunkenly propositioned her, and as all Canadians know, the man was a famous drunkard even during his lifetime, let alone in the annals of history. As an entertaining read about an historical time and place, recommended; as a thoroughly documented biography of one of the more interesting characters of Victorian Britain, alas we will have to wait for the files to be unsealed.It was very well written. I enjoy books about the Victorian era. This one was well documented and good reading!A wonderful, informative book but with some rather dramatic errors. The author states that the Tsarina Alexandra was Prince Philip's great grandmother-which she was not. The Tsarina's older sister, Princess Victoria, the daughter of Queen Victoria's third child and second daughter, Alice, was Philip's grandmother. The Tsarina's children were all killed; none ever married or had children. This error caused me to take the rest of the book with a grain of salt, but it is an interesting and thoughtful look at a talented, bright young woman whose life was thwarted by the controls her mother and society placed upon her.I am slowly working my way through this book. It is rather dry and repetitive, and it is definitely not written as a "story" of Princess Louise's life. The book provides more of a (rather unflattering) portrait of Queen Victoria and how she treated her children than it tells us about Princess Louise. The author writes that she (like other authors and researchers) was not able to gain access to any official archives of Princess Louise. While the description of the book implies that it reveals the a mystery and secrets of an unusual life, it is really just a lot of supposition and rumor and is in no way compelling reading. If anything is finally revealed by the end of the book, it will not have been worth the time it takes to finally get there.Well researched and very well written. I particularly enjoy this genre, and especially so when the author is very proficient.This biography of Princess Louise the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria reads like a novel. Princess Louise was way ahead of her time and she had quite a secret that has been covered up for over a century. And Hawksley delivers the goods-through meticulous research covering all of her bases. And this is never boring.This book had me hooked from start to finish. I feel that Princess Louise was the most fascinating/interesting of Queen Victoria's daughters, this amazing lady was way ahead of the times & I think she was born a century to early. If you're interested in history & especially history concerning Royalty this book is for you!this daughter of queen Victoria was related to almost every reigning monarch in Europe, which gave her insight to the political happens of the day. plus, she came of age when most women were only expected to marry and have babies, she wanted a career as an artist.....gutsyI knew nothing about Princess Louise, not sure I knew much more about her at the end of this book. I'm surprised that so many documents that apparently relate to her are still sealed. Of course until they are un sealed we can have no idea how relevant or interesting these are. That Queen Victoria was in fact a horrible old cow is hardly news, but she does appear to have been more than usually vindictive towards Louise. It is an intruiging story. The Princess led a sad life, unfulfilled one suspects. Her husband may, or may not, have been gay. A shadowy figure in this book. A biography stymied by a lack of source material, whether through bonfires or discretion.An interesting lady. This book highlights the lows of being a daughter of Queen Victoria and how Louise used her position and marriage for the better good and to gain her own freedom (somewhat scandalous at times). I appreciate the difficulty the author had with the accessibility to files for research and probably, for me that was the part that left me feeling something was missing. But still a good read and definitely want to find out more about this talented, intriguing lady.I chose this rating because it was an incredible insight into princess louise's life and her character and deeds. Within the restrictions of royalty and the Victorian era.The difficulty of obtaining information from the royal archives is something of a frustration that you feel it on behalf of the author.Surely this would not now be detrimental to the modern royal family.Having visited and lived near Osborne this book has given me a new aspect into the royal family that lived thereOverall an enjoyable read. I had no real knowledge of Princess Louise and actually downloaded the book accidentally. But the writer has written a sympathetic portrait and has been clear about the places she has speculated and filled in gaps. It's a shame that the Royal Archives about Louise are sealedBought this as a gift for my daughter who is really enjoying it.
