Victoria: Portrait of a Queen

by Catherine Reef

Overview

Catherine Reef brings history vividly to life in this sumptuously illustrated account of a confident, strong-minded, and influential woman.

Victoria woke one morning at the age of eighteen to discover that her uncle had died and she was now queen. She went on to rule for sixty-three years, with an influence so far-reaching that the decades of her reign now bear her name—the Victorian period. Victoria is filled with the exciting comings and goings of royal life: intrigue and innuendo, scheming advisors, and assassination attempts, not to mention plenty of passion and discord. Includes bibliography, notes, British royal family tree, index.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544716148
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	1030L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Catherine Reef is the author of more than 40 nonfiction books, including many highly acclaimed biographies for young people. She lives in College Park, Maryland. www.catherinereef.com.

Editorial Reviews

? "A biography fit for a queen." —Kirkus, starred review "For history buffs and fans of historical fiction, this biography allows readers to immerse themselves in 19th-century voices and aesthetics." —School Library Journal "Reef’s storytelling is impeccably paced, covering Victoria’s eighty-plus years with ease and assurance... This will be a valuable companion for lovers of Victorian period fiction and a satisfying read for biography fans." —Bulletin "Eminently readable with lavish illustrations and photographs, Victoria: Portrait of a Queen is an engrossing biography of the woman for whom the nineteenth century was named the Victorian Age. Readers will come away with a personal connection to what Lord Salisbury meant when he said, “She has been a great instance of government by example, by esteem, by love.” —VOYA "Full of color portraits, period engravings, and fascinating photographs of the queen, her consort, and her progeny, this endeavor is made to pore over again and again... Anglophiles and history lovers should definitely enjoy this." —Booklist "Full of primary source material and spectacular paintings in full color as well as back matter that includes a Windsor family tree, source notes, and a rich bibliography, this is a biography for Victoriana and history lovers alike."—Horn Book —

From the Publisher

09/01/2017
Gr 6 Up—This intimate portrait of Queen Victoria simultaneously provides a panorama of the 19th century's great cultural, political, and technological upheaval. Victoria's life is novelistic in scope, and Reef deftly integrates primary sources. Speaking through her diaries and letters, the young Victoria engages readers in her passionate struggle for self-determination. As an older queen, her stormy opposition to the reforming Prime Minister Gladstone provides ample drama. Balancing Victoria's voice, her family, prime ministers, and the British public, Reef offers myriad, often dissenting, perspectives. While the queen embodied middle-class domesticity, Reef reminds readers that she also oversaw the British Empire. A prime example is Victoria's balancing of her eldest son's education and the outbreak of the Crimean War. The plentiful lush images track both Victoria's Britain and changing artistic technologies and styles, from satirical Regency cartoons to family photographs. The appendices include a précis of the limits of monarchical power, a family tree, and a list of British rulers. Fact-seekers can navigate the extensive back matter with much success. VERDICT For history buffs and fans of historical fiction, this biography allows readers to immerse themselves in 19th-century voices and aesthetics.—Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M University, College Station

School Library Journal

Catherine Reef’s biography of Queen Victoria shows meticulous attention to detail with its many illustrations and excerpts from letters and diaries. Penelope Rawlins narrates with mixed success. Her British accent and delivery are appropriate. But the biography is aimed at young adults, and her voice lacks the energy it needs to keep young listeners engaged. While her delivery of narrative is smooth and consistent, when quoting from letters, articles, diaries, or conversation, she inserts unexpectedly long pauses before employing voices for the people being quoted. Although the pauses effectively suggest that quotes are coming, the character voices themselves need more variety. Also, Queen Victoria’s voice doesn’t age as she grows from a teenage princess to an elderly monarch. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile