-
Victoria
- A Life
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 21 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
Acclaimed historian A. N. Wilson gives a sweeping, definitive biography of one of the most recognizable, yet enigmatic monarchs of all time.
The longest reigning British monarch and female sovereign in history, Queen Victoria was a figure of profound paradox who has mystified historians for over a century. Now in this magisterial biography, A.N. Wilson rebukes the conventional wisdom about her life - that she was merely a "funny little woman in a bonnet" who did next to nothing - to show she was in fact intensely involved in state affairs despite a public façade of inaction. More than just the stock image of a stuffy, unsmiling widow in mourning, Wilson's complete immersion in Victoria's countless letters and journals reveals a carefully nuanced portrait of a monarch possessed by family immigrant insecurities, a reluctant public figure who learned to exploit public display, a mother who hated pregnancy, and above all, a political luminary who created and controlled the story of her life, true or otherwise.
Victoria brings to life its subject in all her many moods and phases: her so-called miserable childhood, her early years of political inexperience as a pawn to advisers and statesmen, her passionate marriage to Prince Albert and the incessant public criticism, her famed mourning period after Albert's early death, and finally, the captivating last decades of her rule as Empress of India. After nearly two decades as an eccentric, reclusive mourner, she emerged, self-confident and robust, as an out-and-out imperialist who harnessed royalty with British foreign policy and as the figurehead of military and economic world domination.
Wilson tells a story of victory against painful odds and gives the portrait of a woman battling with demons and overcoming them, largely alone. Despite everything, she came to embody the British people's experience of their own lives.
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A Magnificent Obsession
- Victoria, Albert, and the Death That Changed the British Monarchy
- By: Helen Rappaport
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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After the untimely death of Prince Albert, the Queen and her nation were plunged into a state of grief so profound that this one event would dramatically alter the shape of the British monarchy. For Britain had not just lost a prince: during his 20-year marriage to Queen Victoria, Prince Albert had increasingly performed the function of King in all but name. The outpouring of grief after Albert's death was so extreme that its like would not be seen again until the death of Princess Diana 136 years later.
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All consuming grief
- By Flatbroke on 06-15-13
By: Helen Rappaport
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Queen Mary
- The Official Biography
- By: James Pope-Hennessy, Hugo Vickers
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her - unusual for a queen consort. Queen Mary's life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers, and Queen Mary's personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy's biography was a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.
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Excellent! UPDATED review after 2nd listen.
- By Geri A on 07-31-21
By: James Pope-Hennessy, and others
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Traitor King
- The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor
- By: Andrew Lownie
- Narrated by: Andrew Lownie
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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December 11, 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Their courtship has been dogged by controversy and scandal, but with Edward's abdication, they can live happily ever after.
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All That is Glamour can be Rotten
- By Joe France on 08-26-22
By: Andrew Lownie
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Her Little Majesty
- The Life of Queen Victoria
- By: Carolly Erickson
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Her Little Majesty is a fresh and fascinating portrait of the diminutive monarch who ruled the vast British empire for over 60 years. Award-winning biographer and historian, Carolly Erickson, transports you behind the walls of Buckingham Palace to introduce you to the quirky, loveable Queen Victoria—revealed only to her closest associates. Emotionally deprived, inadequately educated, and socially isolated for much of her life, young Victoria felt ill-prepared to ascend the throne.
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Disappointing after Josephine.
- By Debra V on 08-24-21
By: Carolly Erickson
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The Secret Royals
- Spying and the Crown
- By: Richard J. Aldrich, Rory Cormac
- Narrated by: Joan Walker
- Length: 23 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, The Secret Royals uncovers the remarkable relationship between the royal family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy and the monarchy.
By: Richard J. Aldrich, and others
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The Mountbattens
- The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten
- By: Andrew Lownie
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The intimate story of a unique marriage spanning the heights of British glamour and power that descends into infidelity, manipulation, and disaster through the heart of the 20th century.
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He oughta be ashamed!
- By Just Penelope on 04-17-22
By: Andrew Lownie
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Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter
- A Biography of Princess Louise
- By: Lucinda Hawksley
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The secrets of Queen Victoria's sixth child, Princess Louise, may be destined to remain hidden forever. What was so dangerous about this artistic, tempestuous royal that her life has been documented more by rumor and gossip than hard facts? When Lucinda Hawksley started to investigate, often thwarted by inexplicable secrecy, she discovered a fascinating woman, modern before her time, whose story has been shielded for years from public view.
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Incredibly Frustrating
- By JayOne on 01-16-20
By: Lucinda Hawksley
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We Two
- Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals
- By: Gillian Gill
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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It was the most influential marriage of the 19th Century - and one of history’s most enduring love stories. Traditional biographies tell us that Queen Victoria inherited the throne as a naïve teenager, when the British Empire was at the height of its power, and seemed doomed to find failure as a monarch and misery as a woman until she married her German cousin Albert and accepted him as her lord and master. Now renowned chronicler Gillian Gill turns this familiar story on its head, revealing a strong, feisty queen, and a brilliant, fragile prince working together to build a family.
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I found it extremely moving.
- By Cheryl on 08-07-09
By: Gillian Gill
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The Last Days of the Romanovs
- Tragedy at Ekaterinburg
- By: Helen Rappaport
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Helen Rappaport, an expert in the field of Russian history, brings you the riveting day-by-day account of the last 14 days of the Russian Imperial family, in this first of two books about the Romanovs. The brutal murder of the Russian Imperial family on the night of July 16 to 17, 1918, has long been a defining moment in world history. The Last Days of the Romanovs reveals in exceptional detail how the conspiracy to kill them unfolded.
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GREAT
- By courtney on 08-31-17
By: Helen Rappaport
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Queen Victoria's Youngest Son
- The Untold Story of Prince Leopold
- By: Charlotte Zeepvat
- Narrated by: Rachael Beresford
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, was the most intelligent of Queen Victoria's four sons. He was the youngest, a strong-willed, likeable character with an immense thirst for life who faced two overwhelming handicaps. One was haemophilia, then barely understood, which might have killed him at any moment, and in any case subjected him to recurring pain and disability. The other was his mother's determination to keep complete control over his life.
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It well informs you but agree on abrupt ending
- By Amazon Customer on 11-28-23
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Princess Mary
- The First Modern Princess
- By: Elisabeth Basford, Hugo Vickers - foreword
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess Diana is seen as the first member of the British royal family to tear up the rulebook, and the duchess of Cambridge is modernizing the monarchy in strides. But before them was another who paved the way: Princess Mary.
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So many things I didn't know
- By Etoile NEOhio on 01-28-22
By: Elisabeth Basford, and others
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Princes at War
- The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII
- By: Deborah Cadbury
- Narrated by: Veida Dehmlow
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In Princes at War, Deborah Cadbury reveals evidence that the duke and duchess of Windsor colluded with Hitler to take back the British throne from Edward's younger brother, King George VI, should Germany prevail in the War.
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Windsors at War
- By Lulu on 04-05-15
By: Deborah Cadbury
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To the Scaffold
- The Life of Marie Antoinette
- By: Carolly Erickson
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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To this day Marie Antoinette remains one of history’s most misunderstood heroines. How she triumphed over the petty jealousies and backstairs rivalries of the court, how she sustained a good-hearted but malleable king, and how she was transformed from French queen to Austrian “whore,” is the story told with skill and fascinating detail.
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Davina Porter is a treasure!
- By Missee on 04-08-19
By: Carolly Erickson
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The Queen Mother
- The Untold Story of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Who Became Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- By: Lady Colin Campbell
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 25 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, Lady Colin Campbell reveals the fascinating and moving life of The Queen Mother. With unparalleled sources, including members of the Royal Family, aristocrats, and friends and relatives of Elizabeth herself, this mesmerizing account takes us inside the real and sometimes astonishing world of the royal family.
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A Real Person
- By The Barbster on 01-05-19
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Victoria: The Queen
- An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire
- By: Julia Baird
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe’s monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public’s expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger tracts of the globe. In a world where women were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand.
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Masterpiece!!
- By DKSTRYKER on 01-07-24
By: Julia Baird
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Edward VII
- The Prince of Wales and the Women He Loved
- By: Catharine Arnold
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Edward, Prince of Wales, better known as "Bertie", was the eldest son of Queen Victoria. Charming and dissolute, he was a larger-than-life personality with king-size appetites. A lifelong womanizer, Bertie conducted his countless liaisons against the glittering backdrop of London society, Europe, and the stately homes of England in the second half of the 19th century. Bertie's lovers were beautiful, spirited society women who embraced a wide field of occupations.
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Narrator
- By MG on 01-03-20
By: Catharine Arnold
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Prince Albert
- The Man Who Saved the Monarchy
- By: A. N. Wilson
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawn from the Royal archives, including Prince Albert’s voluminous correspondence, this brilliant and ambitious book offers fascinating never-before-known details about the man and his time. A superb match of biographer and subject, Prince Albert, at last, gives this important historical figure the reverence and recognition that is long overdue.
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Excellent Bio!
- By Nancy on 04-24-24
By: A. N. Wilson
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The Definitive FDR
- Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882-1940) and Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1940-1945)
- By: James MacGregor Burns
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 58 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in US history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. James MacGregor Burns's magisterial two-volume biography tells the complete life story of the fascinating political figure who instituted the New Deal. The Lion and the Fox details Roosevelt's youth, education, and his rise to national prominence, through his first two terms as president. The Soldier of Freedom is a moving profile of a leader gifted with rare political talent in an era of extraordinary challenges.
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Excellent narration
- By Ryan Baumbach on 02-16-24
What listeners say about Victoria
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shenandoah1865
- 06-07-15
A Balanced Biography
A well researched work, this book brought forth information on Queen Victoria I had not read before, including some regarding John Brown. I've enjoyed many books on Victoria and her children. This one goes to the top of my list.
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- Jeffrey J.
- 09-09-16
Sleep soundtrack
The narration is... sedate? Every sentence has the same cadence and it felt like a newscaster reading off headlines. I got two chapters in before calling it quits. (I had to relisten twice because I kept falling asleep)
The book itself seems okay, but I won't be listening to it any time soon. I think it's a little bit dry and impersonal.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dr. A.
- 10-29-14
This book has old and new info
What made the experience of listening to Victoria the most enjoyable?
First of all, I have to out myself as a real addict of English history, and I have read all previous books not only about Victoria and Albert, but pretty much everything about the era period. So having said that, I found this book had some really good additions to the genre, lots of personal info and references to actual writings by V etc. If you know nothing about Vic, but are curious, you might not go wrong by beginning with this book.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
This narrator has a sonorous, ominous tone that is entirely repetitious, to the point where some of his intonations actually made me laugh. He sounds like he is announcing something, over and over again. Not much modulation of tone. He is also humorless and his cadence can really get to you, I tried my best to just ignore him and focus on the story, but there is no doubt his delivery can be distracting.
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25 people found this helpful
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- DavidSanFran
- 03-06-15
Well worth the listen!
A masterly history of the most interesting woman of the 19th century without a shadow of a doubt
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1 person found this helpful
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- Wiggins1
- 06-05-20
An excellent book and enjoyable listen.
I have greatly enjoyed listening to this book. Mr Chafer reads beautifully in English, French, and German. I have not wanted to reach the end but, sadly, have now done. I think I will now have to order the book and have a go at reading for myself.
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- Courtni
- 07-23-15
Delightful experience
An excellent production of a well-written biography. Engaging. Informative. Entertaining. Victoria was a wonder.
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- Christine F
- 11-26-23
Well, written and researched
History isn’t interesting unless it is studied from the human point of view. Compilations of battles and votes is never enough. The author gives us a real understanding of the personalities of the time and how they made decisions that affect us even today. As an American, I can’t wait to return to London to immerse myself in the places that were known to her and shaped by her. The author’s biography of Prince Albert is well worth reading and includes a lot of detail not covered in this book.
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- Jean
- 03-05-15
Masterful
Victoria has been a magnet for biographical rereading in the eleven decades since her death. In the 1990s academic scholars got hold of the Queen and the results were a post structuralist Victoria. It is now twenty years since the last serious flurry of biographical interest. Wilson picks up the pieces and puts the jigsaw back together again, creating in the process a Victoria for our own time.
Wilson went to the archives in Sax-Coburg and reconnected the taproot of Victoria and Albert’s plan for a united, moderate German. Wilson shows that after the death of Albert, Victoria continued “the Coburg Project.”
When the Schleswig-Holstein crisis blew-up in the early 1860s, she understood, in a way that her prime minister, Palmerston, did not, that buried in the parochial squabble between Prussia and Denmark were the first signs of the Bismarckian aggression that would eventually rip Europe apart. It was only thanks to the wise Queen, suggests Wilson that Britain did not blunder into war with Germany at the point, fifty years before it was capable of winning.
Wilson had access to Victoria’s diaries and voluminous correspondence, as well as other archival documents. The book is well researched. Wilson covers her life from childhood to death and her relationships with her nine children. The author states Victoria was a prolific writer and if she was a novelist she would have written 700 novels. I was surprised to learn that Victoria was an amateur painter and that she particularly enjoyed working with watercolors.
Wilson explains how Victoria inherited her uncle’s throne when she was a teenager. She was surrounded by warring court fractions. Victoria was faced with a series of fragile coalition governments, labor unrest at home, a famine in Ireland, revolution on the other side of the Channel, a spectacularly mismanaged war in the Crimea and that’s just in the first two decades of her reign. She was unscathed by nine childbirths as she was by eight assassination attempts.
This is a well written and well researched book. If you are interested in British history or Victoria this is an excellent read. Be warned the book is long at 21 hours or about 600 pages. Clive Chafer narrated the book.
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13 people found this helpful
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- John Moore
- 02-28-15
Victoria Discovered
Would you consider the audio edition of Victoria to be better than the print version?
Never read a book about Victoria.
What did you like best about this story?
I think the author did a fair and balanced job of presenting the life and character of Queen Victoria and Albert. I never knew anything about them previously. It seems she could be a very dull subject but the author made it a good read.
What about Clive Chafer’s performance did you like?
Very well done with his voice and acents.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Victoria - Life and Times not so conservative as you might think.
Any additional comments?
Fair and balanced story of a historically significant person.
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1 person found this helpful
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- ron
- 06-28-15
wow
Where does Victoria rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
this was a "meaty" read. lots of characters, but i really enjoyed it. what a fascinating woman. i had forgotten that a lot of things occurred historically during her reign.
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1 person found this helpful