Royal, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia; these were the six daughters of King George III and Queen Charlotte. It's easy to get lost among the fifteen children of the king and queen but in Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III
Flora Frasier attempts to give voice to these women who have often fallen into the shadows of history. While many girls today grow up dreaming of being beautiful princesses, these girls probably wanted nothing more than an independent life in a country cottage.Much of what is known of George's daughters is that he was so over-protective of them, they weren't allowed to marry until they were well into spinsterhood. Although marriage didn't always mean freedom, it did mean getting out of Mum and Dad's house. Each princess reacted to this repression in a different way, Royal with rebellion, Sophia with men, Mary with passiveness, etc. Frasier records each of their stories chronologically in amazing detail in order to grant each one individuality.
I found though, that in reading this six-person biography that it was hard to actually give the princesses individuality. They may have been raised by the same people, and they may have had their own unique personalities, but they still all led very boring lives. I found that it could become difficult to keep track of all the different princesses (a personal matter perhaps) and had to create a little cheat-sheet sticky note on the inside cover to aid me in the issue. If it was difficult for me to keep track of all these daughters, I'm sure researching their lives was quite the endeavor! Frasier demonstrates her impressive skills in revealing information, but I feel like much of the details she includes could have been omitted. The truth of the matter is that the princesses' boring sheltered lives make for many details about things that aren't as interesting as, say, causing a scandal, making discoveries, or creating significant rifts in history. Family tiffs just don't measure up to those fun biographical details in my opinion!
While no one can deny Frasier's storytelling ability and the amount of work that went into this impressive endeavor, it still wasn't my favourite biography. The less interesting tidbits outweighed the interesting ones. However if you do have a passion for that crazy royal family your opinions might differ from mine!
Hmmm...I'm more interested in boring tidbits and ordinary lives than great scandals and romances, so this might be right up my alley! And I've always wondered about George III's daughters.
ReplyDeleteIn that case, I would highly recommend this book for you!
ReplyDeleteI've never been 'in to' boring, so thanks for the review, Heather. I think I'll take a powder on this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review Heather:) Although this family isn't my favourite either..I do have to say that it's one of those (probably due to their gift? of being so strange)I'm always so curious about them cause I never know what to expect (even in their ordinary life they were extreme). If you ask me, they were all pretty weird...
ReplyDeleteDid George really prefer his youngest daughter the best? Seems like he might have been different or maybe a little more lenient with her?
Great review Heather. I've been meaning to pick up this book for a long time but I was daunted by how long it was. And I adore Flora Fraser's books. Joan Aiken Hodge does a great job in fewer pages in her book about Regency Women. Sophia is probably the most interesting for her affairs.
ReplyDeleteI read this book a few years ago, when I was first starting to get into the 18th century. Although I didn't realy have much trouble telling the girls apart (except for some reason, Elizabeth and Augusta. I stil cannot remember which one did what) I found it interesting enough as a biography, but I felt the length of it made it dryer than it would have been otherwise. By the halfway point I was working to keep reading. However, it layed such a nice groundwork for related history (George IV, Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte, the eventual birth and rise of Queen Victoria as well as all those little German countries) that I would recommend it just for that aspect. It was perfect for someone just starting to read about the 18th century, and has made so many books I've read since make more sense.
ReplyDeleteI think your review seemed accurate from what I heard....:o) sounds like a opportunity for a Giveaway!
ReplyDelete@Lucy I think George was pretty good at not playing favs with his daughters. He was distraught when they died prematurely though, as can be imagined.
ReplyDelete@Belle, You are very right! I found the bits about Caroline and especially Princess Charlotte the more interesting aspects of the book.
I'm glad to see that I am not the only person who found the bulk of the book boring. The fault is not in the writer but in the restricted, sometimes claustrophobic lives these women led. I found myself skipping through, reading the interesting bits and not making much effort to remember the rest.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I always feel bad giving a bad review into a book that I most certainly couldn't write but that's how it is!
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