Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life

By: Lucy Worsley

Narrated by: Lucy Paterson

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Worsley gives us Victoria in all her infinite variety - queen and mother, matriach and minx. I loved it." (Daisy Goodwin, author of The American Heiress, The Fortune Hunter, and Victoria: A Novel) 

This program includes an introduction read by the author, as well as a bonus interview exclusive to the audiobook.

The story of the queen who defied convention and defined an era.  

Perhaps one of the best known of the English monarchs, Queen Victoria forever shaped a chapter of English history, bequeathing her name to the Victorian age. In Queen Victoria, Lucy Worsley introduces this iconic woman in a new light. Going beyond an exploration of the queen merely as a monarch, Worsley considers Victoria as a woman leading a truly extraordinary life in a unique time period. The audiobook is structured around the various roles that Victoria inhabited - a daughter raised to wield power, a loving but tempestuous wife, a controlling mother, and a cunning widow - all while wearing the royal crown.    

Far from a protofeminist, Queen Victoria was socially conservative and never supported women’s rights. And yet, Victoria thwarted the strict rules of womanhood that defined the era to which she gave her name. She was passionate, selfish, and moody, boldly defying the will of politicians who sought to control her and emotionally controlling her family for decades. How did the woman who defined Victorian womanhood also manage to defy its conventions?   

Drawing from the vast collection of Victoria’s correspondence and the rich documentation of her life, Worsley recreates 24 of the most important days in Victoria's life, including her parents' wedding day, the day she met Albert, her own wedding day, the birth of her first child, a Windsor Christmas, the death of Prince Albert, and many more. Each day gives a glimpse into the identity of this powerful, difficult queen as a wife and widow, mother and matriarch, and above all, a woman of her time.

©2018 Lucy Worsley (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Lucy Paterson provides a charming portrayal of a mother, matron, minx, and monarch: Queen Victoria of England...Paterson's tone is bright and cheerful, and she keeps the historical details lively." (AudioFile Magazine)
 

Gloriana!

Scholarly biographies are often so dull and repetitive, perhaps because they must cover an entire life with minute accuracy. And if a biography is not strictly accurate, not underpinned by documents, first sources, etc., one may as well read a novel. Of course, No amount liveliness will make up for shallow research.

Here is where the author's chosen structure is brilliant. Focusing on a few dates not only allows her to show off her scholarly chops, but also to indulge in a bit of "gossip" about her subject, and to put Victoria firnly in context of the age. You're impressed by detail and primary sources, you feel the Queen was a real person, and that you have a rather fuller, more empathetic, understanding of her life. Victoria is not disrespected by assumptions about her thoughts and feelings, nor is she fawned upon, made into a marble statue you come to hate for its perfection.

Much -- plenty!-- is left out, and you will want to say, "Wait, Lucy! Go back. Tell me more about..." and "Do it again, please!" She has gives such a lively grasp of the subject, you will want to fill in gaps, delve deeper, go off on tangents. I know I'm not alone in wanting much more of Melbourne, a man too often seen only in silhouette against much more unworthy subjects --his silly, immature wife; that over-lionized, self-indulgent poet; Peel, Palmerston and other noisy politicians; Albert (now firmly in his place, thank you Lucy); and his pupil, Victoria.
How about it, dear Lucy?

8 people found this helpful

Love Lucy Worsley

Lucy Worsley peeks into corners that other historians do not see and comes up with wonderful little nuggets and keen perceptions. I'm sorry she did not narrate the book herself as she is delightful, but the narrator did a good job for her.

4 people found this helpful

Fascinating and enjoyable

Interested to learn more about the real Victoria after watching the PBS miniseries on her life. Loved the way this was organized around 24 important days in her life. Loved the narrator! Highly recommend!

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely Wonderful

I enjoyed and ate up every chapter of this book. I learned so much about Victoria, her family, her challenges and struggles - all making her the woman she was and still is to many admirers.

A bonus was the great interview by Lucy Worsley at the end.

I also found Lucy Paterson’s voice and inflection to be most engaging to listen to!

Enjoyable and interesting history !

I enjoyed this well written bit of history about Queen Victoria and her family. Very insightful on detail and story line.

Fascinating and Engaging

Lucy Worsley is one of my favorite historians because of her ability to make history come alive for the non-academic reader. She brings a sense of human interest and fun to her subjects that makes them live. She also applies a bit of psychological analysis to their motives and behavior that may not be strictly academic and no doubt reflects her own experiences, but it engages the reader, who can accept it or apply their own insights.

A very interesting telling of Victoria's life through the device of 24 pivotal days. If the queen or her times interest you at all, I recommend it.

Fab Listen On Queen Victoria

I really enjoyed listening to this. Dr. Lucy Worsley is my favorite historian and I thought she chose an interesting premise (choosing only 24 days) to tell us about Queen Victoria. I say only because I thought it would be limited to those 24 days, but Dr. Worsley goes much into depth than that day. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about Queen Victoria and Victorian history.
A note about the narrator, she was absolutely fine, but I personally would have preferred Dr. Lucy to have read it. She just has a way of adding emphasis and just a certain oomph to details and facts, which I enjoy. It would have been nice to have had her read it.

Wonderful!

Worsley is the queen of history! I enjoyed the format of the book, the narration and bits she chose to include.

Loved It!

My very first audible book and I was so sad when it was finished. And the narrator has a beautiful voice!