Specify Books During Kings and Queens of England
Original Title: | The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England |
ISBN: | 0304357235 (ISBN13: 9780304357239) |
Edition Language: | English |
Antonia Fraser
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 256 pages Rating: 4.04 | 1562 Users | 84 Reviews

Define About Books Kings and Queens of England
Title | : | Kings and Queens of England |
Author | : | Antonia Fraser |
Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 256 pages |
Published | : | 2000 by Cassell (first published January 1st 1975) |
Categories | : | Nonfiction. History. Biography. European Literature. British Literature. Historical. Reference |
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Amusingly, and hardly surprisingly, this became much more conservative as it got closer to the current day. One author even goes so far as to look back longingly at the golden age of the past when people didn’t get divorced and newspapers didn’t print stories about the love lives of the royals. I guess this book knows its audience – I mean, you are probably most likely to read a book by this title if you think the monarchy is a good thing and are a conservative old fool in a nursing home (or a conservative old fool in waiting to go to a nursing home), whereas I was mostly reading it for amusing anecdotes. All the same, for every ten people cheering and waving flags there is always one like myself sniggering behind their hand and this I take as my role in writing this review.I thought the person who wrote on the House of Windsor at the end got somewhat carried away. Not just with the nonsense that the current Queen has set up the royal family to make its way into the third millennium (can anyone really imagine England still being ruled by a King in a thousand years – what a particularly depressing thought that is), but also for the stuff about the Queen never having made a faux pas (a rather interesting observation to make about a woman who married Prince Phillip, I’d have thought). However, William or no William and whatever his thin wife is called, it is hard to see the Windsors plodding on for another thousand years. They are a particularly dim and dull-witted lot – and rather too proud in their low-brow tastes. But then again, just how could you convince someone that it would be a good idea to spend a life doing whatever it is that Charles has been doing, without them being dumb as dog's shit?
I wanted to read this to see what might be said about those Shakespearian characters from Richard II through to Richard III. I was surprised that Shakespeare seems to have kept quite well to the overall story.
I was also surprised at how many of these monarchs had their last words recorded. Often these were almost meaningless in terms of their lives, one (can’t remember which now – probably one of the Georges) died talking about the Church – not really one of his key interests while he was alive. It is even recorded that George II died on the toilet, a victim to constipation – well and the stodgy English diet, I assume - or presume.
I have read some of the longer versions of these, particularly for James I and Charles I. The longer versions are much more interesting and, obviously enough, contain much more detail. I've always found the homosexual antics of James I particularly amusing, especially given he gave his name to the ever popular version of the Bible – or is it just me who sees this as being somewhat amusingly ironic?
But this is a rogues’ gallery of people who other then through winning the lottery of birth would never have been remembered for anything of consequence. They have been, despite all advantage, remarkably consistent in their bovine intelligence.
All the same, hard to imagine a tabloid being able to eke out an existence without the constant stream of stories this particularly dysfunctional family provides.
Rating About Books Kings and Queens of England
Ratings: 4.04 From 1562 Users | 84 ReviewsEvaluate About Books Kings and Queens of England
Audiobook. A decent overview of the Kings and Queens of England from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. A notable technique is how the author interconnects the lives of the kings and queens, discussing how they interacted with their parents and children in the paths to succession. It a very sorted mix. The author does try to maintain an overall balance approach to discussing the royals, in some cases challenging conventional wisdom and sometimes reaffirming it. It is not the most in-depthIt's very entertaining to learn about the highlights of the lives of every king and queen in England as written by a modern writer with a modern sense of humor. It also makes me feel really smart to be able to talk about the accomplishments made by random kings and queens like Edward III (Reign: 1327-1377) or Queen Anne (Reign: 1702-1714). There were gradual advances toward the establishment and reliance on parliament and a prime minister. It's also amazing how many gay kings there were. Within
Given to me by my grandparents, I remember reading it from cover to cover. Before essays were a part of my life. Ahh... Those were the days!

I love this book. I re-read it all the time, usually when I'm trying to get to sleep. I know that sounds like the opposite of a good recommendation, but there's something restful and comforting about reading a short but excellently written and edited biographical sketch of some British monarch. If you're interested in the subject it's a great handy reference. And good for insomnia.
A sort of Cliff Notes for history of the British monarchy. Each king and queen is subject to a profile of main accomplishments and personality, usually with a choice quote. My ignorance was only mildly assuaged, but there was a nice sense of continuity over the centuries (with only gap the effective rule of Oliver Cromwell). The noble ones who loved their subjects interspersed with the ones who were power mad, or just mad, and other who only wanted to make and spend their money on luxury or sin.
I did enjoy parts of this book quite a bit, but it was mainly for the Kings and Queens that I had read about previously. I read Shakespeare's "Richard III," so the stuff surrounding the War of the Roses was interesting. Also, the House of Windsor, which brings us up to date with the current royalty. I watched the movie "The King's Speech," so it was interesting placing various people into a timeline that I recognized. I feel like in order to get the most out of a book like this, I'll first have
This book is most useful as an overview of the key events involving or effecting the lives of Britain's monarchs. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and going right through to the current queen, Elizabeth II, it lies somewhere between comprehensive history and encyclopedia. If this is a topic of interest for you, then this book is a good place to start as a way to find which monarchs or periods are of the greatest interest you. Form here, you will definitely want to involve yourself in further
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