What readers think of Victoria, plus links to write your own review.

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin was a very easy read. It portrays only a small snapshot of Victoria's life within a 2-3 year span, from the time she took the throne to the moment of her engagement to Albert. I enjoyed the book for the historical aspect. I knew very little about Queen Victoria before reading this book, and was glad to read that such an independent and "saucy" young woman was Queen of England. Goodwin's writing of the piano duet between Victoria and Albert was positively electric, and conveyed their mutual attraction to one another. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I don't think it will be considered a classic retelling of Queen Victoria due to the limited time span of her life that it covers, but I did enjoy it.

Loved this book- it was well written and explored the life of a young girl who couldn't descend the stairs alone one day until the next day she was the Queen of England. She was young and inexperienced but soon learned the ways of the Court. great reading that makes me excited for the PBS series airing in January!

As the author points out, we usually think of Victoria as a very mature and dour woman. This story, highlighting her early years, was a good and interesting read; and pretty accurate in its fact. As the basis for the Masterpiece series, it just can't miss. The book should have a HUGE audience. Because it is historically presentable, most readers will enjoy the story and the history.

I am not a particular fan of Daisy Goodwin's novels, but found this one to be an easy and interesting read about the first few years of Queen Victoria's reign. The character of Lord Melbourne was most interesting and I thought, the best developed. It was also interesting to note how little we have progressed in the notion that women can be capable rulers. I admired Victoria's independence, but that was probably due more to Melbourne's influence than anything else. It gave her a good foundation for her long reign.

How could a very sheltered 18 year old girl cope with suddenly becoming the queen of England? The book, Victoria, gives us a glance of the first few years of her reign. The book is, more or less, a love story of her feelings for the father figure and kind prime minister. As she sees Albert in different light from their meeting several years ago. She begins her marriage and future.

It was fun to read about Victoria's beginnings, and to see and feel what it may have been like to be in her position, raised so protectively and then suddenly thrust into such a public role at such a young age. I appreciated the extremes inherent in the situation of being a young girl coming of age subject to the normal feelings a young girl experiences, while at the same time expected to act with the wisdom, grace and dignity befitting a monarch.
I especially liked the portrayal of Victoria's Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. I found him to be the most fully developed and satisfying character in the book.
I liked the second half of the book more than the first. I felt it contained more humor in the situations and characters' responses, which I enjoyed very much.
I found this to be a fairly light read compared to many of the other historical fiction novels I have read, but definitely fun and enjoyable with a satisfying ending.

Daisy Goodwin's historical novel, Victoria, tells a compelling story of Queen Victoria who takes the throne at eighteen years of age. The novel details not only the struggle the young queen faces with managing the precipice between adolescence and adulthood but also the naiveté and inexperience she has about duty, politics, and trust. Portrayed at the beginning of the novel as stubborn, a bit reckless and unprepared for her duties, I found my interest in the novel increasing as the Queen learns the complexities of ruling through making mistakes and becoming more politically aware. At forty years older than Queen Victoria, Lord Melborne's character, was equally well fleshed out. The relationship between the queen and the Prime Minister was effectively conveyed through the various historical events that occurred during these first few years. The juxtaposition in age, as told through both characters perspectives, added to the complexity. Ms. Goodwin's focus on dialogue, along with historical events made this a wonderful, delightful read. The novel also piqued my interest in reading more about Queen Victoria's reign.

I love history, and I appreciate good historical fiction. However, I must admit that I was disappointed by Daisy Goodwin's VICTORIA. It is very well written, very easy to read and arranged in such a way that you could read it in short chunks. I was hoping for more history, more perspective about the times, about Victoria ascending the throne as a very young woman. To me, this book almost bordered on an exceptional 'young adult' romance novel, with little bits of historical references thrown in. Perhaps the author was assuming that there has been plenty written about the workings and protocols of the English court, but I personally would have enjoyed more of this, while still incorporating the deep personal relationships between Victoria, her family, her Prime Minister and ladies-in-waiting. For me, more depth and history (perhaps using quotes from letters, notes, etc.) would have been appreciated and enjoyed.