Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life by Lucy Worsley is a captivating and insightful biography that offers a fresh perspective on one of history’s most iconic figures. Rather than providing a comprehensive overview of Victoria’s entire reign, Worsley focuses on twenty-four pivotal days that shaped the course of her life and reign, offering readers a deeper…
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Gold Rush Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Nellie Cashman
Gold Rush Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Nellie Cashman by Thora Kerr Illing My rating: 1 of 5 stars * Last semester I took a creative non-fiction course; the last course I needed for my double major and before I started research for my thesis. In this course, the prof wanted us to read a “creative non-fiction” book, i.e. a biography/memoir, and write a review on it. Below is the review I handed in for marking, with only minor changes. I admit, this may not be my best work, but my prof was of the opinion that my writing was sloppy, unclear, unfocused and in need of major editing. I…
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A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf
A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf by Emily Midorikawa My rating: 3 of 5 stars As part of my ongoing research for my thesis I primarily focused on the section that dealt with Jane Austen’s friendship with Anne Sharp. I was excited to read this book and had high hopes to find little pieces of information that could be truly beneficial for my thesis. I ended up being disappointed. It did discuss the friendship that had not really been mentioned by anyone else, but the research and evidence provided is lacking. Barely any quotes are used and the ones that…
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Jane Austen at Home
Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley My rating: 2 of 5 stars This biography was suggested by my thesis supervisor as background information for my thesis topic. I had started reading it the previous summer, but had to stop due to time constraints and because the hardcover edition available from my local library was a bit too cumbersome. I ended up buying a paperback edition while visiting Bath, England in March. It was a stop and go sort of journey with this book and I am on the fence about my opinion of it. I’m completely torn and wondering how much detail and example of my split opinion I…
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The Life of Jane Austen
The Life of Jane Austen by John Halperin My rating: 3 of 5 stars Originally, I had rated this biography four stars, but after a few day’s consideration I have decided to change it to three stars. As part of my research in preparation for my graduate thesis, I am reading a handful of texts with increased scrutiny. I found the biography, generally speaking, very informative. The author explains in his introduction that he decided against footnotes in order to provide the reader with a more continuous reading experience, since footnotes have the tendency to distract and break up the flow of the text. The chapter notes at the end…
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Jane Austen – A Family Record
Jane Austen, a Family Record by William Austen-Leigh My rating: 2 of 5 stars This was another book on my required reading list in preparation for my graduate thesis. It certainly is a family record and it is rather dry. I must confess that I read this biography with a grain of salt and a constant mental reminder that Jane’s immediate surviving family members edited the sections of her letters they used in their published biography of their aunt Jane. Since the initial publication of this biography (by her nephew’s son and grandson) many more of Jane’s letters have resurfaced and the truth came to light that even those sections…
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Elisabeth: Kaiserin wider Willen
Elisabeth: Kaiserin wider Willen by Brigitte Hamann My rating: 2 of 5 stars I visited the Sissi museum in Vienna in December of last year. It was beautiful and enchanting and piqued my enthusiasm of learning more about Elisabeth. I must apologize, if I sound biased and even condescending, but unfortunately most of the books and research one can find about Elisabeth is only through one author, Brigitte Hamann. Based on everything I have read of hers dealing with Elisabeth I am confused as to her motivations to devote so much time and effort into a subject that appears to not be her passion or even full interest. Dispersed within…
