[.ca] The Georgian Princesses (ISBN 0750930519)

an easy read:
John Van der Kiste has written a book that is easy to read. He treats his subjects with sympathy whilst not being afraid to point out the less than endearing aspects of their characters. With so many of the Georgian princesses having the same name it is easy to lose track of who is who. Thankfully the author has included a useful family tree at the beginning of the book which helps you to follow who is who. The downside of this book is it's brevity. The author has covered over 150 years of history in a mere 221 pages which means none of the characters are covered in any great depth. This is a good book with which to gain an overview of these women but if you are wanting an in depth study of them then this may not be the book for you.

Very Good:
I thought the author did a remarkable job of writing about so many princesses and queens. I didn't find it hard to read at all and for those who did the family tree was very clear, all you had to do was turn back a few pages. I was very impressed and delighted by the amount of information you recieved without making it dry. One of my favorite books. Definately buy this book because you'll never see other books on some of these Queens. When was the last time anyone saw a biography on Queen Adelaide? If you liked this book you should read Victoria's daughters to pick up where this one left off by Jerold M. Packard.

Interesting Chronicles of Little Known Royal Women:
The Georgian Princesses describes the lives of many of the women of Britain's House of Hanover in the 18th and early 19th centuries. In their lifetimes these women were regarded as mere pawns on the European chessboard of alliances and power politics. They were married off to men they scarcely knew and who in many cases were extremely unpleasant companions and expected to make the best of it. Most of the time all we now know of these women are their names on various genealogical charts. John Van Der Kiste has resurrected these royal ladies and given them new life. Most of these women turn out to have had fairly sunny and mild dispositions. They were rarely given much education and had few inner resources to fall back on when their lives and marriages soured, as they so often did. Nevertheless they seem to have borne their lot with dignity most of the time, and sometimes they were able to find consolation in religion or in extramarital affairs. I felt the sorriest for Caroline Matilda, sister of George III and known as Denmark's "Queen of Tears" for the suffering she underwent at the hands of a schizophrenic husband. I liked George II's consort Caroline of Anspach and Electress Sophia of Hanover (the progenitress of the family) the best for their sharp intelligence and senses of humor. Because so many of these women have similar names it can be confusing separating the Sophia Dorotheas and the Sophia Charlottes from the Carolines and Louises, but the genealogical charts at the front help a lot. Also, I felt some of the women got short shrift and were barely mentioned at all. Nevertheless, Van Der Kiste has turned out a very satisfying volume.

Georgian Princesses:
I really enjoyed this book and found it fascinating to read about so many women who in other books are often only referred to as "wife" or "daughter" of someone else. Finally, I got to learn about who these women really were! Some reviewers found the fact that so many women had the same names confusing. It is a bit, but we can hardly fault the author for that! He does use nicknames when that will help to differentiate. And, the family trees were invaluable in keeping everyone straight. I didn't find the names a drawback at all. But, anyone who reads about royal/noble families will be accustomed to this.

Confusion reigns:
I somehow finished this book because I felt challenged but I couldn't tell you one fact about any person described in this book with certainty. True, their names were alike, but the author jumps from one Duchess, Countess, Princess, Queen in the same paragraph and you can't tell who he is talking about. There was certainly research done, and I applaud that, but I still don't know who was what, when, or where. There were at least 10 people mentioned on every page, half with the same names so you just have to laugh and do the best you can.