Victoria Rebels

November 1, 2012
This absorbing, fictionalized first-person account of Queen Victoria's early life reveals the hardships she endured as a child and young woman. Readers meet Victoria at age 8, growing up under the strict supervision of her mother, a woman completely under the influence of one Sir John Conroy, a man so ambitious he schemes to rule England through Victoria. Kept under observation virtually all the time, young Victoria struggles to escape total domination. After her half sister marries and moves to Germany, her former governess remains as her only private confidant. When 18-year-old Victoria is crowned, she banishes Conroy and assumes control of her life, but not without some hiccups. Basing the story on Victoria's diaries, Meyer writes convincingly as the young princess and queen, imitating the girl's writing style but keeping the narration accessible to modern readers. The story follows Victoria from childhood and adolescence through the births of her first three children. Although written entirely from Victoria's viewpoint aside from a few brief letters, it conveys the young queen's inappropriate political biases, her initial reluctance to marry and her terrible temper. As it turns out, though Victoria's early life was stifling to her, it comes across as an engrossing tale. The author does not enhance or alter the history; she simply and convincingly translates it into a lively narrative. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

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April 1, 2013

Gr 8-11-Meyer's intriguing first-person narrative is based on Victoria's diaries, begun when the monarch-to-be was 13 years of age. Told in a haughty, petulant voice, the novel highlights the princess's views on her status and her constant struggle against the agenda of her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her mother's ever-conniving companion, Sir John Conroy. Ostensibly because she is being groomed and educated for her future ascent to the throne, Victoria is controlled during every waking moment and even monitored as she sleeps; she is never left alone for a second. But she is mature and impatient to reach adulthood, and very much supported by her governess and an uncle. Readers will relate to the princess's passionate views on independent thinking and the need to take control of her own future. Short chapters take the story through her marriage to Prince Albert and the birth of their third child. The realism and history behind the making of this strong-willed woman are often conveyed through feisty dialogue between Victoria and her two nemeses. An effective introductory glimpse into the monarch's soul.-Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
Grades 6-9 Meyer ably reconstructs Queen Victoria's childhood in this mild historical novel, in which a young princess struggles to reconcile her desires with her place in history. Stifled by a controlling mother and placed in the center of a power struggle between that mother and King William, Victoria longs for the day when she can be her own woman. Her inevitable marriage is another threat to her independence, until she meets Prince Albert and falls in love. Once she is queen, her passionate but self-righteous childishness gives way to a more balanced woman willing to admit mistakes, in part thanks to Albert's equally passionate opinions. Though Queen Victoria's life was tumultuous, Meyer's narrative often lacks drama and excitement, smoothing the story into a diarylike recital of events. Distracting stylistic choicesuse of all capitals and underliningwere taken from Queen Victoria's own diaries but lack some context. However, Meyer's intimate and authentic portrait will engage readers looking for a personal connection or proof that history's largest figures were once just like them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)