Customer Reviews:
A kings story.......2002-12-08
I felt sorry for the duke, he must have been such a lonely man.....He never got any compliments from his father or his family. They all seemed so far away from each other. No wonder he fell in love with Wallis, she paid attention to him, this is what he needed, someone to treat him with respect and high regard, no wonder he abdicated....He wouldn't have to abdicate,but the P.M. at that time was a very vicious and ugly person who was JEALOUS of King Edward, he wouldn't even allow the king to speak to the other members on his own behalf...Queen Mum was also jealous and vicious, she did not like Wallis, because she was divorced and an american, she would not allow King George to communicate with the duke after he was exiled. The people all wanted King Edward to become King, they all loved him because of his charistma and his feelings for the common people.Edward and Diana were very much alike and treated VERY BADLY by their so called "royal families". Edward and Diana had more "guts" than all the royals together. King Edward would have been a "great" king, thanks to Queen Mum and her coldness toward Edward and Wallis caused him to live in an empty wrld. All the worl loves "lovers"and the Duke and Duchess were the lovers of the 20th century. How many people can have such a love????????I really loved this book and read it over and over.....
Vapid, yes...though totally fascinating..........2001-03-12
I can't help it. Even though I believe that the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor were probably two of the most self-serving people ever to exist on the face of the planet, I find them totally fascinating. And this book lets us into their domaine. Imagine a man so totally mesmerized by this woman, that not only did he leave her a fresh flower on her pillow every night of their married life, he slept surrounded by photos of her (separate bedrooms). There were 10,000 photos of them in his bathtub (covered with a mahogany top. He ONLY showered.) that were discovered after her death. That means for the duration of the time that they were married, they were photographed approximately 300 times a year. Every year. The photographs of the refurbished decor in the Paris house were fascinating. Too bad everything was sold after Dodi & Diana's death. This book is truly a window into a lifestyle that no longer exists.
finally a sneak peek into their very private world.......1999-09-08
I was very impressed with the photography and the information contained in this book. Wallis Simpson is amazing, she comes off as more chic and more royal than any of the royals. Fascinating inside look into that very glamorous era, and it's most powerful couple.
too much to pay for a couple with zero to offer.......1998-04-03
It is beyond me how any person with a functioning brain could ever find the Windsors more than the most over publicized, most tedious couple who ever inhabited the pages of People Magazine and its predecessors. What is even more alarming is that there are people willing to pay $67.50 for a book of pictures of the duke, the duchess and their collection of stuff. Pardon me for my rant, but I needed to do it. I don't think I've ever typed out my feeings on this subject before. I've ranted about this couple more than I wish to admit.. but, hell, we all have our quirks.
Book Description
Many see the Victorian era as Britain's heyday. Certainly some of the nation's most exceptional citizens lived then, not least, of course, Queen Victoria herself. In all fields, pioneers were at work, among them Isbard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, John Ruskin, William Morris, Sir Robert Peel, Sir John Stuart Mill, Michael Faraday, Edward Lear, and Charles Darwin.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-07-14
This is a strange book, with no mention of how these women supported one another other than a photo or two of them relaxing together (and I myself have more interesting photos of that from a copy of a 1946 Yank newspaper!), no interviews, no diaries, no mention of whether they testified in post-war trials for or against one another, no mention of what defense their attorneys put up, no mention of the kind of lives those not convicted of anything then lived out, a photo of Himmler inspecting their unit with nary a word of what he said, and virtually no quotes from any of the women themselves. This book almost make one wish someone like David Irving, who might be expected to be prejudiced in their favor but would also certainly have seriously delved into these womens' lives, had written it....
Not worth the money.......2006-11-01
Not worth the money. The only thing you learn is how little is known about the women guards
big list.......2006-05-03
The bulk of this book is an endless list of women's names possibly emplyed as Aufseherins by the SS in the Concentration camps. Added to that is a nice essay about these women and some pictures.
Could use a lot more work.
Mainly a Roster.......2005-10-26
While there are 2 or 3 very brief essays in this book, the vast majority of pages consist of a roster of women who helped run the Nazi concentration camps. I gave this item only 2 stars in part because the title should more accurately reflect this. If you want extensive narrative you'll need to look elsewhere.
Book Description
Charles I waged civil wars that cost one in ten Englishmen their lives. But in 1649 Parliament was hard put to find a lawyer with the skill and daring to prosecute a King who claimed to be above the law: in the end the man they briefed was the radical lawyer John Cooke. His Puritan conscience, political vision, and love of civil liberties gave him the courage to bring the King’s trial to its dramatic conclusion: the English Republic. He would pay dearly for it: Charles I was beheaded, but eleven years later Cooke himself was arrested, tried, and brutally executed at the hands of Charles II.
Geoffrey Robertson, an internationally renowned human rights lawyer, provides a vivid new reading of the tumultuous Civil War years, exposing long-hidden truths: that the King was guilty as charged, that his execution was necessary to establish the sovereignty of Parliament, that the regicide trials were rigged and their victims should be seen as national heroes.
John Cooke sacrificed his own life to make tyranny a crime. His trial of Charles I, the first trial of a head of state for waging war on his own people, became a forerunner of the trials of Augusto Pinochet, Slobodan Milosevic, and Saddam Hussein. This is a superb work of history that casts a revelatory light on some of the most important issues of our time.
Customer Reviews:
A fascinating perspective.......2007-10-17
Apart from anything else, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Geoffrey Robertson's style brings immediacy to the events he narrates and makes the book as enjoyable to read as if it were a well-written historical novel.
As other reviewers have noted, the book is blatantly anti-royalist, but since all history is written from a perspective, I think it is refreshing to find Robertson owning up to his perspective right from the title, which makes it obvious where his sympathies lie.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is a further perspective that Robertson brings, namely that of a lawyer. Seeing the trials of both Charles I and the regicides from the insider viewpoint of someone who is intimately familar with the law as opposed to most historians, who interpret events primarily from a political standpoint, brings all kinds of new insights to the interpretation. An independent judiciary, and one where lawyers must take any brief brought to them by a citizen, is an integral element in a functioning democracy and it is enlightening to read about some of the early developments in this direction, particularly those espoused by Cooke.
I would, however, definitely recommend balancing the views in this book with other sources on the civil war as there are certainly areas that are glossed over by Robertson in presenting his partisan point of view.
A man ahead of hi s time.......2007-03-31
I recommend this book to all that enjoy reading history. The writing is very fluid and moves at a fast past. It added greatly to my knowledge of this period of English history. I was particularly interested in the conflicts in the revolutionary forces. Also, the fact that in this period as in all written history, the winners tell the story.
A Must for Anyone.......2007-03-24
Robertson displays the skills of a jurist, historian and writer all in one. A masterfully compiled, well written, and brilliantly presented analysis of John Cook, what is known of his life, as well as the time in which he lived (and, sadly), died.
A highly informative book, captivating from beginning to end, and full of modern day references that help to understand the fundamental impact some of the thoughts, actions and writings of John Cook had.
Part of the Development of Our Legal System.......2007-01-29
As I read today's letters to the editor in the local paper, I see all kinds of comments re President Bush that accuse him of all kinds of things. I think that perhaps those writers should read this book to see what a serious matter this can be.
In this book we are looking at the pivotal case where a monarch, King Charles I of England is tried for being a tyrant and subsequently executed. The attorney handling the attack on King Charles, John Cooke, pioneered the new legal ground that Kings were not granted their power by God but by the will of the people. It was the popular thing to do at the time, but extremely foolish if the Royal Family should get back into power. And they did. And John Cooke paid with his own life.
As I read this I was reminded of the trials after World War II of the German and Japanese leaders, and of the subsequent trials of people like Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, Pinochet, Milosevic and others. It opens up a bunch of questions as to where the legal system has retained its power vs. simply the power of the victor.
An interesting book about an interesting time in the development of the English legal system that later became our own.
The Tyrannicide Brief.......2007-01-10
Geoffrey Robinson, a British jurist and worlwide advocate for human rights, has produced a gripping biography of a man largely ignored by history, John Cooke, a barrister selected by Parliament to prosecute the deposed and imprisoned king, Charles I. In pressing his case, Cooke broke new legal ground, arguing that rulers derive their power, not from God, but from the people they rule. And following from this, rulers can be called to account, deposed, and punished if they rule tyrannically. In this case, and in his subsequent juridical career, Cooke is shown to have been farsighted and fair. His patriotism, his concern for human rights, and his integrity gained him no protection from Stuart wrath, however, after the Restoration, and the terrible payment they exacted from him is detailed, almost too vividly, in the final pages of the book. Still, the principles he espoused are today the recognized rights of Englishmen, are enshrined in the American Constitution, and are slowly becoming part of international law, as Sadaam Hussein recently learned.
Book Description
Among the noted figures of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries featured in this volume are Guy Fawkes, the Yorkshire Protestant who joined the Spanish Army and converted to Catholicism, later to return to become the prime mover in the Gunpowder Plot. Also making an appearance is Nell Gwynne, the former orange seller who became a favored mistress of Charles II; and Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England and nemesis of the monarchy.
Customer Reviews:
Useful for students and history buffs.......2000-04-01
This book is a chronologically-arranged series of biographies of important figures active in English history from 1485 to 1603. It's highly useful for students and for people with an interest in the period trying to find out quick but accurate information on someone they see mentioned elsewhere. It's not a great browsing book, but is an excellent reference resource. It's one of a series of books covering most of English and, later, British history. The only drawback is that its confinement to England means that some important players in Tudor history, such as the rebel Irish leaders of Elizabeth's reign, are omitted. However, it does include key Scots like Mary Stuart and Darnley.
Book Description
The author of the acclaimed "Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution" presents this dramatic account of the War of 1812, the war that established a young nation as a permanent power and proved its claim to Manifest Destiny. Unabridged. 13 CDs.
Customer Reviews:
Good Anecdotes but Too Many Editing Errors, OK 3.5.......2007-10-09
One of the major problems with this book (give it a C+) is that it doesn't seem that the editor had a strong grasp of the subject. As an aside, the book is dedicated to the editor by the author (maybe they both need help). Other reviewers have mentioned mistakes, here is another: in the text a general in 1813 is referred to as "Military Governor of Ohio Territory" ; Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1803.
This is not the only time that the states and territories are mixed up or that placement is wrong. During the description of the Battle of New Orleans, he mentions a ship sailing 'down' the Mississippi (south) and then firing at the British on the east bank with their starboard guns. Any sailor will tell you that you have to be facing north to fire your starboard guns in an easterly direction. Of course the boat could have been turned around, but why? Sure it's a little picky, but that's what history is about.
He does do a good job of entertaining us with anecdotes that add to our knowledge of many of the 'Founding Fathers', but it doesn't make up for the mistakes on so many of the other stories. That's another point that I would like to make. The book reads like a compendium of the works of many writers, and not the seamless work of one author. Could it be possible that some of his helpers and researchers did a 'little' of the writing? See for yourself.
A Different Point of View.......2007-07-21
"To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World" by Arthur Herman.
Read this for a more balanced view of this cowardly war Mr. Madison declared on Great Britain when she was fighting for survival against the French (and Spain at times) under Napoleon.
Madison's objective, aided and abetted by "it will be a walk over" Jefferson was an opportunistic war of aggression to occupy Canada (and Florida) -but his forces were decisively repulsed and routed by Loyalist forces.
Sound familiar?
Canada remained a free country as it wished to be and did not become a colony of the USA as Madison wished.
All the rest of his reasons (impressment etc.) were propaganda to get popular US support for this illegal act and actually disappeared as issues when Napoleon was first defeated.
Pointedly most New England States sensibly did not participate as they were anxious to preserve their lucrative trade with Great Britain in supplies needed (lumber etc.) to fight Napoleon.
This shameful episode in American history, siding with the megalomaniac Napoleon, was eventually settled by the Treaty of Ghent, not in battle, after Napoleon's exile to Elba and before his escape and subsequent defeat by Wellington at Waterloo.
The battle of New Orleans took place after the peace treaty had been signed and played absolutely no role in the outcome.
Also Perry wasn't fighting a British 'fleet' but a detached squadron of small vessels. His grandiose account of the action lends itself well for a Hollywood movie.
The US did not achieve any of its objectives - so who won? Certainly not the United States!
A second war of independence? - I don't think so!
But I guess the title will sell books - more bad history in print!
A Worthy Addition to Any War of 1812 Library.......2007-07-01
I just finished A. J. Langguth's Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence. This is the sequel to Langguth's excellent 1991 Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution, and is written in the same style. Instead of being a solid historical narrative, it instead focuses on individuals and their contributions to the subject. In this instance, it addresses the American politicians and soldiers who brought about and fought the War of 1812. While this is an interesting and novel approach, it means that there are large gaps in the coverage of the conflict. As just one example, there is no coverage of some of the important land battles such as Lundy's Lane. Langguth focuses on the great Indian leader Tecumseh, who played a critical role in the War of 1812, and was killed in battle while fighting alongside the British. Tecumseh was a born and charismatic leader who earned the respect of friend and foe, including his arch enemy, William Henry Harrison. While I've read a few books on the War of 1812 over the years, I've never seen one that addresses it from the perspective of the political and military leaders of the United States. The focus on Tecumseh, who was definitely an American legend, is particularly interesting because it focuses on the role that the Indians played, and the fact that they entered into a marriage of convenience with the British in the hope of regaining the lands that they lost to the white settlers.
Langguth is a journalist by training, and he's a terrific writer. The book is very well written, with an easy, flowing style. At the same time, I did find the fact that the book jumps aroudn quite a bit to be a bit frustrating and disconcerting, as it emphasizes the gaps in the coverage of the book. The book suffers from a paucity of maps, and, as pointed out above, there are some significant gaps in the coverage of the war itself. Having said that, it's a novel and unique approach to a forgotten conflict, and Langguth does a good job of building his case that the War of 1812 was really just an extension of the American Revolution. He also makes an interesting and persuasive argument that the Civil War was a direct result of the conflicts that emerged from the War of 1812, including the tension between north and south.
This was an enjoyable and worthwhile read, and one I recommend undertaking. It's a worthy addition to any War of 1812 library.
Great book.......2007-05-16
Although I am only about a third of the way this is a great book. I finished the book 1776 by David McCullough and then started Union 1812. I highly recommend this book because it is an excellent read.
War of 1812 - Victim of Poor Scholarship?.......2007-04-09
The history of 1812 research is filled with amateur and mundane attempts at scholarship. This important period in the young Republic's history has seemly become the hobby-horse of retired military persons, presidents and those looking to make a name with their pen. Because of the lack of serious scholarship, this period of American history has suffered and largely been overlooked. A.J. Langguth's, UNION-1812 asserts itself prominently in a long line of disappointments.
Much of the book is dedicated to the events leading up to the war. The political atmosphere in the nascent US is extensively covered. This highly readable account of the sometimes very confusing world of early American politics, is one of the books few redeeming qualities.
After the exhausting coverage of the political climate in pre war America,the book becomes somewhat convoluted, and at times grossly inaccurate. Mr. Langguth's scholarship is called into question on more than a one occasion. As other reviewers have pointed out, he mistakenly labels Clark, President Jefferson's personal secretary.In fact it was M. Lewis, a family friend. While this factual error could be taken as a proofing mistake, other such errors cannot be. In a chapter about Oliver H. Perry, the author describes Perry's return to shipbuilding at Erie with "the British Brig Caledonia, three schooners, and a sloop that had been seized the previous year but penned up in the harbor by the guns of Ft. George." (p245). Anyone familiar with the Niagara area will be amused at the authors' lack of attachment with the material he is presenting. Between Ft. George and Erie, PA (where Perry Built the Lake Erie Fleet) lies Niagara Falls. It must have been a truly Herculean task to get a Brig up the falls.
UNION-1812 leaves the reader wanting and wishing for a well researched, accurate portrayal of this important period in American History
Average customer rating:
- More Buildup Than Payoff
- she who dared a readers opinion
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SHE WHO DARED: Covert Operations in Northern Ireland with the SAS
Jackie George
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
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OPERATORS: On the Streets with Britain's Most Secret Service (Pen & Sword Military Classics)
ASIN: 0850526868 |
Book Description
The personal account of a female British agent, including her controversial photographs of actual operations.
Customer Reviews:
More Buildup Than Payoff.......2000-08-09
The history of women who served in military special forces or intelligence operations is completely virgin territory. However, the promise of She Who Dared by "Jackie George" is ultimately unfulfilled.
The book, in a similar manner to ex-SAS trooper Andy McNab's Immediate Action, details George's upbringing, joining of the British Army, and recruitment into the British Security Forces operating in Northern Ireland. She mentions the difficulties involved in being a woman in a man's world, but readers should not expect sociological discussions of this!
Most of the book is detailed with her training. The publishers try to tie George's account into the mania for British SAS (Special Air Service) accounts. While SAS members trained her unit, she actually belonged to the 14th Intelligence and Security Company, a highly secret British Army unit performing surveillance on Irish Republican groups.
Readers hoping for detailed accounts of her operations "over the water" will be disappointed. The authors state that the book has been submitted to the Ministry of Defence for review, and that probably accounts for the shortness of these accounts.
A reader well versed in British special forces history or that of Northern Ireland may appreciate this book more. I would refer readers to McNab and the SAS writings of Barry Davies.
George has no love lost for the British Army officer corps and details many of their transgressions with the enlisted ranks. However, she does not really explain why her officers would act in such a manner, or how the British Army managed to operate effectively in spite of this. Her rants thus become a shortcoming.
I give the book three stars, mainly because of the dearth of similar accounts. However, in time, with other accounts, I might have to remove a star.
C. Husing ex-Dept. of the Air Force military historian
she who dared a readers opinion.......2000-04-10
an excellent book, information albeit sensitive was put across in a very professional manner,The author managed to maintain the readers interest from the start to the finish also ensure that the human emotions of what was and is a particulary sensitive occupation
Book Description
As plans got under way for the Allied invasion of Sicily in June 1943, British counter-intelligence agent Ewen Montagu masterminded a scheme to mislead the Germans into thinking the next landing would occur in Greece. The innovative plot was so successful that the Germans moved some of their forces away from Sicily, and two weeks into the real invasion still expected an attack in Greece. This extraordinary operation called for a dead body, dressed as a Royal Marine officer and carrying false information about a pending Allied invasion of Greece, to wash up on a Spanish shore near the town of a known Nazi agent.
Agent Montagu tells the story as only an insider could, offering fascinating details of the difficulties involved-especially in creating a persona for a man who never was--and of his profession as a spy and the risks involved in mounting such a complex operation. Failure could have had devastating results. Success, however, brought a decided change in the course of the war.
Customer Reviews:
Ingenious.......2007-09-26
It seemed like a simple plan: Leave a dead body, supposedly a British officer carrying official papers, for the Nazis to find. If they accept the phony papers as genuine, they won't anticipate the planned invasion of Sicily, and will deploy their defensive troops to Sardinia instead.
Simple in concept, but extremely complicated in practice. The author, who was the British intelligence officer in charge of the scheme, had to make the deception plausible down to the last detail.
It worked! Hitler himself was fooled, as captured German documents later showed.
This book goes into the details in full, and it is fascinating every step of the way. The author clearly was brilliant at his work, and as a bonus he has a nice, dry wit.
This true story is at least as rewarding to the reader as any work of detective fiction.
First hand account of a brilliant espionage campaign.......2002-07-20
Modern novellists would never have thought of this simple yet highly complicated plan to deceive the Germans during World War II. This book is written by Ewen Montagu who actually undertook the whole operation. Due to the fact of its high secrecy it could not first be revealed until the Mid-1950's when the first edition came out. Even then the full story could not be told for one of the other great secrets of WWII (the fact that the British had cracked the German code 'Engima') meant that the progress of the deception was monitored throughout its progress.
The deception was simple - dump a body with highly secret documents in a place where the Germans will be party to the find. Make it so convincing that they will take the bait. This was to mislead the Germans over the true place where the allies wanted to land (Sicily) so getting them to fortify another part of South Eastern Europe instead - the Dodecanese and Sardinia. It was a plan to save lives - as many allied lives as possible by reducing German resistance. And it worked - beautifully.
This book by Montagu gives us the absolute inside story with all the twists and turns to how the idea was conceived and how it was implemented. And for such a simple idea it was of course relatively complicated to implement. How to find an appropriately dead body to dump - where to dump it - how to make sure the Germans would find it without being suspicious of the material and so on. All very fascinating stuff and makes for a good, quick and easy read - it is very well-written and if nothing else is such an amazing story it is hard to put down.
This story is well publicised now - it has been the subject of at least one film and one documentary in the "Secrets of World War II" series, however it is nothing like information straight from the horses mouth to make you appreciate what it was all about.
My conclusion - Relatively short book but highly readable and very well worthwhile picking up even if your interest isn't in the arena of either War or World War II.
Famous case.......2001-08-28
This case is very famous. I remember reading about it in a declassified article in a Swedish book meant to teach intelligence to students of journalism at Lund University.
Fun read, good story.......1999-01-08
"The Man Who Never Was" is a real page-turner, even though I already knew the basic story. Lots of good information on a well-conceived and -executed intelligence operation that the Germans fell for hook, line and sinker. Makes me wonder how many failed counterintelligence operations we suffered to achieve one success? Writing can be a little stuffy in a couple places but on the whole is good.
The British deception before the Sicily landing in WWII........1998-06-23
The book tells the story how British Intelligence decided to mislead the Nazis in 1943 about where the next landing in the Mediterranean would occur. The original story was that they waited until a young man died of pneumonia, so he would have fluid in the lungs as cause of death. In fact, he was an unclaimed homeless man who died from eating rat poison. A submarine slipped his body into the sea off Spain, making it look like he was a Royal Marine officer and courier, and a victim of an offshore airplane crash. This was done near a town with a known active Nazi agent. The brief case he was carrying falsely showed that the Allies would invade Greece, not Sicily. The Nazi agent was allowed to see his papers which showed a coming landing in Greece. The movie has King George himself meet with the family to convince them to give over the body, missing burial with his family. In reality, the man eventually was buried with military honors in Spain. Since the original book was published, a new edition has appeared (Oxford University Press, 1996). We have learned that the first edition would never have been written had not a novel appeared in 1950 with substantially the same plot. The new (1996) edition reveals approval by the Twenty Committee in charge of these projects (Twenty = XX = double cross). The new introduction also reveals the British monitored the progress of the deception using Ultra. In the original edition, the one who conceived the operation was "George." Now it can be revealed that it was created by a lowly Flight-Lieutenant, Charles Cholmondeley, and carried out by the author, who later became chief judicial officer of the Royal Navy. The deception was a success. The Nazis did move some forces away from Sicily. Even two weeks into the invasion of Sicily, the Germans were still believing the main attack would be in Greece. It is a great read on how long it takes to put together a successful deception, and the great risks as wel! l. If it had failed, the Nazis would have known for sure the invasion would be in Sicily. The benefit was Nazi forces sat in Greece waiting for an invasion that never came.
Book Description
In 1688, the birth of a Prince of Wales ignited a family quarrel and a revolution. James II’s drive towards Catholicism had alienated the nation and his two staunchly Protestant daughters by his first marriage, Mary and Anne. They are the ‘ungrateful daughters’ who usurped their father’s crown and stole their brother’s birthright.
Seven prominent men sent an invitation to William of Orange---James’s nephew and son-in-law---to intervene in English affairs. But it was the women, Queen Mary Beatrice and her two stepdaughters, Mary and Anne, who played a key role in this drama. Jealous and resentful of her hated stepmother, Anne had written a series of malicious letters to her sister Mary in Holland, implying that the Queen’s pregnancy was a hoax, a Catholic plot to deny Mary her rightful inheritance.
Betrayed by those he trusted, distraught at Anne’s defection, James fled the kingdom. Even as the crown descended on her head, Mary knew she had incurred a father’s curse. The sisters quarreled and were still not speaking to each other when Mary died tragically young. Anne did nothing to deserve her father’s forgiveness, declaring her brother an outlaw with a price on his head.
Acclaimed historian Maureen Waller recreated the late Stuart era in a compelling narrative that highlights the influence of three women in one of the most momentous events in English history. Prompted by religious bigotry and the emotion that beset any family relationships, this palace coup changed the face of the monarchy, and signaled the end of a dynasty.
Customer Reviews:
Shallow and Disappointing.......2007-06-14
The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was a compelling human drama as well as a major political event. At the center of the political events were Mary II and Anne, daughters of James II, real human beings who faced difficult decisions as to where their duty lay. Unfortunately, Ungrateful Daughters does a very poor job of telling this story. Instead of a story of real people dealing with an actual dilemma, Waller's book tells the tale as a shallow soap opera with the principals divided into neat categories of victims (James II and Mary Beatrice) and villains (William, Mary, and Anne).
The theme of James II as victim has come into vogue in recent years, as the result of a revisionist historical interpretation which casts him as a proto-modern champion of religious toleration. Regardless of the sincerity of James's professions about liberty of conscience, they were the result of the fact that members of his own Roman Catholic faith were a minority in Britain and would thus be the beneficiaries of any alteration in religious policy. James certainly never exhibited any inclination toward tolerance that would not end up benefiting members of his own Church. There is no record that his enthusiasm for toleration ever led him to press for better treatment of Protestants in countries with a Catholic majority. At exactly the same time that James was advocating tolerance of Catholics in Britain, the Protestants in Louis XIV's France were being forced to either convert to Catholicism or emigrate, and there is no record that James II ever protested to Louis about their treatment.
However, the deeper issue between James II and Parliament was not religious but political. James professed that he, as king, had the power to suspend and dispense with laws enacted by Parliament. Parliament, understandably, strongly disagreed with this claim, and there was bound to be a clash at some point. Religious policy just happened to be the issue upon which the disagreement came to a head. Waller is not as sympathetic to James as the most extreme revisionists (which incurred the ire of at least one reviewer on this site), but the theme of James as victim is a major one, as evinced by the title of the book itself.
Waller spends a great deal of time discussing a pivotal event leading up to the revolution - the birth of Prince James Francis Edward (later known as the Old Pretender) to King James and Queen Mary Beatrice in the summer of 1688. It was the prospect of a Catholic heir to the throne that pushed many who were undecided into supporting the intervention of William. Even before the birth there were many rumors circulating that the Queen's pregnancy was a conspiracy on the part of the Catholics to ensure the birth of a Catholic heir to the throne, and the rumors became certainties for many people after a boy was born, just as many Catholics had predicted. The fact that both Mary and Anne gave credence to these rumors is the crux of Waller's portrait of them as "ungrateful daughters." Historians have long accepted that there was no truth to the rumors insinuating that the new prince was not the son of the king and queen, and Waller excoriates both Mary and Anne for doubting it and doing nothing to stop the rumors. Anne in particular is held up as the villain of the piece, and, reading Waller's account, one gets the impression that she single-handedly fomented the rumors surrounding the birth of her half brother and could have stopped the revolution in its tracks had she acted differently.
However, Waller utterly fails to take into account that the circumstances of the prince's birth were not nearly as clear in 1688 as they are with the benefit of hindsight. At the time there were plenty of suspicious circumstances for those who wanted to doubt. The very fact of the birth of a healthy son to a woman whose eight previous pregnancies either ended in miscarriage or produced sickly babies who died soon after birth was in itself suspicious. Also, the birth took place a full month earlier than was expected. Waller argues that the discrepancy was due to a mistake on the part of the royal physicians as to the date of conception, which was probably the case, although she does not explain why this should have been clear to everyone in 1688. Additionally, although the birth was witnessed by numerous people, they were all either Catholics or political allies of James, whose testimony was regarded as suspect. Notably absent, besides Anne herself, were the Dutch ambassador and Edward and Lawrence Hyde (brothers of James's first wife and thus uncles of Mary and Anne), whose testimony would have been accepted as conclusive. From the perspective of three hundred years in the future, all these things may appear insignificant next to the fact that a baby boy was born in full view of numerous witnesses. However, in the atmosphere of 1688, with the prospect of a Catholic heir who might someday decide that a re-conversion of Britain to Catholicism was preferable to toleration (just as Louis XIV had reversed his grandfather's edict giving toleration to French Protestants), the questionable aspects surrounding the birth gave plenty of material to justify doubts on the part of those who were disposed to be suspicious.
The doubts about the new prince's legitimacy did not rest upon the testimony of either Anne or her sister. Neither Anne nor Mary started the rumors, although Anne repeated them and Mary in Holland believed them. The stories were spread throughout the country by such popular press as existed at the time and many prominent political figures lent credence to them and spread them. Anne's conduct in this affair leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, but it is far from clear that she could have done anything effective to quash the rumors, even if she had wanted to. Even if she had publicly denied the rumors, there was nothing to prevent people from dismissing this as done at the behest of James. Nuance, however, has no place in this book. By portraying Anne as holding the balance of affairs in her hand and failing to accurately consider events in the context of their time, Waller gives an incomplete and distorted picture of events.
There are numerous instances throughout the book of sloppy research and assumptions presented as fact. For example, Waller claims at one point that certain letters (not written by Anne) "imply" that Anne promised her father that she would restore the throne to her brother. There is no solid evidence that Anne actually made such a promise, and Waller does not present any. However, this supposed promise becomes a major theme in the book, and Waller refers to it again and again as fact, describing certain actions of Queen Anne during her reign as violations of the promise that she made to her father - a promise that there is no proof Anne ever made. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated example, but rather typical of Waller's method. Assertions are made on flimsy evidence, or no evidence at all, and thereafter referenced as fact.
The story of the Revolution of 1688 has the potential to be a compelling tale of real people living through momentous events. The two princesses who are the chief subjects of this book could be portrayed as real women who had to make difficult choices when their duty to their father came into conflict with what they saw as their duty to their faith and their country. Instead, what this book gives is a two-dimensional caricature of two women who "stole their father's crown" for no better reason than petty vindictiveness.
Compelling and informative.......2007-06-04
The Stuarts were more than a series of Scots-English monarchs, they were a contentious family filled with ambitious, egotistical, often ignoble figures who were not above slipping the knife in to advance their own careers. The generational and religious tension chronicled in this well-written true-to-life soap opera began with James II's move toward the Catholic Church, which alienated both his people and his two staunchly Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne, each of whom reigned after him. Whether Mary's husband, William of Orange, usurped the crown in the Glorious Revolution depends on your point of view, but Anne (who wasn't speaking to her older sister at the time of her early death) declared her half-brother, James ("The Old Pretender"), an outlaw -- having previously claimed, in letters to Mary, that their hated stepmother's pregnancy was a Catholic hoax and plot. Waller's narrative is compelling and enjoyable as well as informative. You can almost see a screenplay waiting to be written.
Obvious writer bias ruins interesting subject.......2006-04-18
Better books on the time period can be found. The writer distorts historical fact to fit her own agenda.
A great read........2006-02-10
I loved this book. It is well written and contains such detail that the characters truly come to life. I have many books on the Restoration and none of them describes James, Duke of York and his second wife Maria Beatrice and the "ungrateful daughters" better. Many jucy details. What they wore, how they looked, their quirks and peculiarities give a much fuller picture of the court and courtiers. This book is an easy read and would engage a reader who does not like usual history books. This does not mean it is light. It's the writing of an author who is a keen observer of the subjects.
Competent biography of the last of the Fatally Flawed Stuarts.......2006-01-20
If ever there were a family that deserved a biography like this it is the Stuarts. From the blood of Mary Queen of Scots rose a dynasty of strangely unattractive Kings and queens, culminating in the two daughters of James II. These two Queens of the stuart house, Mary II and Anne I have not had the same exposure to biography as other rulers of England, (such as Elizabeth or Victoria) and perhaps this is as much about their length of reign as anything - however they did preside over one of the most interesting periods and actions in British History. That is the deposition of their father to rule in his favour.
Waller, I thought, handled the material well, I was not disturbed by the jumps and only really noticed it in some of the reviews here. It is well written and well thought out. The unsympathetic portrayal of Anne especially can easily be explained, she was really a very unsympathetic character and her faults reminded me strongly of the George IV a century later, with a tendency to self-justification and general whininess. Something I expect you can do if you are Queen, but also perhaps a hang over from a century earlier when the annointed Ruler of the realm really did hold extraordinary powers and did not need to answer to any other power in the land apart from their own. A fundamental problem with her Grandfather who lost his head over that belief.
Over all I enjoyed it. As far as dysfunctional families go this is one interestingly flawed family, with its own bitternesses and a great deal of wealth and power at stake.
I would definitely recommend this as a good read for anyone who hasn't dipped into the period before.
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