The Medieval Book Reviews 1: The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc by Nancy Goldstone
Statue of Joan of Arc outside the Cathedral at Rheims where Charles VII was crowned. In most accounts of the Hundred Years War, Joan is...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 27, 20122 min read
The Diamond Jubilee Book Reviews 4: The Evolving Canadian Crown edited by Jennifer Smith and D. Michael Jackson
Joyal argues that the appointment of Canadian born Governors General has resulted in a “hybrid” system where the Queen actually reigns...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 25, 20122 min read
The Tudor Book Reviews 2: Bessie Blount, the King’s Mistress by Elizabeth Norton
Norton does a masterful job of interpreting documents pertaining to the Blount family, Henry Fitzroy, and other sixteenth century court...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 20, 20122 min read
The Tudor Book Reviews 1: Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile
One of the great strengths of Sister Queens is Fox’s attention to the settings were these two princesses spent their lives. She has...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 14, 20122 min read
The Diamond Jubilee Book Reviews 3: The Secret of the Crown: Canada’s Affair With Royalty by John Fraser
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s decision to make Canada the setting of their first overseas tour both emphasized the enduring links...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 13, 20122 min read
That Woman by Anne Sebba: Book Review of the latest biography of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
“I who had sought no place in history would now be assured of one – an appalling one, carved out by blind prejudice.” — Wallis Simpson in...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 8, 20121 min read
Book Review of Helen Rappaport, A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert and the Death that Changed the British Monarchy
The effect of Prince Albert’s death on ordinary Britons was no less profound. Long periods of court mourning, which Rappaport observes...
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Carolyn Harris
Mar 3, 20122 min read
The Romanov Book Reviews 2: Robert K. Massie, Catherine the Great
Popular writers such as Virginia Rounding, author of Catherine the Great: Love, Sex, and Power and Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of...
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Carolyn Harris
Feb 28, 20121 min read
The Diamond Jubilee Book Reviews 2: Sally Bedell Smith, Elizabeth The Queen
Elizabeth II’s political impartiality complicates the role of a royal biographer, resulting in many studies of the Queen that reduce her...
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Carolyn Harris
Feb 14, 20123 min read
The Valentine’s Day Book Review: Virginia Rounding, Alix and Nicky: The Passion of the Last Tsar and Tsarina
Since 1967, the lives of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Emperor and Empress of Russia, have been synonymous with Robert...
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Carolyn Harris
Feb 12, 20123 min read
Diamond Jubilee Book Reviews 1: Robert Hardman, Our Queen
2011 and 2012 saw the publication of numerous books about Queen Elizabeth II’s life and work in honour of the Diamond Jubilee. None of...
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