Diana really knows her history.
341346
I love these stories adventure the history is really something tho read.  If Diana doesn't know what she is talking about---well she has me fooled.
Exciting and new----who doesn't love Jamie and Claire?!
2395616
I enjoyed reading the personal side of Diana. Yes she was a princess but also a beautiful human being. Thank you for writing this book.
2055251
I have read many books about this period and I thought I had a good understanding of the region and it's history. Well Janet Wallach opened some doors and I'm onece again humbled. Intellectual humility is always a safe and recommended place to reside. I would strongly recommend reading this fascinating account of the period in both England and the Middle East. It certainly expands one's understanding of what happened then, and is quite relevant to what is happening now. Ms. Bell is unique and very interesting. How she managed to penetrate the desert world as a woman, let alone a Victorian woman is almost beyond belief, but appaearently quite real. One can only speculate that the rules of gravity just don't apply to everybody. Janet Wallach is an excellent writer. Her sentences are clear and her descriptions are complete and visual. She has knitted together this woman's Odessy with clarion precision. This, in my opinion, is a really fine book.
3148338
Last summer I was in London with my mother and some friends of ours.  While we were in London, we went on a guided tour of the city so that we could get an idea of what we wanted to go back and see on our own.  We were standing on the street outside of Clarence House and our tour guide mentioned that Diana had stayed there before she married Prince Charles and I would have liked to gone inside to see what it looks like.  With this souvenir guide book, I can do just that anytime I want to.

I'm glad to know that some of the items that belonged to the Queen Mother are still inside because that was her home for so many years and I'm glad that Charles is honoring his grandmother by using some of her things.
428628
This book about the reign of QEII, goes behind the scenes and makes you feel a part of history, all without the tabloid style information that appear in some papers.  Mr. Lacey's research is meticulous and his sources are close enough to the monarch that we knew these people witnessed the events first hand.
The book does a very good job of describing the situation that developed at the time of the death of Diana.  It was interesting to find out that the queen herself approved of all of the plans for the funeral, many in fact were her idea.  While not diminishing the role of Prince Charles in the arrangements, the queen and her staff were largely responsible for that memorable day.
It was also interesting to find out that Diana's sons had distanced themselves from her that summer because of her romance with Dodi. And also that her brother in law Sir Robert Fellowes was not the villian he has often portrayed to be in other books, where his feelings for Diana were concerned.
The history leading up to the accession of QEII is always fascinating and is well handled here in the book. The scenarios surrounding the plans for the coronation and her wedding give a real inside look at the royal family.
After reading this book, I was a little disappointed in some members of the family and staff, liked other even more and found a great respect for the woman herself. While she can be stubborn and dig in when the chips fall against her, she can also quickly see the light and move with the tide.  Most particularly in the flag flap at the time of Diana's death.
I give high marks to this book.  There is so much interesting history in the book that is can be read again and again and still hold the reader's interest.
On a more picky note, I found several mistakes in the book.  On page xi of the Royal Who's Who, Edward the VII is listed as being made Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1911.  That would be Edward the VIII, since Edward the VII was already dead in 1911.  On page 36, we have a coach careering around an area instead of careening.  Lastly on page 151, they have Prince Phillip at 26 in 1946 and on the next page, age 24 in the same year.
Nevertheless, this book should entertain and inform all people who follow the lives of the royal family. There is a nice mix of political fact and the freshness of looking at last behind the palace walls.  This book stays in my collection as a wonderful testament to the woman we are all  more than a little curious about. Whether she is wrong or right about certain things, she cetainly has staying power.
2357311
I wanted to read this story because I found the author's portrayal of Isabella in the early chapters of "The King's Pleasure" so interesting.  Nora Lofts is very good at creating a good story around mostly historically accurate details.  I learned a lot I did not know about this time period and this royal family, having focused mostly on the Tudors in my reading.  Isabella is shown as a very stoic, logical person, who shoulders huge responsibility as a monarch, but also a mother who cares deeply about her children.  It's typical to see rulers in these times lacking in true emotional attachment to their offspring, who are pawns in political games, as well as being raised separately from the parents almost from birth.  The author creates a wonderful character in Isabella; I was impressed by her concern for the welfare of her soldiers, and how she did without luxuries out of respect for their hardships in the field.  There were many instances where she really learned from mistakes she had made, as with her first child's early upbringing, and she was always realistic about her own motives.  It's not a particularly upbeat story, but she's a very admirable character overall.
3204584
I chose this book as I love history and learning about people that we think are "untouchable". This book and the author gave wonderful insight, not opinions. I like to learn about historical figures and the Queen is a living legend, still beautiful and most capable of doing her job. As I read this book, so many myths about the Queen and her family were brought to light and many dispelled. A wonderful read.
3657435
This movie was a pleasant surprise.  It was well-acted and well-made and accurate.  It traces the history of Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, whose sad private life was played out publicly on the world stage. It chronicles her behavior, the drugs, wild parties, free sex etc. that always landed Princess Margaret in the headlines and as the major source for embarassing the British Royal Family in the generation preceding Princess Diana.

The DVD has a fascinating movie about a prior Royal scandal that involved Princess Caroline of Brunswick and her unhappy union with George, one of Margaret's ancestors.  This was almost even better than the Queen's Sister.  Don't miss it on the DVD.
1204168
Paul Burrell's book about his experience as Diana's butler is a very interesting view in to life within the Royal Family, as well as when he was Diana's personal butler after their divorce. He was also one of her very best friends; and he knew many secrets about her life that no one else did. There are many anecdotes here, as well as an insight into Diana and how she was. Paul's devotion to Diana was above and beyond the call of duty, and he continues to defend her to this day. This is a must-read for those who loved Diana, and also for those who are looking for a very good book to read.
3598305
First off let me just say that I have read a number of books by Alison Weir and she really has shown herself to be the best biographer of English Monarchs currently alive today. With Isabella we may very well have her best biography yet. She sets out to give people a sense of who Isabella really was, not simply the Braveheart version of her or the "she-wolf" version of her. She shows her as who she really was, a very brave, caring, neglected, mis-treated, and powerful woman in a world where women were regarded as little more than property.

The strong points of this biography include the great detail used to describe how badly Isabella was treated by Edward II. You can't help but feel sorry for Isabella, being treated so badly by Edward and his male lovers. Weir does a good job analyzing the reasons Isabella invaded England with Mortimer (her lover after fleeing England). All in all this really was a great biography of this great woman, one who fought back against the male domination and mistreatment brought upon her.

No realy weak points in my opinion, Weir gives a balanced and largely unbiased portrayl of Isabella.
65248
Marina Warner made her reputation with this book, a lavishly illustrated history of the Empress Dowager and the world she knew. It is wonderfully well written and succinct. Swift moving enough for a 12 year old, but the history it told was so thorough and so accurate that I was able to come back to the book ten years later, having studied the Qin and Ming in college, and marvel at how much truth she had put in so few pages.

Neither a deep work of scholarship nor a startling revision, this smooth and balanced study puts Tz'u-Hsi in context, explaining how she shaped (and failed to shape) the world around her. The lavish pictures push this book close to a coffe table  work, but the whole is just the sort of thing to excite someone just getting interested in history, or in China.

I don't know what Marina Warner thinks of her early work, thirty years on. I think it a job well done.
4814087
I was impressed with this book when I read the introduction and the author clearly states that a lot of what we think we know about Anne Boleyn is speculation.  Much of the "history" was destroyed when she was beheaded and the new queen took her place.  Henry wanted nothing of her legacy to survive.  However, the author researched what exists today as well as texts from long ago to piece together an interesting history of the queen everyone wants to know more about.  She writes in an engaging style and tries to explain away some of the Hollywood stories about Anne, or show how the stories might be based on fact.  I have, for many years, had a facination with the Tudors and this book is one of the best I have ever read.  I strongly recommend it.
1143404
I quite enjoyed this biography of Queen Victoria. The author kept the narrative to verifiable facts using documents, letters and diaries to create the picture of a real human being who started ruling the British Empire when she was very young and ruled for a very long time, through many, many changes in British economy and history. Although I have heard rumors about certain aspects of her private life, her relationship with her servant Mr. Brown, for instance, the author, while putting forth some of the perceptions of her subjects and Parliament regarding this, only states the facts still extant, which do not prove the rumors true or false. All in all a fascinating book about a fascinating woman!
1312662
I highly recommend.  Quite an insight into the lives of William, Diana, Charles, the Queen and Royalty. The author does a nice job describing the influential people in William's life.
1547201
Only Anglophiles may find this book interesting but I am one so I very much enjoyed the history and biography of this remarkable woman. She was very learned, spoke and wrote in five languages but she was also a brave, Christian martyr who displayed great courage of conviction when she could have saved her life but chose a Christian death instead.
Of course very few even know her name but it is souls like this who are the REAL heroines of history.
3213300
Always having been fascinated by the Royals, (especially Princess Dianna)

I really enjoyed this movie.

It is centered at the time that the Princess died, and the Queen came under such negative scrutiny for her lack of emotion, and her failure to make a public statement about her death.

Although I am not saying that the Queen was right in her silence, I DO now have a clearer understanding of Royal tradition,and protocol. I now understand her silence a little better.

Even though the Queen clearly did not like her ex Daughter-in-Law, It still was/is not customary to show one's feelings in public in the Royal family.

Viewing this film brought the period of Diana's death back like it was yesterday, and I liked how they added live footage of her throughout the film. Like millions of others, I admired the Princess, and will watch this film many times to come.

Also, I now have a new respect for the Queen. This really is a wonderful movie!
728292
This is an insight into Diana's private life. Their is much needed sympathy, but, we get to see the situation from both sides.
The Author has many contacts in the Royal Circle, and her books are always a good value for anyone interested in the British Royal Family. I wish she would do one about the Princess Royal, it would be on my wish list!