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  • Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter

  • A Biography of Princess Louise
  • By: Lucinda Hawksley
  • Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
  • Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (111 ratings)
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Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter cover art

Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter

By: Lucinda Hawksley
Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
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Summary

Spirited and lively, Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter is richly packed with arguments, intrigues, scandals, and secrets, and is a vivid portrait of a princess desperate to escape her inheritance.

The secrets of Queen Victoria's sixth child, Princess Louise, may be destined to remain hidden forever. What was so dangerous about this artistic, tempestuous royal that her life has been documented more by rumor and gossip than hard facts? When Lucinda Hawksley started to investigate, often thwarted by inexplicable secrecy, she discovered a fascinating woman, modern before her time, whose story has been shielded for years from public view.

Louise was a sculptor and painter, friend to the Pre-Raphaelites and a keen member of the Aesthetic movement. The most feisty of the Victorian princesses, she kicked against her mother's controlling nature and remained fiercely loyal to her brothers - especially the sickly Leopold and the much-maligned Bertie. She sought out other unconventional women, including Josephine Butler and George Eliot, and campaigned for education and health reform and for the rights of women. She battled with her indomitable mother for permission to practice the "masculine" art of sculpture and go to art college - and in doing so became the first British princess to attend a public school.

The rumors of Louise's colorful love life persist even today, with hints of love affairs dating as far back as her teenage years, and notable scandals included entanglements with her sculpting tutor Joseph Edgar Boehm and possibly even her sister Princess Beatrice's handsome husband, Liko. True to rebellious form, she refused all royal suitors and became the first member of the royal family, since the 16th century, to marry a commoner. She moved with him to Canada when he was appointed Governor-General.

©2013 Lucinda Hawksley (P)2018 Tantor

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What listeners say about Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The Princess Diana of her time

An Interesting tale of someone you probably hadn't heard of, Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria. She was popular, attractive and clever - and she thought for herself. She had the common touch and related easily to everyone. She championed women's equality and education for girls, as well as being active in many other charities and causes that helped to support society. She broke with royal tradition to marry a Briton, an act that further endeared her to the public, whose distaste for foreign princes at that time ran deep.

The author paints a grim picture of Queen Victoria as a self-obsessed, cruel, controlling and manipulative mother who demanded her children always 'looked after her', be at her beck and call and devote themselves to her alone during her lengthy bereavement.

The story is essentially about how the free-spirited Princess Louise gradually escaped from this prison and came into her own. She took a lover - her sculptor tutor, whom she genuinely loved until he died but couldn't marry. Along the way, she entered into a marriage of convenience with an alleged gay Scottish Lord to finally escape the palace. Needless to say, Queen Victoria had other ideas.

It's also very much about that time in history and an interesting comparison with today's monarcy and society. Very well written (and read) despite evidence of an establishmet cover-up that prevented the author from accessing certain private papers.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • MB
  • 10-03-19

Intriguing study but odd narrator

The narrator has very odd pronunciation indeed which was a bit off putting. From fairly basic words and definitely struggling with anything more complicated. I persevered as the narrative was engaging but it would really benefit from a different reader

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Dire

This could have been an interesting story but lacked insight and depth and was appallingly read. A flat monotone and dreadful mispronouciations ( Scottish placenames the worst) did the text no favours at all.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting but the reading let it down

What a story! A truly gripping insight into a lost legend. Why is there no more on this Princess?
Odd pronunciation and monotone reading really didn't go without the vibrant tale though. Good job it was such a good book.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good book awful narration

really interesting book but awful narration, huge mispronunciations and the narrator is very monotone. The story itself is fascinating though.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Overlong at times tedious biography virtually spoiled by very poor narration. Phrasing was dreadful and sounded almost computer generated.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

disapointed

im sorry but this book was all seen victoria and albert her daughter was only memotioned on passing was really disapointed

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Woman 100 years ahead of her time.

A wonderful informative book.
Fascinating story.
So well explained and researched.
A wonderful History lesson of Queen Victoria's family.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A mixture of interest and tedium

A good subject but at times like the court circular particularly in the last third. Without access to extensive records and it showed. Long lists of engagements with minimal commentary. The narrator spoke flatly with odd pronunciation quirks . Some words were stretched out over every possible syllable and sounded wrong. It really spoilt the listen. First time this has happened for me on audible. Might be better to read the book and skim over parts rather than buy the audible version.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bringing life to a princess

Excellent book, well researched and giving fascinating insights into the life of princess Louise and in fact all of Queen Victoria’s children.
The reading was clear, if a little stilted. I found the reader to be a bit pedantic with pronunciation and it broke the flow.
Still, worth listening to as the work itself is wonderful.

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2 people found this helpful