Scan barcode
A review by laurenjpegler
Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
5.0
Realistically, this should be given four-point-five stars. But, man, I really love this show/novel, and the characterisation of some of my favourite people push it up to five.
Essentially, this is a novelisation of the first four episodes of ITV's Victoria. It follows Victoria's ascension to the throne, her coping with becoming the Queen at eighteen, her relationship with numerous people (specifically her mother and Lord Melbourne), and the challenge that comes with finding a husband.
As I already mentioned, the characterisation in this is brilliant. Daisy Goodwin does such a good job at bringing Victoria, Albert and Lord Melbourne to life. As I have watched the show a few times, I could easily imagine everything that was happening in this novel. For example, I pictured Jenna Coleman, Rufus Sewell and Tom Hughes as the three main characters (who, by the way, play them brilliantly). Victoria is the star of the show. She's passionate, fickle, inexperienced, and everything else you'd imagine an eighteen year old to be. Despite this, you cannot help but love her. Goodwin tries to paint Victoria as someone universal - someone everyone can like.
I love the in-depth plot. Realistically, Goodwin could have condensed the whole show (eight episodes) into this, but instead she focused solely on the first four episodes. I think she did this to bring to life Victoria's ascension to the throne. She was an eighteen year old girl, who couldn't rely on her mother and who instead looked torwards an older man, struggling to deal with the pressure of being a Queen. This drawn out narrative helped to capture the kind of hectic life she may have lived, which, in turn, created sympathy from me. It made me love her. If Goodwin skipped over these bits, I might not have liked Victoria as much.
The one disappointing thing that comes with this is the lack of Prince Albert (my personal favourite). Out of 460 pages, he is roughly in one hundred of them. To me, that is not enough. The show does a fantastic job at capturing their relationship - the passion they have for each other, and the struggle Albert has having to answer to his wife. This was lacking from the narrative, and I really wish Goodwin would carry on writing these. Honestly, I would have read (and loved) this if it was 900 pages. I couldn't get enough. Just needed more Albert.
Would definitely recommend!
Essentially, this is a novelisation of the first four episodes of ITV's Victoria. It follows Victoria's ascension to the throne, her coping with becoming the Queen at eighteen, her relationship with numerous people (specifically her mother and Lord Melbourne), and the challenge that comes with finding a husband.
As I already mentioned, the characterisation in this is brilliant. Daisy Goodwin does such a good job at bringing Victoria, Albert and Lord Melbourne to life. As I have watched the show a few times, I could easily imagine everything that was happening in this novel. For example, I pictured Jenna Coleman, Rufus Sewell and Tom Hughes as the three main characters (who, by the way, play them brilliantly). Victoria is the star of the show. She's passionate, fickle, inexperienced, and everything else you'd imagine an eighteen year old to be. Despite this, you cannot help but love her. Goodwin tries to paint Victoria as someone universal - someone everyone can like.
I love the in-depth plot. Realistically, Goodwin could have condensed the whole show (eight episodes) into this, but instead she focused solely on the first four episodes. I think she did this to bring to life Victoria's ascension to the throne. She was an eighteen year old girl, who couldn't rely on her mother and who instead looked torwards an older man, struggling to deal with the pressure of being a Queen. This drawn out narrative helped to capture the kind of hectic life she may have lived, which, in turn, created sympathy from me. It made me love her. If Goodwin skipped over these bits, I might not have liked Victoria as much.
The one disappointing thing that comes with this is the lack of Prince Albert (my personal favourite). Out of 460 pages, he is roughly in one hundred of them. To me, that is not enough. The show does a fantastic job at capturing their relationship - the passion they have for each other, and the struggle Albert has having to answer to his wife. This was lacking from the narrative, and I really wish Goodwin would carry on writing these. Honestly, I would have read (and loved) this if it was 900 pages. I couldn't get enough. Just needed more Albert.
Would definitely recommend!