51 in 2011

[lumineaux]

15.  Her Little Majesty by Carolly Erickson

A breezy popular biography of Queen Victoria.  Erickson writes about Victoria's life as though she's writing a novel, inserting a lot of thoughts into the heads of the characters (particularly Victoria) that may or may not be supported by the research.  This is not serious history with meaningful footnotes.  It's diverting enough as an introduction to the era and the personalities, and perhaps as a stepping off point for more serious reading on the subject.   Which is precisely what I used it for . . .

Note:  Erickson's Tudor biographies are far closer to actual scholarship; don't judge her other works by this one.