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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 (112 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
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Lovely royal biography a

I loved how this was read. I found it all very interesting. It’s all what you might expect it to be. Thank you Lucinda and Jennifer.

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

Interesting Biography of a Victorian Royal

Great Narration which made this all the more easy to listen to.. Still a few unknowns about her life especially her early years but food for thought never the less.

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

Wonderful story!

Absolutely loved this. Very well written and researched and so interesting. Narrator has some odd pronunciations but overall absolutely great book

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A ripping yarn but terrible narration

I almost abandoned this book after about 10 mins as I didn't think I could manage hours and hours of being read to by a computer-generated voice with weird phrasing and many mispronunciations. I'm glad I stuck with it - the story is great and I got used to the (human? who knew?) narration.

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

quite good.

A very well researched book, which uses many primary sources to give an insight into Princess Louise's life. although there is a great deal of speculation the author cannot be blamed for this, it is quite obvious from the authors own investigations that there has been some kind of cover up regarding the Princess' illigetimate child, marriage infidelity or her unbecoming ways in such a strict era. Either way this book gives you all the history and the rumours and leaves you to make up your mind.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Overall good and interesting

There are many intriguing facts and insights about Princess Louise that I knew nothing about. In parts it is fascinating, but my god there is some waffle! Unecessary facts and names of people that has no relevance really and adds nothing. 3 to 4 hours worth could have been cut for a more concise biography. P.s, I knew Queen Vic was a difficult, nasty woman - but on learning more, she is a psycho! A vile, narcissistic woman.

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

Very interesting

A very well written and informative book with many unknown facts. Well worth reading. I enjoyed it very much

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

Fascinating, well researched & credible

This fascinating, well researched & credible revelation of Princess Louise, Victoria’s daughter who moved in bohemian society; was a renowned sculptor & artist, was a riveting read & would highly recommend for people who adore history & read biographies in particular. Have already recommended to friends & only criticism is a personal preference for a more engaging & animated narrator.

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