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Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an EmpireThe true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning portrait is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES ESQUIRE THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY "Victoria
The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen--a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning portrait is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
THE NEW YORK TIMES - ESQUIRE - THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY "Victoria the Queen, Julia Baird's exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography, brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch."--The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe's monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public's expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger tracts of the globe. In a world where women were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand. Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother's meddling and an adviser's bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping conventional boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and security--queen of a quarter of the world's population at the height of the British Empire's reach. Drawing on sources that include fresh revelations about Victoria's relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings vividly to life the fascinating story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning.
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Trade
Published: 10/03/2017
ISBN: 9780812982282
Pages: 752
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 1.60d
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 27 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
An Enigma
I became interested in the life of Deng Xiaoping after reading THE TRAGEDY OF LIBERATION by Frank Dikotter and AVOIDING THE FALL by Michael Pettis. Deng is an enigma. He was a key player in the Chinese leadership from the earliest days. He was one of the core revolutionary leaders and one that was heavily involved in directing military campaigns leading to liberation. Afterward, he was the administrator for Sichuan and southwest China and implemented Maoist programs that led to mass starvation and incalculable human suffering. So, how was it possible for Deng Xiaoping to emerge as supreme leader of China, opening up the country to 4 decades of unprecedented growth? Did he learn from the failures of earlier policies? If so, what led to his change in thinking and when did it happen? Or was he always a pragmatist and a loyal follower? And if his thinking did change, how was he not one of the many leaders who were expelled from the Party and sent to prison or executed? It seems highly unlikely that a country that went through the purges, the witch hunts and the upheavals like the Cultural Revolution could have produced a leader of the stature of Deng Xiaoping capable of implementing the policy reforms that have led to China's 4 decades of unprecedented growth. These are the questions that motivated me to tackle this 800-page biography.
Ezra Vogel is one of the world's pre-eminent China scholars. His knowledge of the events, people and places as well as the research of other scholars is second to none. He uses this knowledge combined with written accounts and interviews to piece together a comprehensive history of the life of Deng Xiaoping. The account is not strictly chronological. Vogel takes different periods of Deng's life and divides each period into a set of topics covered in separate chapters. This makes the explanation of the events driving each topic easier to follow but it means that the reader may lose track of contemporaneous events discussed in a previous chapter.
Unfortunately, Vogel's review of the life of Deng Xiaoping has not fully answered my questions but it is not for lack of trying. Vogel points out early in the book that Deng Xiaoping did not keep a diary or personal writings or confide his inner-most thoughts on government policy with those around him. His speeches were well-organized and thought-out but without written notes. Consequently, we have no window into his thoughts; we have only his actions and events surrounding him to judge his thinking and how it changed over his life. This lack of a personal written record no doubt was a key factor in his survival of the many leadership purges under Mao Tse-tung. Another factor was his complete loyalty to the Party and to Mao. Although Deng was removed from top leadership positions three times in his career, including a 3-year exile during the Cultural Revolution, he was never expelled out of the Party.
We also learn that Deng Xiaoping was, above all, a pragmatist and a patriot. His driving motivation was to do whatever necessary to foster China's economic development and re-emergence as a global leader. He was not an ideologue, although he was a skillful politician, sensitive to those who opposed his ideas and careful to find ways to test out policy reforms in isolated cases before moving toward full implementation.
Deng Xiaoping is easily one of the most important leaders of the 20th century. We are indeed fortunate to have Ezra Vogel's scholarly and literary talents applied to an English biography of Deng Xiaoping. There is much we can learn from Vogel's account but even more that is left for interpretation reading between the lines.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2014
★★★★★ 1
Not so much
Format: Hardcover
I can't judge the social science merits of this study. But it's treatment of premodern Chinese history is shoddy and ill informed of the existing literature.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Una abrebocas de como puede ser un mundo multipolar
Format: Hardcover
Un buen análisis de como puede impactar a los gobiernos, empresas y personas un mundo multipolar con zonas de influencia por poderes regionales.
La geopolítica cada vez está más vigente y si no la entendemos, no vamos a poder aprovechar las nuevas oportunidades de esta era.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2026
★★★★★ 5
The Future is Now
Format: Hardcover
The author makes a compelling argument that the world is fracturing into two principal trade blocs, the U.S.A bloc and the China bloc. Even cursory review of the daily business news confirms the author's argument is taking shape now. This is an important book for those interested in geopolitics, economics, and even those who are trying to determine where to invest their funds based on changing global dynamics.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Cute book and engaging story
Format: Paperback
My grand daughter reads at a 3rd grade reading level, so doesn't want to read the easy readers but loses interest easily with traditional chapter books. This little book was a perfect fit. She's an axolotl fan so the pictures and the story line kept her engaged. There's even a couple of pages of axolotl facts at the end of the book. Well worth adding to her book shelf!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026
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