This book follows the intertwining lives and the political environment of the five of Queen Victoria's granddaughters who were reigning consorts: Marie of Romania whose affairs scandalised Europe, Maude who hated Norway and wanted to live in England, Alexandra who was killed along with her family in the Russian revolution and the luckier Sophie of Greece and Victoria Eugenie of Spain both of whom were exiled from the lands they ruled due to political unrest. I had always known how interrelated (and inbred) the European royal families were, however reading this book gave fresh insight into the family quarrels that were inherently political. Even with the best known of these women, Alexandra, Gelardi was able to reveal her life and her motivations beyond the standard reading. (Why is it, I wonder, that no-one writing about the Russian Revolution ever thinks to mention that Nicolas and Alexandra were a love match and courted for years? Ah, of course, that's an unimportant 'feminine' detail, why would we need to know that?) In any case, this book is filled with similarly well researched and documented facts about these women and how their lives impacted European history. Well worth the read. ( )

By virtue of having a lot of children and therefore grandchildren, it's no surprise that among the granddaughters of Queen Victoria there were five queens. Queen Alexandra of Russia's story is well-known for its tragic ending. The others, Queen Maud (Norway), Queen Sophie (Greece), Queen Victoria Eugenie (Spain) and Queen Marie (Romania) are less well-known in America. Aside from Maud whose reign was peaceful, all the others had rather rocky reigns. ( )

If it wasn't for the fact that this book was very entertaining to read and I finished it in no time, I'd say that this was someone's doctoral dissertation. How long did it take this author to collect such a massive amount of research? It's mindblowing! With so much research, Gelardi weaves intertwining tales of 5 first cousins, descents of Queen Victoria, and women who became reigning Queens throughout Europe by using the very words of the women themselves. There were times I felt like I was reading these women's diaries, their identities just leapt right off the page. I look forward to other books in the future by Julia Gelardi.

A perfectly tepid book about the five of Queen Victoria's grand-daughters who ruled as monarchs in their own rights. I found this book very tedious for several reasons. First, none of these women was that deeply interesting - certainly Alexandra, the Tsarina, had a tragic end, and Marie of Romania was passionate, but overall, and compared to Victoria or Elizabeth I, these women were weak and soft. Second, coming as they did at the cusp of the republican era, most of these women were the last monarchs of their respective countries. It's hard to feel interested about people who ultimately have no purpose. Finally, and perhaps most damning, the author manages to take these women and make them virtually un-empathetic. I've read other stories about the time period, and know that these are not unlikable women, and some of them did wonderful things. I just didn't care, however, because the book was *that* dull. ( )

From granddaughers clustered at Queen Victoria's knee to crowned consorts of Europe. They saw revolution, tears and the upheaval of war in their newly adopted homelands. Marie of Romania caused scandals with her love life but became the savior of her people during and after World War I. Ena of Spain endured the strict Catholic court as her playboy husband romped in others' beds. Alexandra of Russia longed for a son and heir and grew more and more distant from her subjects. Julia P. Gelardi provides just enough details to make the more than casual reader look for full length biographies of each consort. Covering such a span of time and space is difficult but the end result is compelling read and a fascinating look at at five unique women.