Nancy Goldstone

Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England, was a fascinating figure. Married to Frederick V, King of Bohemia, Elizabeth bore 13 children while working tirelessly to defend her family’s empire during the Thirty Years War, and preserve the English legacy of her father and brother, Charles I. Much of her life was spent in exile from the kingdom she and Frederick held claim to, moving among various locations in Europe with the children housed by relatives to ensure their safety. show more Elizabeth’s four daughters (Elizabeth, Louisa, Henrietta, and Sophia), shaped by this environment, led very different lives, but each notable in her own right.

By focusing on the contributions of women, this meticulously-researched account adds greatly to our understanding of history. The intellectual and political abilities of Elizabeth and her daughters seem unusual for their time, but this is likely because women’s stories are so seldom told. Elizabeth’s daughters were intellectual heavyweights, able to dialogue as peers with “greats” like Descartes and Leibniz. Sophia may be the best known to modern readers, since every English monarch since George I (1714) is descended from her, but this would not have happened without Sophia’s dogged persistence and agile responses to political events.

Daughters of the Winter Queen brings these historic figures to life in a delightfully readable way, offering a fresh perspective on 17th century Europe. show less

Reading this account of the medieval queen of Naples, Joanna I, you get the impression that she must have been one of the most unlucky rulers of her time. She had little to no peace during her reign, and ended up being murdered, all through the greed and ambition of forces outside her control. In particular, the Hungarian branch of her family comes across as a pack of rich bullies -- at one point, Louis the Great has three daughters but only two kingdoms to give as dowries, so he decides show more Naples, to which he has an extremely thin claim, will do. Had Joanna been given half a chance, she might have been a successful ruler. A good account, which necessarily suffers from the fact that numerous people share the same name and it's tough to keep the cast apart. show less

In the early years of their marriage the writers Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone decided to become book collectors. I suspect the authors were being disingenuous in claiming to be completely ignorant about the hobby to the point of not even knowing what they wanted to collect. However, their feigned naïveté allows them to lead the reader through dusty old bookshops that have likely ceased to exist by now, learning what to look for. Along the way they introduce many delightfully quirky show more booksellers. Even to the non-collector their excursions into book land are great fun. I picked up a few tips and am glad to find out that I’m not the first would-be buyer to get snubbed in NYC’s Argosy Bookshop. show less

I admit, I picked this one up because of the excellent title, then realized it was by Nancy Goldstone (and have enjoyed her work in the past) -- and -- I was continuously astonished about how much I enjoyed this book. That sounds like a backhanded compliment, but what I mean is that I have never been interested in this particular time in history, or Mary, Queen of Scots, or the reign of James I or, god forbid, Cromwell and Charles -- for whatever reason, they've never appealed to me. Now I'm show more fascinated by the whole clan. This book is exceptional. It's amazing. It's a soap opera with deeply far reaching future impacts, and Goldstone not only is a master storyteller for the history, but she effortlessly weaves the stunning future complications into the greater story without breaking the narrative. In addition to that, her somewhat snarky commentary left me giggling on more than one occasion. This isn't dry nonfiction, it's unputdownable. I love that it centers on the women, I love that it's structured in short bursts that really give you a sense of the personalities of the times, and I love the thought and research that has gone into it. Can't recommend it highly enough. show less