Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
by Anne Edwards
On This Page
Description
The life of Princess May of Teck is one of the great Cinderella stories in history. From a family of impoverished nobility, she was chosen by Queen Victoria as the bride for her eldest grandson, the scandalous Duke of Clarence, heir to the throne, who died mysteriously before their marriage. Despite this setback, she became queen, mother of two kings, grandmother of the current queen, and a lasting symbol of the majesty of the British throne. Her pivotal role in the abdication of her eldest show more son, the Duke of Windsor, is just one of the events that provide the backdrop for both thrilling biography and for narrating the splendors and tragedies of the entire house of Windsor. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
This is a well written biography of Queen Mary. Edwards recounts the events of her life with plenty of interesting anecdotes yet does not fall entirely under the spell of her subject.
Well written biography of the wife of King George V, Mother of King George VI, and Grandmother of Elizabeth II. I learned a great deal about the lives of George V and Queen Mary, their times, and their relationships with their children. My one criticism of the writing is about the footnoting. Fully 40% of the footnotes were unnecessary. It would have been easier and enhanced the sentences to have added the material in the sentence, and would have made the book substantially less choppy when reading it.
The biography of Queen Mary who was a sad woman, bound by duty and apparently incapable of showing normal human affection to her children, or having a single spontaneous moment in her life.
i knew nothing about this woman and her family.
Group G1
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Best Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs
464 works; 156 members
al.vick-wishlist-history
70 works; 2 members
KayStJ's to-read list
1,616 works; 11 members
Best Biographies of Notable Women
277 works; 101 members
Author Information
37+ Works 2,432 Members
Anne Edwards is the New York Times best-selling author of Vivien Leigh: A Biography and Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor as well as several other biographies, novels, and children's books. She lives in Beverly Hills, California.
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Matriarch : Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
- Original publication date
- 1984
- People/Characters
- George V, King of the United Kingdom; Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom; Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge; Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence; Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone; Alexandra of Denmark, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom (show all 36); Augusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom; Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor; Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom; Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom; Victoria Eugenia, Queen of Spain; Prince Franz, Duke of Teck; Prince George, Duke of Kent; George V, King of the United Kingdom; George VI, King of the United Kingdom; Edward Grey; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Prince John; Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie; Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein; Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood; Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge; Maud, Queen of Norway; Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester; Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia; Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of Russia; Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Wallis Simpson; Princess Victoria; Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom; Wilhelm II, German Kaiser and King of Prussia; Louise, Duchess of Fife; Marie Feodorovna, Empress of Russia
- Important places
- United Kingdom; Marlborough House, London, England, UK; Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK; Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK; Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK; York Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK
- Important events
- World War I (1914-1918); World War II (1939-1945)
- Dedication
- For Hilary
who helped me to span an ocean - First words
- The rumors were correct.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Queen Mary had lived her life with dedication to the principle of monarchy, and she had died as she had lived, as her Sovereign's most devoted subject.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 941.083 — History & geography History of Europe British Isles Historical periods of British Isles 1837- Period of Victoria and House of Windsor 1910-1936 George V
- LCC
- DA574 .A2 .E38 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain England History By period Modern, 1485- 20th century
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 284
- Popularity
- 112,883
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.77)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 5
