Reef, Catherine. Victoria: Portrait of a Queen. Clarion, 2017. $18.99. 246p. ISBN 978-0-544-71614-8. Ages 12-16. P6Q9
Lush paintings and vintage photos illustrate this biography of the English queen who ruled for 63 years after her 18th birthday. Even her childhood was filled with intrigue as her mother tried to control Victoria with the help of her consort. As a queen, Victoria struggled with the vicissitudes of ruling and her desire to create a better world for her subjects while still bound to the class society in which she was reared. Reef describes her relationships with various prime ministers, her emotional response to the death of her beloved husband Albert when he was only 42, and her attachments to other men after he died. The Victorian Era covered most of the 19th century, a time of great technological and industrial change when the position of royal family was shifting into one of less authority.
Verdict: Although Reef aptly describes the queen’s personality, she sometimes glosses over some of Victoria’s flaws. The subject and treatment of it makes the book better for young readers interested in British history during this period of time. Victoria includes a list of British monarchs, Victoria’s family tree, source notes, and an extensive bibliography including newspaper articles from the 19th century.
December 2017 review by Nel Ward.
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