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Bertie: A Life of Edward VII

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Bertie: A Life of Edward VII

By: Jane Ridley
Narrated by: Carole Boyd
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Entertaining and different, this is an enjoyable study of a flawed yet characterful Prince of Wales seen through the eyes of the women in his life. Edward Vll, who gave his name to the Edwardian Age and died in 1911, was King of England for the final 10 years of his life. He was 59 when at last he came to the throne. Known as Bertie, the eldest son of Victoria and Albert, he was bullied by both his parents. Although Bertie was heir to the throne, Victoria refused to give him any proper responsibilities, as a result of which he spent his time eating, betting, and womanising.

Bertie's numerous mistresses included the society hostess Daisy Brook ('Babbling Brook'), Lillie Langtry and Alice Keppel. When Bertie finally became king, he did a good job, especially in foreign policy. This colourful book gives Bertie due credit, while painting a vivid portrait of the age in all its excess and eccentricity, hypocrisy and heartbreak.

©2012 Jane Ridley (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Great Britain England Royalty Heartfelt United Kingdom Imperialism Thought-Provoking
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Carole Boyd is one of my favourite narrators, and she does another brilliant job here in bringing this detailed biography to life. She's particularly good at conveying the rather cloying love of Alexandra, Bertie's long-suffering wife, and all the numerous relations. I never felt lost about who was speaking or being discussed.



As for Edward, I felt very sorry for him. Not particularly clever, he was nonetheless a man of great charm with an innate understanding of others, and it's a pity that he had to wait until he was 60 before he was permitted to do a job. Filling the empty void with house parties, shooting and mistresses must have palled, as it certainly did for me by the end of the book. "Too late", he said when he was finally hailed as King, and I heartily agreed with him. One criticism I have of the book is that I thought his children were hardly mentioned at all - quite an achievement given that he had six of them! Altogether, though, a very interesting and engaging listen and one that's rounded out my understanding of an intriguing man.

Excellent narration

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Very enjoyable and interesting The fascinating content was enhanced by the narration style . Didn't want it to finish . It really was a superb listen .

Great detail, excellent narration , engaging style

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They are also grotesque. This wonderful book reminds me that, for some people, life is purely a quest for money, sex and power

The characters are mesmeric

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A very well read, interesting book. I kept breaking of and going back to it.

Well worth the listen but extremely long.

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Ridley has pulled together a brilliant portrait of Bertie/Edward VII. For years overshadowed by his domineering mother, denied a real role in The Firm, and ignored by prosterity, what emerges from this brilliant biography is a man of his time and class - by turns heartless, formal and remote and then kind, emotional and intelligent; in other words a human in every sense. I admit I am a tiny bit in love with the image of Edward the Caresser now....

Detailed, Engaging and Endearing

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