{"product_id":"9780812982282-1","title":"Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series \u003ci\u003eVictoria, \u003c\/i\u003ethis page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen—a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning new portrait is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eJANET MASLIN, \u003ci\u003eTHE NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e • \u003ci\u003eESQUIRE\u003c\/i\u003e • THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eVictoria the Queen,\u003c\/i\u003e Julia Baird’s exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography, brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch.”—\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e(Editor’s Choice)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe’s monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public’s expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger tracts of the globe. In a world where women were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother’s meddling and an adviser’s bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping conventional boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and security—queen of a quarter of the world’s population at the height of the British Empire’s reach.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on sources that include fresh revelations about Victoria’s relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings vividly to life the fascinating story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eVictoria: The Queen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In Baird’s deft portrayal, Victoria lives, breathes, and struts before us in all her complexity. . . . On a geopolitical level, Baird’s sweeping historical portrait also illuminates just how interconnected the European royal families were during this time. . . . Historical astuteness aside, the pages gallop along enhanced by titillating morsels of info.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Esquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A vivid portrait of one of England’s longest-reigning monarchs.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Entertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] success from start to finish . . . [Baird’s] Victoria is a vivid, visceral creature.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Like the best biographers, Baird writes like a novelist, and her book is crammed with irresistible detail and description.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47042066579696,"sku":"9780812982282","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780812982282_p0.jpg?v=1763743924","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780812982282-1","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}