Crowned in a Far Country: Portraits of Eight Royal Brides: Princess Michael of Kent

Many little girls harbor dreams of being a princess. The palace, the jewels, the fairytale life are all the hallmarks of the fantasy. Unfortunately the fantasy never matches the reality. In Crowned in a Far Country Princess Michael of Kent shows us eight royal brides whose lives were far from fantasy but who faced their destinies with strength and grace, even in the face of adversity.

The author details the lives of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia ; Vicky, Empress of Prussia; Eugenie, Empress of France; Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples; Marie Antoinette, Queen of France; Alexandra, Queen of England; Minnie, Empress of Russia; and Maria Leopoldina, Empress Consort of Brazil. Each of these women entered into marriage contracts for the good of their country though only a few found actual happiness with their husbands and even fewer lived long lives. Most left childhood homes, never to return, many lost children and some lost their lives in service to their countries.

Unfortunately, the true tragedy of this book is not the lives of these women, it is the telling of their stories. The author tells their tales in a very stilted and boring manner. She leaves out important details in some areas and natters on about unimportant details in others. There seems to be no consistancy about what she decided to include and what she felt was unnecessary. This is a very unremarkable book whose subjects have been covered in greater detail elsewhere. The reader would be better served in reading her source books and not the end product itself.
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Publisher: Touchstone; New Ed edition (February 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0743296370
ISBN-13: 978-0743296373
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