Publication Date: June 10, 2014
Myrmidon Books Ltd
Paperback; 432p
ISBN-10: 1910183016
London, 1788. The calm order of Queen Charlotte’s court is shattered by screams. Her beloved husband, England’s King, has gone mad.
Left alone with thirteen children and a country at war, Charlotte must fight to hold her husband’s throne in a time of revolutionary fever. But it is not just the guillotine that Charlotte fears: it is the King himself.
Her six daughters are desperate to escape their palace asylum. Their only chance lies in a good marriage, but no Prince wants the daughter of a madman. They are forced to take love wherever they can find it – with devastating consequences.
The moving true story of George III’s madness and the women whose lives it destroyed.
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About the Author
Laura Purcell lives in Colchester, the oldest recorded town in England. She met her husband working in Waterstones bookshop and they share their home with several pet guinea pigs.
Laura is a member of the Historical Novel Society, The Society for Court Studies and Historic Royal Palaces. She has recently appeared on the PBS documentary The Secrets of Henry VIII’s Palace, talking about Queen Caroline’s life at Hampton Court.
Laura’s novels explore the lives of royal women during the Georgian era, who have largely been ignored by modern history. Her debut Queen Charlotte was originally self-published as God Save the King, receiving excellent reviews as an Amazon bestseller in biographical fiction.
You can find out more about Laura and read her history blog at www.laurapurcell.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Follow the QUEEN OF BEDLAM Blog Tour: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/queenofbedlamtourMy Thoughts
The Queen of Bedlam refers to the wife of King George III, Queen Charlotte. King George III reigned in what is referred to as the Regency era. My favorite genre of English history is the Tudor era and I really did not know a lot about King George. I have however heard of the Madness of King George. It appears that he had some sort of illness that caused bouts of dementia, where he would do strange things and be a bit violent. He loved his wife and daughters, didn't have a lot of good to say about his sons though. His daughters Royal, Sophie and Amelia, there were more children but they are not referenced a lot in this novel, wanted what any young woman of the era wants, to marry and have a family. Even though they begged their father to allow them to marry, he often refused their requests.
Queen Charlotte in my opinion was a cold fish, when the king would have these bouts of 'madness' she didn't seem to want to be around him. She was not very loving with her daughters either, I suspect there was a bit of jealousy between her and the daughters because of the affection King George had for the girls. The story was told in alternate chapters between Queen Charlotte, Royal, Sophie and Amelia. I found the story at times to be kind of depressing, here are these princesses who could almost have the pick of husbands but because of the whim of the King, they were not allowed to have the life they wanted.
The author touched a bit on the political climate of the time, the American Revolution, Napoleonic War but mostly focused on the lives of the daughters and son George. I did enjoy this story as I am a historical fiction fan and I am eager to read the next book by Laura Purcell. The historical fiction fan who enjoys the Regency era will find this novel very interesting.
I received a copy of the book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
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