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Bertie: A Life of Edward VII
- Narrated by: Carole Boyd
- Length: 22 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Europe
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Publisher's Summary
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.
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What listeners say about Bertie: A Life of Edward VII
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Silvershirt
- 04-22-14
I cried when I finished
This is one of those books I couldn't bear to put down. The writing is brilliant, the performance perfection itself, and the story mesmerizing. Gossip, history, fun, and enlightenment are all here, and Carole Boyd is absolutely dazzling in her rendition, mastering flawless pronunciation in several languages and acting worthy of an award. I recommend this book to all who enjoy history, biography, and the theatre of the ear.
34 people found this helpful
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- Robyn
- 06-01-13
cannot fault this audiobook
I hesitate to use the word 'perfect', but I really can't fault this audiobook. This biography is as good as any I have read: informative and entertaining from start to finish, painstakingly researched, and beautifully written. At the end, I almost felt I had known Bertie and experienced some of the claustrophobia of the court, counter-balanced by the freedom which came with money and position at the top of the social ladder. It is expertly read by Carole Boyd who has just the right voice for this genre. Her voices for the various characters, her facility with accents, and correct pronunciation of foreign words and names are very impressive. Bertie, Ridley and Boyd - perfect combination.
23 people found this helpful
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- Simone
- 12-13-12
Impressive!
Great book! It really leaves no unanswered questions about his life; it was so EXTREMELY thorough and well researched! Very impressive work.
I would love to read a biography of George V written by the same author, it would feel like a natural continuation.
13 people found this helpful
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- cathy colby
- 03-31-13
Jolly Good Historical Read!
Where does Bertie: A Life of Edward VII rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I love the historical bits from the UK; their history totally out-swags the USA. I enjoy being able to relate to the modern fact that Bertie was Elizabeth II's Great Granddaddy. Though it is non-fiction the listening was among the best ever from Audible.
What did you like best about this story?
I liked that one views Victoria's reign from an altogether different perspective when focused on her son's point of view.
Which character – as performed by Carole Boyd – was your favorite?
I enjoyed the character of Bertie's wife Alexandra the best, but all the voices were wonderful - I guess I did not realized one person did all the parts. Nice!
9 people found this helpful
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- Flatbroke
- 05-10-13
A charming pleasure-seeker who did the job his way
The reign of King Edward VII ("Bertie" to his family) was expected to be a disappointment by most. But he would have not have been shocked by this verdict, it was one he had been hearing for most of his life. A gambler and a philanderer, his bad behavior was not only whispered among the upper class, but also ended up as fodder for the unwashed masses when he ended up in court a few times. His most horrible crime was that he was not the carbon copy of his late father Prince Consort Albert, an offense that Queen Victoria could not forgive.
This is an excellent, thorough book on the life of future King Edward VII. It is also very even-handed on the good and bad aspects of the man himself.
In some ways, it's extraordinary that he did as well as he did. Prince Albert had high expectations for his children, especially Bertie, the heir. He devised a rigorous education for them. His oldest child, the Princess Royal Victoria, excelled while Bertie did not. Of course, this must have been the fault of poor strange Bertie, not the teachers and certainly not Prince Albert's program. In response to this failure, his education became more difficult, not less. and leaving him little free time, not that he would have been allowed to socialize with boys his own age if he did have free time.
As a young man away from home, his male friends introduced him to a "loose woman" who became his mistress. An aghast Prince Albert hurried to confront his son about his behavior. Prince Albert's health declined soon afterwards, leading to his death.
The fractious attitude of widowed Queen Victoria towards Bertie became a constant problem. Heartbroken by the loss of her beloved husband, Queen Victoria always blamed Bertie's dissolute behavior for Albert's death. Her punishment of him was of the most unproductive kind. For years, she forbade him any involvement in governmental affairs even after he expressed an interest, essentially making sure her heir was unprepared for his eventual responsibilities. It also gave him lots of free time to engage in the type of profligate lifestyle that his father had been determined to curtail. Bertie knew his mother was disappointed in his present behavior, but also knew that no penance he could do would have earned her forgiveness and healed the relationship. Queen Victoria even had Bertie and his new wife, beautiful, sweet Alexandra of Denmark spied on by the staff, to try to make sure both followed her directions. Not a perfect husband to Alexandra, he nonetheless backed her over the Queen during the war between her home country of Denmark and Germany (favored by the Queen) and the diplomatic problems that it caused.
Though not officially allowed in governmental affairs, Bertie stepped into the royal role that his reclusive mother refused to fill after Albert's death: the social role. Always impeccably dressed Bertie and Alexandra performed almost all of the public functions as representatives of the royal family. They were a glamorous pair, probably a big contrast to the stiff and stolid Victoria and Albert. Infidelity in an upper class man was still acceptable as long as there was discretion and a devoted wife at the side. Bertie's letters to mistresses are surprisingly mundane - no husband would read these lines and grab a pisol. His unwelcome court appearances were the result of getting dragged into the limelight by the indiscreet misdeeds of others in his circle. He was open-minded for his time: he welcomed successful Jewish financiers into his social circle and he did not discriminate among race (though he opposed women's rights).
His accession to the throne happened late in life. By then, he was aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. His interest in foreign relations, convivial manner and good relationships with the royalty of other contries (many of them relatives) were put to the good use on behalf of England. Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm's forceful, intrusive manner was annoying to the quiet Russian Tzar Nicholas II. King Edward VII told the Tzar that he had no wish to offer unsolicited advice like Wilhem. He had been a help to the young Tzar years earlier at the death of Tzar Alexander II (Alexandra's sister was the Tzarina). He and Alexandra comforted the grieving family, and performed all of the traditional Russian mourning rituals as members of the late Tzar's family (even kissing the lips of the rapidly decaying body), gaining the respect of the Russian public. King Edward VII's personality, his ability to put people at ease, and his shrewdness of the public impact of social behavior were his biggest assets and he made use of them in his reign.
28 people found this helpful
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- Lulu
- 04-05-15
An Important End to a Dissipated Life
What struck me the most about this book was the inequality of time spent on Bertie's turn as a dissipated Prince of Wales and the time spent detailing what was by most accounts a successful and important reign as King. I realize this is largely because he spent the majority of his life as the Prince of Wales and only the last decade as King. And I understood the author's intent - to show how the huge blunders and small catastrophes of his early wasted years, shaped him into the king he became. But it still seems to me that the reader walks away with a far better understanding of what made him a terrible husband, questionable friend and embarrassing representative of the royal family, than what made him a successful monarch.
All of that said, this was an informative, well researched biography of a man at the center of a stage, but more importantly of the time period in which he served and many of the secondary characters who surrounded him that we know little about. The characterizations of the prime ministers and senior governmental officials that served Victoria and then Edward was fascinating. She also gave a very balanced account of his wife Alexandra and his many mistresses, I thought. And even when Bertie was shown at his worst, the author used other key people in his life to show that no matter how poorly Bertie was behaving, his mother, his nephew, every member of the Churchill family and a few of his mistresses were worse.
Near the end of the book the author that King Edward's parenting skills definitely gave credence to the generally held belief that the British royal family makes terrible parents. And I know we are often doomed to repeat the mistakes of our parents, but I thought that the saddest aspect of the book was how uninvolved he was in the lives of his children. After the example of his parents, one would think he might have tried to compensate. But the only child the book spends any time on was his heir who Edward obviously disliked and who he believed was as wasted a human being as his parents thought Edward was. His obvious grief at his sons death made his treatment of him when he was alive all the more pitiable.
If you are interested in the prelude to and the reasoning behind World War I, this biography of the central figure of the Edwardian age, the uncle of Europe, this book is definitely worth reading. If you are more interested in the gossip and torrid behind the scene details of court life, this book is worth reading. In the end, the most interesting aspect of the book is that it manages to be two books in one. A tell-tell biography full of salacious gossip, rumors and fact, and a fascinating look at Europe before the war that shaped the 20th Century.
14 people found this helpful
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- Nora
- 07-29-14
Good listening, gossipy, relaxing
What did you love best about Bertie: A Life of Edward VII?
Sound research, hgighly entertaining
What other book might you compare Bertie: A Life of Edward VII to and why?
Autobiography of Henry V111 by Margaret George
Have you listened to any of Carole Boyd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I would if I had 50 hours! But I could listen to it more than once
Any additional comments?
A good satisfactory "read"
4 people found this helpful
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- Redding Reader
- 04-02-15
What? There's more?
What disappointed you about Bertie: A Life of Edward VII?
Repetitive, minute details
Has Bertie: A Life of Edward VII turned you off from other books in this genre?
Not at all...this is one of my favorites!
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Nothing--She handles the material well.
Any additional comments?
You will be amazed at how slowly the telling of Bertie's life unfolds...and the lack of variety in it. Same circumstances over and over....just vary the names.
2 people found this helpful
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- Fictionwriter
- 02-28-15
Bertie the Dissolute
After listening to the life of Queen Victoria by A. N. Wilson, I decided to see how Bertie, her son who became King Edward upon her death in 1901, had fared. His mother and father, Prince Albert, treated their eldest son with such contempt and disapproval that his life of whoring, gambling and partying is understandable. In the end, the author avows that he did become a monarch more accessible to the English people than his mother, the widow forever draped in black bombazine, ever was. But the book moves chronologically in a way that I found dull and uninspired in the end.
2 people found this helpful
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- Catarina
- 01-14-13
Complete and detailed story of a remarkable king
Where does Bertie: A Life of Edward VII rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the best.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Bertie: A Life of Edward VII?
His relationship with his parents.
What about Carole Boyd’s performance did you like?
She accurately portrayed the various voices.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Waiting to be king
5 people found this helpful
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- Katherien Watt
- 12-24-12
Bertie - the untold story
I found this book both fasinating and informative, well written and easy to listen to. History has made Bertie a poor follow up act to Queen Victoria and much has been made of his affairs, which this book covers in some detail. But it also enlightened me to what a true statesman he was in his knowledge of European foreign policy ( well he was related to most of the royal families by blood or marriage after all) and could forsee the First World War, although he died four years before it began.
Couple of interesting facts: he was reluctant to see his mother on her deathbed as he had never seen her in bed before and his passion for wearing military uniforms something he shared with his nephew the Kaiser.
9 people found this helpful
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- Kirstine
- 09-07-19
Entertaining warts and all biography
Bertie and Queen VIctoria were both deeply flawed individuals in their different ways, but biographies of well-behaved and diligent people makes dull reading. The author certainly doesn't pull any punches in detailing the philandering and extravagance of the prince, Victoria's spitefulness towards him and her 40 years of morbid avoidance of her duties after Albert's death. It's surprising, that the uprising of republicanism that surfaced in the mid-19th century didn't come to fruition. I finished the book feeling repelled by the extravagant and dissolute life-style of the aristocrats, who made up Bertie's set, and the nepotism and cronyism that pervaded both court and government for appointments and honours. History certainly demonstrates that monarchy, as a way of choosing the head of state, is certainly a lottery as to whether one gets a a diligent person, a philandering fool or a vicious despot. An interesting parallel story in this book is that of Kaiser William, Bertie's nephew, whose paranoia and inferiority complex was a factor in causing the First World War.
The author has certainly complied a comprehensive account of the prince's life and not flinched from showing his many faults, particularly before he became King and then took his duties more seriously. However, it seems to me that during his reign his contributions to the good of the nation don't really justify the expense of his lavish life-style and the financing of a large retinue of staff and hangers on.
A really annoying error repeated many times through he book are the references to the Queen or King of England or the term England when referring to the country as a whole. The crowns of England and Scotland were united over 400 years ago! Yet many authors, and even historians, who should know better, refer to the whole country as England. No wonder we Scots (and Welsh) feel like second class citizens.
An entertaining book, even if it made me feel more republican! Excellently narrated.
8 people found this helpful
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- VersaillesThree
- 11-19-20
Very Disappointing
I was anticipating a biography akin to the excellent ones I had recently listened to of Victoria and then Albert, by A N Wilson, which were so enlightening as regards background, social and historical events during their lifetimes.
Although at first I sympathised with Bertie due to his austere upbringing, I very early on grew tired of this very long and very detailed account of his self indulgence and generally unedifying lifestyle. And this detail overshadowed the good things he achieved, so that well before the end of his life, I just didn’t care anymore.
Half the length with just a flavour of his philandering would have sufficed. Actually, I found the final chapter the most useful as it gave a succinct summary and overview that was quite enough for me.
On a separate note, although I have enjoyed Carole Boyd’s narration on several audiobooks, there were times here when she spoke so softly and quietly for the right effect that I had difficulty hearing her.
7 people found this helpful
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- Knucklebones
- 02-17-13
Excellent narration
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.
11 people found this helpful
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- Denise
- 05-29-13
Informative and interesting
Wonderfully absorbing account of the life of a complex man. Once I'd got over the fact it's read by The Archer's Linda Snell I was totally captivated by the story of a Prince and King I went from pitying to disliking and back again... several times.
4 people found this helpful
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- Deborah
- 06-03-17
Massive and methodical
An immense book which chronicles the life of Bertie, King Edward VII from cradle to death. This book includes details of his life and experiences of being queen Victoria's child and the relationship he had with her until her death in 1901.
This is a massive listen of over 22hrs and demanded a lot of time to listen. I was more interested in the latter period of his life of which is named after him, the Edwardian era. While I feel much of the information within the book I already felt that I knew, particularly in regarding his often fractious relationship with Queen Victoria. There was also parts that I was more unaware about such as the period when he eventually ascended to the throne. I feel the common remembrances regarding Bertie are around his early life when he had little to no responsibility. However it appears that when Bertie was given the responsibility as King he became a workaholic and began shaping the crown and monarchy into what we would recognise and understand today. In addition it was interesting to discover the amount of public grief displayed by the general public following his death which felt reminiscent of the grief displayed following the death of Princess Diana.
Overall this was an interesting read, however it felt at times overally long and ponderous.
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- iris
- 03-13-15
Biography at its best! Wonderful book.
Considering that Queen Victoria and Edward V11 kept voluminous diaries spanning over half a century I just don't know how the author of this book managed to construct a highly readable and enjoyable work. It must have taken years of work to plough through the wealth of material. This is a stunning achievement and through this story of one man you learn about the historical events of the time, the social mores, the mind set of the time and how the society evolved throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century.
The first part of the book which deals with Bertie's childhood is really chilling and one wonders how he survived such ill treatment and emotional deprivation. If Charles Dickens had known of it he would have written a marvellous novel - full of melodrama. Victoria comes across in many ways as a monster but she also had a rather grim childhood. When poor Bertie can 'only' speak two languages by the age of six he is of course considered a 'slow learner' as his older sister is by that age begging for Latin lessons and of course is a brilliant student. I'm sure she was the pride and joy of Albert but I expect other people would have hated this little paragon!
Had Victoria been more trusting towards Bertie he might have been able to contribute far more in a worthwhile sense but all his life Victoria is interfering and dominating both in his public and private life. Edward was almost driven to a life of constant partying and pleasure seeking activities. His wife Alexandra is an adorable character and her early problem with deafness must have been such an isolating and terrible handicap. It sounds as if she did have a wonderful sense of humour and some of the quotes in the book are very amusing.
Another character is Bertie's nephew the Kaiser Wilhelm who is wonderfully portrayed by Carol Boyd in her narration. His sanity is questionable and it must have been hard for the extremely intelligent Vicky to produce this ghastly son!
This is a stunning book and I will be reading and re-reading it as the story is so rich and covers so many political and personal crises of this large family that it would be hard to take it all in on just one read. Carol Boyd does an excellent job and her narrating skills are peerless.
2 people found this helpful
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- Simon
- 09-29-15
Excellent
A well written book , very interesting, and excellently narrated.How the playboy Prince with all his indiscretions became a much revered King...so whilst historical in context also has relevance today!
1 person found this helpful
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- Rachel OK
- 07-23-15
Totally Absorbing
Why do we have this love affair with the royals or at least are so keen to know more of their lives? Well my interest is mostly in historic royals and you can't get better than this biography. I had seen Jane Ridley interviewed on TV on a couple of royal bio programmes. She was so interesting & her enthusiasm infectious, so I just had to have this book. I have not been disappointed. Carol Boyd is an excellent narrator who makes the characters live.
1 person found this helpful
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- NORTH OF WATFORD YOKEL
- 12-23-12
Bertie
As a republican l found more than enough evidence in this audio book to confirm my prejudices m sure royalists will claim the same, therefore a balanced view and a good listen
5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-09-20
Frustrating
I gave up listening to it.It really annoys me when narrators revert to speaking the foreign accent of characters in the story. Narrator is an English female and she takes on the male German accent of Prince Albert.Takes away from the story...
1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-21-19
really great read
I loved this book. Interesting and informative. Bertie was an underestimated king and his life was beautifully documented by the author.
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- Vanessa Young
- 02-23-17
Comprehensive record of the life of Edward VII
This book was quite amazingly detailed and is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Britain and the role of the monarchy in that history. The author managed to blend the stories of the numerous personal scandals and those of Edward's many mistresses into the 'bigger picture' that was the social and political history of the time. Be warned: this is a long book that requires the reader's full attention in order to keep track of the many players. Carole Boyd is an excellent narrator: she has a particular skill with accents.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-03-22
Comprehensive story
Well written, well read and deeply detailed without being a text book. Thank you for the pleasure
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- Lauren Wilson
- 02-20-22
Tedious
I tried to get into this book,but,it did not keep my attention at all. It was very disappointing. I did not finish it.
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- Nicolle Burt
- 09-10-21
Detailed bio of the King.
Interesting and detailed account of the King. Sets up the framework for global events that happened in the 20th Century. He was under rated and lost in the shadow of his mother Queen Victoria, as a womaniser and privileged royal - this account shows how he was the bridge from the end of the Victorian period to the new world order about to unfold.