Mary Main

King George III (the one who "went mad") had fourteen children and only one legitimate grandchild--the Princess Charlotte. The only child of the estranged Prince and Princess of Wales, she grew up knowing that for her, the personal truly was political. Her marriage would shape alliances between nations; her appearance could create or forstall riots. Her very friendships could be controlled by the Prime Minister and the House of Lords.

I have read many novels that purport to be history (I'm lookin at you, [b:Jane Boleyn|1206219|Jane Boleyn The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford|Julia Fox|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255660515s/1206219.jpg|2053669]), so it was a pleasure to read the reverse. Main takes the liberty of pretending to know the inner workings of Princess Charlotte's mind. But she does not insert melodrama where there was none, and she attempts neither character assasination nor canonization. I found this book engaging and--knowing what I did about Princess Charlotte--a bit melancholy.… (meer)