Farewell In Splendor [Hardcover]

"Farewell in Splendor" is an interesting and readable account of the last week in the life of Queen Victoria and her funeral. When an old woman has nine children and forty grandchildren, it is easy to see that there is bound to be confusion and differences of opinion about her care. However when that woman is also the Empress of the largest empire on earth. The difficulties seem to multiply for each of her subjects. This is the case in 1901 as Victoria, the doyen of Royalty, finally fades after a record breaking sixty-four years on the throne.

Jerrold M. Packard has written two books on the subject of Victoria and her family. I found that much of the background material in this book was a reprieve of "Victoria's Daughters". Since any book about the death of Victoria is bound to have a limited audience, much of the background material seemed to be out of place in a book devoted mostly to a three-week period. I think that people willing to read about Victoria's death might already know something about her life.

From the book, I get have a strong impression that Packard simply does not like Queen Victoria and saw her only as a mean and selfish old woman. I'll grant you that in many ways she was, but in this book so many of her more endearing traits are omitted. It draws a rather one-sided picture of Victoria and not the most flattering side. I think that a little more balance would have served this book well.

I like that fact that the book was easily readable and had many interesting facts to present. His parenthetical remarks really added to the book and helped it rise above being a rehash of newspaper accounts and old. Letters. However, I also found that on occasion there was too much trying to show how much better the late 20th century was from the 19th. His interjection of the modern mind-set into the Edwardian/Victorian eras was a more of hindrance than help.

I did enjopy the book and think is a solid additon to the world of victoria Liturature but I would not reccommend it as a starter book.

It's too bad, then, that Packard's research is less than sterling, and his work filled with modern stereotypes and assumptions irrelevant to Victorian times.

For instance, Packard writes that Victoria herself was an unpleasant, unamusable person, when in fact the Queen was a normal woman who liked nothing more than a good joke. (She said "We are not amused", but only because her target was telling dirty jokes in the presence of children.)

There are other minor errors in fact, by themselves unimportant perhaps but it does make me wonder: if there are so many minor errors, how many major errors are there?

I was also distracted by Packard's many references to Victoria's fitness level and his wonderment at her reaching an advanced age without being physically fit. Methinks Mr. Packard has been brainwashed by the health and fitness detachment of the Politically Correct Police. People who live long do so for many reasons. Fitness is only one piece of the puzzle, and compared to genetics it may not even be that big a piece. It's also irrelevant on a cultural level. Virtually nobody at the time exercised; to point out that Victoria was out of shape is roughly similar to pointing out that Elizabeth II couldn't fight the Romans because she doesn't paint her face blue as did Boadicea.