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Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots Hardcover – April 10, 2018

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The thrilling family saga of five unforgettable women who remade Europe.

From the great courts, glittering palaces, and war-ravaged battlefields of the seventeenth century comes the story of four spirited sisters and their glamorous mother, Elizabeth Stuart, granddaughter of the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots.

Upon her father's ascension to the illustrious throne of England, Elizabeth Stuart was suddenly thrust from the poverty of unruly Scotland into the fairytale existence of a princess of great wealth and splendor. When she was married at sixteen to a German count far below her rank, it was with the understanding that her father would help her husband achieve the kingship of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this commitment would ruin "the Winter Queen," as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved and launch a war that would last for thirty years.

Forced into exile, the Winter Queen and her family found refuge in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age indelibly shaped her daughters' lives. Her eldest, Princess Elizabeth, became a scholar who earned the respect and friendship of the philosopher René Descartes. Louisa was a gifted painter whose engaging manner and appealing looks provoked heartache and scandal. Beautiful Henrietta Maria would be the only sister to marry into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia, a heroine in the tradition of a Jane Austen novel, whose ready wit and good-natured common sense masked immense strength of character, who fulfilled the promise of her great-grandmother Mary and reshaped the British monarchy, a legacy that endures to this day.

Brilliantly researched and captivatingly written, filled with danger, treachery, and adventure but also love, courage, and humor, Daughters of the Winter Queen follows the lives of five remarkable women who, by refusing to surrender to adversity, changed the course of history.

Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Little, Brown and Company
Publication date

April 10, 2018
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0316387916
ISBN-13

978-0316387910
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Goldstone's forthright and often witty asides keep this complicated story bowling along at a terrific pace...Lively and well-researched, Daughters of the Winter Queen offers a timely introduction to a turbulent period in Britain's past relations with Europe."―Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review

"Goldstone is a master juggler. She tells a good story, always with a delightfully light touch. In the process, extraordinary women are given the attention they deserve."―Gerard DeGroot, The Times of London

"Goldstone is a thrilling narrator of this complicated history. Yet the achievement of a work like this is not merely its command of a vast and dense web of the past, but also its incredible literary merit. Daughters of the Winter Queen is nothing short of page-turning, an exceptional work of scholarship that reads like a favorite novel filled with political intrigue, romantic scandal, and more than one dark-of-night escape."―East Hampton Star

"A fascinating feminist story."―The Coil

"This rich and complex story of a seventeenth century queen who lost her throne, and her four defiant daughters, is compulsively readable. Combining rigorous research with a vivid writing style, Nancy Goldstone illuminates the women who have often been left in the shadows of history, and reminds us that fascination with royalty is nothing new."―Charlotte Gray, author of Reluctant Genius: Alexander GrahamBell and the Passion for Invention and Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich inthe Klondike

"Goldstone (The Rival Queens) once again places a much-deserved spotlight on remarkable women from European history...A compulsively readable account of an otherwise unfamiliar royal family. Goldstone writes with knowledge, humor, and ease--a masterly storyteller who steers clear of overly academic language. Ideal for amateur Tudor historians who wish to be introduced to a lesser-known yet equally fascinating royal family."―Library Journal (starred review)

"Goldstone relates the eminently readable tale of Elizabeth Stuart, dubbed the Winter Queen, and her four lovely, talented daughters...The story of these five women, each remarkable for individual reasons and in her own right, both illuminates and is offset by Goldstone's vividly rendered European backdrop."―Booklist

"Though the narrative could have devolved into a complicated mass of intertwined royal families, Goldstone, a seasoned historian, effectively keeps the lines clear as she relates Elizabeth's repeated, frustrated attempts to secure strong marriages for her children under trying circumstances. Her children's stories are fascinating, as well...A great book for history fans seeking illumination on the connections of European royalty."―Kirkus

"A lively, well-researched group biography...Goldstone presents a captivating story with empathy and humor in a relaxed, entertaining, modern voice."―Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Nancy Goldstone is the author of six books including Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, The Crown of Bohemia, and The Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots; The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and The Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom; and Four Queens: The Provençal Sisters Who Ruled Europe. She has also coauthored five books with her husband, Lawrence Goldstone. She lives in Sagaponack, New York.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (April 10, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316387916
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316387910
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,301 in Historical British Biographies
- #1,546 in Royalty Biographies
- #2,756 in Women in History

Customer Reviews:
4.4 1,071 ratings

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Nancy Goldstone

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Nancy Goldstone (www.nancygoldstone.com) has a passion for medieval history and old and rare books. She is the author most recently of three works of non-fiction examining the role of high born women in the Middle Ages: The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc, which unravels the mystery of the Joan of Arc by revealing the fascinating role played by Yolande of Aragon, queen of Sicily and the dauphin's mother-in-law in her story; Four Queens, about a family of four thirteenth century sisters, the daughters of the count of Provence, who all became queens; and The Lady Queen, a biography of Joanna I, fourteenth century queen of Naples, Jerusalem and Sicily and countess of Provence, the only woman of her day to rule in her own name. Nancy has also written a number of books with her husband Lawrence, including The Friar and the Cipher, a narrative non-fiction account of the life of the great 13th century scientist Roger Bacon, and Out of the Flames, the story of 16th century theologian and physician Michael Servetus, who was burned at the stake by John Calvin, reputedly with the last copy of his book, in which he had hidden a great medical discovery, chained to his leg. She and her husband have also written three acclaimed humorous memoirs on their experiences in the world of rare and antiquarian books: Used and Rare, Slightly Chipped, and Warmly Inscribed.

The Goldstones are committed to fostering literacy and critical reading skills in elementary school children. To this end, both Nancy and Larry volunteered their time for eight years running parent-child book groups at their local library. Their book, Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids and the Bond of Reading, a guide to developing reading skills in children, grew out of this program.

Nancy Goldstone graduated with honors in history from Cornell University in 1979 and received her MA in International Affairs from Columbia University in 1981. Immediately upon graduation she embarked on a hilariously brief career trading foreign currency options, an adventure which was chronicled in her first book, Trading Up: Surviving Success as a Woman Trader on Wall Street. Since that time, Mrs. Goldstone has written and reviewed for a number of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe Magazine and The Miami Herald. If you are interested in Larry, go to www.lawrencegoldstone.com

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4.4 out of 5

1,071 global ratings

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TLG

Thoroughly researched with witty engaging writing ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2019

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My favorite thing about Nancy Goldstone is her writing — about as far from dry historical retelling as one can get. She takes facts and makes them human, more like story telling than recitation. This is huge for a historical non fiction book. So many seem like what you’d imagine a boring history professor’s lecture to sound like, and this diminishes the human experience. Nancy really gets into these people’s heads. They aren’t simply historical figures, or historical events, they’re human and engaging the reader.

Now, Nancy has a dry sort of wit, slightly sarcastic at times, that totally comes across in her writing. I can see that being off putting to some readers, but I love it. She doesn’t sugar coat her subjects’ failings or poor decisions, and everyone gets a fair treatment.

This book follows important, but usually peripheral figures in this period. It covers the dynamics between Germany and England through all the religious turmoil, the English Civil War, Thirty Years War, through the medium of the Winter Queen and her daughters’ crazy lives. I was amazed at how little understanding I had of this period (for a self-proclaimed history buff, this was a little embarrassing!), but Nancy’s writing portrayed these events and nuances in a way that’s memorable and understandable.

There’s a huge cast of characters in this book, with so many different sociopolitical and religious differences at play, it can get confusing at times. There’s no escaping it for any writer covering this period though, and Nancy does a great job navigating it. I love that she covers these little written about women, giving them a voice amidst all their more famous male relations and acquaintances. Their lives are at times are frustrating for the reader, you find yourself wishing a different outcome for many of them, but this isn’t fiction.

I’m struggling to understand why this book (not to mention Nancy’s others, which I’ve read and will be reviewing), only have 4 stars each. She became one of my fav writers after reading Joanna I, one book and she had me. Maybe it’s that dry wit I mentioned earlier ... that can be a turn off for some. Anyways, this is a great writer, and I frequently recommend her to others. Now recommending her to you!

6 people found this helpful

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An Interesting Read—Fascinating at Times, Sluggish at Other Times

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2019

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Ever since I had the most extraordinary history teacher in my senior year of high school, I have loved reading the occasional history book. But like that teacher, the books I choose must be those that make the period come alive. They must be highly readable. Translation: Not dry and boring. This prodigiously researched book is one of those treasures that makes the deeds, misdeeds and sexual shenanigans of kings, queens, princes, and princesses—now 400 years in the past—just pop off the page.

What this book is: A history book, plain and simple. It is interesting reading—fascinating at times, albeit sluggish at others.

What this book is not: A "thrilling family saga," as the publisher depicts it. Don't be misled by this description. It is not some sweeping historical romance novel. It's a history book!

Written by Nancy Goldstone, the book examines the remarkable impact Mary, Queen of Scots—a woman who spent most of her adult life essentially imprisoned—had on the British crown and parts of Europe primarily through her genetics. And it's still true today. Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as their children, carry a bit of Mary in their genes!

Elizabeth, the daughter of King James (yes, he is the one responsible for the King James Bible) and the granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots, married well beneath her royal rank to Frederick, the Elector Palatine of the Rhine. Even though it was an arranged marriage, the two were madly in love. They were king and queen of Bohemia for just a few months, and because their ill-fated reign fell during winter, she is forever known as the Winter Queen. She and her husband spent their lives fruitlessly trying to regain their throne. But they were fruitful when it came to children, having 12 before Frederick's untimely death at age 36. Decades after Frederick's death, Elizabeth was still meddling in affairs of state around Europe with incredible success for someone who was essentially living in exile. And she trained her four daughters well. Between the five of them they had an astounding impact in the 17th century on everything from art and culture to politics and philosophy.

Advice: Read the footnotes! Not only do they add much valuable and colorful background, but also might even make you laugh at times.

38 people found this helpful

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Stephanie A. Mcmillen-sherry

Oh, this needs to be made into a film series.

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2023

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So fun! Goldstone writes a bodice ripper and it’s all true! You won’t be able to put the book down reading the remarkable lives of the grand and great granddaughters of Mary Queen of Scots.

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Ron or Ann

Nancy Goldstone is my new favorite biographer

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020

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I like that Nancy Goldstone isn't afraid to write a complicated book. She write about five women as they progress through time, having to go back to pick up the thread of each one. There are no awkward segues, and where it could be confusing, there are handy footnotes on the same page to clarify. Each woman is fully developed so you always know who you're reading about. I got started with Nancy Goldstone's books by reading the Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe, a similarly complicated history of four very different women who lived very different lives. History is so often male dominated; I enjoy reading about women in history.

2 people found this helpful

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laura dixon

Disappointed

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020

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I purchased the book interested in the title and wanting to learn about these specific people in history. While I appreciate this time of history, I really didn't need to know about the detailed wars and conflicts which seemed to overshadow the main theme. The struggles of these women are important however I feel the book didn't capture their true essence. I was disappointed

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Ninaminacat

Lacks scholarly gravitas

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2019

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This is not the review I hoped I would be writing.

First of all, the book's title, "Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots", is rather misleading. It begins, at some length, not with the daughters, but with the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart, the granddaughter of Mary Queen of Scots. This is most certainly very useful information, which I found I found interesting since I had no prior knowledge of this historical figure at all, but not what the title implies, unless you include it under the "legacy" heading. A reader already acquainted with Elizabeth Stuart might have been less forgiving.

I wish this were the only unexpected aspect of the book. More worryingly, I had not tead very far when I spotted a basic factual error. Elizabeth Stuart may not have been know to me previously, but I recall from my teenage reading about Mary Queen of Scots that Bothwell was her third not her second husband. A later footnote reveals (encouragingly) that Nancy Goldstone was aware of Mary's first marriage to the Dauphin but this does not alter the sloppiness of the original error or regain the reader's confidence.

My final difficulty is with the writing style, which seems inappropriately colloquial for historical work. I could quote numerous examples from both the book itself and the footnotes (which are by no means scholarly), but for the sake of brevity, I am including just one of each, respectively:

"Frederick was to Elizabeth’s former suitors— the kings of Sweden, France, and Spain, even the son of the duke of Savoy— as the local coffee shop is to Starbucks."

"It’s hanging in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where it was recently restored. Go see it.'

Although I undoubtedly learned a lot from the book, sadly none of the above make me eager to read another of this author's works.

19 people found this helpful

Kristy O'Connor

Great book

Reviewed in Australia on January 11, 2023

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Perfect for history lovers who like a bit of scandal

shopaholic

Happy with the book

Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2021

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the book was great. Im interested in biographies of historical figures. this book was a good read. really enjoyed it. book was in great condition.

Mr Tim Cole

New Biography of The Five Daughters Of Elizabeth- 'Winter Queen of Bohemia'

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2019

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This is a fascinating new book by renowned historical biographer Nancy Goldstone and focuses upon the four remarkable and exceptionally gifted daughters of Elizabeth the ill-fated Winter Queen of Bohemia 1596-1662 This ground-breaking and innovative book tells the rich and fascinating history of Elizabeth and her talented beautiful daughters Elizabeth, Louise Holladine, Henrietta-Maria and Sophia Electress of Hanover. She examines their fascinating and colourful lives in great analytical detail before discussing their impact upon their respective families and dynasties and the legacies each has left to posterity! The final part of the book looks back at the legacy of the sisters Great-Grandmother the extraordinary and captivating Mary, Queen of the Scots and the most famous woman that has ever lived throughout history. This exhaustively and yet accessible biography has brought to life Elizabeth and her long forgotten daughters and weaved an exciting narrative that will leave the readers breathless from beginning to end! this unusual and skillfully woven book breathes new and exciting historical research to some long neglected women who lived and breathed the times they lived in! I would urge you to order your copy from Amazon now and you will be in for a thrilling read!

4 people found this helpful

Amelia L. Quirk

Highly readable biography o

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2020

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how the individual lives of Mary Queen of Scot's grandaughter and great granddaughters played out against the backdrop of the thirty years war and the Civil War in England. Charles was obviously Elizabeth of Bohemia's brother and the family were of course drawn into the situation in England. It was such an accessibly written book, which like all good historical biographies, read more like a novel. The only criticism I had was it that it went on a tad too long and I started to get confused as to who was who. Highly recommended otherwise.

2 people found this helpful

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