Victoire Conroy has an interesting life. An almost identical replica of the Princess Victoria in appearance and age, Victoire’s father brought her to Kensington Palace to be a companion for the young princess. Sir John Conroy serves the royal family as comptroller and has tried to exert control over the princess in many ways, but inserting his youngest daughter in the household was supposed to give him the inside ear – a spy with the highest level of access. But what happens next surprises them all. Will the girls become fast friends or will Princess Victoria exile the Conroys from Kensington and royal circles forever?
My Name is Victoria is the third Young Adult book from BBC presenter, historian, and curator Lucy Worsley. Following a young Princess Victoria’s life at Kensington Palace through the eyes of her companion, this book provides an interesting take on the events around her isolation and contentious family situation as the heir to the throne no one wanted and every thought they could control. Steeped in historical fact, Worsley does take her liberties throughout and asking the readers to consider a large “what if” towards the end. This novel is really about innate desire we all have for connection and relationship with others, especially those closest to us, and how deep the pain goes when it turns out they don’t want the same.
I give My Name is Victoria 4 out of 5 stars. My number one complaint with this book, especially coming from a historian and curator, is the very large leap Worsley takes with the facts around the ending of this novel. There is absolutely no foundation for it, but readers who are less versed in the historical facts may believe them because of how the rest of the book reads. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters and plot of this book early on because of how unlikable Sir John and even Victoire read. Other factual liberties around the lineage of Victoire also aggravate me. Historical fiction novels should have some liberties with conversations and added events, even small changes in timeline, but fully creating new and unsupported facts to help your story along? That should not happen.
If you liked the PBS series Victoria, you may enjoy this novel, but be prepared for the inaccuracies. This would make a good book for younger readers who need inspiration to pay attention to their history classes. If your young reader has enjoyed books in the American Girl series or The Babysitter’s Club series and are looking to branch out, this might be a good option for you.
I chose My Name is Victoria for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “with an animal on the cover”. I love the cover version that shows Victoire in the Grecian gown playing with Dash! There are some great options out there with animals on the cover. What’s your favorite?
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Break In, Dick Francis
- Current audio book: Muse, Dr. Amanda Hanson
- Book I’m most looking forward to: I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy
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