Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics (P.S.)
by Eleanor Herman
book data
262 ratings, 3.98 average rating, 68 reviews
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published
April 1st 2006
by William Morrow
binding
Hardcover, 336 pages
isbn
0060846739
(isbn13: 9780060846732)
description
The author that the Times called "Sexy, dishy and funny" has penned another sure–fire media hit and a fascinating examination of se...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 495)
My lil' sis gave me this one. It's basically about various queens love affairs. The chapter on Marie Antoinette and Fersen, which was sufficiently romantic for my sensibilities, having been raised on BeruBara.
I have learned though, that while it may have been good to be the King (and even that's really debatable: The last King I read about was pretty much tortured into insanity by his tutors in their attempts to make him a 'real man') it was not good to be the Queen. Married off in your early ...more
I have learned though, that while it may have been good to be the King (and even that's really debatable: The last King I read about was pretty much tortured into insanity by his tutors in their attempts to make him a 'real man') it was not good to be the Queen. Married off in your early ...more
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Read in December, 2008
Throughout history, queens have taken lovers, and their actions have often changed the course of history. This book details some of the most famous and influential cases of adultery and love affairs throughout history.
This was an absolutely fascinating book, well-written and with an engrossing subject matter. The author never gets bogged down with too many details, but still manages to convey the desperation of many of these unfortunate queens. The short vignettes allows the author to cover ...more
This was an absolutely fascinating book, well-written and with an engrossing subject matter. The author never gets bogged down with too many details, but still manages to convey the desperation of many of these unfortunate queens. The short vignettes allows the author to cover ...more
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Read in February, 2008
Oh, there's just something about dirty laundry, especially when it's royal.
It's more of the same from Eleanor Herman, page after page of secret liasons and torrid affairs rampaging throughout European courts. It's a nice dip for the gossip in all of us.
However, if you read Sex With Kings, you'll probably recognize many of the anecdotes and instances cited--apparently as the king was screwing around, the queen didn't waste time either. Good for her.
Lots of courts were filled with in...more
It's more of the same from Eleanor Herman, page after page of secret liasons and torrid affairs rampaging throughout European courts. It's a nice dip for the gossip in all of us.
However, if you read Sex With Kings, you'll probably recognize many of the anecdotes and instances cited--apparently as the king was screwing around, the queen didn't waste time either. Good for her.
Lots of courts were filled with in...more
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Read in June, 2008
As rawnchy as the title makes this book sounds, I found it to be a fascinating and informational account of the sexual politics of monarchies. The book doesn't delve too much into the details of queen's sex lives (and I appreciated that), but focuses more on the double standards attached to extramarital affairs and the difficulties of being trapped in loveless, politically motivated arranged marriages.
I appreciated the fact that the book reads, at times, like a gossip column, and I often fo...more
I appreciated the fact that the book reads, at times, like a gossip column, and I often fo...more
This was an engaging read about the highs and lows of Royal life in history. Being a princess or Queen is more often than not, fraught with rampant unhappiness, blatant mis-treatment and vast physical discomforts. Most royal marriages were arranged for political gain and creating alliences with foreign countries, not love. The Queen's only real purpose was to produce heirs of royal stock. Sometimes the "Royal Stock" was so in-bred that the new Queen upon meeting her new husband, the Ki...more
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I enjoyed this book more than Herman's Kings because I felt it was organized better (by century) and, as a result, ended up avoiding the repetitive quality I complained about with my last update. The prose certainly gets downright cheesy and embarrassing at times (With regard to Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark, embarking on an affair with Johann Struensee, she Herman writes, "Finally, this was love. Finally, this was sex. Finally, this was happiness."), but the stories aren't told s...more
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This gave a really interesting glimpse into the sex lives of queens, from the middle ages to Princess Diana. The ones who were powerful and cheated out in the open to those who risked their lives sneaking out to meet their suitor. It's amazing how many affairs changed the course of history. Each queen has her own chapter, and it's easy to put down and pick up again. But some of the stories became repetitive, and many of the names were repeated in other queen's stories, but there were so many nam...more
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Read in September, 2007
The title sounds quite tawdry, but the book itself is far from a Harlequin Romance. It takes a look at what life was like for a queen, from Medieval Times through Queen Victoria’s reign. Most marriages were for political gain, where a daughter was bartered off to a husband that was disinterested, cruel, insane or homosexual. And a queen consort couldn’t necessarily distract herself from a loveless marriage through the opulence of court life - - castles were often cold, dark and rodent inf...more
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A bit salacious but extremely readable study of royal affairs from the distaff perspective
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The historian's version of a summer beach-read. Clever and breezy, the book occasionally bogs down when extrapolating on the possible feelings of queens and their lovers, but overall entertains. The topic of the extramarital affairs of queens is dealt with in a style that is alternately sharp and sympathetic, dry and flowery.
Aside from a few slippery homonyms I found few real editing errors, but the storytelling was occasionally bumpy, and speculation was sometimes presented as fact. A differe...more
Aside from a few slippery homonyms I found few real editing errors, but the storytelling was occasionally bumpy, and speculation was sometimes presented as fact. A differe...more
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Read in April, 2008
This was a little heavy on the dishing and less heavy on depth and historical context than I would have liked. With so much great research, I would have liked to see deeper discussions on how this royal intrigue impacted Eurporean development, or Western women's power. Some of these stories took place during the Inquisition, so how does royal female adultary compare/impact the witch trials of the time? The organization was better than Sex With Kings, but still scattered. I took this book as ...more
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Read in February, 2008
This book provides an interesting hook to tell 900 years of European aristocratic history. Adultery with queens was far more sensational than the routine indiscretions of kings. It came in several different forms, from powerful ruling queens who openly took several lovers at a time to consorts who were beheaded for one (falsified) indiscretion. Over all, a worthy peek into a side of history that you don't often learn in high school. Eleanor Herman has a knack for catchy and imaginative depic...more
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Read in November, 2007
This book really brought history to life. I learned that Peter the Great of Russia was a crazy man who thrived on entertainment and once dressed a giant up as a baby and had him sit in a sleigh being pulled by 12 midgets. There was also a great story of one queen's lover who was discovered and killed in the palace and his body was buried beneath the floor boards that the queen walked on daily. It could have been one or 2 chapters shorter and I didn't like the chapter of Princess Diana--true o...more
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8 comments
This sequel to "Sex With Kings" is every bit as much fun as its predecessor - even if it does suffer from the same flaws (primarily the fact that after a dozen or so chapters, you cannot possibly keep straight all the royal family trees, intermarriages, and political double-crossing). The more lurid descriptions of what goes on behind closed palace doors are not for the faint of stomach. The book's biggest shocker, though, is not so much how kinky the monarchs are - it's how utterly du...more
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Read in January, 2007
This book was a bit sadder than "Sex with Kings." While many kings had to marry women they would rather have left in a dumpster, the kings at least had the option of being able to easy choose mistresses and not worry about them dying. Few queens were as lucky. They were married off to men with nasty sores on their legs and beheaded if caught with a paramour. Still, the book was entertaining and interesting. It was especially interesting to compare it to the portryal of Marie Antoi...more
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Read in November, 2007
This book was very interesting as it actually is not as salacious as it sounds. It takes a look at the private lives and loves of many queens throughout history - infamous, famous or not remembered. It shows how important a firm power base was to these queens if they wanted to have freedom to pursue their own lives as well. Catherine the Great - very powerful. Maria Francisca of Savoy - not so much. The author brings us from medieval times straight through to the Diana era.
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Read in January, 2008
I didn't make it very far into this book. I got pretty annoyed by the constant reminders that life as a queen wasn't all bonbons and Gucci. Please. I'm not confusing them with Disney princesses, really. I do understand that castles didn't have central heating. But cry me a river and stop to think about everybody else's life at the time.
I'm not rating it because I didn't finish it. I might have enjoyed it more had I gotten past the first chunk of "a long long time ago".
I'm not rating it because I didn't finish it. I might have enjoyed it more had I gotten past the first chunk of "a long long time ago".
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Read in January, 2006
Very interesting, lots of fun, but a little confusing. I would have organized the different stories very differently - they're grouped together by similarities, which I found disorienting. I think a chronological or even geographical system would have been much less confusing.
That said, an excellent read, and I highly recommend it for history buffs, royalty enthusiasts, or anyone who likes dirty little secrets.
That said, an excellent read, and I highly recommend it for history buffs, royalty enthusiasts, or anyone who likes dirty little secrets.
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Read in January, 2008
This book was one of the best non-fiction books I have read in a while. "Most European queens were raised to be chaste, demure and obedient, in the image of the Virgin Mary. They generally married young, knew nothing of sex or pregnancy, and were expected to spawn lots of kids. But some of these queens weren't content to just sit and embroider -- they ran straight into the arms of hot courtiers."-E.A. Solinas
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Read in October, 2007
Interesting, definitely. I'm not sure how much of it would be news to any real student of history, but the girly-girl in me did appreciate the torrid affairs and social machinations at work.
It's about the closest I'll really get to reading romance (in a non-ironic fashion). But beyond that it was a fun, light read, and despite the title wasn't really all that sordid at all.
It's about the closest I'll really get to reading romance (in a non-ironic fashion). But beyond that it was a fun, light read, and despite the title wasn't really all that sordid at all.
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