An Uncommon Woman Book

The title of this book lies. This is not, as one might think, a biography-This is three biographies and a history in one. Obstenisbly, this is a biography of Queen Victoria's eldest child, the Princess Royal of England and eventual Empress of Germany, Victoria, or "Vicky", as she is referred to throughout the book. However, this is also a biography of Otto von Bismarck- or as I've taken to calling him The Worst Jerk Who Ever Jerked In the History of Ever, as well as her son, the mad Kaiser Wilhelm II. And in necessary parallel to all three of these lives, we get the story of the unification of Germany and all the different influences that brought it about.

I think Pakula does a fairly good job of keeping the book as narrowly focused as possible, given the scope that she's set for herself. If anything, because her statements require the fullest possible knowledge of these people and everything they did, it seems like we do not get enough information. She does have a tendancy to also do things out of order, which can be somewhat confusing- for example, at times she has just finished explaining a major bill in the Reichstag, and then goes back three years to talk about the royal family's marriages. I understand that it is difficult to keep everything linear when it feels like you have to cover everything that happens with all the major figures that might shed any light on your main character, though.

I did have difficulty finishing the book- but that's not a reflection of its quality- it was very well written, informative without being dry. It was just so so hard watching a constant series of clusterfucks form and knowing it was heading, incredibly unnecssarily and unintentionally, to WWI. Not even the evil people who set up the climates of chauvanism, militarism, and suspicion in Germany would have wanted it to end where it was going. Not even Bismarck- Jerky Jerk Jerkface. On the plus side, I thought this book was probably the best argument against absolute monarchy I've ever read (not that thats a hard argument to make)- Wilhelm II's "Willy's" utter insanity and the inability of anyone to stop him, despite the obvious evidence of his ridiculousness, cruelty (sometimes utterly chilling) and general ludicrous unsuitablity to lead a country.

Vicky, on the other hand, comes off as a liberal, open minded woman who was constantly constantly constantly put upon in the most vicious ways possible- her husband as well. If occasionally they gave into the establishment, and eventually gave up hope of reform- well, the book definitely shows you why, and stamps out any questions you might have about why the way Germany was the way it was at the time and why there was no revolution and no change, long after pretty much every other country had moved on. I felt so painfully bad for her-her unbelievable patience in the face of being constantly maligned for things she could not help, ie, being born English, or you know, not believing that the King was a God on Earth. It is an interesting what if to contemplate- what if her liberal, reform minded husband had survived long enough to make his rule felt.

Yeah, mostly I just felt like a five year old screaming 'BUT ITS NOT FAIR!!' in my corner most of this book.

Sometimes life really sucks and then you die. That's about what I got out of this book.