Matriarch - Softcover

Edwards, Anne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688035116 ISBN 13: 9780688035112

Publisher: William Morrow, 1996

Synopsis

From the book flapnThe life of Queen Mary of England, paternal grandmother of Elizabeth II and mother of Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor) and George VI, is one of the great Cinderella stories of all time. Before she ascended the throne in 1910 as consort of George V, she was Princess May of Teck, the determined daughter of ambitious, flamboyant, but impoverished parents who were looked upon by Queen Victoria and her considerable royal progeny as their least consequential relatives. Her own sense of duty gave Princess May no option but to consent to become the future bride of the dissolute Duke of Clarence, who, though ineffectual and marked by scandal, was in direct line of succession. Within weeks of this engagement, her fianc was to die mysteriously, but his death did not daunt Princess May. She then waged a successful campaign to become the wife of the dukes younger brother, the future George V.nWithin a decade of the beginning of her husbands reign, World War I had decimated the crowns of Europe, but Queen Mary became a crucial factor in maintaining the invincibility and vitality of the house of Windsor. Her early vicissitudes had honed her into a woman of inordinate strength, and her effect upon her children, two of whom were to be kings of England, was immense. She played a major role in the abdication of her oldest son, Edward VIII, and became the personal representative of all that Britain and the Monarchy stood for.nMatriarch is a brilliant canvas that brings new life to the drama, the splendors, and the tragedies of the House of Windsor.

About this title

Review

This is a first-class piece of research and reconstruction graced by a first-class writing talent, with a startling royal family scandal buried at the heart of the story.--Barbara Tuchman

Anne Edwards is a magnificent storyteller. . . . [Matriarch is] a vivid and memorable tapestry overflowing with pageantry and fascinating characters.--Robert A. Caro

Anne Edwards never disappoints. . . . A fascinating portrait of an impoverished 'Cinderella' princess who became a dedicated, powerful, and indomitable queen, and who was indeed a woman of substance.--Barbara Taylor Bradford

About the Author

Anne Edwards, a fastidious researcher and accomplished writer, is the author of several bestselling biographies of notable figures, including film stars Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, and Katharine Hepburn, as well as Margaret Mitchell. Edwards's autobiography, Leaving Home: A Hollywood Blacklisted Writer's Years Abroad, was published in 2012. She lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0688035116
• ISBN 13: 9780688035112
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 527