Daughters of Britannia : The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives

Rating:
Summary: a reader from new york
Review: I think the first reviewer is being a little unfair towards this book. Yes, it skips around chronologically, but the aim of the book is to give the reader a taste of life in the diplomatic service from its beginnings to the current day, not be a biography of particular wives. On the first, the book succeeds very well. We hear about the glittering parties and receptions as well as the downright appalling conditions some families lived in (well into the 20th century, by the way). The wives are often in just as much danger as their husbands, and they are usually unpaid! Katie Hickman does a laudable job of giving these (mostly) admirable women their due.

Rating:
Summary: a reader from new york
Review: The diplomatic wives depicted in this book were a hardy lot. Many of the stories brought forth the visions of the proper Englishman dressing for dinner each night in the jungle. Ms. Hickman grew up in the diplomatic service and displays much affection and admiration for these unsung ladies. The letters diary excerpts are interesting, sometimes poignant reminders of how isolated and far from home the ladies were.

The book has a peculiar organization, not by date or individuals, but by their duties. I found this annoying and difficult to follow. We meet a lady on page 6 and do not hear of her again until page 200. It skips between the 17th century to the 20th and back within two paragraphs. Consequently, I had never had a clear idea of who they were and when their stories were taking place.

Ms. Hickman is almost too discreet. Some of the incidents beg for clarification. (She is not a diplomat's daughter for nothing!) I didn't expect a tell-all tabloid style, but neither did I expect an almost Victorian reticence. The author clearly had done a great deal of research and took advantage of her own and her mother's recollections, but was in great need of a good editor.

Rating:
Summary: The Famous "Stiff Upper Lip"
Review: The diplomatic wives depicted in this book were a hardy lot. Many of the stories brought forth the visions of the proper Englishman dressing for dinner each night in the jungle. Ms. Hickman grew up in the diplomatic service and displays much affection and admiration for these unsung ladies. The letters diary excerpts are interesting, sometimes poignant reminders of how isolated and far from home the ladies were.

The book has a peculiar organization, not by date or individuals, but by their duties. I found this annoying and difficult to follow. We meet a lady on page 6 and do not hear of her again until page 200. It skips between the 17th century to the 20th and back within two paragraphs. Consequently, I had never had a clear idea of who they were and when their stories were taking place.

Ms. Hickman is almost too discreet. Some of the incidents beg for clarification. (She is not a diplomat's daughter for nothing!) I didn't expect a tell-all tabloid style, but neither did I expect an almost Victorian reticence. The author clearly had done a great deal of research and took advantage of her own and her mother's recollections, but was in great need of a good editor.