The Princess of Celle

Rating:
Summary: Beauty and the Beasts
Review: Of Jean Plaidy's Georgian Saga books I've read so far, I rate this one the best because it has a more complex and satisfying plot. But then, this is one of the most fascinating of the romantic tragedies the British monarchy has given to the world. This book is a damned good bodice-ripper--full of lust, passion, jealousy and intrigue in the Court of Hanover. Unfortunately, the beautiful princess is not rescued by her handsome lover but is imprisoned by her loathsome husband who goes on to become King George I of England.

The story of the beautiful, tragic Sophia Dorothea is well told by this artful translator of historic biography. Plaidy's novels are fairly close to historical fact without being tediously so.

Rating:
Summary: A Tragic Story from Early Georgian History
Review: Princess Sophia Dorothea lives a sheltered life with her parents in Celle. Her father is manipulated into making her marry George, the heir to Hanover. There, she lives a sad life as the wife of George. His mistresses are flaunted in front of her, and he treats her badly. She does bear him two children, another George and another Sophia Dorothea.

She falls in love with a handsome count from Sweden and they have an affair. They are caught, however, and he is murdered and she is banished. She lives the rest of her life in exile. When her husband is proclaimed King of England, she is refused the title of Queen. She eventually dies, alone, about the same time as her husband

I think Sophia Dorothea was really stupid, but tragic. She should have found a better way out of her misery. I did enjoy reading this book though. As all of Jean Plaidy's, it is very well written.

Rating:
Summary: A Tragic Story from Early Georgian History
Review: Princess Sophia Dorothea lives a sheltered life with her parents in Celle. Her father is manipulated into making her marry George, the heir to Hanover. There, she lives a sad life as the wife of George. His mistresses are flaunted in front of her, and he treats her badly. She does bear him two children, another George and another Sophia Dorothea.

She falls in love with a handsome count from Sweden and they have an affair. They are caught, however, and he is murdered and she is banished. She lives the rest of her life in exile. When her husband is proclaimed King of England, she is refused the title of Queen. She eventually dies, alone, about the same time as her husband

I think Sophia Dorothea was really stupid, but tragic. She should have found a better way out of her misery. I did enjoy reading this book though. As all of Jean Plaidy's, it is very well written.

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST...
Review: This is the first volume in the Georgian saga by Jean Plaidy, a master storyteller and prolific writer of historical fiction. It is the tragic tale of a German Princess who would go on to become the wife and captive princess of the uncouth boor who would one day be crowned as George I of England.

William of Celle and his wife Eleanore had a beautiful, pampered daughter, Sophia Dorothea. His younger brother, Ernest Augustus, ruled in the rival principality of Hanover. He was married to Sophia, daughter of the King of Bohemia. Together they had a number of children, the oldest of whom was George Lewis, an ugly, coarse, and boorish man, born to be a soldier, rather than a statesman or diplomat.

There came a time when Sophia Dorothea, as a result of some underhanded political intrigues, was forced into a loveless marriage with her first cousin, George Lewis, much to her and her mother's despair and dismay. George Lewis was also not thrilled with the match, given as he was to coarser delights. Sophia Dorothea, however, tried to make the most of her unpleasant situation, buoyed by her own innate charm and disposition.

In the end, however, Sophia Dorothea became undone by her love for the dashing Count Konigsmarck of Sweden. Through the political machinations and intrigues of the jealous and sexually insatiable Clara von Platen, her father-in-law's long time mistress and Konigsmarck's spurned lover, Sophia Dorothea and Count Konigsmarck were betrayed. Ruined, Sophia Dorothea ended her days as a captive princess, the tragic and pitied Princess of Celle. George Lewis would go on to undeserved heights as George I of England, and the house of Hanover would become a force with which to be reckoned.

This is a wonderful account of the tragedy that befell Sophia Dorothea and an excellent one of how the house of Hanover rose to prominence in England. Well written and absorbing, it is a page turning book for all those who enjoy historical fiction.