"You think you know her story.
"You've read the Brothers Grimm, you've watched the Disney cartoons, and you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after. But real princesses didn't always get happy endings. Sure, plenty were graceful and benevolent leaders, but just as many were ruthless in their quest for power--and all of them had skeletons rattling in their royal closets. Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe was a Nazi spy. Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal. Princess Olga of Kiev slaughtered her way to sainthood while Princess Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield, charging into combat with her toddler son strapped to her back. Princesses Behaving Badly offers true tales of all these princesses and dozens more, in a fascinating read that's perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story."
I came across this book while scrolling through Pinterest. I've been pinning book ideas for awhile now and I love the recommendations that pop up -- they're usually really interesting things capable of dragging me out of my comfort zone. This book did just that, but in a very fun, educational, and oft-entertaining way. This is a work of non-fiction, but it reads so much like fiction that it's easy to forget that I had to dig out my dusty knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System to locate it on my local library's non-fiction shelves. Rodriguez McRobbie's writing style is light and extremely readable. This is excellent for anyone interested in weird (macabre, strange, wacky, eccentric, etc.) history, but is unsure about picking up just any non-fiction book. There's a sense of humor woven throughout and I really enjoyed this; it didn't, however, diminish the message and I was impressed at how much information the author was able to cram into the little mini stories about each princess. Overall, it felt very well-researched and extremely well-organized in such a way that kept making me want to read (and learn) more. I'd encountered some of these princesses in my own studies, but this book really managed to bring them to life (a great feat considering each princess had about 2-4 rather small pages dedicated to her). What stuck out to me the most was probably the fact that the author made sure to remind us to take some of the information with a grain of salt. She'd clearly sifted through centuries of records and contemporary accounts to bring as much truth as possible (when it was possible), but she reminds her readers that women of the times in which many of these women lived were viewed very differently than any man would have been had he taken the same courses of action. These women were labeled sluts, bitches, schemers, and witches when, quite possibly, they were none of these (and, if they were, it was very likely not to the degree that some of the sources claim). I liked this about this book; I find merit in non-fiction works that remind their audience to not take every written word as gospel and to remember that these historical figures lived in very different times from our own. Some of my favorite stories included the (crazy) princesses from England and Europe. All those inbred genetics made for some real gems!
I absolutely recommend this book. I flew through it! I began reading it as a "break" from another book (which happens to also be out of my "comfort zone" and is taking me an extremely long time to conquer...), but I ended up really not wanting to put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's style and voice; the history was rich and exciting without feeling like a lecture. This was a great non-fiction read and I am looking forward to seeing if the author has any other works out there.
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