The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians
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The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians
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Narrated by:
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Adjoa Andoh
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By:
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Janice Hadlow
About this listen
An intensely moving account of George III’s doomed attempt to create a happy, harmonious family, written with astonishing emotional force from a stunning new history writer.
George III came to the throne in 1760 as a man with a mission. He wanted to be a new kind of king, one whose power was rooted in the affection and approval of his people. And he was determined to revolutionise his private life too – to show that a better man would, inevitably, make a better ruler. Above all he was determined to break with the extraordinarily dysfunctional home lives of his Hanoverian forbears. For his family, things would be different.
And for a long time it seemed as if, against all the odds, his great family experiment was succeeding. His wife, Queen Charlotte, shared his sense of moral purpose, and together they did everything they could to raise their tribe of 13 young sons and daughters in a climate of loving attention. But as the children grew older, and their wishes and desires developed away from those of their father, it became harder to maintain the illusion of domestic harmony. The king's episodes of madness, in which he frequently expressed his repulsion for the queen, undermined the bedrock of their marriage; his disapproving distance from the bored and purposeless princes alienated them; and his determination to keep the princesses at home, protected from the potential horrors of the continental marriage market, left them lonely, bitter and resentful at their loveless, single state.
At one level, ‘The Strangest Family’ is the story of how the best intentions can produce unhappy consequences. But the lives of the women in George's life – and of the princesses in particular – were shaped by a kind of undaunted emotional resilience that most modern women will recognise. However flawed George's great family experiment may have been, in the value the princesses placed on the ideals of domestic happiness, they were truly their father's daughters.
©2015 HarperCollins Publishers Limited; 2014 Janice HadlowListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘A masterpiece. Beautifully written, impeccably researched, this heartbreaking narrative of family dysfunction and royal sacrifice is an absolute page-turner’ Amanda Foreman, author of ‘Georgiana’
‘Enthralling … you know you are in the hands of a master narrator as well as a profoundly perceptive historian. And like all great historical writing, the book transcends its immediate story – gripping and moving though that is – to be a timeless reflection on the human condition’ Simon Schama
‘Colourful and brilliantly narrated … excellent both in her narrative skill and her scholarship … Hadlow has produced a perceptive, lively and wonderfully enjoyable book’ Sunday Times
‘Fascinating … in this densely detailed yet fast-paced book, as drama follows drama, the interest never flags. Each story is a revelation … Hadlow has an eye for graphic details and gives generous space to minor characters … she is also adept at the telling phrase and makes splendid use of the period's vivid letters, diaries and memoirs’ Guardian
‘Engrossing … Hadlow, an accomplished storyteller, assembles a picture full of emotional colour and drama which still resonates today’ The Times
‘Truly engrossing. George III and his relatives give us the ultimate family saga, and it almost defies belief that these events really happened. A real-life period drama to lose yourself in’ Lucy Worsley
‘Brilliantly lays bare the dysfunctional home life of Geroge III’s family’ Sunday Times
‘Hadlow's achievement is to unite in a single volume an overview of one family's squabbling, thwarted good intentions and petty vindictiveness … in readable prose, with a welter of detail Hadlow succeeds in her considerable task … This is a discursive, leisurely account, enlivened by Hadlow's infectious enthusiasm’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Hadlow’s energetic, richly detailed debut combines personal sympathy for her subjects with a shrewd alertness to wider significances’ Independent on Sunday
What listeners say about The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Anna K Nelson
- 19-01-24
Brilliant account of 18th century England and the fascinating Georgians.
Huge round of applause for the reader. Brought all the characters to life with their various accents. A joy from the first chapter.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jean McEwan
- 20-05-23
Excellent
Great detailed history of this family. Narrator does a good job being their stories to life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marilyn Thompson
- 03-11-15
Engaging and detailed
For those interested in British history, this is a thoughtfully constructed perspective which nuances understanding of this period popularly examined through the lense of the monarchy's engagement with parliament. The argument for the central importance of detailed examination of the royal household and its internal dynamics is persuasive. It provides us with some new ways of thinking about the transition through and the end of an era with vastly different ideas of court, kingship and family than those worked out during the long nineteenth century. Fascinating content, and well read.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Robert M. Mee
- 12-03-17
Fascinating history
What did you like most about The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians?
This was a period of history I knew next to nothing about, and the in depth treatment of the subject has certainly changed that for me.
Who was your favorite character and why?
All of the principal characters were equally intriguing - the roles of the various princes of Wales and their relationship to their fathers is quite unbelievable.
What about Adjoa Andoh’s performance did you like?
When giving a simple narration, she is excellent - clear diction and with feeling.
Not quite as good when quoting the characters, but her voices were, I think, consistent, even if, at times, quite strident and, as another reviewer has said, child-like. It took a bit of getting used to, but, unlike the other reviewer, it certainly did not put me off the book, and I would happily listen to other works narrated by her.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This is not a book with much happiness! Hearing the constant stream of family discord didn't cause an "emotional reaction", but I was left thinking how different it could have been. The final episode of madness was sad - I came away from the book with a more sympathy for George III than I started with.
Any additional comments?
A fascinating read - I recommend it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Harry
- 21-01-16
Couldn't stop listening. A briiliant book!
I really enjoyed this book. A very engaging book and I feel I have learned so much about this dysfunctional and fascinating family! I am now disappointed I have finished it! It is a long book and I thought I could be bored in places but how wrong I was! Beautifully written and the narration is brilliant as well! Five stars all around!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 09-01-18
Fascinating Read
This was a fascinating insight into the whole life of King George 111 and his family - not just wholly about his illness although this of course has to play a large part. The rest of the family are also shown as interesting people.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- I.F.Coyle
- 07-04-16
Fascinating story
Where does The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is one of the best historical biographies I can recall listening to (if the life stories of about 25 people can be described as being "a" biography)
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians?
The descriptions of George III's descent into madness is, as always, a fascinating field for historical speculation, and the relationship of the Prince Regent with his wife again, as always provides some fine farce!
Have you listened to any of Adjoa Andoh’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The isolation of the Princesses by their parents is a challenge for any historian to justify, and some of their sad letters to their brothers and putative husbands/lovers are particularly moving
Any additional comments?
I enjoyed this reading. It seems to me to be a particularly challenging task to progress the life stories of so many people in a coherent and understandable manner, a task that the author has achieved.
The story is so fascinating that I kept seeing it as a potential "bonnet-drama" on BBC on Sunday night!
Its a long "listen" but at the end I was under the impression that the lives of the sons of George and Charlotte were rather ignored at the expense of the fascinating (if ultimately dull) lives of the daughters...the fate of Mrs. Jordan would provide enough material for a book of its own!
That apart I can strongly recommend this book and this reading of it. Thanks.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rooty tooty
- 04-03-21
Extraordinary amount of research of contemporary letters
Really enlightening book of the complex world of the Hanoverians.so many details surface from their letters that it lakes z deal more sense to me now why their relationships were so fraught but also why their bonds and sense of duty so strong. Very enjoyable. Well read and characterised.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Brown
- 15-04-22
Compelling, well written and well read
I normally lose interest very quickly with non-fiction but due to the winning combination of a very interesting subject matter, an great author and an excellent narrator, I found the audiobook compelling and very interesting from start to finish.
It was poignant and moving too, and gave an excellent insight into the lives of all the Hanoverians, particularly the family of George III. 10/10!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dianne E.
- 14-01-24
Brilliant so worth a listen
I wasn’t sure I could get into this but I really enjoyed it I’ve had it on while refitting my kitchen. Her knowledge is incredible the research must have taken years.
I ca not recommend this book enough. It’s brilliant.
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