Becoming an adult is an important stage in the life of anyone. Usually, the age at which a young person becomes an adult is seen as eighteen. It is a time when you leave your childhood behind for a bigger adventure. What was life like for some of the most famous people who lived in Britain throughout the centuries? Did they know when they were eighteen what great things they would do? What advice can they offer to a newer generation of young adults? Alice Loxton explores the lives of eighteen extraordinary figures of British history when they became adults in her book “Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives.”
I have followed Alice Loxton on Instagram for a while now, as I have thoroughly enjoyed her videos. When I saw the cover of this book and read the description, it felt so fresh and innovative that I knew I wanted to read it.
Loxton explains in her introduction how this concept of hitting the age of maturity has changed over the centuries. Each person mentioned in this book is at a different stage of life, but we are able to see their hopes and ambitions for the future. She also notes that some stories were harder to research than others, especially when it comes to their childhood, because of a lack of records about their lives. So, how does Loxton connect these figures who lived in different centuries and had different paths in life into one book? Why, with a hypothetical dinner party, of course, which is such an ingenious and delightful idea. It allows the audience to see how historical figures might interact with each other in a modern setting.
So the question remains, who is coming to dinner? Each chapter focuses on a different guest and a mini-biography about them. We begin with the author, the Venerable Bede, who was just a monk wanting to survive a plague, followed by Empress Matilda, who will fight for her birthright, the throne of England. We get to meet a young Geoffrey Chaucer before he writes his famous work, The Canterbury Tales. In the Tudor age, we meet an African diver named Jacques Francis, who is on a mission to salvage The Mary Rose, as well as Princess Elizabeth Tudor, who just wants to survive the tumultuous court. With the Stuarts, we meet Jeffrey Hudson, whose small stature makes him a sensation at the court of two queens, and Fionnghal Nic Dhomhnaill, who discovers that one moment can change a person’s fate. We are introduced to the young Horace Nelson before he becomes a war hero, the remarkable art of Sarah Biffin, who paints with no hands or feet, and the fossil hunter Mary Anning. There is the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the surgeon and suffragist Elsie Inglis, and the garden designer Vita Sackville- West.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, we are introduced to Jack Lewis, before he began to write The Chronicles of Narnia; Rosalind Franklin, an aspiring chemist who took a photo that changed the world; the actor Richard Burton, before he became famous; and the fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, when she was struggling to figure out her path in life. Finally, we are introduced to the mysterious Rae DeDarre.
I did not know what to expect when I first saw this book, but I am so glad I read it. It has been a long time since I have read a book that is both educational and unbelievably fun to read. That is this book. There were some historical figures that I knew or at least knew their names, but there were several who were completely new to me, which was so exciting. I cannot wait to read more books by Alice Loxton and see how she approaches history in the future. This is an ideal book for anyone, whether they are approaching eighteen or those who fondly remember the age of eighteen. If you are a history lover who wants to learn more about the history of Britain in a fun and innovative way, you will thoroughly enjoy “Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives” by Alice Loxton.
When we think about medieval princesses, we often think about pawns in the marriage market. They were born to become brides to create stronger alliances between nations. They helped rule kingdoms, but more importantly, they gave birth to heirs to help their new families’ dynasties continue to grow. But outside of marriages, what was life like for these royal women? How did certain women break the stereotype that comes with being a medieval princess? And how did the political environments of their new kingdoms affect their marriages and their families? Sharon Bennett Connolly explores these questions in her latest book, “Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Conquest.”
In English history, there have been some legendary warrior kings, but none have captured the imagination of the general public quite like Henry V. He was the King who won a great victory at Agincourt, almost captured France, but died young and never got to see his son become king of both England and France, albeit for a short time. For the English, Henry V was seen as a hero to the nation, but is his legacy much darker? Desmond Seward dives into the archives to find a much more ruthless king for his biography, “Henry V: The Scourge of God.”
Being a fool in any royal court can be dangerous, but being a fool in the court in King Henry VIII’s court could be deadly. While you could enjoy performing for royalty, you could also learn secrets about those close to the throne, secrets that have deadly consequences. Kronos knows this all too well. Born disabled, Kronos must navigate his way through prejudice to find his place in society. How did Kronos become the fool to King Henry VIII, and what secret threatens his life? Mary Lawrence explores what life must have been like for a fool in the tumultuous court of Henry VIII in her novel, “Fool.”
When we think about powerful queens, we tend to think about medieval and early modern rulers. However, there were queens from ancient times who rose to power and gained reputations that lasted for centuries. In ancient Babylon, there was one woman who began life as an orphan but fought her way to become the Queen of Assyria. She was known as both Semiramis and later Sammuramat, the wife of Ninus, who was known by his royal name Shamshi-Adad V. How did Semiramis become the only female ruler of the Assyrian empire? Her story and the stories of the two men she fell in love with are told in Costanza Casati’s latest novel, “Babylonia.”
When a medieval princess married, most of the time, she had to take an arduous journey to their new country. For many of these royal ladies, they had an idea that this would be their fate at a young age, but for others, it would come as a complete surprise. Take, for example, Blanca (Blanche) of Castile. She was the granddaughter of the indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine. When it is time to create a marriage alliance between Castile and France, Blanca believes that her sister Urraca will be the one who will become Queen of France. However, Eleanor has other plans. How will the journey change Blanca and get her ready to rule a nation? Diane Zahler tells the tale of Blanca’s journey to the throne in her middle grade novel, “The Queen’s Granddaughter.”
The court of Henry VIII was a treacherous place for anyone, but especially for the Boleyn family. We all know the stories of Anne, Mary, George, and Thomas, but one figure from this illustrious family does not get enough attention: Elizabeth Boleyn, the mother of Anne, Mary, and George. What was her relationship like with her family, her husband, and most importantly, King Henry VIII? And what does a Chaucer manuscript recently discovered at Cerensthorpe Abbey have to do with Elizabeth and the Boleyns? Alxandra Walsh explores the life of Elizabeth Boleyn and the mystery of the missing Chaucer in her latest dual-timeline novel, “The Boleyn Curse.”
Have you ever stared at a portrait of a historical figure and wondered if that’s what they really looked like? Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous queens in all of English history. Her image of a woman with dark hair, wearing a dark gown with a French hood, and a B initial necklace. For many people, this is what Anne Boleyn looked like, but is that accurate? What did Anne Boleyn look like, and why does it matter? The most recent exhibit at Hever Castle explores these questions, and the book that accompanies this exhibit goes deeper into the research behind this exhibit. The book shares the same name as the exhibit, “Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn” by Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey.
We all believe we know the story of Joan of Arc, one of the patron Saints of France. A young peasant woman who God called to lead the dauphin to the altar to be crowned King Charles VII of France in a time of civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, as well as the continuation of the war between England and France. It was a political quagmire, but somehow, as the story goes, Joan of Arc resolved the civil war and gave France a fighting chance against the English. But what did Joan of Arc actually accomplish during her short life? Helen Castor examines the life of this extraordinary young woman in her book “Joan of Arc: A History.”
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to discover a long-lost diary of a historical figure by accident? Archaeologist Giuseppe Campise has already found a diary of Mary Magdalene. Now, the Vatican wants Giuseppe to uncover the tomb of Alexander the Great. However, while on the search for the tomb, Giuseppe finds something even more precious, the diary of Lucrezia Borgia. What secrets does the diary hold? Johnny Teague tells the tale of Lucrezia Borgia through her diary in his latest novel, “The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 