Princesses Behaving Badly
Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings
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Narrated by:
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Cassandra Campbell
About this listen
You think you know her story. You've read the Brothers Grimm, you've watched the Disney cartoons, you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after. But the lives of real princesses couldn't be more different. Sure, many 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 Elizabeth of the Austro-Hungarian empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal. Princess Olga of Kiev murdered thousands of men, and Princess Rani Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield, charging into combat with her toddler son strapped to her back. Princesses Behaving Badly offers mini-biographies of all these princesses and dozens more. It's a fascinating listen for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story.
©2013 Linda Rodriguez Mcrobbie (P)2013 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Marie Antoinette
- A Captivating Guide to the Last Queen of France Before and During the French Revolution, Including Her Relationship with King Louis XVI
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Marie Antoinette is one of history's most celebrated queens thanks to her style and confidence, yet generally, she is perceived as a greedy and selfish mistress of France. Despite popular belief, Marie Antoinette was not entirely obsessed with pretty dresses and towering hairstyles - though she wouldn't quite have been the same without them. In this captivating audiobook, you will discover the truth about the remarkable life of Marie Antoinette.
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The tragic and true story of the last queen of Fr
- By Charlie Ortiz on 11-12-23
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Isabella of Castile
- Europe's First Great Queen
- By: Giles Tremlett
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1474, a 23-year-old woman ascended the throne of Castile, the largest and strongest kingdom in Spain. Ahead of her lay the considerable challenge not only of being a young female ruler in an overwhelmingly male-dominated world but also of reforming a major European kingdom that was riddled with crime, corruption, and violent political factionism. Her pivotal reign was long and transformative, uniting Spain and setting the stage for its golden era of global dominance.
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Enlightening
- By Jean on 03-07-17
By: Giles Tremlett
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Young and Damned and Fair
- The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII
- By: Mr. Gareth Russell
- Narrated by: Jenny Funnell
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Written with an exciting combination of narrative flair and historical authority, this interpretation of the tragic life of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, breaks new ground in our understanding of the very young woman who became queen at a time of unprecedented social and political tension and whose terrible errors in judgment quickly led her to the executioner's block.
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Magnifent scholarly work
- By Linda Erlich on 08-08-17
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Heiresses
- The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies
- By: Laura Thompson
- Narrated by: Laura Thompson
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Heiresses: Surely they are among the luckiest women on earth. Are they not to be envied, with their private jets and Chanel wardrobes and endless funds? Yet all too often those gilded lives have been beset with trauma and despair. Before the 20th century a wife’s inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune-hunters who squandered their millions.
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tough listen and tough to keep track
- By Amazon Customer on 03-29-23
By: Laura Thompson
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Henry VIII
- By: Abigail Archer
- Narrated by: Sarah Nichols
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547. As a young man, he was fond of sports and hunting and was said to be uncommonly handsome. Standing more than six feet tall, he loomed large in the lives and minds of his subjects as he navigated his country through the tricky diplomatic and military hazards of the 16th century.
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WASTE OF TIME
- By The Louligan on 09-04-20
By: Abigail Archer
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The Rival Queens
- Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal That Ignited a Kingdom
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Catherine de' Medici was a ruthless pragmatist and powerbroker who dominated the throne for 30 years. Her youngest daughter, Marguerite, the glamorous "Queen Margot," was a passionate free spirit, the only adversary whom her mother could neither intimidate nor control.
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Definitely not a dull bio!
- By Nella on 07-04-15
By: Nancy Goldstone
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The Romanovs
- 1613-1918
- By: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: Simon Beale
- Length: 28 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the intimate story of 20 tsars and tsarinas, some touched by genius, some by madness, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition. Simon Sebag Montefiore's gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire building, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, family rivalries, sexual decadence, and wild extravagance, with a global cast of adventurers, courtesans, revolutionaries, and poets, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy and Pushkin.
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Scholarly but gripping
- By William on 06-16-16
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Daughters of the Winter Queen
- Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Elizabeth Stuart was thrust into a life of wealth and splendor when her godmother, Queen Elizabeth I, died and her father, James I, ascended to the illustrious throne of England. At 16 she was married to a dashing German count far below her rank, with the understanding that James would help her husband achieve the crown of Bohemia. Her father's terrible betrayal of this promise would ruin "the Winter Queen", as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved, and launch a war that would last for 30 years.
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Misnamed but Wonderful
- By Anonymous User on 05-16-18
By: Nancy Goldstone
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Castles, Customs, and Kings
- True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors
- By: Debra Brown, M.M. Bennetts
- Narrated by: Ruth Golding
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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A compilation of essays from the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this book provides a wealth of historical information from Roman Britain to early 20th-century England. Over 50 different authors share hundreds of real life stories and tantalizing tidbits discovered while doing research for their own historical novels.
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Historical Tidbits
- By Troy on 08-03-15
By: Debra Brown, and others
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Catherine de Medici
- Renaissance Queen of France
- By: Leonie Frieda
- Narrated by: Sarah Le Fevre
- Length: 21 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Poisoner, despot, necromancer - the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds - from a troubled childhood in Florence to her marriage to Henry, son of King Francis I of France; from her transformation of French culture to her fight to protect her throne and her sons' birthright. Based on thousands of private letters, it is a remarkable account of one of the most influential women to wear a crown.
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Narrator didn't get one name right
- By Georgina García- Menocal on 09-15-19
By: Leonie Frieda
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Sister Queens
- The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile
- By: Julia Fox
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The history books have cast Katherine of Aragon, the first queen of King Henry VIII of England, as the ultimate symbol of the Betrayed Woman, cruelly tossed aside in favor of her husband’s seductive mistress, Anne Boleyn. Katherine’s sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, is portrayed as “Juana the Mad,” whose erratic behavior included keeping her beloved late husband’s coffin beside her for years.
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Sad but Fascinating Lives
- By Cariola on 06-29-12
By: Julia Fox
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Mary Queen of Scots
- The True Life of Mary Stuart
- By: John Guy
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 25 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than 30 years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history's most famous women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading lady - achieving her ends through feminine wiles - and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I.
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Horrible narration - don’t purchase
- By ballymerrigan on 12-27-18
By: John Guy
What listeners say about Princesses Behaving Badly
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Troy
- 01-15-14
Rapid-Fire History
Think of this as the ultra-fast introduction to literally dozens of history's most famous, notorious, and interesting women. If you're looking for in-depth, move on. These mini-biographies are, instead, tailored to giving only the highlights. The result is that you learn a lot in a short period of time, and chances are there are many of these that will inspire you to dig deeper. The downside is that if you listen to this book in one or two sittings, some of these people will probably blend together. Solution: listen again. This is the no-frills, no subtleties, no boring bits of history for those times when you just need a lighter read. As much as I love the in-depth and nuanced tomes, sometimes I just need something fun. This book fits the bill.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Nikki RL
- 05-07-14
My new favorite
What made the experience of listening to Princesses Behaving Badly the most enjoyable?
The narrator does an excellent job and the content is very interesting.
Which scene was your favorite?
The warrior princesses. It as all fantastic
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
The same as the book
Any additional comments?
One of my new favorite audiobooks. I definitely recommend it.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Angie M.
- 07-05-15
Not the Disney sugar coated Princesses
Where does Princesses Behaving Badly rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Very good. It's an easy listen that I've so far enjoyed twice. Doesn't require complete concentration, so you can zone out from time to time.
Be prepared though, you will find yourself Googling many of these ladies after hearing their stories. Many I had never heard of and some I had been taught wrong about.
What did you like best about this story?
I learned something new at every turn. I even learned about the times they lived in and admired them for getting through often horrible treatment.
What does Cassandra Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Great voice and wry humor when it called for it. She didn't change her voice, but she did bring different tones to different situations.
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- Katherine
- 03-27-15
I don't like this woman's voice
In fact I loathe it. But I like the stories. They can be a little overly depressing at times, however.
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1 person found this helpful
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- BrainyHeroine
- 09-03-15
Disney, this is not
If you could sum up Princesses Behaving Badly in three words, what would they be?
Amazing, fantastic, captivating.
Any additional comments?
This is a history of amazing women who kicked butt, took names, and held their heads high. I've heard of quite a few of these women, but there were so many others I couldn't sit still listening. Talk about impressive! These women were battling societal norms and killing those who stood in their way. While I don't envy their lives its a shame history initially wrote their stories so placidly.
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- Mary Elizabeth Reynolds
- 04-14-14
Princesses Researched Well
The author's aim in this book is to tear away the pinky froth of the Disney princess and replace it with, in most cases, a rather ugly reality. It's written with a witty tone, and somber when it is needed. Unlike some of the other collections I have read, it doesn't seem just to recycle old history, but uses current research as well. I'm anal retentive about history, and getting it right, and I found little to quibble with over this. Its spans a good millennia in the telling, but not chronologically rather by interesting categories, such as the warrior princesses. It's certainly not for young girls, maybe a mature teenage with a penchant for history.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Raven Symone
- 08-17-20
Loved it
I have the hard copy and it’s good but her emotion brought it to life!
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- The Louligan
- 02-03-14
ACTUALLY PRETTY INTERESTING
If you could sum up Princesses Behaving Badly in three words, what would they be?
"A Great Ride"
What did you like best about this story?
I read a lot of different kinds of books, mostly historical. This book revealed a plethora of interesting women that history has overlooked because they were on the "shady side" of the truth. A lot of the books that I've listened to recently are about non-existent people who claim to be close intimates of actual famous historical figures. Like a fake lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn who was privy to secrets that somehow Philippa Gregory or Alison Weir missed. Or a fictional private eye in the early 20th century who ran with people like Huey Long, Amelia Earhart, President John Kennedy, Al Capone, Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Hoffa, and Marilyn Monroe. I'd like to see the authors of those fictional history books use this bit of documented info about one of these "Princesses" and weave an interesting story that is both enlightening and entertaining.
What does Cassandra Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She has a pleasant non-regional voice that adds a great tongue-in-cheek quality to the story. You always get the impression that Ms. Campbell is "thisclose" to bursting out laughing over some of the outrageous antics of the "Princesses" and the gullibility of the people they make fools of.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Naw! It's not that kind of story. There ARE moments when I wanted to giggle though.
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7 people found this helpful
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- notamatopoeia
- 02-19-15
Worth a Listen
Would you listen to Princesses Behaving Badly again? Why?
I do think I will listen again. I feel like I may not have absorbed all the stories. I enjoyed listening the first time, and I expect I will enjoy it again.
The book is grouped by topic, with stories of different women in various countries and time periods per topic. Interesting information, well conveyed.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Megan
- 09-22-14
Great Random History Lesson
Would you listen to Princesses Behaving Badly again? Why?
Yeah I am sure I missed some facts about historical figures I had not heard about. I now want to go and learn more about some of my favorite princesses
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Oh yeah and I think I all most did.
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