Review | Royal Affairs by Leslie Carroll

Read a synopsis of Royal Affairs here.

Review

Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy
by Leslie Carroll

Ever wonder what the British Monarchy was up to when it wasn’t tending to state affairs, waging wars with foreign rivals, journeying out on royal progress, or sending heretics and traitors to the Tower? The personal lives of royalty have always been the talk of the town; centuries before Princess Diana ever uttered the words “there were three of us in this marriage” (although there’s a chapter on that royal scandal, too!). Royal Affairs invites you to take a peek inside the boudoirs of some of history’s most famous, and infamous, British royals. In her nonfiction debut (she’s also the author of seven works of women’s modern fiction, as well as four historical fiction titles under the pen name Amanda Elyot), Leslie Carroll has mastered the art of weaving contemporary humor with historical fact. Her writing has qualities that demonstrate the best of both worlds: eloquent, poignant, and smart, while at the same time funny, chatty, and immensely entertaining. Reading this book, I felt like I was sitting right across from the author having a glass of wine, as she recounted tale after tale of hilarious royal naughtiness. If the full title of this book itself doesn’t already tickle you down to your very core, its contents surely will!

I love the way Royal Affairs is organized by sections. The chapters are not only chronological, but they are also divided by dynasty, and then subdivided by monarch, and finally, sub-sub-divided by royal mistress or paramour. It really is the perfect way to arrange the sections of this book, as it gives the reader the option of reading the book cover to cover like I did, or of skipping around from chapter to chapter. Since each monarch’s tale is treated as an individual article, independent of the surrounding chapters that come immediately before and after, the reader can opt to dive right into a specific era, scandalous tale, or historical figure and read the stories in any order. My favorite chapter was the one on Charles II, particularly the section on orange-seller-turned-actress-turned-royal-mistress Nell Gwyn.

I’ve read two of Leslie’s historical fiction novels before (Too Great A Lady remains a personal favorite of mine), and I am very impressed that she so seamlessly made the jump into historical nonfiction. The fact that she can successfully write within three very different genres attests greatly to her range of talent as an author. She has a voice that is distinctly hers, but one that is still adaptable to fit the specific topic she is covering. I really admire the way the author analyzed certain historical events to come up with her own conclusions as to the motives behind many of history’s mysteries, backed up by historical fact; many of the tales within this book explain how the bedroom activities of Kings and Queens shaped not only their own sex lives, but also, foreign and domestic policies, impacting history as we know it today. I did notice a couple of minor historical errors in this book, but they were not anything that took away from the book’s being an overall very well executed page-turner.

Royal Affairs is one of the wittiest, most uproariously tongue-in-cheek comical works of nonfiction I have ever read. In my opinion, Leslie Carroll has given Eleanor Herman a run for her money in the field of historical nonfiction covering royal scandals! I read Herman’s book Sex With the Queen when it first came out a couple of years ago, and if I had to pick a favorite, I’d say Royal Affairs takes the gold. I can’t wait for Carroll’s follow-up to Royal Affairs, titled Notorious Royal Marriages, releasing January 2010!

Check back soon for an interview with author Leslie Carroll!