Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings

By Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

These 30 true stories of take-charge princesses from around the world and throughout history offer a different kind of bedtime story . . .

Pop history meets a funny, feminist point-of-view in these illustrated tales of “royal terrors who make modern gossip queens seem as demure as Snow White” (New York Post).

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—and had very little in common with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, or Ariel.
 
Featuring illustrations by Wicked cover artist, Douglas Smith, Princesses Behaving Badly tells the true stories of famous (Marie Antoinette; Lucrezia Borgia)—and some not-so-famous—princesses throughout history and around the world, including:
 
• Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe, a Nazi spy. 
• Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who slept wearing a mask of raw veal. 
• Princess Olga of Kiev, who slaughtered her way to sainthood.
• Princess Lakshmibai, who waged war on the battlefield with her toddler strapped to her back.
 
Some were villains, some were heroes, some were just plain crazy. But none of these princesses felt constrained to our notions of “lady-like” behavior.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781594746659

Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Linda Rodriguez McRobbie is a freelance writer and journalist whose career is driven by curiosity, a love of science, and a respect for history. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, The Boston Globe, Slate, Atlas Obscura, and others. Her first book, Princesses Behaving Badly, was published in 2013. She lives in Surrey.

Reviews for Princesses Behaving Badly

[marysgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an ARC provided by the publisher through the Early Reader Program in exchange for an honest review. I like these kind of books and have several on my shelf. This is a survey of women (most born princesses, others acquiring that title through marriage or fraud) down through the ages who "behaved badly"--meaning they acted like the men around them. The book is divided into several parts: Warriors, Usurpers, Schemers, Survivors, Partiers, Floozies and Mad Women. Each part contains a multi-page overview of the life of three to five women who the author feels fits that category, written in a light, modern and sometimes mocking voice. What I like about these kinds of books is the opportunity to discover obscure stories about women in different times and places. I usually judge the accuracy of the whole book by the how well the author does with a woman I know a good deal about. In this case it was Honoria, a Roman princess, and McRobbie did a credible job with her. My only complaint is that the ARC contained numerous typos and a few continuity errors (on one page a princess was both red-haired and raven-haired). I hope these are caught in the editorial process and fixed for the final edition. Altogether, a fun light read.

[diana_long_thomas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Behaving badly is an understatement in this history book. There are princesses who ran off with lovers, those who tried to usurp thrones, a few who would have been better rulers than their siblings, some who were mad and a few who were said to be mad but weren't. There were some what weren't actual royalty but did a good job at pretending to be, and fooled quite a few of the upper class while doing it. I enjoyed it and can't wait to add a copy to my library.

[singtoangels-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I received this ARC from the publisher and despite the silly name I was happy to dig in. I love history and I love stories about obscure people and I love biographies. This seemed to be all three and I was excited. I delved into the book and only got about 4-5 pages in when I had to set it down. Wait first, I laughed really hard. Then I called my husband, read him some of it, and watched him laugh, too.I understand that modern society has a very hard Liberal/Feminist bent on it. I usually overlook it when reading or if I see something that's good and makes sense I'll adapt it. I'm not hardcore one way or another and I'm flexible! But the feminist rantings of this book, whilst I should have expected it, did not make me feel like this author had an unbiased view on things. What was to prevent someone who felt this strongly about women making waves in history from just making stuff up as she saw fit! The Christian bashing was very unnecessary, as was the man bashing. To top it off, I loved the part where the author asked why this pirate princess from the early middle ages couldn't be a wife AND a mother AND a pirate. Seriously? Because that's so safe to have a baby strapped to your back while you prance around your ship at sea, happily killing people and pillaging their ships...trying not to get killed yourself... subsisting on some form of Viking hardtack. Really responsible attitude there. Thanks, Miss McRobbie. Oops, sorry, *MS* McRobbie.

[mishker-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Happily ever after, this book is definitely not. An entertaining and educational compilation of stories throughout history of heroic and often scandalous royal women who have made their own path in life despite the fact that they were born a female. Very few stories of these women have positive endings, but I was still drawn in by the fortitude, bravery and determination.Divided into sections of warriors, usurpers, schemers, survivors, partiers, floozies and madwomen we are introduced to princesses from around the world and throughout history- from the 5th Century to modern day. Many people I have never even heard of were included, which I loved and plan to do more research on; but also some notorious princesses including Anne Boleyn, Lucrezia Borgia and Elizabeth Batheroy are featured.Some of my favorite excerpts included: Khutulun, a Mongol princess who refused to wed anyone who couldn't beat her at wrestling (and none did), Olga of Kiev who kept slaughtering the armies of men who killed her husband and all the while kept them thinking that she was going to go with the enemy politely and without issue and Gloria of Thurn and Taxis who partied it up with rainbow spiked hair in the 80's, but became a business and politically savvy Princess after her husband died and she realized they were broke.This book was received for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[annesion · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute book I read in the bathtub over the course of several months. It was a very fluffy read, and I question the historical veracity of many of the supposed princesses actions, but it was entertaining and at times humorousIf you are looking for a serious book about royalty I would not recommend this one. This book would be appropriate for people who like to skim the surface of history only.

[littlebirdreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Princesses Behaving Badly is a collection of true tales - and not the happily ever after kind. These princesses are real... as are their stories of power, lust, and cruelty. We all know the stories of gender inequality- well, these princesses had to overcome those barriers. Some did it through cunning mind play, while others did it through straight brutality. Whichever way it happened, many of these princesses needed to fight for their rights. These women (and sometimes girls!) are tough as nails and willing to do whatever it takes to get whatever it is they want. Interesting stories are found on every page. It really gives another light to the idea of "princess". After all, real princesses don't have carriages that turn into pumpkins, sing to the animals, live with a bunch of dwarfs, or sleep in the woods only to be woken by a kiss from a worthy prince. I think this should be required reading for all teenage girls- the Disney Princess concept is way to prevalent in our society... let them grow up to be whatever they want- let's remind them that women don't need to be saved and we can run our own lives! Yea feminism! {real feminism... not that man bashing crap that calls itself feminism... but that post is for another day folks}

[storeetllr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For a book that promises princesses engaging in murder, cruelty and brutality ~ and often delivers it ~ it is a bit too breezy for my taste, and its superficial approach to history doesn't appeal to me. I do think, though, that it's a great starting point for anyone interested in discovering previously unknown historical personages and researching royal women who lived different and interesting lives.

[texliz19 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.I was excited to receive this book as this is a subject I'm very interested in but was disappointed as it was a lot of fluff. It didn't go into detail on most of the people referenced and offered little to no new knowledge of the figures that I already knew.It's a fun read for those who want something light with just touch-points on certain historical figures but not for those who want something more in depth.

[jeffv_19 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The war against fairytale princesses is real. Linda Rodriguez McRobbie apparently had enough of Disney-style portrays of a life of luxury and entitlement, and put together this collection of women (many princesses, but some queens, empresses, and other lofty regal titles tossed in for good measure) whose lives didn't fit the stereotype. The product is an uneven collection of stories, many little more than Wikipedia blurbs, but with a few lengthy stories tossed in as well. I've heard of most of the women discussed, but not all. Whether or not I really know any more about these women is unclear -- when she referred to the "victory at Agincourt by Henry IV," I knew the research behind this book wasn't going to be more than random web surfing. I'd say if you had a daughter who is already skeptical regarding the fairytale princess trope and you wish to push her to the dark side, this book will help. If you're trying to make a case of bad things happening when women are in power -- well, I suppose there's some of that here. I can't really recommend it for much else.

[vanderschloot · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book has a problem with its tone. It's obvious from the title that this book is being marketed as a light, young, funny popular history. It succeeds in this, I suppose, but I felt that it went too far in the dumbing down department. The tone is kind of embarrassing, as it seems like the author is trying to sound like a cool teenager (one section is titled "Worst. Marriage. Ever."), which is never a good thing. The author overuses silly puns, and as the previous reviewer said, this book is written as if it was written for kids, but its content suggests otherwise. It's an interesting concept, but I wish the author and publisher had taken their subject a little more seriously.

[janine2011 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of stories about Princesses that have lead very interesting lives and most ended up badly and unhappily ever after. Although not a heavy read, I enjoyed this book.What I enjoyed most was that it I had not heard of almost all of the women involved. And that quite a few were not European ladies.It is somewhat lazily written but i recommend this to read on a beach somewhere or someone just wanting a light read.

[theflamingoreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Princesses Behaving Badly - Real Stories from History - Without the Fairy-tale Endings" by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie is a collection of anecdotes regarding various women of royalty that behaved, well, like human beings. Chronicling women from the 5th century to the late 20th century, this book shows that they behaved just like everyone else, albeit with more autonomy, titles, and money. What makes these women noteworthy is that they were expected to be much more lady-like given their (often tenuous) connection to various royal families. Some of the women were certifiably mad and some just a product of their times and places. The chapter headings indicate what to expect to learn about these women: "Warriors - Princesses Who Fought Their Own Battles", "Schemers - Princesses Who Plotted and Planned", and "Partiers - Princesses Who Loved to Live It Up", and others. The women run the gamut from mad and bad to merely spoiled. Unfortunately, the bibliography is "TK" (editor-speak for 'to come') so the validity and range of the authors sources can't be determined. Having said that, it appears that a lot of work went into tracking down these women (and there are quite a few of them) and the information about each women appears to be well researched. The writing style is more informal than scholarly and that always makes for a fun read, provided you aren't looking for a textbook-like writing style.Perhaps the best known "Princess" is Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander and sister of Cesare Borgia, both infamous in their own right. Some history scholars have the opinion that she got a bum rap and wasn't as dastardly as those stories would have us believe. The author tends to agree with those scholars which is refreshing and shows some insight, rather than the mere repetition of those tired, old tales. The book begins with story of Princess Alfhild, the 5th century "Pirate Princess", who chose life on the seas rather marry as was expected of her. Given that this was a lifestyle choice rather than being forced upon her, it's no surprise that she can be considered as behaving badly. As it turns out, she eventually did give up her pirate ways and settled down as a wife and mother. We also learn about Princess Caraboo, the woman who tricked all of London into thinking she was a South Seas princess, Princess Christina, the 'cross-dressing' Princess of Sweden, who managed to bankrupt the country without actually being in charge, and Princess Caroline of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel, the 'reeking Princess" whose reputed stench drove her husband-to-be from the room at their first meeting and almost scuttled the advantageous marriage plans.These stories and many more are interesting and enlightening. Although the author wants them to be "a fascinating read perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story", they don't quite rise to that level. If your idea of a princess involves simply those found in fairy tales, then you may find this book astonishing. If your knowledge is a bit more extensive than that, you'll enjoy learning about women you probably haven't heard of before and perhaps something new about those you have heard of. Although one chapter deals with the "Partiers" and another with the "Floozies", this book may be considered in the YA genre. For those readers who enjoy a non-fiction look at women 'behaving badly', historical anecdotes, and royalty misbehaving on a grand scale, then you will enjoy this book. Those hardcore history scholars may find it a bit too "fluffy" to be taken seriously. All in all, it's a good book for a lazy afternoon.

[queencersei · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Princesses Behaving Badly recounts the trials and tribulations of various Princesses throughout the ages. Wild partiers, bad marriages, bad parenting, being bad parents themselves, insanity, these women endured it all. What's good about the book is that it covers not only the European royalty that would be expected, but also discussed are Princesses from China, Japan, Thailand, Africa and even a Native American Princess. The actual writing style tends to skew to a younger reader however. I would tend to recommend this book to teenagers and/or young adults

[shulera1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw this hanging out in my library's new arrivals section and had to have it. Princesses being awesome -- yes, please! I wanted feminism and great stories and surprises, and boy, this book delivered.

The only problem I had with it was McRobbie's lack of "scholarly" sources. A lot of the stories come from local tales and writings steeped in gossip and rumor. But, McRobbie is completely up front about that fact, and if you aren't concerned with having the 100% absolute truth and just want awesome stories, you should definitely check this one out.

In addition to the stories themselves being pretty fantastic, I loved McRobbie's writing style. She is educational without being dry or condescending. She's witty and snarky without being rude. She makes you feel included and excited, and I plan on looking her up to see if there's more for me to read!

[auntieclio · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.I really wanted to like this book, but McRobbie's writing is so breezy and gossipy that I couldn't take anything she wrote seriously, especially the articles about women I already knew. Trying to figure out which of my six nieces I would give this book to helped me decide that I am not part of the target audience I want my nieces to take the women of history seriously, and understand the problems being a woman can be. And I want them to understand the context of what the women in Princesses Behaving Badly lived through. I'm sorry Ms. McRobbie, I'm sure it's me, not you.

[kbuchanan_25 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. It was fun, easy to read, and it draws from a number of different cultures for its source material. It includes more than a few stories not everyone might be familiar with, alongside more commonly treated material, such as the story of the Polish factory worker who convinced a large number of people that she was the missing Russian princess Anastasia. There is some effort to get at explaining some of the sometimes literally "maddening" circumstances that women have had to endure at various points in history, but in many other points, this little book falls short. While I think there is certainly a place for history to be fun, I felt this one was perhaps trying a bit too hard. The tone of the work is so blatantly conversational and, at times, pandering, that I found myself getting distracted by its language. As some others have already pointed out, the book's tone makes it seem more appropriate for teen readers, but its subject matter often makes this impractical. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance reader's copy of this book, and so I am hoping that the worrying number of typos and errors will be reduced in the finished version of the work. The second set of problems I had with this book is slightly more serious. While the work is being advertised on its back cover as "perfect for history buffs" and "feminists," the attitude taken in the book toward the sexual conduct and mental states of a number of its subjects belies claims of the work's supposed "feminist" leanings. Women are apparently "behaving badly" if they are sexually aggressive or even seem to enjoy sex. I realize the title is meant somewhat ironically, but the treatment in the work's mini-essays does not necessarily contradict this view. Additionally, while the author does acknowledge that some claims of "madness" clinging to these women's reputations are likely false, such as in the case of Juana of Castille, she is also perfectly willing to state that other of her subjects are, for lack of a better word, crazy. I realize that a complex and in-depth treatment of the various forms of mental illness that may have plagued a number of these women is not possible, given the book's scope, but I think it might have been possible to make these women feel a little less like a parade of oddities. While I realize this review highlights some of this book's negative aspects, I really did have fun reading this work. In a way, I think it does its main job pretty well: getting people interested enough in these women to want to learn more. I certainly do. For what it is, a work of humor offering history in bite-sized chunks, it was certainly entertaining, and I think it might have the potential to reach people who are not normally interested in history. All in all, it wasn't 100% for me, but I can see its appeal for the right audience. Readers can dip their toes into some really interesting historical ground while enjoying a cute layout and not feeling too bogged down.

[goldnyght · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting premise, but not really all that well executed. First, and most tellingly, a few of the "real" stories are based on mythology or folklore with absolutely no proof of their existence and say as much. Why create a book of real stories and go down that path? It especially irked me in the case of "The Princess who was a Pirate" since it was just mentioned casually towards the end of the story that her existence was only in the tall tales of the area.Secondly, the gossip rag style of writing left me with a sour taste in my mouth. (most of) These women were real and were fighting real battles with enemies, themselves, or society. I could wish the author had been a little more understanding and explanatory of the circumstances surrounding their actions. The only slight exception to this seemed to be Juana de Castille (aka, Juana the Mad) who the author explained may have been portrayed as mad by her husband and father to rend her politically powerless.Finally, and mostly irrelevantly, I received an ARC copy and WOW I hope the proofreaders and editors get hold of this and shake it down before it goes public. I've never had such a hard time reading through a book before, but this one had so many grammar, spelling, and continuity errors I felt like I was grading a remedial paper.

[literate0ninja · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have been trying to write a review of this book for 2 weeks, and I can't ever seem to find any uninterrupted time. So, in the interests of getting any review up at all before I get overwhelmed again and forget about it completely, here we go.This was a good book, and had a lot of information about princesses from around the globe. The one theme that I really noticed throughout the book was that, fairytales aside, princesses have a pretty rough lot in life. Lots of social pressure, scheming relatives, assassinations, slander, political maneuvering, and then there's the whole inbreeding thing... ugh. I would recommend this to people who are interested in the actual lives of princesses, gender studies majors, or reality tv addicts (Real Housewives of Royalty, airing soon on Bravo...)

[stacey42_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written & humorous. It reminded me of the Uppity Women series in the early 90's. Lots of short bios of various princesses and their 'bad' behavior. The author tries a little too hard here and there to keep it light and fun when the material is really too serious or depressing to work with that but given the number of princesses covered it is inevitable that there will be a clunker here and there. I enjoyed Alfhild, the Princess who Became a Pirate, Margaret, who Caused a Bank Robbery and Malinche, the War Booty Princess best of the bunch but they were all interesting.

[christiana5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First, thanks for the Early Reviewers copy. I found this a quick read, and interesting, if a bit odd. The writing style is very breezy, and while the "princesses" come from a wide swath of time periods and locations, including non-Western cultures, which is good, the stories are very short, and some of the labels (e.g. madwomen) can be demeaning. I had some prior knowledge about some of the featured "princesses" and while the stories seem consistent with other historical accounts, they are very brief, and unlikely to add anything to a reader's knowledge. The style and brevity would perhaps make it of interest for pre-teens and teens, but the content regarding mental health and sexual behaviors might make parents uncomfortable. An odd, but entertaining, read.

[dknoch_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Filled with fascinating footnotes of history, Princesses Behaving Badly is overflowing with strange and odd tales that never make it into the history texts. While the well-read history buff may be aware of some of the more widely-publicized royal eccentricities (the macabre Countess Bathory, for instance), Ms. McRobbie has unearthed numerous tales that are sure to be new to many readers. As in-depth as this work is, Ms. Rodriguez presents her research not with the air of a scholarly work, but in a very colloquial - almost bloggish - style that is easy to digest.Given that my copy was an ARC without footnotes or even a bibliography, it's difficult to ascertain how often the author relied upon primary sources for her information. Those interested in the validity of the research will have to wait for the official release in order to judge that aspect of this work for themselves.Well-written, engaging, and (at first glance) thoroughly researched, Princesses Behaving Badly is a book that I'd recommend to those interested in the lesser known and obscure royal quirks of history.

[novelust-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of quick stories about princesses from history and the real issues that they were faced with. Overall I though it was a good broad collection of stories which gave insight into what was expected of them.

[teresaintexas · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I need to be more careful with my nighttime reading--too many bad dreams after this one. While I realize I had an advance copy, there were so many errors, it was hard to overlook them. What PBB is: 30 short vignettes about royalty (not necessarily princesses) who led out of the ordinary type lives. The author's voice was chatty and kind of TMZ-like--which doesn't lend itself to topics taking place in ancient times (or any time for that matter). It was a chore to read and what dreary reading it was--I found nothing positive to take away from this book (and I always try to find one good thing about every book I read). The only subjects I recognized were Queen Christina, Princess Margaret, and Elisabeth of Austria. Oh yeah, and the Anastasia pretender. Relentless descriptions of excess, madness, filth, sex, I need to wash this off.

[aya8herron · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Forget the silk party dresses, glass slippers, royal carriages, banquets, and Prince Charming. The stories of these princesses tell it like it was back in the day. This book is divided into seven sections of very different kinds of women including princesses who were warriors, usurpers, schemers, survivors, partiers, floozies, and madwomen. Each section features three to five short chapters about specific princesses. The short biographies are chock full of tantalizing tidbits of royal lives gone wrong. Additionally, there are shorter sections featuring mini biographies of other lesser known princesses. Featured princesses include Hatshepsut, Catherine Radziwill, Lucrezia Borgia, Caraboo, Clara Ward, and Pauline Bonaparte to name just a few.The Bottom Line: On the positive side the author made a good effort to include princesses from many cultures and countries instead of just the European princesses. The women hail from China, Egypt, India, and Mexico as well as Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and many more places. There's even a Native American princess.On the negative side, the author uses a writing style that was much too casual and flippant for me. For example, Prince Camillo Borghese is described as "dumb as mittens on a cat." (p. 224) Upon reading about each princesses' foibles and follies, I wasn't entirely convinced that all of them were "bad." Perhaps some were simply responding in self defense to their unpleasant situations.Princesses Behaving Badly is a quick read. However, while the tone is humorous, at times it is just too chatty. This is an optional purchase that might appeal to teens. Note: I did not see the introduction, bibliography, or index.

[atheist_goat · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute little chapters about princesses who led armies, had affairs, went mad, etc. It's written very informally but the style worked for me. Would make good bathroom reading.

[enemyanniemae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book would be really good for a high school student needing an historical subject about which to write. There are wonderful snippets of information about a good number of girls and women who became leaders in their time. It's just the manner in which the information is presented that bothered me. The tone is flippant. It tries too hard to be hip. The author goes out of her way to try and sound cool... but the language just comes across as forced and strained to me. Example: referring to a subject's mother as "on her way to Crazytown." Perhaps if I were 40 years younger, I might enjoy the book more. Then again, I'd probably have been even more annoyed by it than I am. I do have to say that I have found a number of people I'd like to know more about. And I do thank the author for that.

[milliehennessy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this copy from the Early Reviewers program. It was an interesting glimpse at several princesses through the ages, but I have to say the writing felt a bit inexperienced. It's an interesting reference book and I understand that McRobbie wanted to present the facts in a way that felt modern and casual, but I have to say at times it felt too casual. There were several quotes like "Renaissance politics were as tangled as a bowl of pasta..." that had me rolling my eyes. I'm not 100% sure what age group it's aimed at, given the goofy quotes, but then many of the mini-biographies dealt with sex and heavy drinking and violence. There were also a slew of spelling errors (which I understand is a given in an ARC), and one big mistake that stuck out for me. McRobbie describes a princess in a harem as unique, in part because of her red hair. In the very next paragraph, she describes her as raven-haired.I feel like this book would be a good place to start if you're looking to find a princess to do more research on, or even use as a reference for a fairy tale or fantasy novel. However, I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it.

[katebaxter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Princesses Behaving Badly - Real Stories From History Without the Fairy Tale Endings was an engaging and enjoyable read. It presented 30 vignettes of famous and not so famous women from history (and who were not necessarily all princesses either). The advanced reader copy I received was rife with typographic errors and I earnestly hope that these were corrected prior to final publication. (Such mistakes become distractions from the enjoyment of the book.)The book brought to light the many stories of aristocratic women who, throughout history, were pawns in political power play games. Marriage was purely for the sake of the state with little consideration for the participants involved. Suitability was not often taken into consideration. We also got a glimpse of the health ramifications of too much in-breeding - a common practice of the day. Many of these women were a pitiable lot and yet some rose to greater glory in spite of the expectations of others. This was a delightful read, easily read in installments and offering a bit of feminist history.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It is difficult to say who the intended audience was for this book. Princess stories would appeal to young women and, indeed, the use of modern colloquialisms would support that possibility. Some of the more ancient and obscure women had little more than a few paragraphs about them and more modern women (like Princess Margaret) had several pages but still seemed a bit skimpy. However, the women discussed were, for the most part, not pleasant or heroic people. I don't see many young women rushing out to seek this book.Most of the stories were written to almost sound like the author was speaking which took away from any serious authority one might seek. I did appreciate that all different civilizations were represented (bad women existed everywhere?) so that they weren't all European. I wondered, though, why she had to end with a pretend princess (the woman who tried to pass herself off as Asastasia). It almost seemed to imply that all of the women in the book lacked authenticity.The advance copy I read was rife with typographical errors. Not being strong in history I can't speak for the historical accuracy.

[juliew.-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a series of stories about rebel princesses from history.They range from the more well known such as Anne Boleyn and Hapshepsut to the lesser known ones like Khutulun,the great,great granddaughter of Genghis Khan.As the title suggests these are not the the typical princesses of Disney.These princesses lie,cheat,rob,murder and generally cause mayhem.While I did enjoy the book I was slightly disappointed because I was hoping that there would be more princeses from ancient times.There are a few but not enough for my taste.Many were from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.However,the stories were intriguing and entertaining.