Book Summary
"Noted historian Theo Aronson vividly recreates one of the most remarkable relationships of the nineteenth century--the idyllic friendship between a commoner and his Queen. Queen Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli? Preposterous! What could the dowdy, unapproachable Widow of Windsor have in common with her flamboyant, honey-tongued, exotic Prime Minister? Quite a lot, it seems. They formed a partnership that far outlasted Disraeli's term of office. Victoria emerged from their years together greatly changed, and she remained for the rest of her life very much the woman 'Dizzy' fashioned her to be. Their story is as bizarre and romantic as many a novel. They were a study in contrasts. With her dumpy shape and dour expression, Victoria looked like a disgruntled hausfrau. Disraeli, with his dyed ringlets, parchment skin, and hunched shoulders, gave the appearance of a decaying rake. She was honest; he wily.^
She sat on the most firmly established throne in the world; he was looked upon as an adventurer. Together, they ruled Britain. But how is it that two such complex and seemingly dissimilar personalities attracted and prospered each other? Victoria, especially, blossomed. Before meeting Dizzy, the Queen was withdrawn, doleful, insecure, self-obsessed, and a hypochondriac. Disraeli, brought close to the Queen by his part in the government, needed the intimate support of someone of the opposite sex. He instinctively discerned the romantic streak hidden beneath Victoria's stern exterior, and coaxed it into response. Victoria, in turn, gave free rein to Dizzy's always vibrant imagination, bringing out his brilliance and romanticism. And on a personal level, too, the Queen kindled within him a love for her. Victoria was Disraeli's masterpiece. He transformed her into a supremely confident woman and monarch. She acquired a zest for life and for her work that she never knew existed.^
As a ruler, Victoria was made aware of her position and power by Dizzy. As a woman, she learned from him how to enjoy herself again. And her health improved--for what better tonic is there than a constant, doting companion who admires and loves you? Happiness and fulfillment marked their relationship. Disraeli became famous both as a colorful public figure and as a man who guided the empire. And Victoria--Dizzy's 'Faery Queen'--became, in the last twenty-five years of her reign, the most revered, awe-inspiring Queen ever to sit upon the throne of England."--Dust jacket.
