Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Offers information on historical princesses whose lives were devoid of fairy-tale magic, including the stories of Nazi spy Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe, mass murderess Princess Olga of Kiev, and warrior mom Princess Rani Lakshmibai.

Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings

Princesses Behaving Badly

A collection of biographical sketches of historical princesses whose real lives were wholly devoid of fairy-tale magic includes the stories of Nazi spy Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe, mass murderess Princess Olga of Kiev and warrior mom Princess Rani Lakshmibai.

Real Stories from History-- Without the Fairy-tale Endings

Jazelle H

This study of princesses through history encompasses all the badass as sass deserving of these women. Linda McRobbie knows exactly when to add her wit to keep readers enthralled and engaged in her writing. Never has history come alive off the page with as much ease. These stories demonstrate the misrepresentation of women through the ages, the strength required of them to survive and/or conquer in a man's world, and the salty-sweet disposition they have while slaying throughout history.

Lacy W

Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: rape, assault, violence, cannibalism, attacks against native Americans, misogyny, sexism, racism, anti semitism, sexual assault, false imprisonment, incest, slut shaming, use of word Gypsy, suicide, cheating, child abuse, child lose/death, toxic relationships, mental illness portrayed in a negative light


  History is only as accurate as those who record it, and that goes double when the subject is a woman. 


This was such a fun book. It’s been such a long time since I had so much fun reading a book. I think this book got me out of my reading slump a bit. I also learned a lot about different women throughout history. A lot of them, I hadn’t heard of, which surprised me. I learned that history is not kind to women and it’s so unfortunate and frankly, it’s quite irritating. But that’s a topic for another day. 

This book was divided into different categories: warriors, usurpers, schemers, survivors, partiers, floozies and mad women. Each section had many different stories about women who were in these categories. I didn’t keep a list of my favorites because to be honest, all the women were my favorites. Each woman gave something to history, whether it was positive or negative. 

With non fiction books, I look for readability. This means: was the book easy to read? Did I understand the language? (Some non fiction books like to show off how smart they are and use big terms for simple things) Did I retain the information? The answer to all these questions is yes. The book was organized well. Things were not repeated. If they were, it was to show comparison between women. The categories helped with the organization quite a bit. This book was also written in a fun way. There were bits of sass from the author, especially when there was a lot of misogyny happening, which was all the time. I wouldn’t mind reading more from this author because she made this topic fun. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Especially if you are looking to broaden your horizons and learn about women of history. You will learn a lot about women and how much history has slighted them. The way the author writes this book will charm you. This book was great fun and I can’t wait to check out more work by this author.

Missy Zuber 

Amusing stories about various princesses through out history.
Some of the stories I was familiar with since I tend to randomly read stuff on Wikipedia but there were some that were new to me.

Amy Grieve

When I first picked up this book I didn't expect what I got. It was more of a giant history lesson and considering I'm a geography gal myself but it was written with such an interesting humour and perspective that I got through it in a day.

libby g

Swasti Ramadhin

Zoe Smolen

Fun anecdotes about historical princess. Most should be taken with a grain of salt, but a fun read about how princesses have been treated and perceived throughout history.

Denise B.

Right off the bat I'm going to say that if you don't like historicals then this is not for you. With that said, I found the dissemination of the information regarding these Royals/Royal Wannabes was very organized and in most cases concise. Obviously the further back into history you research, the less accurate the facts are and in some cases are hearsay dependent. But myths/legends come from somewhere based on someone, so it's still very interesting to learn about the struggles and causes being supported/fought for or against. The more "modern" women have more facts to back them up so their stories had more information that sometimes dragged out. This book covers warriors to schemers, survivors to floozies and partiers to madwomen; these women lived in difficult times and made the best of what they were allowed (and most of the time not) to have and do in their time. One thing they all had in common was their unequivocal perseverance to pave their own path regardless of any naysayers. Highly recommend to young girls and up for self empowerment and self actualization because if they could accomplish or not in those times, there's nothing stopping us now in these.

Now, I don't read a lot of non- fiction, especially if it's not assigned homework. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about these princesses!!! This book is informative, concise and fun. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about history and herstory.

Paige Wanner

Princess Doe 

Lindsy Rice

Lisa

Diana Irimia

Chrystal Giordano

Haley Murray

This edition offers true tales of these take-charge princesses plus dozens more in a fascinating read that’s perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story. 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. Sure, plenty 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 majestic closets. Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe was a Nazi spy. Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal. Princess Olga of Kiev slaughtered her way to sainthood. And Princess Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield with her toddler strapped to her back.

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

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