Princesses Behaving Badly

Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings

By: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

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 minibiographies 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Loved it

I have the hard copy and it’s good but her emotion brought it to life!