Customer Reviews:
`The Villainous Victorians lets you in on the darkest secrets of Queen Victoria's Britain ...' March 22, 2007 Amazon Reviewer 12 out of 12 found this review helpful
`The Villainous Victorians lets you in on the darkest secrets of Queen Victoria's Britain - from hard-living criminal kids to harder-hearted toffs who were criminally cruel. In the dark days of Queen Victoria, who were the `real' villains? The poor, pilfering people of the slums? Or the mean, miserly men in their massive mansions? And how would YOU have got on in those terrible times? Teachers may tell you Victoria's Britain was an exciting place......but it was a time of cruelty and wickedness. What you need is a book that tells you the other side of the story - the `villainous' Victorians ............. Read on for prisoners, poisoners and Peelers and some devious dodges for making money that you SHOULDN'T try. Find out about the famous and the forgotten Victorians, then discover who tops the charts as the biggest villain of them all! History has never been so horrible!' A witty, colourful cover opens to 127 pages, split over 13 chapters:- Terrible timeline 1830s-1840s Cruel criminals Cruel to kids Hanging around Terrible timeline 1850s - 1860s Mr Peel's pained police Wicked for women Foul fun Terrible timeline 1870s - 1890s Talk like a villainous Victorian Criminal cures Test your teacher Top ten villainous Victorians with an introduction and an epilogue. Written with the typical Deary humour, in a variety of fonts, and superb illustrations/cartoons throughout, from Martin Brown.
Disappointing May 1, 2004 4 out of 17 found this review helpful
I have been reading this series since I was 6. I am now 16, and pretty much own all thirty or so of the books. Being a little more aware, I can say this book, although definitely not being the worst, is one of Deary's weakest. He is taking the over-used default anti-rich stance when beginning the book, and I actually left the book for a while. I got bored of his resentful rants about who 'the real villains' were. There are useful facts and some funny moments, but i can't help thinking Deary is dousing the book in too much politics. For some of his best try the Awesome Egyptians or the Rotten Romans.
Marvellous!!! March 26, 2004 12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Terry Deary shows in this book how he still a brilliant author after 10 years writing the Horrible Histories books.In Villainious Victorians, Terry revisits the Victorian era,telling us more fatual facts about that time,such as how was the Victorians life,with the chapters:Cruel Criminals,Cruel To Kids,Hanging Around,Mr. Peel's pained police,Wicked for Women,Foul Fun,Talk Like A Villainious Victorian,Criminal Cures,Test your Teacher,Top Ten Villainious Victorians and the Terrible Timeline. It also tells you: -Why Burglers were scared of bogies? -Which poet said he ate an ape? -How a snick fadger might kiddy-nap your spangle? -What's a garroter? The illustrations of Martin Brown are perfect and complement the text with jokes.
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