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Liked It “Alison Weir is the best author of Tudor family biographies. It's like reading a novel!” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This book is about the reign of Elizabeth I. She came to the throne of a poor and troubled England that had suffered under her sister, Bloody Mary. Elizabeth made the country Protestant, but was so loved by her people throughout her reign, that most Catholics didn't care. Throughout her reign Elizabeth raised England through it's Elizabethan glory age. She gave England stability and peace and raised England to a respected power in Europe.
NAOMI S wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Elizabeth never married, even though she was given many offers. Many of Europe's great leaders asked for her hand. She would always lead them on, thinking that they had a chance, for as long as she possibly could, confusing them and never giving them anything. She did this until she was well into middle age. She did have suitors in England to, the most important being Robert Dudley. Elizabeth actually did love Dudley, and he her, but although she gave him great riches and honors, she never married him. This was because most people greatly disliked Dudley and it was very possible that she would have lost her throne if she had married him. So Elizabeth remained the Virgin Queen, dying without and heir, so her Scotish relative James I replaced her.
Elizabeth delt with many threats during her reign, one of the most important being Mary Stuart. Mary Stuart was James I mother and had a claim to the english throne. She was catholic, so many catholics in England and out of it wanted her to be queen. After a scandel in Scotland, Mary was forced to run to England, where she was kept under house arrest for many years. Eventually, after discovering her many plots with the Spanish to overthrow Elizabeth, she was executed. This provoked Phillup II of Spain to launch the huge Spanish Armada to take over England and set his daughter on the throne, but was defeated by the small english navy. This was the beginning of England's great and powerful navy, which has protected it ever since.
I really liked this book, as I have all of the other books by Alison Weir that I have read. This is because she goes into a lot of depth and speculates what about the answers to the many mysteries in Elizabeth's reign. I also like her books because they allow me to see the truth behind some of the hisorical fiction books I have read about this time period. This book was very long however and at some parts became a little boring. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about Elizabeth I, but who wasn't just looking for an easy read.
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“Love all things Tudor!”
Gale B wrote this review Friday, October 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“So far I am enjoying this book although the print in this edition is very small. I already know quite a bit about Elizabeth, who is an interesting subject, but I like Weir's writing style and particuarly recommend her six wives of henry the eigth. Weir manages to be informative yet still entertaining. ”
Gabriella M wrote this review Thursday, July 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Alison Weir is the best author of Tudor family biographies. It's like reading a novel! ”
Tamar B wrote this review Wednesday, June 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A great biography with lovely little details that bring out the human side of this iconic queen. Very easy to read, more like a historic novel than a history book, it makes you wonder what's going to happen next. ”
Sabina E wrote this review Friday, May 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Excellent book. Well written and very detailed. I first read this book years ago and am reading it again.”
Jody S wrote this review Monday, April 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“She lived such an incredible life.”
jlfrea wrote this review Wednesday, January 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“After reading two of Weir's books in a row, I am firmly convinced that she is one of the most thorough English historians out there. This biography of Elizabeth was in-depth, and it provided so much detail about the occurrences in France and Spain that caused Elizabeth to behave how she did in matters of foreign policy. There were numerous examples of text from the period showing both Elizabeth's periods of self-doubt and her subjects' love for her. She was an incredible woman, an awe-inspiring queen, and I would recommend this bio as the definitive study of the woman behind the legend of the Virgin Queen.”
Alethea wrote this review Wednesday, October 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
