Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
Registered by JudySlump612 of Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on 5/1/2017
This book is in a Controlled Release!
This book is in a Controlled Release!
3 journalers for this copy...
I keep wrestling with what to think about Mary Stuart, because she seems to have spent most of her life trying to get a date to the prom.
She grew up believing that if she was just charming enough, and feminine enough, some masculine figure would swoop down and solve all her problems. Her half-brother, her uncles, a husband (pick a husband, any husband). And we can't avoid the contrast with Elizabeth Tudor, who grew up knowing that the only person she could really trust was her own self.
It's true that she started her reign with the huge disadvantage of growing up in France. She returned to Scotland barely able to speak the language, with strongly French tastes, to a country where allegiance to even a strong monarch was challenged by clan loyalty. But she made the decision all by herself to marry Lord Darnley. Everyone who knew him urged her not to, without a single exception. Clearly she was doing the 16th-century equivalent of sticking her fingers in her ears and singing "La la la, I'm not listening."
I recommend another book about her, 'The Other Queen' by Philippa Gregory. It has a very clever scene where William Cecil comes to visit her at Shrewsbury. Mary takes time off from writing to her current husband, the Earl of Bothwell, and the next husband she wants, the Duke of Norfolk, to prepare for the interview by choosing which dress she'll wear, calculating the angle and time at which she'll make her entrance, and planning to lift her skirts just a wee bit as she steps into the room. At that time, September of 1570, Cecil has been Elizabeth's most loyal and trusted advisor for twelve years. And Mary thinks to suborn him by showing her ankles!
So while I'm not usually too pleased with historical fiction in which the heroine spends most of her time moping and swooning about whose arms she hopes to slide into next, in this one case, it may be fairly accurate. And dagnabbit, that Margaret George can really write! Grit my teeth as I will, somehow every time I pick this book up, I wind up reading a few chapters.
But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?
She grew up believing that if she was just charming enough, and feminine enough, some masculine figure would swoop down and solve all her problems. Her half-brother, her uncles, a husband (pick a husband, any husband). And we can't avoid the contrast with Elizabeth Tudor, who grew up knowing that the only person she could really trust was her own self.
It's true that she started her reign with the huge disadvantage of growing up in France. She returned to Scotland barely able to speak the language, with strongly French tastes, to a country where allegiance to even a strong monarch was challenged by clan loyalty. But she made the decision all by herself to marry Lord Darnley. Everyone who knew him urged her not to, without a single exception. Clearly she was doing the 16th-century equivalent of sticking her fingers in her ears and singing "La la la, I'm not listening."
I recommend another book about her, 'The Other Queen' by Philippa Gregory. It has a very clever scene where William Cecil comes to visit her at Shrewsbury. Mary takes time off from writing to her current husband, the Earl of Bothwell, and the next husband she wants, the Duke of Norfolk, to prepare for the interview by choosing which dress she'll wear, calculating the angle and time at which she'll make her entrance, and planning to lift her skirts just a wee bit as she steps into the room. At that time, September of 1570, Cecil has been Elizabeth's most loyal and trusted advisor for twelve years. And Mary thinks to suborn him by showing her ankles!
So while I'm not usually too pleased with historical fiction in which the heroine spends most of her time moping and swooning about whose arms she hopes to slide into next, in this one case, it may be fairly accurate. And dagnabbit, that Margaret George can really write! Grit my teeth as I will, somehow every time I pick this book up, I wind up reading a few chapters.
But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?
Released 6 yrs ago (5/1/2017 UTC) at Canada, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Since mathgirl40 has been so kind in sharing books with me, I was happy to find I had a copy of a book on her wishlist. With very best wishes!
What a lovely (and large) surprise to find in my mailbox! I'd read Margaret George's book on Elizabeth I a few years ago and thought it was outstanding, and so I've been meaning to read more of her works. I am looking forward to fully immersing myself in this volume, possibly during my next vacation. Thank you very much, JudySlump612, for sending this book to me!
I'm sorry that I'd let this book linger on my shelves for such a long time. The sheer size of the volume was rather daunting, but I finally got started and found it held my interest enough that I was reading steadily every day until I was finished.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about Mary Stuart and the details of her life that I hadn't known about. I did find the pacing somewhat uneven. There were parts that dragged and others that rushed along at breakneck speed. I suppose her real life was like that, but I'm sure there were parts the author could have left out without diminishing the story much.
I also did not find Mary a particularly appealing person, as she was depicted by Margaret George. The characters that I felt most for were her loyal attendants, who seemed to sacrifice so much without much reward.
JudySlump612, thank you for sending this book to me. I'm very glad to have read it and I will also make a note of your Philippa Gregory recommendation. I have read some of her other books and have enjoyed them.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about Mary Stuart and the details of her life that I hadn't known about. I did find the pacing somewhat uneven. There were parts that dragged and others that rushed along at breakneck speed. I suppose her real life was like that, but I'm sure there were parts the author could have left out without diminishing the story much.
I also did not find Mary a particularly appealing person, as she was depicted by Margaret George. The characters that I felt most for were her loyal attendants, who seemed to sacrifice so much without much reward.
JudySlump612, thank you for sending this book to me. I'm very glad to have read it and I will also make a note of your Philippa Gregory recommendation. I have read some of her other books and have enjoyed them.
An interesting read but I too found that parts of the book were very slow and a bit too dragged out. However, for the most part it did hold my attention.
Passed to a friend.
