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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Another excellent Tudor biography by Alison Weir. Margaret had an amazing life. She managed to tick off both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and live to tell about it. In the end she had a lot of tragedy (much brought on by her own scheming) but as she hoped, but never saw, her grandson took the throne. I love the historical detail of Weir's books. Even though all we know of these people is from small scraps of letters and documents from archives, she manages to make them real.
Im so sorry, but this book was so hard to read. I found there was just too many facts and too much information and context, and honestly not all of it relevant. It felt as if this was a book about the time featuring a bit about Margaret Douglas. I found it such a drudge to get through, really not my preferred style of biography. There just wasn't much focus about Margaret Douglas, and I came away not really knowing much more about her.
informative
informative
medium-paced
Margaret Douglas was born into royalty. Daughter of the Queen of Scotland, niece of the King of England she was a pawn for the dynastic manoeuvring of her political family. However as a Tudor there was an added layer of complication where potential heirs to the throne were both family and threats. Imprisoned in the Tower of London twice for falling in love without approval, Margaret finally married the Earl of Lennox and had a happy marriage. Margaret was not content with this and her dynastic machinations enabled her to marry her son, Lord Darnley, to Mary giving an heir to the thrones of both Scotland and England. Beset by financial troubles Margaret kept her Catholic faith to the end and her dynasty still rules to this day.
A new biography by Alison Weir is a real treat and this is no exception. Weir knows her subject inside and out and is able to link sources with alacrity. Given the very politically biased nature of the source material Weir plots an unbiased and honest path showing great insights. Whilst aware of Darnley I hadn't know a lot about Margaret but her role in the succession plots was central
A new biography by Alison Weir is a real treat and this is no exception. Weir knows her subject inside and out and is able to link sources with alacrity. Given the very politically biased nature of the source material Weir plots an unbiased and honest path showing great insights. Whilst aware of Darnley I hadn't know a lot about Margaret but her role in the succession plots was central
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
I am very grateful that this audiobook was available at my library. While I found this book immensely interesting as I knew very little about Margaret before reading it, I think it would have taken me ages to complete the print copy. I did listen to this book at 2.5 times the speed.
Weir is an excellent biographer and really paints the tapestry of her subjects' lives. Margaret is a central player in Tudor politics as the daughter of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, mother of Henry Darnley, King Consort of Scots, and grandmother of James VI and I. Still, she is often relegated to the background of the Queens regnant that were her cousins and daughter-in-law. Learning about Margaret's early life was the most interesting part of the book as Weir was able to highlight how she rose in prominence at the court of Henry VIII. Her interest in the arts and the broken engagements of her youth demonstrate the complexity of her character and how she, like the other women in her family, fought for the ability to forge her own future.
My absolute favourite part of the book was the discussion about Margaret's relationship with her daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of Scots, particularly after the murder of Henry Darnley. The argument that Weir makes about how that relationship shifted over time and what some of the historical evidence suggests was intriguing.
For Tudor history buffs, this is a great book. Particularly if you are interested in how other members of the family interacted with major players of the time.
Weir is an excellent biographer and really paints the tapestry of her subjects' lives. Margaret is a central player in Tudor politics as the daughter of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, mother of Henry Darnley, King Consort of Scots, and grandmother of James VI and I. Still, she is often relegated to the background of the Queens regnant that were her cousins and daughter-in-law. Learning about Margaret's early life was the most interesting part of the book as Weir was able to highlight how she rose in prominence at the court of Henry VIII. Her interest in the arts and the broken engagements of her youth demonstrate the complexity of her character and how she, like the other women in her family, fought for the ability to forge her own future.
My absolute favourite part of the book was the discussion about Margaret's relationship with her daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of Scots, particularly after the murder of Henry Darnley. The argument that Weir makes about how that relationship shifted over time and what some of the historical evidence suggests was intriguing.
For Tudor history buffs, this is a great book. Particularly if you are interested in how other members of the family interacted with major players of the time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Well… that was a wild ride.
I would love to give this book a good review but for the fact the ebook crashes EVERY time I try view the pictures in the appendix. I have spent hours on the phone with barnes and noble and they tell me the issue is the ebook, NOT the nook. therefore I cannot reccomend this book
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Pretty dry history with a lot of accounting of household goods. Good research but not engaging for me.