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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
As biographies go, I'd put this in my top 5. Most biographies read like textbooks; this one is more like a magazine article: strong on facts but an enjoyable read. I'm a sucker for Tudor England and this biography of the last Tudor monarch was very very good! I thought all the intrigue you see in the movies about this time period were exaggerated but apparently not. I also loved how Elizabeth was really a player - able to keep the world dancing to her tune using all her skills (and there were many). It is no wonder that she is renowned as one of the world's most celebrated and beloved monarchs.
My first book on Elizabeth I and it won't be the last. Alison weir does it again bringing history to life. Loved this book!
Very complete. I did not care of the way it was organized - by subject rather than chronologically - because it led to pages upon pages of Elizabeth toying with potential husbands.
Things I have learned about being a Queen while reading this excellent biography of Elizabeth I:
-The marriage question is tricky, but ultimately, not getting married is the best call, because you make all your own decisions and drive your counsel up the wall by periodically pretending to be interested in marrying then changing your mind – which is just fun.
-Brush your teeth. Seriously.
-Nip conspiracies against your reign in the bud, or they will drag on for twenty years and cost you untold amounts of money, not to mention anxiety. Beheadings are messy, but alas, occasionally unavoidable.
-Let people practice whatever religion they want. Even if its not the same as yours, your liberal attitude will make them less likely to be riled up by weird fanatics. Its not that important anyway.
-Pirates are hot and know how to party. Make friends with them.
-Dress the part, and never let anyone paint a bad portrait of you if you want to be a literal icon of your country’s history.
-Get a good spymaster: he’ll save your bacon more times than you can count.
-Let your subjects see you, walk among them, listen to them, talk to them. See previous point about them being less likely to get riled up and try to depose you.
Alison Weir wrote a wonderful book about the remarkable Elizabeth Tudor, humanized a lot of the famous stories and ideas about her and those close to her. I have always been fascinated with the image of this pale face, red-headed, outrageously dressed queen – who seemed to be the smartest person in the room wherever she went and who, while occasionally given to fits of rage, was a generally benevolent, peaceful and responsible monarch. I wondered if this job, of being England’s most famous queen, had been as lonely as it sometimes seemed, if she had had a good life, despite all the complications, intrigue and assassination attempts. She would not have liked this book, as it exposed some of her weaknesses, but personally, it made me like her more to know she gave ridiculous nicknames to her favorites, went out of her way to make her subjects feel cared for, and inspired life-long loyalty in those close to her.
This book is very well researched, the writing is engaging and never drags; Weir cares for her subject deeply, sharing quotes of personal correspondence and contemporary accounts of those who knew her, to reveal a very strong, extremely smart but also very human queen, who had an uneasy job in an uneasy time, and often had to make difficult decisions for herself and the country she was in charge of. Her parents’ legacy was a heavy burden, but she was determined to prove to everyone that she was worthy of her station.
If you are curious about Elizabeth, her reign or the time period and its politics, this is an excellent book. I’ll be looking for more works by Alison Weir.
-The marriage question is tricky, but ultimately, not getting married is the best call, because you make all your own decisions and drive your counsel up the wall by periodically pretending to be interested in marrying then changing your mind – which is just fun.
-Brush your teeth. Seriously.
-Nip conspiracies against your reign in the bud, or they will drag on for twenty years and cost you untold amounts of money, not to mention anxiety. Beheadings are messy, but alas, occasionally unavoidable.
-Let people practice whatever religion they want. Even if its not the same as yours, your liberal attitude will make them less likely to be riled up by weird fanatics. Its not that important anyway.
-Pirates are hot and know how to party. Make friends with them.
-Dress the part, and never let anyone paint a bad portrait of you if you want to be a literal icon of your country’s history.
-Get a good spymaster: he’ll save your bacon more times than you can count.
-Let your subjects see you, walk among them, listen to them, talk to them. See previous point about them being less likely to get riled up and try to depose you.
Alison Weir wrote a wonderful book about the remarkable Elizabeth Tudor, humanized a lot of the famous stories and ideas about her and those close to her. I have always been fascinated with the image of this pale face, red-headed, outrageously dressed queen – who seemed to be the smartest person in the room wherever she went and who, while occasionally given to fits of rage, was a generally benevolent, peaceful and responsible monarch. I wondered if this job, of being England’s most famous queen, had been as lonely as it sometimes seemed, if she had had a good life, despite all the complications, intrigue and assassination attempts. She would not have liked this book, as it exposed some of her weaknesses, but personally, it made me like her more to know she gave ridiculous nicknames to her favorites, went out of her way to make her subjects feel cared for, and inspired life-long loyalty in those close to her.
This book is very well researched, the writing is engaging and never drags; Weir cares for her subject deeply, sharing quotes of personal correspondence and contemporary accounts of those who knew her, to reveal a very strong, extremely smart but also very human queen, who had an uneasy job in an uneasy time, and often had to make difficult decisions for herself and the country she was in charge of. Her parents’ legacy was a heavy burden, but she was determined to prove to everyone that she was worthy of her station.
If you are curious about Elizabeth, her reign or the time period and its politics, this is an excellent book. I’ll be looking for more works by Alison Weir.
informative
slow-paced
This book is a rare treat. Alison Weir managed to make a biography about Queen Elizabeth I with so much fluidity that it seemed like it was more of a novel rather than a rigid history book. The story went along so perfectly well, from Elizabeth's childhood to her last breath. The book also focuses a lot on those that Elizabeth was close to, such as Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester and her troublesome cousin, Mary Queen of Scots.
The book might as well easily be mistaken for historical fiction, with all of its scandals and the numerous risky instances in which the playful and sly Elizabeth would work her way out of marrying for the kingdom's sake. However, it is all real - it happened, and The Life of Elizabeth I is one of the best books I'd recommend to gain some real, in-depth insight into the life of the Virgin Queen and the world she lived in.
The book might as well easily be mistaken for historical fiction, with all of its scandals and the numerous risky instances in which the playful and sly Elizabeth would work her way out of marrying for the kingdom's sake. However, it is all real - it happened, and The Life of Elizabeth I is one of the best books I'd recommend to gain some real, in-depth insight into the life of the Virgin Queen and the world she lived in.
informative
reflective
slow-paced