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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Whew! I was wondering if I'd need my great-grandchildren to read me the last few chapters of this book (I'm 37)---it feels like it's taken me forever to finish it! (In reality---probably a month)
The title of this tome can be taken to its most literal extreme. This is every. single. thing. you could EVER want to know...and not want to know...about the life of Elizabeth I. In fact, I'd really only give it 3 stars for "liked it", except that the amount of research and writing and editing and coffee that went into this massive exposé is definitely worthy of four stars.
The biggest reason the book took so long to finish was the simple fact that I do not like Queen E. This biography was my first introduction to her and I found her to be immature, inconsistent, and selfish. She often acted on emotional extremes, condemning one person for the same crimes for which she pardoned another. Playing with people's hearts and minds. The bio leaves nothing out and too much info became very tedious---especially since she changed her mind, delayed, and waffled on so many issues. I don't believe women were created for this kind of leadership and QE's insistence on radical emotion-based leadership is a great example why not.
Another difficult thing about this bio was that there was very little discussion on any other subject than her refusal to marry and produce a successor---and this went on for HUNDREDS of pages. In fact, I marked about 190 pages in as the first real discussion about anything other than her romances and lack thereof. This reprieve was short lived, though, and the majority of the remaining text discussed the topic ad nauseam. Surely more went on during this time in history? Surely? Anyone?
Some parts of her history were very interesting to me. I thought it was neat that she instituted the still-popular custom of music being included in a Protestant worship service and that she likely owned the first wristwatch. Her difficulty in condemning Mary Stuart, as well as her reaction to news of her death, is a bit surprising. This speaks to her respect for the office of Queen and her belief that she was placed on the throne by God.
All things considered, I'm proud of myself for finishing strong and finishing this book! Ha! I expect I'll use it as a reference as I continue my education on the times of the Tudors.
The title of this tome can be taken to its most literal extreme. This is every. single. thing. you could EVER want to know...and not want to know...about the life of Elizabeth I. In fact, I'd really only give it 3 stars for "liked it", except that the amount of research and writing and editing and coffee that went into this massive exposé is definitely worthy of four stars.
The biggest reason the book took so long to finish was the simple fact that I do not like Queen E. This biography was my first introduction to her and I found her to be immature, inconsistent, and selfish. She often acted on emotional extremes, condemning one person for the same crimes for which she pardoned another. Playing with people's hearts and minds. The bio leaves nothing out and too much info became very tedious---especially since she changed her mind, delayed, and waffled on so many issues. I don't believe women were created for this kind of leadership and QE's insistence on radical emotion-based leadership is a great example why not.
Another difficult thing about this bio was that there was very little discussion on any other subject than her refusal to marry and produce a successor---and this went on for HUNDREDS of pages. In fact, I marked about 190 pages in as the first real discussion about anything other than her romances and lack thereof. This reprieve was short lived, though, and the majority of the remaining text discussed the topic ad nauseam. Surely more went on during this time in history? Surely? Anyone?
Some parts of her history were very interesting to me. I thought it was neat that she instituted the still-popular custom of music being included in a Protestant worship service and that she likely owned the first wristwatch. Her difficulty in condemning Mary Stuart, as well as her reaction to news of her death, is a bit surprising. This speaks to her respect for the office of Queen and her belief that she was placed on the throne by God.
All things considered, I'm proud of myself for finishing strong and finishing this book! Ha! I expect I'll use it as a reference as I continue my education on the times of the Tudors.
Narrator: 4 stars
Book: 2.5 stars - DNF
I've always been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth I, and after reading Alison Weir's novelization (to use the term loosely) of Elizabeth's pre-reign life (The Lady Elizabeth), I wanted to experience her take on Elizabeth as a historian, since she seems to not only be a great researcher, but also not someone with an obvious bias for or against this queen.
Unfortunately, there was something I'd forgotten from the other works of Weir's that I've read: her tendency to get stuck on a "theme" and repeat it repetitively continuously throughout her books, bringing the same thing up over and over repetitiously. Did I mention she tends to repeat herself time and time again?
This is a 24-hour long audiobook (and Davina Porter does an excellent job bringing life to what could have been dull non-fiction in another's less-capable hands), and the first 18 or so hours of it focus on the fact that ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED and played around with the idea a couple of times but never actually got married. Did I mention that everyone wanted Elizabeth to get married, but she didn't really want to? Oh, and she spent all her time with Robert Dudley, not to mention the fact that she was an emotional basketcase and screamed and yelled at people when she didn't get her way or when they reminded her she wasn't married or told her she should get married or presented an idea of whom she could marry to her. Oh, and did I mention SHE WASN'T MARRIED? Because obviously, this was the absolute most vital, important part of her reign that Weir spent about 75% of the book focused on the fact that ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED.
By the time I finally gave up trying to force myself to finish this book and moved on to something else, I'd learned one very important thing:
ALISON WEIR WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE ALL KNEW THAT ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED.
Oh, and apparently she couldn't do anything without Robert Dudley, either. They fought and she sent him away, but then she had to have him back because she couldn't "do" without him for very long. But she wouldn't marry him.
And if there was anything international to do, it was only because ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED and she might be looking abroad for someone to marry.
So, all that to say that this probably wasn't the best bio of Queen Elizabeth I for me to read. Because, actually, I already knew that Elizabeth WASN'T MARRIED and NEVER MARRIED. (Except, possibly, David Tennant's version of Doctor Who---but that's another story.)
Book: 2.5 stars - DNF
I've always been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth I, and after reading Alison Weir's novelization (to use the term loosely) of Elizabeth's pre-reign life (The Lady Elizabeth), I wanted to experience her take on Elizabeth as a historian, since she seems to not only be a great researcher, but also not someone with an obvious bias for or against this queen.
Unfortunately, there was something I'd forgotten from the other works of Weir's that I've read: her tendency to get stuck on a "theme" and repeat it repetitively continuously throughout her books, bringing the same thing up over and over repetitiously. Did I mention she tends to repeat herself time and time again?
This is a 24-hour long audiobook (and Davina Porter does an excellent job bringing life to what could have been dull non-fiction in another's less-capable hands), and the first 18 or so hours of it focus on the fact that ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED and played around with the idea a couple of times but never actually got married. Did I mention that everyone wanted Elizabeth to get married, but she didn't really want to? Oh, and she spent all her time with Robert Dudley, not to mention the fact that she was an emotional basketcase and screamed and yelled at people when she didn't get her way or when they reminded her she wasn't married or told her she should get married or presented an idea of whom she could marry to her. Oh, and did I mention SHE WASN'T MARRIED? Because obviously, this was the absolute most vital, important part of her reign that Weir spent about 75% of the book focused on the fact that ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED.
By the time I finally gave up trying to force myself to finish this book and moved on to something else, I'd learned one very important thing:
ALISON WEIR WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE ALL KNEW THAT ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED.
Oh, and apparently she couldn't do anything without Robert Dudley, either. They fought and she sent him away, but then she had to have him back because she couldn't "do" without him for very long. But she wouldn't marry him.
And if there was anything international to do, it was only because ELIZABETH WASN'T MARRIED and she might be looking abroad for someone to marry.
So, all that to say that this probably wasn't the best bio of Queen Elizabeth I for me to read. Because, actually, I already knew that Elizabeth WASN'T MARRIED and NEVER MARRIED. (Except, possibly, David Tennant's version of Doctor Who---but that's another story.)
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
I didn't struggle with the changing names of people, as another reviewer stated, but found it difficult to follow the chronology, since important topics were discussed outside the chronological telling of events, and jumped ahead.
This book is a very political (and in this case marriage related) version of the life of Elizabeth. To give it five stars, I would have liked to learn more about the culture, society and other events. That's what makes history interesting for me.
I found the book repetitive sometimes, but admit that this is probably a good thing, since not everyone is likely to listen to this book in two days, and those little reminders might be valuable then.
I will give her other books a try.
This book is a very political (and in this case marriage related) version of the life of Elizabeth. To give it five stars, I would have liked to learn more about the culture, society and other events. That's what makes history interesting for me.
I found the book repetitive sometimes, but admit that this is probably a good thing, since not everyone is likely to listen to this book in two days, and those little reminders might be valuable then.
I will give her other books a try.
This is more like a text book than a historical novel, but it is a fascinating look into the detail of Elizabethan life. She meticulously analyzes the gossip, myths and intrigue following Elizabeth. So far very enjoyable, but not a "beach" book.
Alison Weir has written an excellent introductory biography of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth I was one of England's most influential monarchs and her long reign was full of conflict and drama--the threat of the Spanish Amanda, the intrigues of Mary Queen of Scots, and the continuing religious struggles between Catholics and Protestants and between High Church Protestants and Puritans within the kingdom. And then the issue of Elizabeth's ultimate refusal to marry after spending years manipulating the marriage markets of both England and Europe. Weir brings Elizabeth I to life in all of her complexity. Coming to the throne at age 25, Elizabeth lived a fascinating life and she was responsible for transforming England from a debt-ridden country of little international influence into a united kingdom fully engaged in European politics. This book is social historian Alison Weir at her best.
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced