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mari1532 's review for:
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I was able to get ahold of this audiobook through Audible and once I started listening I did not want to stop. A few years ago I heard Williams discussing Mary, Queen of Scots on a podcast and they said that one of Mary's greatest mistakes was that she was not born a boy. This comment has stuck with me whenever I have thought about Mary. The argument that Williams lays out so beautifully in the book is that although women wielding power during the Sixteenth Century was not unheard of because Mary rose to power so young her gender severely disadvantaged her. Framed as a series of family betrayals Williams walks us through how Mary was misused by various members of her family at various times.
The first portion of the book was the section that I found most fascinating because in many history books when the Rough Wooing is discussed Marie of Guise's decision to send Mary to France is seen as an act of motherly love to protect her daughter and Scotland. Williams' take however is that while there can be little doubt of Marie of Guise's motivations it was a move that undercut Mary for the rest of her life because Mary was unable to learn the interpersonal dynamics of the Scottish court that might have helped her rule more effectively. Also hearing Williams' argument that by sending Mary out of the country she was essentially relegated to the role of Queen Consort rather than Queen Regnant shed a great deal of light on Mary's story.
I also really enjoy how Williams described young Mary's interactions with her mother's family including her grandmother Antoinette and her half-brother. Often Mary is portrayed as a little girl sent on her own to a foreign country, but the details about the familial connections that she had there were fascinating as well as refreshing to hear.
I did find the section of the book that laid out Elizabeth I's life interesting as a foil to that of Mary's own life. Given that Elizabeth was so instrumental in Mary's downfall they are often pitted against each other in dramatizations and even in some historical texts. However, understanding how being a woman located in the court in which you are wishing to wield power versus being a woman outside the power structure you hope to dominate created two different playing fields for the Queens to navigate.
This book covers a great deal of information about both Mary and Elizabeth and is a bit of an undertaking to read or listen to. However, I would recommend that if you are a Tudor/Stuart history lover or just interested in learning about women in power pick this book up. It is a fantastic read that really makes you think about the Queen of Scots more deeply.
The first portion of the book was the section that I found most fascinating because in many history books when the Rough Wooing is discussed Marie of Guise's decision to send Mary to France is seen as an act of motherly love to protect her daughter and Scotland. Williams' take however is that while there can be little doubt of Marie of Guise's motivations it was a move that undercut Mary for the rest of her life because Mary was unable to learn the interpersonal dynamics of the Scottish court that might have helped her rule more effectively. Also hearing Williams' argument that by sending Mary out of the country she was essentially relegated to the role of Queen Consort rather than Queen Regnant shed a great deal of light on Mary's story.
I also really enjoy how Williams described young Mary's interactions with her mother's family including her grandmother Antoinette and her half-brother. Often Mary is portrayed as a little girl sent on her own to a foreign country, but the details about the familial connections that she had there were fascinating as well as refreshing to hear.
I did find the section of the book that laid out Elizabeth I's life interesting as a foil to that of Mary's own life. Given that Elizabeth was so instrumental in Mary's downfall they are often pitted against each other in dramatizations and even in some historical texts. However, understanding how being a woman located in the court in which you are wishing to wield power versus being a woman outside the power structure you hope to dominate created two different playing fields for the Queens to navigate.
This book covers a great deal of information about both Mary and Elizabeth and is a bit of an undertaking to read or listen to. However, I would recommend that if you are a Tudor/Stuart history lover or just interested in learning about women in power pick this book up. It is a fantastic read that really makes you think about the Queen of Scots more deeply.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, War
her beheading is described in moderate detail