Take a photo of a barcode or cover
octavia_cade 's review for:
The Life of Elizabeth I
by Alison Weir
I recently read The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Weir and really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd give another of her biographies a go - that of Henry's daughter Elizabeth. It wasn't as good. It's clearly well-researched and I enjoyed reading it... just not as much. I can't help but think it's because the focus was too narrow. Obviously the focus of Wives was marriage, and Henry's constant limping from one marital disaster to the next, and I wonder if Weir was too concerned with reinventing the wheel here. The first 200 pages of this biography seem to be nothing but Elizabeth manipulating men into thinking she'll marry them and then getting out of it - and, you know, this was a significant part of her reign. The way that Weir has constructed this book, however, it's very nearly all of it. Yes, there are subplots regarding the Spanish Armada and Mary Queen of Scots, but for the most part this is "who will Elizabeth trick into courtship this year?" and with the best will in the world by page 200 I was sick of the prevarication and repetition. I realise that I should feel admiration for Elizabeth's handling of a tricky situation, and how she managed to keep hold of her own power, yay feminism and all that, but really, by the end, all I felt was sympathy for the flunkies who had to deal with her.
She reigned for near 45 years. That's a long time. Surely, from all those decades, Weir could have found a broader range of things to write about?
She reigned for near 45 years. That's a long time. Surely, from all those decades, Weir could have found a broader range of things to write about?