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electricswanbite 's review for:
The Life of Elizabeth I
by Alison Weir
This book was compelling, but the writing was very strange in places. I listened to it as an audiobook, so perhaps I missed something that was more obvious in the written version, but it seemed as though the author reused quotes several times (either that, or reuses the same phrasing over and over). Additionally, her academic distance made the work feel balanced, but after finishing this tome I still have no idea what Elizabeth I was like. I would have preferred the author take more of a stance. Was she flighty, or brilliant, a flirt or a woman dealing with her patriarchal society, or some combination of the lot? I ended up not much caring about any of the historical figures. If this were fiction, I'd say it lacked sympathetic characters.
I realize this is all critique, but my overall opinion of the book is actually very positive. It was incredibly detailed (sometimes overly so), well-researched, and informative. It didn't have any of the hokey-ness that I often associate with popular history writing. And the subject is fascinating enough to engross even the most avid consumer of fiction.
I realize this is all critique, but my overall opinion of the book is actually very positive. It was incredibly detailed (sometimes overly so), well-researched, and informative. It didn't have any of the hokey-ness that I often associate with popular history writing. And the subject is fascinating enough to engross even the most avid consumer of fiction.