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spess's review against another edition
3.0
The central premise of this nonfiction book is basically the relationship between three queens: Catherine de’ Medici, queen of France; Elisabeth of Valois, queen of Spain (her oldest daughter); and Mary, Queen of Scotts (her daughter-in-law).
Most of the evidence of their relationship dynamics came from letters and it was interesting to see what they had to say in their own (translated) words.
However, I felt like a lot of important events were kind of brushed over and I would have liked a little more detail or interpretation.
I think the biggest thing that threw me is where the author ended things. Mary’s entire imprisonment in England and the plot that led to her execution are only briefly gone over in the epilogue. The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre was left to the epilogue as well. As someone who is not terribly familiar with these queens, I would have appreciated more analysis of those events.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this book. I really only knew the infamous highlights about Catherine de’ Medici and Mary, Queen of Scotts; I knew nothing about Elisabeth of Valois, so I enjoyed learning more about them and the context of their lives.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
Most of the evidence of their relationship dynamics came from letters and it was interesting to see what they had to say in their own (translated) words.
However, I felt like a lot of important events were kind of brushed over and I would have liked a little more detail or interpretation.
I think the biggest thing that threw me is where the author ended things. Mary’s entire imprisonment in England and the plot that led to her execution are only briefly gone over in the epilogue. The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre was left to the epilogue as well. As someone who is not terribly familiar with these queens, I would have appreciated more analysis of those events.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this book. I really only knew the infamous highlights about Catherine de’ Medici and Mary, Queen of Scotts; I knew nothing about Elisabeth of Valois, so I enjoyed learning more about them and the context of their lives.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
princesspeaches's review against another edition
Interesting but long & not in right mindset for historical
laileanah's review against another edition
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5
This is wonderfully researched and detailed.
This is rich with period knowledge and is a good history of this time period and area much more than these specific Queens.
This is an excellent introduction to these subjects more so than an expansion of currently understood knowledge.
This just focuses entirely too much on the men involved and not nearly enough on the women🤷🏾♀️
This is rich with period knowledge and is a good history of this time period and area much more than these specific Queens.
This is an excellent introduction to these subjects more so than an expansion of currently understood knowledge.
This just focuses entirely too much on the men involved and not nearly enough on the women🤷🏾♀️
jayfr's review against another edition
4.0
Overall this was an enjoyable, informative read with an outstanding eye for detail.
Although, I think that it crammed a lot in and maybe some pertinent details were missed. The reader could have done with family trees and a timeline which showed all 3 women simultaneously.
All in all a great read
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Although, I think that it crammed a lot in and maybe some pertinent details were missed. The reader could have done with family trees and a timeline which showed all 3 women simultaneously.
All in all a great read
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
louisemelliott's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
srm's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Medical content, Child death, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
livefastread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I like to nerd out with some history as much as the next person and a lot of times the books that are available are stuffy or read like a text book. This is so well done. I listened to the audio book and thought it would be a good one to set the timer and maybe fall asleep but I ended up snoozing the timer and kept listening. I learned so much it was insane. I knew the royal families were crazy connected, but to learn how even just three women impacted European history was insane. And to hear excerpts from their actual letters as part of the story telling was awesome. I definitely want to learn more and will gladly read any addition books by this author. She brings history to life making it feel like any fictional book and then adds in such interesting historical anecdotes.