helenephoebe's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Pen and Sword for sending me a review copy of this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book about the life of Elizabeth I. There is a lot of focus on various different events of her reign and how they influenced her character and the way she ruled England. The split is pretty much half based around her queenship and half before her queenship, which is really interesting.
One thing that did annoy me and has knocked a star off my rating is that there are a few historical errors in the book. It says that the Duke of Cleves had two daughters but he actually had 3 - Anne, Amelia and Sybille. John Dudley is described as the Duke of Warwick but was actually the Earl of Warwick. Warwick and Northumberland are described as being two different people, but are actually the same person as the Earl of Warwick became the Duke of Northumberland. Anne Boleyn's last miscarriage is said to have happened in January 1535 but it actually happened in January 1536, no rumours of anything in January 1535 as far as I know.
Despite these few errors I still enjoyed reading it, and I thought that the writing was clear and concise, and the sources were all documented, with plenty of use of primary sources which are quoted throughout. One of the most enjoyable books I've read about Elizabeth I, easy to understand and pulling all the chapters back to how the event discussed in that chapter shaped Elizabeth as a queen and woman was really interesting.
I really enjoyed reading this book about the life of Elizabeth I. There is a lot of focus on various different events of her reign and how they influenced her character and the way she ruled England. The split is pretty much half based around her queenship and half before her queenship, which is really interesting.
One thing that did annoy me and has knocked a star off my rating is that there are a few historical errors in the book. It says that the Duke of Cleves had two daughters but he actually had 3 - Anne, Amelia and Sybille. John Dudley is described as the Duke of Warwick but was actually the Earl of Warwick. Warwick and Northumberland are described as being two different people, but are actually the same person as the Earl of Warwick became the Duke of Northumberland. Anne Boleyn's last miscarriage is said to have happened in January 1535 but it actually happened in January 1536, no rumours of anything in January 1535 as far as I know.
Despite these few errors I still enjoyed reading it, and I thought that the writing was clear and concise, and the sources were all documented, with plenty of use of primary sources which are quoted throughout. One of the most enjoyable books I've read about Elizabeth I, easy to understand and pulling all the chapters back to how the event discussed in that chapter shaped Elizabeth as a queen and woman was really interesting.
dreamstobecome's review
5.0
A great overview of Elizabeth's life and the events and people that influenced her at every stage of her reign. Especially useful as a refresher for someone already familiar with her life, but definitely a concise, detailed crash course for a beginner historian as well.
jilljemmett's review against another edition
3.0
This book talks about important events that shaped Queen Elizabeth I’s life. These include the marriages of her father, Henry VIII, her feud with Mary Queen of Scots, and her battle with King Philip I of Spain.
I was disappointed that this book showed things that happened around Elizabeth, rather than her actual life. The book is supposed to be about events that shaped her life, but there was not much reference to Elizabeth’s actual life. The explanations of how these events affected Elizabeth’s life were quite short compared to the long descriptions of what happened. Almost the entire first half of the book was about Henry VIII and his wives. He was Elizabeth’s father so he greatly shaped her life, but she didn’t live with him at that time, so she wasn’t actually present for most of the book.
There was also a lot of the author’s opinion in the book, rather than just stating the facts. There were many parts where she talked down to the reader. For example, she said that people used paintings to see what other people looked like because they didn’t have cameras. If you’re reading this book about Tudor England, it’s presumed that you know they didn’t have cameras hundreds of years ago. She didn’t need to talk down to the reader to explain things like that.
This was a disappointing book that talked about events that happened during the life of Elizabeth I, but not her actual life.
Thank you Pen and Sword for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was disappointed that this book showed things that happened around Elizabeth, rather than her actual life. The book is supposed to be about events that shaped her life, but there was not much reference to Elizabeth’s actual life. The explanations of how these events affected Elizabeth’s life were quite short compared to the long descriptions of what happened. Almost the entire first half of the book was about Henry VIII and his wives. He was Elizabeth’s father so he greatly shaped her life, but she didn’t live with him at that time, so she wasn’t actually present for most of the book.
There was also a lot of the author’s opinion in the book, rather than just stating the facts. There were many parts where she talked down to the reader. For example, she said that people used paintings to see what other people looked like because they didn’t have cameras. If you’re reading this book about Tudor England, it’s presumed that you know they didn’t have cameras hundreds of years ago. She didn’t need to talk down to the reader to explain things like that.
This was a disappointing book that talked about events that happened during the life of Elizabeth I, but not her actual life.
Thank you Pen and Sword for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
bibliophiliadk's review against another edition
3.0
DON'T LET THE TITLE FOOL YOU...
Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐
Despite the title of this book, this is not a biography of Elizabeth I nor a study of how she became queen. It is, however, the story of her time. Which is perfectly fine. Just not what I had expected...
Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐
Despite the title of this book, this is not a biography of Elizabeth I nor a study of how she became queen. It is, however, the story of her time. Which is perfectly fine. Just not what I had expected...
ksmarsden's review against another edition
2.0
An account of the political pressures of Tudor times.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The title and description of this book was very misleading. I thought it would be focussed on Elizabeth, who is one of the most fascinating figures in English history.
Instead, it was a broad look at important figures during the Tudor years. Starting with Elizabeth's father Henry VIII.
I did like that it looked into the lives of his six wives, and they all had different approaches to being part of the royal court, with very different fates. The book presents that this was educational for Elizabeth, that other intelligent women use their own strengths, and show the effects of those around them. But the fact that the lesson was aimed at Elizabeth was just tagged onto the end of each piece, to make it "relevant" and in-keeping with the title.
This is followed by the reign of Edward, Jane Grey and Mary. Each fully-dissected, with heavy focus on the religious uproar this royal family caused.
There is also a lot of time spent on the courtiers and nobles who managed to gain influence, shaping the future of the English crown with their greed.
Each section is well-researched, and for the most part Brennan writes in an informative manner that does not get overly bogged down, as some non-fiction accounts can.
Brennan supports her writing with several pieces of first-hand accounts, including letters from the people she is writing about.
Most of these are interesting, but I did feel like the narrative lost its fluidity, as Brennan sometimes (but not always) includes annotations or her own thoughts; whilst at other times leaving us to read the raw material. Honestly, I preferred the unedited pieces, which could have been followed by a concise paragraph of Brennan's interpretation. Instead, I was left feeling like sections of this book were private notes taken on a History course.
I found that the narrative jumped around, both chronologically, and in the timeline of any particular movement/person.
Elizabeth I is a legend, who has been covered in books and media countless times. I commend Brennan for trying to take a new approach to describing the background influences, when Elizabeth was a shunned princess; but I felt that the execution could have been better.
Overall, I think the book lost sight at who it was aimed at, drifting between different characters and events that didn't always add to Elizabeth's history.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The title and description of this book was very misleading. I thought it would be focussed on Elizabeth, who is one of the most fascinating figures in English history.
Instead, it was a broad look at important figures during the Tudor years. Starting with Elizabeth's father Henry VIII.
I did like that it looked into the lives of his six wives, and they all had different approaches to being part of the royal court, with very different fates. The book presents that this was educational for Elizabeth, that other intelligent women use their own strengths, and show the effects of those around them. But the fact that the lesson was aimed at Elizabeth was just tagged onto the end of each piece, to make it "relevant" and in-keeping with the title.
This is followed by the reign of Edward, Jane Grey and Mary. Each fully-dissected, with heavy focus on the religious uproar this royal family caused.
There is also a lot of time spent on the courtiers and nobles who managed to gain influence, shaping the future of the English crown with their greed.
Each section is well-researched, and for the most part Brennan writes in an informative manner that does not get overly bogged down, as some non-fiction accounts can.
Brennan supports her writing with several pieces of first-hand accounts, including letters from the people she is writing about.
Most of these are interesting, but I did feel like the narrative lost its fluidity, as Brennan sometimes (but not always) includes annotations or her own thoughts; whilst at other times leaving us to read the raw material. Honestly, I preferred the unedited pieces, which could have been followed by a concise paragraph of Brennan's interpretation. Instead, I was left feeling like sections of this book were private notes taken on a History course.
I found that the narrative jumped around, both chronologically, and in the timeline of any particular movement/person.
Elizabeth I is a legend, who has been covered in books and media countless times. I commend Brennan for trying to take a new approach to describing the background influences, when Elizabeth was a shunned princess; but I felt that the execution could have been better.
Overall, I think the book lost sight at who it was aimed at, drifting between different characters and events that didn't always add to Elizabeth's history.
larainsidebooks's review against another edition
3.0
I was interested in reading this book because I am very fond of Tudor monarchs and the history of that time. I hoped to read a more historical book about Elizabeth I, because so far, I only read fictionalized books about her. This book is easy to read, because it does not go into much detail about events of that time, but it didn't meet my expectations. I wanted to read about Elizabeth, her life and accomplishments, but instead, we got to see many events that had no connections to her (e.g. relationship between Mary, Queen of Scots and Catherine de Medici). There were certainly many events that influenced her decisions and actions, but in my opinion, there was no need to talk so much about all of that. Maybe just a brief reminder and then on to HER actions?
Another thing that bothered me is the fact that the author switched between using "half-sister/brother" and "step-sister/brother", with a great emphasis on using the "step" version when talking about Elizabeth, Mary I and Edward (who were all children of Henry VIII and therefore half-siblings) and couple of times when talking about Mary, Queen of Scots and her half-brother (they shared the same father), James Stewart, Earl of Moray. I see that the author was forced to mention their relationships quite often and maybe didn't want to keep using the same term over and over, but upon checking, I see that there's a clear difference between step-siblings and half-siblings (which I knew before checking). I believe that this was unnecessary, but as I'm not a native English speaker, maybe that is common when trying to avoid repeating words?
All in all, if expecting a full-on biography about Elizabeth, this is not is, but rather we see how events happening outside England influenced her decisions in important political matters.
Another thing that bothered me is the fact that the author switched between using "half-sister/brother" and "step-sister/brother", with a great emphasis on using the "step" version when talking about Elizabeth, Mary I and Edward (who were all children of Henry VIII and therefore half-siblings) and couple of times when talking about Mary, Queen of Scots and her half-brother (they shared the same father), James Stewart, Earl of Moray. I see that the author was forced to mention their relationships quite often and maybe didn't want to keep using the same term over and over, but upon checking, I see that there's a clear difference between step-siblings and half-siblings (which I knew before checking). I believe that this was unnecessary, but as I'm not a native English speaker, maybe that is common when trying to avoid repeating words?
All in all, if expecting a full-on biography about Elizabeth, this is not is, but rather we see how events happening outside England influenced her decisions in important political matters.
kelsel's review
2.0
I was looking for more a biography of Elizabeth I but this was more about events that impacted her. Good if you want to know basic info about her
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