A review by rwilhoyte
The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

2.0

I started this book hoping it would be as interesting and full of power struggles as the Other Boelyn Girl. It wasn't. The book really focuses on Mary Queen of Scots and the couple meant to keep her under house arrest while Elizabeth is advised what to do with her. I found all three of these characters really annoying and one dimentional. The each have a separate goal in life and none really seem to like the other. Bess is attached to the money and property she brought into her marriage with George from previous husbands. George is torn between the Queen Elizabeth, whom he is duty-bound to serve and Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he has a schoolboy crush on. Mary is constantly scheming to escape but her escapes are written more like a teenage girl trying to get out of her parent's house for a night of partying than a queen trying to be restored to her throne. The three are constantly moving around to protect Mary from those that would save her, which makes it hard for the reader to figure out where they are geographically unless you pay strict attention the chapter headers. I feel like all the characters did was whine about their circumstances and therefore the come off very juvenile. I didn't like this book, which is shame because I am interested in this period of history and I really like Phillipa Gregory.