Non Fiction About the Author: David Starkey |
Submitted by: Boudica
Comments:Highly readable, entertaining, and rigorous in historical scholarship are hallmarks of the works of David Starkey. "Elizabeth" covers the first 25 years of her life, from birth to accession. Overall it is a well researched, brief, and enjoyable read, I finished it in one weekend. However, I was shocked by some of the simple mistakes Starkey made, like stating that Queen Claude of France refused to see Anne Boleyn when she and King Henry made their visit to Calais in 1532 (Claude died 8 years before). But aside from these simple mistakes, Starkey creates fresh analysis of Elizabeth's formative years and new insight into her relationship with her father, her stepmother Catherine Parr, and her sister Mary. Even the most knowledgeable Elizabethan scholar will glean new knowledge from this book. |
Submitted by: SemperEadem
Comments: Although there are many books on Elizabeth out there, this book is my favorite of all time, perhaps because it is about the time in her life that I find most intriguing. Although many books on Elizabeth only devote the first two-or three chapters of the twenty five years before her reign, this one devotes its entirety to it. Starkey's writing is engaging, and one can actually feel apprehensive when reading it, even though we all know what happened! The analysis of how her younger life affected her later on in life is well done, and answers questions about why she referenced her father so much as queen and what influenced her religion. Easy enough for anyone to read, I've referenced it countless times for numerous research papers. |
Submitted by:Antoinette2
Comments: Enjoyed this book from cover to cover, especially Chapter 12, Property. Starkey states that "Rapacity was the besetting sin of the Tudors," and Elizabeth was the Donald Trump of acquiring property. It's a bit disturbing, this aspect of greed in her character, but reflect on who Mom and Dad were. Otherwise, it's an easy and quick moving biography to spend an evening reading. Highly recommended. Lots of fun tidbits. |
Submitted by: Lady_anne2
Comments: Another great read by Starkey that had a television special to go with it. The TV special was actually what made me get the book. |
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 Non Fiction About the Author: Linda Porter |
Submitted by:jmccoy5712
Comments:
I LOVED THIS BOOK. So I am usually pro-Anne and Elizabeth, but I dearly love Mary now too as I have learned so much about her by reading this book. It talks about her life from birth to death, from the golden years of her early childhood, her father's divorce of her mother, her relationships with Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth, the court of England, Spain, and how the myth of Bloody Mary came about, all the way to her death. Great read!!!
Good pictures too, of all the key people in Mary's life plus a picture of the Queens Mary's Atlas, commissioned by Mary herself for her husband Phillip. |
Submitted by:TudorLoyalist
Comments: Possibly the best, most balanced look at Mary yet. Detailed without becoming at all dull. |
Submitted by: historyoverload
Comments: A great book for those seeking a "feminist" perspective of Queen Mary. Porter tried to portray Mary as strong-willed, stubborn, and clever. Though I believe Mary was all of those characteristics, Porter often forgets the constraints that Mary had to suffer through during the mid-16th century for women. It's very easy to read. It doesn't weigh down with too much "scholar talk." |
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Non Fiction About the Author: Alison Weir |
Submitted by: Lady_anne2
Comments: I have just started reading this and so far, it's very enjoyable. I never knew a lot about Henry's "other" children. I'll review properly when I'm done with it. |
Submitted by: Maggie-AnneB.
Comments: Excellent! Wonderful! Informative! Alison Weir once again, makes writing biographies look easy. The bio is easy to understand and yet it's filling your mind up with knowledge. I never knew that much about either Edward or Mary, but now I do. I so recommend this book. It's small and just wonderful I think. |
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 Mary TudorAbout the Author: Judith M. Richards was previously senior lecturer in History at La Trobe University, and is now a research associate. She has published a number of studies of topics in early modern history, and has more recently focussed on English and British monarchy from 1553- 1642. Reviews: ‘ Richards gently but firmly pulls apart the traditional prejudices to reveal a far more dynamic, intelligent and successful political operator than anyone had imagined. …This biography is very readable and will prove extremely useful.’ – History Review ‘It does an able job of defending Mary against the charge of a being humourless, hysterical and catastrophic ruler … Dr Richards is especially good in producing a well-rounded portrait of the Queen’s own nature and of her overall life … Another of the book’s strengths is its sensitivity to the difference between the nature of things and perceptions of them … it is a good example of the art of biography, making a genuine contribution to our understanding of the woman and the Queen, and always an easy and entertaining read.’ – BBC History Magazine |
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| Non Fiction About the Author: David Loades [see above] Other books by David Loades on the Marian Period: "Mary Tudor, A Life", "Regin of Mary Tudor: Politics, Government, and Religion in England, 1553 - 58", "Intrigue and Treason: The Tudor Court, 1547 - 1558". | Submitted by:TudorLoyalist
Comments:Loades is first rate, and his sympathy for Mary does not mean that the book escapes his rigorous standards for research and analysis. |
Submitted by: historyoverload
Comments: Loades definitely depicts a more sympathetic Mary. It's a short book, but he had done the research on Mary in his previous books. Mary is depicted as cultured, educated, and stubborn (just like her father). Loades argues Mary was a product of her tragic past events. This book would be great to read alongside his other books on Elizabeth. He actually does a single book where he compares the two sisters. Loades argues Mary was a model for Elizabeth when she became Queen. Since Mary was the first ruling female monarch, everyone (including Mary) was just going with the flow. By the time Elizabeth got to the throne, Mary had already set the way. Elizabeth was able to keep what worked with Mary and changed what did not.
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| Non Fiction About the Author: Carolly Erickson Carolly Erickson holds a PhD in Medieval History and has written 20 non fiction books and 4 works of fiction. She specializes in the medieval period and writes primarly on the lives of European monarchs. |
Submitted by: Lady_anne2
Comments: I've owned this book for years and have yet to read it. Now I have a reason to so I can give a review of it! |
Submitted by:TudorLoyalist
Comments: Very good, though a bit limited by what was known at the time it was written |
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 Non Fiction About the Author: Chris Skidmore | Submitted by: princeedwardfan
Comments: I found this book very interesting, engaging and well done. Furthemore, it's understable even to foreigns ( I'm Italian).
Chris Skidmore is a young author, but I think he has much talent. |
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Non-Fiction
by Diarmaid MacCulloch | Submitted by: booklvr44
Comments: The Boy King Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation is a must read for those individuals curious as to the course of the English Reformation after the death of Henry VIII. In addition to discussing the personal theology of the young King Edward VI, MacCulloch examines how the policies and personalities of the three great men of the Edwardian period, the Duke of Somerset, Duke of Northumberland, and the Archbishop of Canterbury all shaped the character of the English Reformation. In short, this book is an accessible piece of scholarship on the evolution of religious practices during the short reign of Edward VI. |
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 Non Fiction by Maureen Waller |
Submitted by: twiztedempress
Comments:
This book entails the reigns of the Six women who held the throne of England in their own right. It begins with Mary I and ends with our current majesty Elizabeth II. The six women are Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Queen Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. Its a great book even giving parallels between the women. The lives of these women and how they were affected by the first two reigning queens. |
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Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens ![[Untitled]](/images/e/ef/EOOOQzgtMqozcFs6J6hOdQ19733.jpeg) Non Fiction: About the Author: Jane Dunn is the author of a biography of Mary Shelley, a study of the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, and most recently of a groundbreaking life of Antonia White. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and lives in Bath, England. |
Submitted by:firstmarie
Comments: This is any easy to red overview of the history of the two remarkably different cousins and is a good research foundation for anyone interested in the period. I was unfamiliar with JaneDunn and pleasantly surprised by her work product. I also found the work reasonably balanced, something hard to do when dealing with the tensions between these ladies |
Submitted by:
Comments: |
Mathew Lyons
is the author of the highly acclaimed
Impossible Journeys and
In the Footsteps of J R R Tolkien.
When the adventurer Walter Ralegh first encountered Elizabeth I he supposedly placed his cloak over a puddle and allowed the queen to walk across it. Thus began one of the most intriguing relationships between a monarch and her favourite. "The Favourite" explores the labyrinthine complexity of human emotion, ambition and ritual within the restricted confines of the Tudor court. Was the favourite a Machiavellian schemer who fooled the queen in her affections? Was Elizabeth willing to manipulate her courtier for her own ends? The Queen's affection for Ralegh would protect him but he would soon become the 'most hated man in England'. In "The Favourite", Mathew Lyons reveals a new portrait of an immortal relationship and a fascinating exploration of the many layers of love between Gloriana and Ralegh - courtier, chancer and privateer.
Reviews for "Impossible Journeys": 'Jocular but scholarly compendium of outlandish voyages' - Book of the Week, "Time Out".
'Lyons' account is truly heartbreaking' - "New Statesman". '
'The book as a whole has a kind of understated magic'
- "Guardian".
'Presents the tales with great wit and wisdom, and an undercurrent of learning that makes the whole project very attractive indeed' - "Independent on Sunday".
'Each story is told exquisitely and comes backed with exhaustive research' - "Sunday Times".
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