This is an amazing biography of a really interesting monarch. I like it better than the other Weir biographies I've read; there are fewer chapters that are lists of the types of banquets or the amount of annual spending on corn subsidies, and way more actual story. It helps that there were so many interesting parts of Elizabeth's life. Her most reliable counselor may very well have helped to murder her lover's wife, in order to create a scandal so that Elizabeth would never be able to marry him! Her lifelong friendship/feud with Mary, Queen of Scots! Her tempestuous relationship with Essex and his eventual betrayal! He is presented so effectively as a bad guy that I was rooting for his death, never mind that it's a true story and he was a real person.
It's still dense, and I wouldn't say it's easy weekend reading or anything, but if you are looking for a good biography of an interesting Queen, this one's great.
Grade: B
Originally posted 2010
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