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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Arbella Stuart is the Queen that never was. After the death of Elizabeth I, her claim to the throne was arguably greater than James VI of Scotland. However, James had much more support from the all-powerful nobles, and so Arbella was pushed to one side. She was a typical Stuart, with a knack for making enemies, and for making life difficult for herself. In this book, Sarah Gristwood claims that Arbella may have been sufferring from Porphyria, the same disease that George III sufferred from, which would explain some of her rather hysterical behaviour and conversation. Apparently this disease was present in other members of the Stuart family, which I think explains quite a lot when you look at their lives. I reached the conclusion on finishing the book that Arbella was prone to hysteria,drama, and I thought it really thought-provoking and sad that she also
had anorexia nervosa, which we tend to think of as a 'modern' illness. She was another Stuart who led a tragic life, just like her Aunt, Mary Queen of Scots. She had a lot to contend with, in the form of the redoubtable Bess of Hardwick, and also Mary Talbot, both very strong ladies, who did not suffer fools gladly.
Poor Arbella was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and paid the price. She was imprisoned in the Tower simply because of who she was, by a very insecure James I, whose throne must have felt rocky beneath him. She was a threat, and had to be disposed of.
Ultimately, she disposed of herself, and disappeared into the mists of time. I really enjoyed this book, it was very well written, and gave me an insight into the life of someone who tends to be forgotten.
had anorexia nervosa, which we tend to think of as a 'modern' illness. She was another Stuart who led a tragic life, just like her Aunt, Mary Queen of Scots. She had a lot to contend with, in the form of the redoubtable Bess of Hardwick, and also Mary Talbot, both very strong ladies, who did not suffer fools gladly.
Poor Arbella was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and paid the price. She was imprisoned in the Tower simply because of who she was, by a very insecure James I, whose throne must have felt rocky beneath him. She was a threat, and had to be disposed of.
Ultimately, she disposed of herself, and disappeared into the mists of time. I really enjoyed this book, it was very well written, and gave me an insight into the life of someone who tends to be forgotten.
54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For a long time it was not at all possible to find biographies on Arabella Stuart. Now in a short time two biographies have been published. Sarah Gristwood' s one is by far the better,interesting and informative one and fills the gap in Tudor/Stuart biographies. Eventhough I feel the book's title is a bit provocative as it seems that Arabella Stuart has had never a real chance of becoming the successor of Queen Elizabeth I. Nevertheless, because she could have seen as one of the contenders for the throne her whole life was spend under the shadow of the crown:the Blood Royal become her curse. Immensely proud of being royal she could never live up to it. She was more of a chess piece than a chess player. Sarah Gristwood unveils this to the general public largely unknown life in an immensely readable and interesting way. It is striking to learn and see how women in Tudor times could make such an impact and became such well known historical figures while in Stuart times they were mere side figures. Arabella Stuart' s life reflects this deplorable development: born into the great Tudor tradition of highly educated, strong willed and political women, she could not match that and her live ends at the court of the first Stuart monarch as a fairly uninteresting court figure. Merely her unauthorized marriage shows some spirit on her part. One can not help to feel pity for this royal lady. Maybe she was the best queen we never had! Anyway, I can only recommand this excellent biography by Sarah Gristwood.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A very attractive book at first glance, and one well presented, too.
It's a great story, but in the end there simply isn't enough meat on the bones to justify so many pages of print (and it isn't that big a read).
The author is skilled; the research is comprehensive; but alas, by half-way through, I was thinking, 'OK, I'm done here, thanks.' And this is the fault in the work - 50% of it is about nothing in particular, or about the author trying very hard to make something out of nothing in particular, and it doesn't really work.
Arbella's story is a fascinating one, but of itself it is, unfortunately, fairly lightweight. Would that the author had combined some other threads and this would have been a truly great piece of work.
It's a great story, but in the end there simply isn't enough meat on the bones to justify so many pages of print (and it isn't that big a read).
The author is skilled; the research is comprehensive; but alas, by half-way through, I was thinking, 'OK, I'm done here, thanks.' And this is the fault in the work - 50% of it is about nothing in particular, or about the author trying very hard to make something out of nothing in particular, and it doesn't really work.
Arbella's story is a fascinating one, but of itself it is, unfortunately, fairly lightweight. Would that the author had combined some other threads and this would have been a truly great piece of work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Uninteresting story of an uninteresting lady
As a keen historian I have read a huge number of pure histories and a large, if somewhat smaller, number of novels based on historical events. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Mr. David M. Gostyn
Beautifully written
One of the most beautifully written books about Elisabethan England - Sarah writes as if she knows Arbella and you feel involved with this poor and brave woman's plight from page... Read more
Published 19 months ago by ICAJ
fascinating insight to history
Following a visit to Hardwick Hall and viewing the portraits of Arbella knowing more about her life became a necessity. Read more
Published 22 months ago by pk
Lost queen revealed
It's a given that any one raised in a school in England is thoroughly grounded in Tudor history. I recall spending several years at a young age learning all about Henry VIII, his... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mark
A wonderful story
I was given this book as a gift and was entranced by the story of Arbella, Sarah Gristwood captures you from the first page, it is a fascinating tale of a life full of turmoil and... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Miss Green
Recommendable yet flawed
The Tudor's failure to secure a dynasty meant the period was littered with possible heirs decended from Henry VIII's two sisters; mainly the Stuart, Grey and Seymour lines. Read more
Published 23 months ago by K. J. Greenland
not a historical novel!!
i recently bought Arbella thinking it was going to be an historical novel on the lines of "Phillipa Gregory"/"C. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2009 by T. Williams
Determined Despair
I came to this book after reading a couple of biographies of Bess of Hardwick. Bess died in 1608, when her granddaughter Arbella still had seven years of life to live. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by Nicholas Casley
Arbella - echoes of her aunt?
This book was an introduction to Arbella Stuart and was given to me as a gift by someone who knew of my interest in Tudor and Stuart history, spanning as it does both the end of... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2008 by Hannah Werran
nebulous to the point of becoming a non-story
This starts out well with the vivid story of an escape, but the rest of the book deteriorates rapidly. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2008 by Roman Clodia
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