- Hardcover: 544 pages
- Publisher: Pimlico; New edition edition (4 Mar 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0712664106
- ISBN-13: 978-0712664103
- Product Dimensions: 91 x 30 x 14.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,562,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Elizabeth, The Queen
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Elizabeth I survived to become queen by being very careful. The fact that she avoided being used or implicated by the various plots against her radically Protestant brother Edward VI, and fanatically Catholic sister Mary I, was a triumph in itself, and she never forgot the lesson that survival needed to be her first goal. What many of her contemporaries took for irritating womanly indecision was a refusal to be hurried; some situations change and some go away, but you can never escape the consequences of your actions--she protected Mary, Queen of Scots for as long as she could.
Alison Weir's new biography covers the facts well enough, but she understands Elizabeth's situation imaginatively, and that is what makes her book special. Elizabeth not only overcame the misogyny of the world she lived in--she exploited it; Weir's own feminism gives her insights into the canny role-playing that was so crucial to Elizabeth's chameleon nature. Everything had to be policy from wigs and fans to rack and gallows; this is a biography which understands not only what happened, but how it seemed and felt at the time. This is an excellent conclusion to Weir's series of Tudor biographies--popular history which brings good sense to bear on scholarly fact. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Excellent . . . intricate and absorbing . . . An elegant, shrewd and wonderfully vivacious book."
-"Sunday Times"
"An informative and entertaining biography."
-Peter Ackroyd, "The Times
"
"Full, fair and judicious and particularly good on Elizabeth's private life."
-"Literary Review" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
-"Sunday Times"
"An informative and entertaining biography."
-Peter Ackroyd, "The Times
"
"Full, fair and judicious and particularly good on Elizabeth's private life."
-"Literary Review" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read David Starkey books on the tudor and period and, personally, I find them pretty hard going and at the end of the book I can't remember much about what has been said for some reason (I think he uses too many big words for me - I have to have a dictionary beside me when I read his books!). I find Alison Weir's books are so much more enjoyable and much easier to understand. I became absolutely engrossed in this book and every day looked forward to my half an hour living and breathing in tudor england with Elizabeth and her Court. That's what this great author does - she makes you feel part of the story, and what a story it is! A great book, well worth reading.
70 of 73 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book, like all others by Alison Weir on the Tudor period, was a delight. The author manages to bring the reader so close to Elisabeth that I really had the feeling I was getting to know her. Particularly enjoyable is the way Weir produces historical evidence : she provides several contemporary accounts on an issue, explains why one account seems to be more reliable that the other - and in the process, never does the record get tedious or scholarly, which in itself is a feat. This approach only gives the impression of a very neutral, objective account - which adds tremendous force to the whole story. And what style, what elegance! A pleasure to read. A great, enjoyable book, which I warmly recommend to anybody interested in history.
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was by far the best written and most instantly engaging book I have read on the Elizabethan period. Alison Weir perfectly captures the atmosphere at court and the machinations and intrigue which occured there. Her portraits of figures such as Walsingham and Essex really make these people come alive to the reader, and the account of Essex almost drawing his sword on the queen, was one of the finest pieces of historical writing I have encountered. The detail is not overwhelming and is set within a compelling narrative, which makes it accesible to both experts and the interested novice alike. I cannot rate this book highly enough, and I will certainly be reading Alison Wiers' other books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting and informative
I like this book a lot. It is easy to read and very interesting. It gives a detailed information about the queen Elizabeth 1. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Gurvir
Telling it like it is
This must be one of the most readable biographies ever written about an historic figure. The research is deep and well documented and, best of all, she seems to write without... Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. F. James
An engaging and witty account of the reign of Elizabeth I
I enjoyed reading this account on the life of Elizabeth, which deigned to cover her entire documented life from her beginnings, adolescence, to the triumph of her accession,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Apocalyptic Queen
Portrait of a formidable woman
After watching the Cate Blanchett films of Elizabeth, I wanted to know more about this fascinating woman. Read more
Published 9 months ago by V. Dixon
great reading, also for non-UK residents
Great book, read it in the shortest time possible. Every third book you see mentions it is "unputdownable" - well, this one is. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ronald Rens
5 Stars! :)
I am a massive Alison Weir fan and this book is brill. I've read most of her books and love "the young Elizabeth". I really enjoyed this book and recommend this to everyone.
Published 13 months ago by KT
Superb
I have read several of Alison Weir's books but in my opinion this is by far the best. She has the amazing ability to transcribe history from original sources with meticulous... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Historybuff
excellent
One of the things I like best about Alison Weir is her easy prose, no highfalutin phrases but good easy English, now to the book, which I think is one of her best. Read more
Published on 30 April 2010 by Mw R. Moore
Condition of book
Book was described as being in good condition. On receipt of the book it was not. It was dirty, several pages had had text underlined and notes put in the margins, which rendered... Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Mr. Michael Wakely
Good read
Read this on holiday last year, started on the plane and finished on the beach a couple of days later. Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by sally
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