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Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens
 
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Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

by Jane Dunn (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
Price: £20.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens + My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots + Mary Queen Of Scots
Price For All Three: £33.68

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 535 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; illustrated edition edition (17 Mar 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0002571501
  • ISBN-13: 978-0002571500
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.8 x 5.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 644,077 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #68 in  Books > Biography > British Royalty > Elizabeth I

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Jane Dunn's double biography Elizabeth and Mary takes as its rich and explosive subject matter the ultimately fatal relationship between Queen Elizabeth I of England and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. Throughout much of the second half of the 16th century, these two women found themselves queens of their kingdoms and locked in a battle for possession of the British Isles, which only ended with Mary's eventual downfall and execution at Elizabeth's hands in 1586.

As Dunn points out in her meticulous and compelling recreation of the complex relationship between the two women, "from that one act of regicide, a queen killing a fellow queen, has spun a mythology of justification, romance, accusation, and blame that retains its force right to the present day." Her approach attempts to avoid myth and romance and understand the complex bond that existed between the two women. Elizabeth, the apparent victor, "was haunted by a deep-rooted insecurity as to her own legitimacy", while Mary was pursued by claims of sexual excess and immersion in murderous plots against husbands and enemies, variously seen as "a wronged Madonna or a murderous jezebel."

Dunn elegantly follows the ups and downs of both monarchs as they strive for political power. Mary's tumultuous reign as Queen of Scotland is particularly well handled, as is Elizabeth's agonised vacillation over her decision to execute Mary. In the end, death triumphed over both, and ensured that each was "elevated to an idealised majesty" for very different reasons. Dunn has marshalled an impressive body of evidence that never overwhelms this psychologically nuanced account of these two remarkable women. --Jerry Brotton



Review

'Dunn writes with captivating elegance and piercing intelligence, is tender, scrupulous, ironic and worldly.' Richard Davenport-Hines, Independent 'Jane Dunn is one of our best biographers.' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times 'Jane Dunn has that sine qua non of the true biographer, an eye for significant detail and the power to fit it into a larger pattern.' Richard Holmes, The Times 'Jane Dunn is a gifted biographer, teasing out subtle meanings and connections that add up to a rich depth of portraiture.' Michelle Roberts, Independent on Sunday
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Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens
77% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Duo Biography, 11 Aug 2003
You can't really do an excellent job documenting the life of Elizabeth I without mentioning, in some detail, Mary of Scotland. The same goes for the reverse. This biography covers both queens lives in a thorough fashion...although Elizabeth does seem to rate 'more words' than her cousin. In no way, though, is Mary a minor character in this good work. I have read independant bios of each queen (Alison Fraser's stupendous work "Mary, Queen of Scots" and, my personal favorite for Elizabeth, Anne Somerset's "Elizabeth I"), and this wonderful book incorporates two amazing women into one volume. For any student of Great Britain history, or just someone with a fascination for the monarchy of England and Scotland, this book belongs on your shelf. You will not be disappointed.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and fascinating!, 13 May 2006
By Iceni Peasant (Norfolk, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens (Paperback)
This book may look the size of a doorstep, but don't let that put you off. Every single page is worth reading!
I was very familiar with the life of Elizabeth, but I didn't know that much about Mary Queen Of Scots and what her thoughts and desires were and how she viewed Elizabeth. This book provided so much information and ideas on the relationship between the two queens, and ups and downs and betrayals and changes of direction and the reasons for everything including events that may have shaped their views and actions in adulthood. It's just an amazing book that any reader with a love of Tudor period history and in particular Elizabeth and Mary's history, will love.

By the end of the book you really feel that you have got closer to knowing both women and will have many opinions about them that change as you read further. In all honesty the book is so well written, with a feeling of going backwards and forwards between Elizabeth and Mary at each stage of history, that it feels like you're reading a thriller instead of history.
There are some great colour pictures of paintings of both queens, some I haven't seen elsewhere, which all adds to the book.
This is a highly enjoyable and informative read.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and incisive, 24 May 2005
By Star_Sea "Xing" (Salisbury, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens (Paperback)
This is a book that's well worth reading if you're interested in either queen, or if you only vaguely remember the whole saga from your history lessons. Dunn analyses the political causes of the rivalry, as do most historians, but more than that, she shows how it was really rooted in the fundamental differences between personality and upbringing. She constantly reminds the reader of just how different the lives of these two queens were: Elizabeth's early childhood were full of uncertainty and danger, her identity always uncertain, her very life under threat, whereas Mary grew up in luxury and comfort. Dunn also points out that both queens underwent a test of their queenship, very much the same: the accusation of plotting to destroy a spouse so they could wed someone else, and the way they handled this test decided how history would view them.

Readable, intriguing, and informative.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars what a book
One of the best books I have ever read. I have always been interested in this period of history and felt that this book and the way Dunn writes helps to bring history alive. Read more
Published 9 months ago by P. BARRASS

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive dual biographies of two rulers on the same island
This dual biography by Jane Dunn is an excellent and highly engaging work of history, and tells much of the Elizabethan age regarding not only politics but also society, religion... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Gary Selikow

3.0 out of 5 stars Biased towards Elizabeth?
I enjoyed reading this book but am uneasy about it being pitched as historical biography since so much of it, in my opinion, is conjecture on the side of Dunn. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Roman Clodia

5.0 out of 5 stars P.A.J.Oswin ''Artefactman''
This is perhaps one of the best books ever written on the subject of Elizabeth and Mary; (those reviewers who feel that it overly favours Elizabeth, should consider the... Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2007 by P. A. J. Oswin

4.0 out of 5 stars A Satisfying Read
This book is highly historically accurate, and Jane Dunn maintains a steady transition while giving information about the two Queens. Read more
Published on 3 Jul 2007 by Anuphab Phraewphanarai

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I have been reading books on both queens since I was a child, and would consider myself to be well acqainted with their stories. Read more
Published on 7 May 2007 by M B Dean

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Having been told that the new production of Schiller's play Mary Stuart (which by the way is brilliant) used this book as essential reading I was keen to see for myself. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars bettyblack33
I loved this book, Jane Dunn writes with an insight into Elizabeths and Marys psyches that is mesmerising. Read more
Published on 12 May 2005 by Rebecca Jones

4.0 out of 5 stars informative and entertaining
The book was well written, with an straight forward, and understandable use of lexis and historical story telling. suitable for a wide range of audience. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2004 by mmmcookiemonster

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read - Great Value
Well written, very informative and fantastic in paperback - delivered within 48 hours in great condition.
Published on 23 Nov 2003 by derbydeakin

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