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14 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sad...or Stupid.... depends on your point of view., 10 Sep 2004
Having read the Autobiography of King Henry VIII by Margaret George, I had high hopes for this, being fascinated by the story of Mary Queen of Scots, as most people are. I enjoyed the story very much, though it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. I thought the whole Bothwell thing was sort of glossed over to be honest, and was hoping for a more in-depth look at their relationship, and was surprised that the casket letters were mentioned in passing really. However, I thought the relationship (or lack of) betweeen Mary and Elizabeth was rivetting! I find it incredible that Elizabeth did nothing for so long, refusing to meet Mary, and letting her live even though she knew about the plots that she was involved in. Having said that, I appreciate that she could not condone the killing of a monarch, in case it gave any of her subjects an idea! Imprisoning Mary for all that time was in fact, more cruel than executing her, I feel. I know that the general feeling was that Mary sacrificed all for love, but did she really? She had no qualms about the killing of Darnley, she would not listen to advice, she was more than happy to take a married man as her lover, though she knew it could cost her the throne of Scotland, and her son, James. At times, I thought she made some horrendous mistakes, particularly when she decided to turn to Elizabeth for help instead of to France, where she had dower lands, and relations. Did she really expect help from Elizabeth after quartering the arms of England, and declaring herself Queen? She was either very naive, or very stupid. She did seem to blame everything but herself for her misfortunes, and at times I felt that I could have slapped her!! However, there is no doubt that hers was a very sad story, and she did have more than her fair share of grief. I think that no matter what, Mary Queen of Scots would not have reigned long anyway, she had too many enemies, and seemed to have a knack of making more without even trying.Elizabeth comes out of this book as a bit of a ditherer, being unable to sign Marys' death warrant, and then, when she did, and sentence was carried out, blaming everyone but herself. I think the rivalry between the two women was far too great for them to ever meet, as neither one of them would have wanted to accede to the other, both being enigmas in their own right. Mary was a woman in a mans world, as was Elizabeth, but I think that Elizabeth was far more able to deal and double deal than Mary, and that is one of the reasons that one was a success and one a failure. That and the fact that Elizabeth used her head,....... and Mary lost hers.
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by Margaret George
by Margaret George
by Margaret George
by Margaret George
by Michelle Moran
