Showing posts with label elizabeth tudor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elizabeth tudor. Show all posts

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Mary M. Luke, Gloriana: The Years of Elizabeth I


Mary M. Luke, Gloriana: The Years of Elizabeth I

The sad thing about historical biographies is that the hero always dies at the end. 

Just imagine:  you follow the life of, in this case, Elizabeth I for seven hundred pages only to see her age and die.  A book with a claim for scholarly accuracy hardly can go any other way. 

I almost felt sad.  Just as well that the author, Mary M. Luke, chose not to dwell on the final years of the great monarch.  None of Elizabeth's biographies that I've read (quite a few by now) treated the subject with any more deliberation.  Perhaps there isn't really that much to tell - the Queen is dead, long live the King.  Maybe, though, various biographers become mildly attached to their heroine too and want to get through the unpleasant necessity as speedily as possible.  Or am I being sentimental?  

Compared to other books about Elizabeth Tudor, Gloriana: The Years of Elizabeth I holds its ground very well.  It's a massive tome but Mary  M. Luke managed to keep a reader captivated all the way through.  The main events and influences in the queen's reign are beautifully balanced, weaved together into a dynamic narrative that reads almost like a novel. 

Almost, but not quite; it is a history book after all.  The writer's creativity may have coloured some events for effect, some of the queen's reactions might be imagined rather than reported, but overall the book sticks to verifiable facts.  Original documents are often quoted to strengthen debatable statements and if some conjecture is inevitable, it is subtle enough not to irritate. 

Gloriana begins with queen's death (Mary's) and ends with queen's death.  For early years of Elizabeth it is best to turn somewhere else, because this particular book offers only glimpses of her years as a princess.  How about A Crown For Elizabeth by the same author, book two in the trilogy in which Gloriana is the final instalment?  I have not read it, nor the book one, but if I ever come across either, I won't hesitate.  Mary M. Luke had impressive skill in bringing Tudors to life, so I bet that her account of Elizabeth's twisting path to the throne is just as unputdownable as the story of her reign. 

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Anne Somerset, Elizabeth I

Anne Somerset, Elizabeth I


Here's number 2 on my personal 'the best books about Elizabeth I' list (number one being J.E. Neale's timeless publication). 

Called Elizabeth I (not too original, I admit...), Anne Somerset's biography is the most detailed account of Her Majesty's life that I've come across so far.  The very size of the book is pretty intimidating - more than 700 pages - but don't let that scare you off.  The story is well written, so before you notice you'll be halfway through the brick-like volume. 

I was, anyway. 

Elizabeth I follows the queen's life from cradle to grave.  Somerset is fairly conservative in her version of history.  All the main events are described, political twists and turns demystified, major players at court presented and analysed.  While there are no surprises or groundbreaking discoveries, the 'usual stuff' is covered competently and in detail.  Somerset makes good use of sources available and although she sometimes presumes to know the queen's very mind (a capital crime in a historian), her account is overall well-balanced and convincing. 

Happily, the author knows that life (even royal life) is not all about politics - substantial sections of the book are given over to the study of Elizabeth's wardrobe, household and leisure activities.  I'm usually as far from a fashionista as it is possible to be, but I found description of Her Majesty's dresses and jewellery quite fascinating.  Elizabeth may have claimed to have a heart of a king but she was first and foremost a woman. 

The hunt for more books about the famous queen is still on. 

Saturday, 7 April 2012

Neville Williams, The Life and Times of Elizabeth I

neville williams the life and time of Elisabeth I


I'm becoming an expert on books about queen Elizabeth I.  I'm still considering writing an online article about her (for Squidoo), so I have some rational explanation for this almost-obsession.  By now, selecting an Elizabeth-related book has become an integral part of my library trips.  They still have a few titles left, so if you are into British monarchy, check back now and again - there's more to come.

The Life and Times of Elizabeth I is a very good introduction to the studies of the famous queen.  The book begins with her birth and ends with her death (unlike two other Elizabeth related books I've read and reviewed so far).  It describes all the main events of her reign without going into too much confusing detail - the book is only three hundred pages long so there's not much space for an in-depth analysis.  A serious scholar would probably be disappointed but a beginner - relieved.

I have to admit - I'm not won over by Williams's style of writing.  The data seems correct, the narrative smooth and informative and yet...  I feel that he failed to bring Elizabeth to life.   His version of the queen is too proper for my liking.  OK, but not exceptional.

Only one thing saves the day - pictures.  The Life and Times of Elizabeth I is full of high quality images of the queen, her courtiers, residences, letters and more.  A teenager interested in history would probably love the book. 

As to the older readership - let's just say it is worth remembering that the book is there.

Sunday, 18 March 2012

David Starkey, Elizabeth: Apprenticeship

david starkey elisabeth: apprenticeship

Elizabeth I is one of the most colourful characters of British (or indeed, world) history.  She's had her share of publicity - just think of all the movies - so she's extremely recognizable even to people who have nothing to do with history.  Even if you frown on Hollywood-born fame, you simply have to admit that Her Majesty had her finger in many pies - just try to research history of theatre, or history of piracy (as I did - you can have a look at the results here if you wish).  Whichever faintly historical topic you pick, she'll pop up again and again. 

No wonder then that many books have been written with Elizabeth I as the sole focus.  Surprise, surprise, Elizabeth: Apprenticeship is one of them.

I have a feeling that the author aimed at something that reads rather like a novel, a thriller perhaps.  On the other hand - you can't go on writing thrillers and keep calling yourself a historian.  The book ended  somewhere in between - too serious to be a gripping novel, too dramatized to be proper scholarship. 

Ok, I have to say it sooner or later - I didn't like it one bit, for one particular reason that overshadows all other qualities that the book might have.  It's the approach "all other historians are wrong, and I am right, because in fact Elizabeth thought this and meant that".  And how the hell do you know???  Just as I can't digest literary critics who claim to know exactly what a poet wanted to say in his extremely vague verses, I can't tolerate historians who pretend to know the minds of their subjects as if they had been psychoanalyzing them personally for at least twenty years.  I, quite simply, don't trust such authors.  Out of pure contrariness, I start searching for any shortfalls and possible mistakes (which is rather funny, because I'm not a historian, and no matter how much I don't like Starkey's book, he's sure to know his subject far, far better than I).  Quite simply, I can't enjoy reading a book if I'm angry with its author - and it makes reviewing the book so much harder, too! 

I self-consciously admit that it might be my own personal obsession screwing my judgement, but on my personal scale the book gets 3 out of 10.  It isn't really THAT bad...  But I expected more. 

You have been warned :).