5 star 🌟 Biography

A significant new biography of Elizabeth. Really well read by Alex Jennings. Good listening.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Seriously splendid

One of the most authoritative and detailed biographies of Elizabeth. I am not one of those who believes a biographer must side with or even like his/her subject. I think Elizabeth’s serious control freakery - built on her solid personal experiences of how so many people let her down - made the author sometimes quite impatient with her. However, it is clear that his research has been meticulous and his book is perhaps all the better for not being fawning.

I do think that he portrays a ruler beset with enemies in Europe and at home, who manages to steer a very pragmatic course through the last decades of her reign. Above all, it portrays woman who spent most of her life surrounded by danger coming through it all. The book’s last sentences that detail how frugal she was while maintaining financial assistance to allies and leaving her coffers slightly depleted after years of conflict with Spain and Ireland, and comparing that with how quickly within 10 years of peace, her successor virtually bankrupted the nation, show that while the author may not have liked her, he did admire her.

And the all-important narration is superlative.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent account of her elder years

This is an excellent addition to the historiography of Elizabeth I reign and her older years, her court and the political factions who fought to win her favour.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The War Years

Interesting book, concentrating mainly on the years of the extended conflict with Philip IiI, Elizabeth's complicated relationships with Leicester, Essex and her other war leaders and, of course, her close advisers. Here we look behind the persona of Gloriana to see the vacillating, emotional, proud, irascible, fiercely intelligent Elizabeth. It's a battle not only against foreign powers, but for who might most influence and persuade the Queen who often liked to rule by division. Not a light listen, but interesting and entertaining .

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fascinating but may go too far

Fascinating well researched but sometimes It felt this flawed but brilliant human was actually disliked by the author and perhaps he strayed too far - she wasn’t the myth but she was a substantial and impressive figure but some of the tropes about her ageing etc I felt were overdone and strayed into misogyny

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Love it !

From the excellent narrator to content 5 ⭐️ cannot stop listening . Highly recommended if you love history told at its finest

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Brilliant

All the bits that other books miss and some of the bits they don't. It makes you consider the dilemmas faced by Elizabeth and how she dealt with them. I feel that I now have a much better understanding of how the court worked and what Elizabeth 1 was really like. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book and would not hesitate to recommend it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

The charming Queen Bess.

A vivid and thorough biography about one of history’s most famous rulers. She was as flawed as she was incredible. Insecure, ego- and self-centered, and at times plain frustrating. But the woman was also, to say it short, amazing. The details you get and learn about her - from her love of marzipan and everything Italian, to her personality, helps you appreciate the Queen - and adore her in historical context. A joy to hear, and I love the detail to the famous (or infamous) people who surrounded her during her reign.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Engrossing - loved it.

Listened in an unexpected three day Elizabeth-fest. Fascinating and hugely interesting. Particularly liked the discussions of early sources and biographies and how they had interpreted her motivations (and why) etc. Really well read by a narrator I know and like. I found it difficult to follow everything and occasionally had to go back and re listen to the beginning of a chapter. I should have taken more breaks but it was too interesting to do so. This saw me through severe winter weather days. Advice not to travel unless necessary was the perfect time to listen.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!