Gloriana: The Years of Elizabeth I,

Of all the books on Elizabeth I, I believed that this was the book that proves to be most entertaining to read. It may not be the best biography on Elizabeth, that honor probably belonged to Alison Weir's work but written like a novel, this book will take you places where history books rarely does. Here, you learned quite a bit about Elizabeth and her world. You will also learned quite a bit about Elizabeth the person as well. In our modern era, Weir's work and this Mary Lukes' work have withstood the test of time. The difference between the two was the Mary Luke's work may not be as historically accurate as it can be since she explored all aspects of Elizabeth's life, including some of the more legendary incidents. If anyone who watched Elizabeth R on Masterpiece Theater now available on DVD or VHS and wants to get into her life a bit, Mary Luke's book would be a fantastic jumping off place. And believed it or not, you will feel right at home reading this book than a more "scholarly" work. Mary Luke also wrote two more books that dealt with early lives of Elizabeth that may be worth reading as well.

Who doesn't love those period movies with the wonderful costumes and romantic plots? After I saw "Elizabeth", I found this book on a shelf at my mother's house and loved learning about this powerful woman who ruled England when women weren't "allowed" to do much of anything. I happened to rent "Queen Margot" (French language movie w/subtitles) and that helped make the Elizabethan time more vivid. The book was written in a narrative form; not as a history book but as an amazing story. I only put it down to feed my toddlers or sleep (or so it seemed). Ms. Luke held my rapt attention throughout each chapter. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in finding out more about probably the most amazing woman who ever lived.