Queen of This Realm

To be royal is to be lonely, and this is often a central pillar of Plaidy's novels. Elizabeth is perhaps one of the loneliest monarchs, but this is done to preserve her power. It is astounding, but it is also sad. One can't help but pity how Elizabeth copes in the life she chose and the pain she inflicts on both others and herself as she made the necessary choices to keep the throne over everything else. Elizabeth is complex, and this story is told "in her own" words, but it is absolutely a worthwhile read.

This is the second volume in Jean Plaidy's well-written "Queens of England" series of books. As in all the books in this series, it is written as a first person narrative, creating an intimacy of style that makes the book all the more compelling and immensely readable. Replete with fascinating period detail, political machinations, public personages, and historical events that were a part of the life of Queen Elizabeth I, the author builds a fascinating, three dimensional portrait of a woman and queen. The author recounts the early years of Elizabeth, a troubled child, unsure of her place in the affections of her father, King Henry VIII. Knowing that he had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, beheaded, an impressionable Elizabeth observed the succession of women who took her mother's place and assessed how they fared at her father's hands. Elizabeth lived through the reign of her younger half-brother, Edward VI, as well as that of her half-sister, Mary, during whose reign Elizabeth would come perilously close to losing her life under allegations of treason. Having survived the reign of her sister, whose legacy would forever enshrine her in history as "Bloody Mary" for her fanatical persecution of Catholics, Elizabeth would come to the throne as a Protestant with a penchant for religious tolerance towards her Catholic subjects. The author takes the reader through the ascension of Elizabeth to the throne and her glorious reign, making the reader understand why Elizabeth I is revered as one of the greatest monarchs the world has ever known. From the early halcyon days of her reign to the more troubled ones that were to follow, the author fully engages the reader. The author also recounts the story of Elizabeth's close relationship with Robert Dudley, her Master of Horse, whom she would make the Earl of Leicester. Through her, Dudley became one of the most powerful men in her kingdom, as Elizabeth I granted him all but his most fervent wish, which was to have her hand in marriage. This wily and scholarly Queen would not share her power with any man, not even Dudley, a man she professed to love. Nonetheless, she would have a life long relationship with Robert Dudley, and his death, while in his fifties, would mark Elizabeth I for the remainder of her long life. The fractious relationships Elizabeth I would have with some of her courtiers are recounted, as are the ones that were more harmonious. Familial relationships, scandals, and intrigues would also have their impact, not just on Elizabeth I, but on the monarchy and the world, as well. Such is the lot of monarchs, and the reign of Elizabeth I was no different. World events and their effect on England also pepper this book, and at the center of it all was the indomitable Elizabeth I, a queen regnant who made England into a world power with which to be reckoned. Her reign would go down in history as the glorious Elizabethan era. This is a wonderful book that those with a penchant for historical

The most fascinating of the Tudor Queens. Bright, witty, vain, sensitive, ruthless, kind and haughty all in one. This is the book that sparked my interest in Henry VIII's world and my interest soared. History at it's finest

From the opening lines, "When I look over the first twenty-five years of my life and consider the number of times I was in danger of losing it," the reader is swept up into the majestic mind and spirit of the iconic Elizabeth I. Jean Plaidy began writing historical fiction in the fifties, and to the modern-day reader she may seem a tad dated and naive; yet her consummate command of history and ability to effortlessly transition from scene to scene are commanding and refreshing in an era of overheated fiction and an emphasis on the lurid. A friend loaned me this book; I found it captivating and immensely easy to read, even as I learned about Elizabeth and her times. This is a vastly different Elizabeth from the devious narcissist of Philippa Gregory's works or the volatile spirited girl of C.W.Gortner's book, but she is worth exploring all the same.

Queen of This Realm is one of Plaidy's best novels; a complete fictional look at the youth and reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Written as a memoir by Queen Elizabeth, you will learn about her first scandalous love affair with her step-mother, Katherine Parr's, husband and the following life-long, unconsummated love of her life, Robert Dudley. Love and betrayal were all a part of the Queen's life and it often reads like a soap opera!Queen Elizabeth was bold, highly intelligent, supremely vain, and one of the greatest monarchs of England. You will be taken in and enthralled by the story of her close calls with execution at the hand of her sister, Queen Mary, and her fascination with and eventual execution of her cousin, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, who plotted to claim the English throne as her own for most of her life (her story is told in Royal Road To Fotheringay to be reissued Fall 2004). This is a stellar novel; you won't believe how fascinating history can be to read until you've read Plaidy! She has written over 50 books, most of which are out of print, but can be found in libraries and online. Once you start reading her, you can't stop!

Written in the first person, the novel makes us feel as though we know what Elizabeth Tudor felt & thought. Her historical fame is not glorified; her substantial faults are not understated; but we see possible reasons for both. Above all, we are shown how her incredible scholarship and insecure youth combined, enabling her (and in a man's world) to bring England from bankruptcy & religious strife to its first age great enough to be named for one person: "Elizabethan."