Customer Reviews

Elizabeth the Great

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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A truly excellent book for someone who, like me, wants to find out not only about the events of Elizabeth's life but also what Elizabeth was like as a person. The writing style is clear and very enjoyable and makes Elizabeth seem alive again. As a schoolboy in England, I studied the Tudor Period, but this book goes way above and beyond what one is taught at school level. I learned so much more about Elizabeth's life and personality, that it has given me a whole new level of respect for someone who I had already held in high esteem. Highly recommended.

This book is incredibly well written. It also has the ring of truth. It is not just a biography of Elizabeth I, though it does that superbly, with great insight and scholarship, and always with documentation so that there is a tie-in to actual happenings. But this book also writes in depth about the key people around Queen Elizabeth, so that they too come alive, and sets them all firmly in a vivid and well-described background. This book is fascinating, literate, and a great read, especially for those of us who have an interest in this period in history and its characters.

This book is not a 'life and times' volume. It is single-minded in its telling of Elizabeth's life. I found the book to be captivating. I keep it on my desk at work for those rare days when I don't go out to lunch. I know that I can always open the book to any page and find an interesting story ahead.

This is a fascinating look at a fascinating and complex woman. Jenkins's theories as to why Queen Elizabeth never married are interesting and feel much more plausible than the idea that the Queen was continually frustrated in her attempts to marry. That she had a deep-seated fear of marriage and never intended to marry feels more "on the mark," given Elizabeth's experiences as a child and teenager. By the time Elizabeth was eight, she had already attended two executions, and her mother and first stepmother were both beheaded long before Elizabeth was grown.

Jenkins does gloss over or barely mention some important historical events, but she explains why in her preface: she wanted to focus on the world immediately surrounding Elizabeth. As a result we get a lively account of a woman who ruled England with a velvet fist. Jenkins also does an artful job of bringing alive the people who advised Queen Elizabeth, and the motives of both the Queen and the people who surrounded her are shown fully. Her romantic yet platonic love affair with Robert Dudley is dwelt upon a great deal, and - despite Dudley's shortcomings - it made me sad they never married and bore children together.

I did have a little trouble following some events. After Dudley is made Earl of Lieceister, this is the way Jenkins refers to him. She changes the names of other characters also as they move up in rank in the military or become Earls. She also occasionally goes into great detail about an event without reference to what event it actually is (or makes the reference in passing), and I had to read certain paragraphs a couple of times to understand what she was referring to.

But the challenge of that doesn't detract from the writing; the book reads like good fiction. The intrigue, negotiating, and secret plots are more complex and better than any novel, because the peril to Elizabeth's life was real. Jenkins also presents a stellar bibliography; it's evident she researched the subject matter thoroughly. I can't wait to read more by Jenkins.

once i began reading this book,i could not put it down. it is so very fascinating to read the life of elizabeth as written by elizabeth jenkins. this author is brilliant!
i think what makes this book so special is,the author's eloquence with her words and her description of history. this biography is rich,full,and rounded. this book is A MUST for anyone interested in queen elizabeth the first. do not pass up this book!!!

This excellent book paints an unforgettable portrait of Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess" to her loving subjects. Her fascinating life and vibrant personality are caught with great truth and clarity. Elizabeth Regina-LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

I have an old copy of the book, which I have reread a couple of times. This is the most readable biography of Elizabeth I that I have read.

After reading "Feast In The Morning", I found I was hooked on these real people and this era. I just had to know what happened after the death of Elizabeth's brother. This biography covers the entire lifetime of Elizabeth, at times it is very difficult to follow. As a persons name and place names were often the same, and in many cases the author would be talking about Lord Robert Dunley, then later she may refer to him as the Protector or as the Earl of Leicester, or as Leicester or The Earl. As you can see this can get confusing to follow who is who.

This book really gives you the feel of the Queen and her times. Her nemisis Mary Queen of Scots was present throughout Elizabeth's lifetime and had a big influnence on her. Many times I wondered what I would do if faced with Elizabeth's problems, she was very creative.

Many importaint parts of history may have been left out or hardly mentioned, while other unimportaint events were exponded on.

It was interesting to read about the Earl of Oxford and his relationship with the Queen, as now there seems to be a camp of people who believe that he was really Shakespear. The author was recounting their relationship without the knowledge of this controversity.