Customer Reviews

Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles: A Novel

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The life of Mary Queen of Scots is perhaps history's greatest soap opera. It is impossible to make her story dull, although, when reading this novel, I sometimes had the feeling that George was trying her hardest to disprove that fact. True, Mary was a prisoner for twenty years, but did George have to spend what felt like twenty years describing it? I wish the author had spent less time on the latter half of Mary's life, and more on her years in Scotland, particularly where her relationship with the Earl of Bothwell is concerned. Bothwell, to me, is one of history's more fascinating personalities, and I felt that, even though he is the book's hero, George rather gave him short shrift. I also felt she made numerous factual errors, that, though mostly minor, were distracting. For instance, while I agree with her that Darnley himself was responsible for mining his house at Kirk o'field with gunpowder, her overall scenario for his murder is unconvincing. Also, it is annoying that she seems to dither about the authorship of the Casket Letters. Before she wrote the book, she should have made up her mind on the subject, one way or another. All this aside, however, George is not untalented as a writer, and as a look at Mary's life and times, it is still an improvement over Antonia Fraser's book, which is one of the stupidest biographies I have ever read.

I chanced upon this book in a used bookstore in a little Ohio town and thought of my best friend who expressed she wanted to read it. Only, I read it first and couldn't put it down. Then it passed onto two more friends ~~ only they couldn't put it down. It is probably one of the best impulse buys I have ever made.

Margaret George wrote an intensive book on the queen of Scotland, who was also related to Elizabeth I somewhat distantly. George did a great job of telling Mary's story ~~ a story of a rash, flighty woman who didn't stop to think before acting. Who thought with her emotions (such a different queen than her English cousin!) ~~ defied the normal conventions and rules set upon her by her advisors and did whatever she thought she wanted to do. Naturally, we all know how the story turns out in the end ~~ but George does a wonderful job of epicting "what might have happened" throughout this novel. And she does a wonderful job combining facts within the novel ~~ so you might pick up a few things here and there about Scottish history.

For those of you who want to read about the royalty but are too intimidated to read the historical tomes, I suggest you read this one. It's long ~~ but the writing itself will keep you interested and propells you onto the way to learning more about history. When you finish the last page, you rest in confidence that you tackled such a hefty book ~~ and you walk away just a little smarter about history. If a book can get you to do that, then the praises should rest on George's head.

The Editorial Review does a magnificent job at describing this book, so I need not duplicate.

My comments are limited to how much I truly enjoyed reading this book and learning of the details of the life of Mary, Queen of Scotland. After reading the book, it was weeks before I could put her day-to-day life, and death, out of my mind.

If you enjoy history, written in novel format, you will love this book. I read it in one week and am just about to delve into Margaret George's "Henry VIII" book...and then her book on "Cleopatra". I LOVE THIS AUTHOR'S STYLE!

Margaret George's novel on Mary Queen of Scots has everything one could hope for in a historical novel. The romance and tragedy of the famous queen's life make for a gripping story. It is all there: beauty, power,wealth, love, danger, intrigue. It is also a looong story. Just the heft of the book is enough to give one pause. One might ask oneself: Will I really read this whole thing?

Well, I read almost the whole thing. The book slows in the last third as Mary's confinement makes for less interesting reading than her wild rides in the Scottish highlands with her lover. Still, I finished the novel (well, almost finished it) with a better understanding of Scotland and England during the Elizabethan Age. And George fills out the story beautifully with factual information on European royalty, geograpical setting,architecture,food,clothing, music, pastimes, etc..

So, it's a great story,entertaining and educational, just a little overlong for my taste. It could be a four rating if one is a patient reader and interested in detail. It's definitely a feast best enjoyed in small bites and chewed slowly. Hit and run readers look elsewhere. History buffs brew a cup of tea and settle in!

This is a very long book--it takes Mary literally from the cradle to the grave. Nonetheless, it reads quickly and holds the reader's attention; I seldom found myself skimming.

Most of the novel is told by a third-person narrator, although there are some long stretches of journal-writing by Mary in the last fifth or so. Though Mary's viewpoint is the predominant one, the narrator occasionally travels to Elizabeth I's court and into the minds of various other characters as well, including Darnley, Bothwell, and sundry ill-fated spies.

Certainly the outstanding quality of this historical novel is George's ability to draw characters. Mary herself is depicted sympathetically without ever being idealized; at crucial times in her life, there's almost always someone to tell her that she's making a mistake, and she listens to them far too seldom. More important, George avoids making caricatures of figures such as Darnley and John Knox. The latter is especially well rounded; harsh as he is on the pulpit, we also see glimpses of him as a loving husband and father.

George has a nice eye for small detail, as when Mary on the last evening of her life prays, only to be distracted by her dog thumping his tail. "It was that everyday sound, the summation of all the everyday things she was leaving, that brought tears to her eyes."

I did have some reservations here and there. One of the few parts of the novel I found myself skimming was that detailing the love affair between Mary and Bothwell, where the dialogue takes on a decidedly hackneyed tone. When Bothwell uttered the line, "'Put your arms around me, and whatever happens, do not let go,'" I found myself anticipating the couple's impending separation not at all with regret. Earlier, a three-way sex scene between Darnley, Riccio, and a prostitute struck me as gratuitous, since it had no influence on later events and didn't enlighten us about the characters of those involved, except to show that Riccio could rise to an occasion, so to speak. But these are minor quibbles and didn't spoil what I thought was an excellent read.

It's interesting, by the way, to compare this novel to Reay Tannahill's Fatal Majesty. The novels take entirely different views of such issues as the authenticity of the Casket Letters and of the circumstances behind the marriage of Mary and Bothwell, yet as I was reading each novel, I was convinced by the case each author made, even while being aware of the possibility of a different interpretation.

A biographical novel re-creating the entire forty-five year life of a monarch such as Mary Queen of Scots embellished and fleshed out with fictional anecdotes and details to bring an enormous cast of characters to life cannot help but be long in the telling. Any lover of books knows that long need not of necessity be tedious but even George's first-rate story telling abilities could not rescue this novel from the gray, incessant boredom fostered by the astounding futility of Mary's birth, life, actions, decisions and even her death. During her imprisonment and separation from Bothwell, Mary summarized her own life very succinctly in a few desperate sentences:

"I have nothing, she thought. I have been Queen for four and twenty years, but if I died in my sleep this very night, there would be nothing to write of me in the chronicles. I was Queen of France for a year and a half, but when Francois died, all that passed away, and today France remembers me not. I have reigned directly here in Scotland for six years now, and although there has been no foreign war, the nobles never made peace amongst themselves. My whole reign has been a series of plots, followed by my pardons. My marriages have all failed in one way or another. I have not succeeded in being recognized by Elizabeth as her successor. The Catholics abroad have turned against me because I was not severe enough with the heretics in Scotland, the heretics in Scotland hate me because I am a Catholic at all. I have failed."

If one of the reasons for historical knowledge is awareness of past errors so our descendants might learn to avoid the same mistakes, then, at least for me, Margaret George succeeded by penning a book that is a scathing condemnation of the hypocrisies and astonishing arrogance of any individual or family believing that they are anointed of God to be a ruling family. I believe it is hardly an over-statement to suggest that hereditary monarchy as an institution is illustrated by George as inherently flawed, at best, and evil, at worst. In either case, it has no place in a twenty-first century modern society.

Similarly, George pulls no punches in pointing out the lack of tolerance of one established religion for all others. While we have made strides in allowing for the co-existence of multiple religions in a modern world, this 16th century novel gives us a chilling reminder that we still have a great distance to travel. To her credit, I would find it impossible as a result of her writing to guess what faith George herself might profess.

Hardly a thrilling page turner but a book well worth the effort to read!

I by chance stumbled across Margaret George's "Autobiography of King Henry VIII", and though it took me three summers to read, I found it beautifully written and captivating. I was hugely satisfied when I turned the last page not only for having waded my way through a novel of such girth but for George's ability to adeptly transport you to the time and place in which she is attempting to convey.

So, when George released "Mary Queen of Scots", I hastened to the book store hoping to relive all the pageantry and intrigue that I had discovered in "Henry VIII". I have had "Queen Mary" for as long if not longer than "Henry VIII" and have yet to finish it. This is not to say that this book is lacking in any way. George's mastery of the English language and her eloquent style of writing certainly kept me in awe. "Queen Mary" is an excitable novel but unfortunately not until you get past the first 200-300 pages. I cannot pinpoint the reason why the completion of this novel eludes me. Perhaps it's because it's easy to get bogged down in the details and, as a result, disinterested.

With the release of "Memoirs of Cleopatra", I took a break from "Queen Mary" and began to tackle George's latest attempt at historical fiction. Oddly, I breezed through "Cleopatra" in two months time, absolutely captivated and enthralled with her. Every time I opened the book to read, I was instantly transported to ancient Egypt and Rome. Every time I closed the book to rest, I anxiously anticipated the next opportunity I would have to read. "Cleopatra", by far, is Margaret George's most successful attempt of bringing to life a "larger-than-life" figure. I was so mesmerized by this novel that it gave me renewed hope for "Queen Mary". Sadly, though, returning to the cold, damp shores of Scotland was tougher than I had imagined (especially after having been immersed in the decadence that was "Cleopatra" and having resided along the balmy shores of Alexandria for two months).

I still find myself trying to wade through "Queen Mary" but still give this novel 4 stars for George's excellent writing and storytelling ability. Her choice of subject matter is impeccable. If you enjoy the details, you'll love this novel. One thing is for certain though, Margaret George has made me a devout fan of not only her writing but of historical fiction, as well.

Margaret George has rescued Mary from the history books and brought her to life as a vibrant, compelling, and astonishingly modern heroine. This Mary talks and thinks like a modern woman, yet her actions are absolutely true to the spirit of the times and the known facts about her life.

Sometimes the language is a bit too modern, as when Mary describes her gorgeous husband Lord Darnley as "looking good enough to eat" during their wedding feast. And the sex scenes leave absolutely nothing to the imagination! Even after Darnley begins to drink too much and make trouble, Mary makes excuses for him, crying in secret and confiding to the reader, "even when I knew the truth -- to my shame and against my will -- I still wanted him. In truth I burned for him." Mary may never have said this, but her actions make it clear how hard it was for her to break with the cruel but very handsome Darnley.

George reveals every detail of Mary's daily life, right down to the perfume she used and her lazy mornings in bed. It's very revealing when Bothwell -- Mary's next husband after Darnley -- comes into her room unannounced one morning and tells her she needs to "get off your backside and rule, lass. The people need a queen, not a sleeping statue!" Mary thinks she is through with love, but Bothwell insists on marrying her to protect her from the plots and treachery of the other nobles -- the ones who murdered Lord Darnley. Much to her own surprise, Mary goes from fearing Bothwell to enjoying his company, sharing his bed willingly and even crying in his arms when he is forced to leave her at the end. "Rough he was, plain talking and without grace -- but true to me, always. And in his own way, tender."

Some reviewers complain that George spends too much time on the sad years of Mary's life -- when she was a prisoner in England, locked up at the command of her "dearest friend" Elizabeth. But the details of her captivity are interesting, and even glamorous -- secret visits from spies, messages written in code. The only good thing to say about Queen Elizabeth is that she never put Mary in a dungeon. Mary describes it as "the most luxurious time of my life -- and the hardest to bear." Given her comfortable apartments, you can see why she sleeps till noon on days when there's really nothing to do. You can also see why she mentions "the mineral baths, the soothing waters that helped me forget" since she really needed relaxation.

Mary was quite modern in some ways. She believed in mineral baths, and also massage, as being good for her health. She loved exercise in the open air, and she mentions several times that "after an open air gallop on horseback, very exhilarating, and a good long dunking in the water, the firm hands of my maids would readily coax the soreness from my muscles. Indeed I often forgot my worries entirely, and slept like a babe."

The final section is not that dull, really. Just more quiet. And Elizabeth, to her credit, seems to have wanted Mary to be as comfortable and well looked after as any prisoner could be. Until she decided to have her executed, that is.

But in the end, what really makes this book so exciting and vibrant is Mary -- passionate, loving, full of warmth and always willing to believe in people. She should have had a much happier life than she did!

Mary Queen of Scotland was not the novel I had hoped it would be. I previously enjoyed Marget George's "Autobiography of Henry the VIII" tremendously and had great expectations of this work. But, whereas "Henry VIII" was inventive in concept and brilliant in execution, "Mary" is told in a straight forward narrative style that soon became predictable rather than engrossing.

The cast of characters, particularly the Scottish nobles, became a blur for me, in which it was difficult to keep track of the shifting loyalties and enmities - after a few hundred pages, I found that any one clan name could have been substituted in a paragraph for another, without changing the context, meaning or flow of the narrative.

As well, I found that the desriptive passages had a repetitive tone that seemed to lull the senses into complacency, in spite of Ms. George's well researched attention to detail.

Notwithstanding these criticisms, Mary's story is one that is fascinating and ultimately tragic. This book does help put into context a very muddled historical period in a serviceable manner.

I would not suggest the book be avoided, but I would recommend it as a moderate read at best.

Having been impressed with Ms. George's Autobiography of Henry VIII, I had high hopes of this return visit to 16th century Britain. The problem here is George had too much book and too little story with which to fill it. Not only is Mary--ultimately a tragic figure whose life was a series of one poor choice and ill-conceived plan after another--not a monarch of the same eventful scope as the politically-omnipotent Henry, but George hamstrings herself by drawing out minor or uneventful periods of Mary's life, while rushing through others that actually did contain some matters of potential interest. (For instance, the period when Mary was kept as Elizabth's prisoner went on and on, but the time she spent at the court in France--as France's Queen, no less!--wizzed past in a blur.) The result is an overly long, frequently boring book about a shallow, unwise, unfit-to-rule woman whose cradle to grave biography is more suited for a short story than an epic-length arch-novel like this one.

When I was at last done with this time-consuming heavyweight, I remember I thought that Mary should have been a nun instead of a queen, and Margaret George should have selected someone else to feature in her sophomore novel.

Needless to say, Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles is a letdown of vast proportions.