Rating: 
Summary: Good Academic biography
Review: If somewhat dry. And there is an overwhelming amount of detail. Occasionally one gets confused as to the identity of the sources, why they were chosen, why their particular view of an event was chosen over another, or if another source wrote about the same event at all. Fraser, relies heavily on "Throckmorton," Elizabeth's ambassador in Paris, and on the Venetian ambassador. Since it is a cousin of the first who is eventually implicated in the ultimate Marian plot against Elizabeth, it would have been nice if Fraser had elaborated on the perspectives of her sources. There is some very factual clearing up of misconceptions here though. That Elizabeth and Mary never met during all the years of Mary's incarceration quite shocked me. The historical facts of Mary and Bothwell's relationship are explained, though the actual tenor of it is not ventured upon. Fraser's disparagement of the casket letters, which were used to convict Mary of complicity in the death of Darnley, her second husband, is quite convincing. She makes an excellent case that, whatever the original content, Walsingham and Cecil doctored the heck out of them. And there are poignant details, such as Mary's jurors wearing riding boots on the second day of her trial, indicating that the trial was in form only. I don't find Fraser particularly biased in favor of Mary though she obviously thinks well of her subject. A little more detail on Riccio and Darnley would have been nice, considering the vital role they played in Mary's expulsion from the Scottish throne.
Rating: 
Summary: A detailed look at one of history's most fascinating queens.
Review: If there is one thing the Lady Antonia Fraser does not do in this work, it is gloss over details. Mary Queen of Scots is an in depth and well reasearched investigation of the somewhat tragic life of Mary Stewart. From Mary's birth as the granddaughter of Henry VII of England and her assumption of the crown of Scotland as an infant, to her years of pitiful confinement and execution by the order of her once trusted cousin, Elizabeth Tudor, this book brings Mary, her surroundings and her motivations to vivid life.
A note of warning: This is a long and detailed book, but if one has any interest in the subject it is well worth the time. If one has a serious interest in the topic, this book is simply a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book bogged down with annoying problems
Review: It probably is unfair to compare the writing styles of Fraser and her counterpart, Alison Weir, but having just read what seems like a mountain of books by both of them, I can't help but do so and find Fraser ahead on some points, behind on others.Fraser has a methodical style wherein each sentence is so cram-packed with detail that her books probably improve on their second or third readings. She takes a comprehensive, relatively non-biased look at her subject here and provides an interesting biography of a woman who has been characterized as everything from a near saint to a scheming, treasonous viper who deserved her eventual beheading. While Weir seems to take the position that Elizabeth I was some beloved angel who eventually had to sully her hands and cut off the head of her cousin for national security, I think the truth is somewhere else, as does Fraser. In terms of historical accuracy, I think Fraser probably has the edge over Weir, notwithstanding both authors' impeccable research. Weir allows story to take precedence over fact, something that doesn't seem to happen as much with Fraser. Which brings me to my list of quibbles with this book. Fraser may write factually, but in doing so, she comes thisclose to having written a book every bit as dry as the ones I steered clear of in school. It was torture to get through some of the passages and I put the book down more than once, not to pick it up again for days. I wasn't compelled to finish the book and find out the rest of the story the way I was with Weir's. My second issue was with all of the passages in untranslated languages, French primarily. A few years ago, I'd say I spoke French fluently, but even I had to look up some of the phrases here. It wouldn't have hurt the narrative to provide a parenthetical translation for those of us not fluent in multiple languages who don't feel like getting up to run the thing through Babelfish. Intended or not, it gave the author an air of arrogance and was my main stumbling block to enjoying this book as fully as I wanted to. Overall, it was a detailed biography, probably as accurate as anything else that's out there, without the apparent author bias that's seen in Weir's book. This is not easy reading though; the story is unevenly written, overly laden with minutiae where it's not necessary and filled with passages and important comments that a lot of people won't even be able to decipher without help. I'd give it 4 stars for credibility, 2 for accessibility, for a final 3 stars overall.
Rating:
Summary: The Role Expectations of a Power Position Examined.
Review: Lady Fraser's book has the advantage of personalizing many of the power realities of Mary Stuart's life. She does not just list dates and names but illustrates the way power was used in the religious/titled/political milieu of Mary Stuart's day. The fact that Mary was so headstrong and insisted on her "rights" as sovereign to do what she liked, permitting her heart to over-rule her political common sense appears to have been her undoing. Elizabeth I appears to have comprehended the fact that to marry would undermine her power as Queen, since women under Church law of the time were subservient to their husbands. Of course Elizabeth had a better grounding in political education since she grew up in the political turmoil of Henry VIII's last days, whereas Mary's early years were apparently frittered away at the French court. It was the men in Mary's lives who were her undoing, precisely because of the nobles' fear of the potential husband's power over his wife and it's effect on the political realm. Her headstrong stubbornness however is a cautionary tale, which in my view is relevant to today's politics in the world of politics and business. The old rules still apply to woman in varying degrees worldwide. The ability to understand the "expectations" of the performance of a "role", regardless of the sex of the person holding the role, is imperative. Elizabeth I, and subsequently Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandi and other successful women leaders had this understanding of their "role", albeit in a modern era with less religious interference. Mary gay and beautiful as she was did not understand that the nature of her power lay in her "job description" as Queen, with the attendant expectations by her subjects of the role of a sovereign. It is a lively book, eminently suitable for the non-historian, which I have owned for years. I recommend the book to anyone concerned about women in business, science the arts or education of young girls.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent History-If a Bit Biased
Review: Mary Queen of Scots is rarely discussed by historians in a dispassionate tone. Either they love her or they hate her. Antonia Frasier is VERY fond of her subject. While she makes good use of sources, she has an annoying habit of blowing off the sources that describe Mary as anything but a delightful, misunderstood monarch who was ahead of her time. This goes for everything from her involvement in the Darnley murder to her looks (god forbid someone say she was anything less than drop dead gorgeous). In some cases explaining away remarks as prejudiced is understandable, but often it is not. Criticism aside, Frasier delievers a rich narrative of the life of Mary, including her life in France before her personal rule, a side of the queen we rarely hear about. She also displays an impressive understanding of the Scottish court and the Elizabeth's England's relationship to Scotland. She manages to keep her ponderings about Mary's private feelings to a minimum. Although there is some attempts to explain Mary's psychological state, its only done when absolutely needed (after all, if you're reading this there's going to be times when you're mind is screaming "why?" when you read over some of the yutz stuff Mary seems to do). All in all, "Mary Queen of Scots" is a good read and more importantly, good history.
Rating:
Summary: Queen of Scots, Queen of France, Queen of Hearts
Review: Mary Stuart, only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, is a gift to biographers through the ages, not least because her life cleaves so easily into three stages: (1) her brilliant debut in the court of the Valois and her marriage to King Francis II; (2) her journey from Paris to Scotland, where she ruled through a series of misadventures; and (3) her flight to England, where she was captured by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, and eventually executed as a traitor at Fotheringay. Lady Antonia Fraser made her (now enormous) name in 1969 with this work - and the liveliness of her prose is often credited with a wider revival in narrative biography. What is now lost sight of is that Fraser's biography was, in many respects, revisionist in nature: not least because Fraser, herself a Catholic, was uniquely qualified to present Mary's credentials as Roman martyr, while at the same time unflinching cataloging her many personal failures. Another departure from the heroic tradition is her condemnation of 16th century Scottish nobility for the murderous rabble it truly was - especially the loathsome Bothwell. Finally, as Fraser explains at length, the trumped-up conviction and cruelly botched execution of Mary was nothing short of judicial murder. By the way, the early 1970s film starring Vanessa Redgrave, while excellent as a work of romantic history, is unconnected, and bears little resemblance to the grim contemporary environment as depicted by Fraser.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive biography of the tragically famous ruler
Review: Most famous for her beauty and horrific execution the history of her life is compelling litany of betrayal and tragic mistakes. For anyone interested in the period this is defiantly a must read. However there one issues that I take with the book. One is that Ms Fraser's good schooling shines through on many pages as she often quotes a line of two from Mary written in French without bothering to provide the led elite with a translation. This can often make funny little anecdotes seem rather pointless to the reader. Still there is no better way to discover the full scope of Mary and how people and events all conspired against her. Perhaps no resident of Edinburgh is more famous than Mary Queen of Scots. Ironically, she lived in the land for only twelve of her forty-four years and her period of personal rule lasted a mere six years, none of which were free from strife. Born as her father lay dying she became Queen before she was a week old. During her infancy King Henry VIII of England raided the country several times in order to kidnap the girl and secure her as a bride for his son Edward. She was sent to France by her Mother and raised as a daughter by the King. At the age of 16 she married the heir to the French throne who became King shortly thereafter. When her young husband died a year into his reign she was left a teenaged childless Queen Dowager. She returned to the land of her birth to find herself a Catholic Queen in a country in the midst of Protestant Reformation. Many of her protestant subjects feared that she would become a second 'Bloody Mary' and like her cousin Mary Tudor attempt to force her country back to the Catholic faith. Plots and rebellions against her were a persistent occurrence. Knowing herself to be in a weak position, needing to keep both her Catholic allies and her subjects contented, Mary set a policy of tolerance and moderation in religious matters. Radicals on both sides of the religious spectrum found fault with Mary's tolerance of the religious diversity in Scotland. Mary herself made matters worse by her disastrous romances. She married her cousin Henry Darnley in the hopes of strengthening her claim to the English throne. After only a few short months he began to plot against her in the hope of securing the throne of Scotland for himself. He and other Scottish nobles murdered Mary's private secretary and friend David Rizzio as she watched, helpless to intervene. When Mary was able to put down this rebellion he turned on his former allies and attempted unsuccessfully to reconcile with the Queen. In the end his erstwhile allies disgusted at his betrayal murdered him as he lay ill at his home Kirk O' Field. It is still debated how much Mary herself knew about the plans to murder her husband the Scottish king. With Darnley out of the way the remaining Scottish lords were horrified when one of their own kidnapped Mary and became her third husband. He was James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell was one of the leading suspects in the murder of Darnley. Her marriage to him cost her the love of her people, her tenuous friendship with her cousin Elizabeth I, and her catholic allies around Europe. In one short month Mary was driven from the throne, forced to abdicate in favor of her infant son and placed in captivity by the Scottish lords. Her husband escaped the country only to be taken prisoner in Denmark. Bothwell would live another eleven years in a dungeon slowly going insane.
Mary was also able to escape from her prison, the castle and Lochleven, and she made her way to the English border. Mary of Scotland was the last person whom Elizabeth would wish to see in her kingdom. Viewed by many Catholics as the rightful Queen of England, Mary was a great danger to Elizabeth. Mary became Elizabeth's "guest" and spent nineteen years in captivity in her cousin's country. Since Mary was also the unacknowledged heir to the throne, her jailers were always cautious to treat her with the respect due to one so close to becoming Queen of the land. As the years passed the captive Mary became a romantic figure to many and was able to restore the reputation lost by her marriage to Bothwell. In hopes of securing her freedom and of capturing Elizabeth's throne, Mary began to communicate clandestinely with English Catholics and her European allies. Using her claim to the English throne as leverage, she began to look for a fourth husband who would free her, overthrow Elizabeth and rule at her side. Eventually Elizabeth was forced to have Mary executed in 1587.
Her execution led Phillip of Spain to launch the armada against England in 1588. Mary was never able to sit on the throne of England as Queen. However, since 1603 all the monarchs of England have been her direct descendants. She is buried in Westminster Abbey in London, a city she never saw while alive.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting in Small Doses
Review: Most of us are familiar with the later story of Mary Queen of Scots and her tragic demise at the hands of Queen Elizabeth. This studiously written book fills in the early details of Mary's life and so forth. Reading like a text book this account is often ponderous but read in small increments it is palatable and worthwhile, especially for those history buffs or students who need minute details of the life of Mary. Often times the reader gets the feeling much of the old accounts are surmised and subject to interpretation. In this case all the facts are carefully documented with footnotes and references used to obtain them. There have been many more interesting accounts of Mary written but how accurate and truthful is a valid question. The precise documentation of this book leaves little doubt as to its validity in this interesting chapter of history.
Rating:
Summary: Still a hot debate!
Review: Perhaps I should have been able to perceive the bias in Antonia Frazier's book, however I came to this subject blank. Bias mattered little, it turned out, it was the more general facts and the sumptuous peripheral details of those times that were so valuable to a new student. The contrasting geographies, and the even more divergent cultures were lovingly cast. The effette courtiers of Paris could not have been less similar to the Scottish war lords who took violent control of their Queen's destiny.
I did not, as other reviewers have complained think worse of Elizabeth at the harsh end of Mary's life. It seemed that a bloody era and a bloody passage to the throne would occassion bloody means to maintain it. The damage heaped upon the world by the religious wars continues today, still bloody, and still primitive.
I cannot help but be far more compelled by the sexual politics that were so important to both monarchs. Elizabeth I, surely wiser than the delicate Mary, was jealous, we are told of the woman with the white hands and delicate features. Brains counted, but looks hurt, and how difficult all of the politics were for women, despite their stature. All of these circumstances are richly embedded in the text and I feel, for my purposes, the rewards are well worth it.
When I read Antonia Frazier, I am seeking a story, and oftentimes a bit of romance with my history.
Frazier, is a brilliant woman, and a great read. That is why I choose and recommend her to others looking to enjoy while they learn, and for whom the learning, is bettered by broad color and scope.
Rating:
Summary: Still a hot debate!
Review: Perhaps I should have been able to perceive the bias in Antonia Frazier's book, however I came to this subject blank. Bias mattered little, it turned out, it was the more general facts and the sumptuous peripheral details of those times that were so valuable to a new student. The contrasting geographies, and the even more divergent cultures were lovingly cast. The effette courtiers of Paris could not have been less similar to the Scottish war lords who took violent control of their Queen's destiny.
I did not, as other reviewers have complained think worse of Elizabeth at the harsh end of Mary's life. It seemed that a bloody era and a bloody passage to the throne would occassion bloody means to maintain it. The damage heaped upon the world by the religious wars continues today, still bloody, and still primitive.
I cannot help but be far more compelled by the sexual politics that were so important to both monarchs. Elizabeth I, surely wiser than the delicate Mary, was jealous, we are told of the woman with the white hands and delicate features. Brains counted, but looks hurt, and how difficult all of the politics were for women, despite their stature. All of these circumstances are richly embedded in the text and I feel, for my purposes, the rewards are well worth it.
When I read Antonia Frazier, I am seeking a story, and oftentimes a bit of romance with my history.
Frazier, is a brilliant woman, and a great read. That is why I choose and recommend her to others looking to enjoy while they learn, and for whom the learning, is bettered by broad color and scope.
|
