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Summary: Hail Britainia
Review: A great book about a Queen whose story reads more like "The Godfather" than you'd guess.Elizabeth I, thrust onto the throne while her country was still in the midst of it's centuries-long emergence from Roman rule, turned England into Great Britain through a heady mixture of guile, guts, and British steel(How's that for rhetoric?). It's a great book, as are most of Erickson's titles.
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Summary: The Queen was a demanding Woman
Review: I found this an interesting book. It depicts a Queen Elizabeth quite different in some ways from other biographies I have read of her. I found it memorable because what we are shown here is why Elizabeth was 'different' to her contempoary women. Elizabeth was a loud, demanding woman with a temper. Regal in all she did, she did not gain her strengths by behaving like a man, but by concentrating what made her unique. She was TUDOR to her fingertips and proud of the fact, and her vulernbilty because she was a woman without an heir was camoflagued in many cases by her personality. A worthwhile read in my view if only to get a different slant on this facintating woman.
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Summary: Excellent, excellent biography!
Review: I have never had the pleasure of saying that a biography was hard to put down, but this is. I first encountered this book in college while taking a British History course, and I was hooked. It has been eight years since I took that course, and I am on my fourth re-reading. Every time I notice a detail that I did not before. I am fascinated by the Tudors and especially Elizabeth I. Erickson's prose is so engaging and lively you will forget you are reading a historical biography. I have the film Elizabeth, but I was disappointed in the lapses and the fact that it only covers her first year as queen. Of course, it would be a very long movie if it covered her entire reign, but buy this book to discover more of the "real" Elizabeth. Great read!
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Summary: Excellent, excellent biography!
Review: I have read this book many times, but the life of Elizabeth I never ceases to fascinate me. The abandoned child of a disgraced mother, Elizabeth survived her father and both her siblings to become the mistress of England. Shrewd, willful, charismatic, and completely in control, she dominated and used those around her to fulfill her goals. Ruling alone, she suceeded in unifying England under one church, defeating Spain, and making Britain a driving force in Europe. This is my favorite of all of Carolly Erickson's books. Go ahead. Just read it!
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Summary: Elizabeth the Woman & the Queen
Review: I have read this book several times over the years and have found it engrossing both on the historical and dramatic level. The author manages to portray Elizabeth as an all powerful monarch as well as a very human woman with all of her strengths, weaknesses and faults. The personality of Elizabeth is emphasized throughout and so the reader is left feeling that something of the person behind the legend is revealed. Carolly Erickson also reveals a great deal of the political and social environment in which this woman functioned. Knowing the political and social environment in which she was raised, came to power and ruled makes her life story that much more remarkable. Overall I found this book very worthwhile and enjoyable reading.
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Summary: Nearly reads like a novel ...
Review: I tend to read mostly fiction, but for some reason earlier this year I decided to foray into biographies. This book gives you a peek into Elizabethan life, gives you insight into Elizabeth I's personality, and you learn quite a lot of history, scandals, and rumours-of-the-day along the way. This book reads more like a biographical novel than a pure biography, which, considering the subject matter is about 500-years old, probably means some license was taken with dialogue, etc., however, I think the style makes the subject infinitely more memorable.
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Summary: Nearly reads like a novel ...
Review: I tend to read mostly fiction, but for some reason earlier this year I decided to foray into biographies. This book gives you a peek into Elizabethan life, gives you insight into Elizabeth I's personality, and you learn quite a lot of history, scandals, and rumours-of-the-day along the way. This book reads more like a biographical novel than a pure biography, which, considering the subject matter is about 500-years old, probably means some license was taken with dialogue, etc., however, I think the style makes the subject infinitely more memorable.
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Summary: A very different Elizabeth
Review: Like others who have reviewed this book, I felt that it painted a very different picture of Elizabeth than what we see in movies or have read in other books. I enjoyed Carroly Erickson's style of writing and feel that she presents an accurate if not at times unappealing portrait of the most famous of the Tudors.
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Summary: First Elizabeth a reading pleasure
Review: The major difference in "The First Elizabeth" by Carolly Erickson and "The Life of Elizabeth I" by Alison Weir is stylistic. Both women are thoroughly versed in the life of their royal subject, and obviously enthusiastic about her as well. Erickson's style, however, leans more toward novelistic narrative. She seems to be sitting with you, telling you a story about this great monarch with her infamous "virgin" status, her political adeptness, her fearsome temper, her penchant for swearing oaths that made one's blood freeze, and her ability to command deep love and adoration from her subjects. This style is especially appealing for those for whom this biography is their first foray into Tudor biography. It introduces the major players in the queen's life thoroughly so that one is well acquainted with Robert Dudley, Cecil and Walsingham, as well as Mary I and the many other colorful characters that populated the Queen's life. You also get a real feel for the terror and uncertainty of Elizabeth's youth, when she lived in fear of death at the hands of her unstable, Catholic sister. Erickson adroitly paints a stunning (and sometimes shocking) picture of life at court - and what a life it must have been. Living at the various castles Elizabeth moved between (they changed castles regularly so that the one previously used could be cleaned and "aired out") was far from our 21st century idea of luxury, and when you read about the trials and travails inherent in the Queen's annual "progresses", you'll never gripe about rush-hour traffic again! Again, I would recommend this to anyone starting out to read about Elizabeth I, and to the reader already familiar with the life of the greatest queen of England. Those of the latter group might find that the author falls in love a bit too much with her subject (and who wouldn't, as this lady is one of the most fascinating people in history). In some places towards the end the flow of the narrative (going from event to event) isn't quite as seamless as it could be (you feel as though you are jumping from one to the other without a lead-in sentence/paragraph) but never mind that. Erickson does a marvelous job of painting a portrait of the life and times of Elizabeth and it's a most pleasurable learning experience and enjoyable read. After finishing "Elizabeth I", the reader would do well to continue on with Weir's biography mentioned above. I started with Weir and am now committed to reading Erickson's extensive series on the Tudors, including "Great Harry", "Mistress Anne", etc.
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Summary: Better Than the Movie
Review: The recent film "Elizabeth" may look stunning - intense faces, fabulous costumes, great interiors - but the plot and characterizations are generic and thin, a pseudo-historical mishmash that's nowhere near as interesting as the real story. If you want the real scoop on the "Virgin Queen," her handsome maybe-lover Robert Dudley, the traitorous Duke of Norfolk, the foppish Duke of Anjou, the thrillingly intricate plots and counter-plots that filled Elizabeth's long reign, then read this book. I can't imagine how Erickson organized so many colorful characters, vivid depictions of Elizabethan life, and complex religious/political struggles into such a compelling and readable narrative. I couldn't put it down!
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