Rating: 
Summary: very hard to put down!
Review: I am so happy I found this book, which was by accident. About 6 years ago I read several biographies of ER (Including the very good one by Alison Weir) but found myself unable to remember a lot of the details a few years later - I remember Dudley but not his title (Leicester) and didn't he have a son or something that ER also doted on? (Robert Devereux, his stepson from his marriage to Lettice Knollys). Now after reading this wonderful novel I feel that I "know" the historical people and can never forget them or the timeline. I also feel as though I "know" ER - biographies based on 3rd person accounts will always be a bit of a caricature but this book let me imagine what she might have been like as a person. There are many good novels featuring ER, including "The Queen's Fool" and the mysteries by Patricia Finney. This one was very, very hard to put down. I would rate is as best among them, and that is saying a lot. If you suffered under the 1998 Movie "Elizabeth" and it's silly fiction then this book is the antidote. It is readable, intelligent and highlights the inherently interesting life that ER lived. If you loved the movie and are looking for something more, you may or may not like this book. The author takes some liberties since it is a novel, but she remains true to the timeline and actual people who lived during that time. There is so much of interest in ER's life that there is little need to embellish the tale by making up new characters, moving the timeline around and adding absurdities such as poisoned dresses. This novel will give the reader a firm feel of the history and biography of ER, and those looking for more facts should check out Alison Wier's bio, and those looking for more entertainment will enjoy the 6 part series starring Glenda Jackson, which is also true to facts.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible book...bad view of the Virgin Queen
Review: I checked this book out from my library expecting it to be good. I read a long fine with the content, untill THE VIRGIN QUEEN lost her virginity. What was Rosalind Miles thinking???? She was celibate her entire life, and never did anything sinful with men. Her and Dudley were friends. Ms. Miles answered to society's plea for more SEX, as sex has engulfed media lately, with this romance novel with horrid sinful scenes that went into grafic detail about her having sex. DO NOT read this book, it tries to trash Elizabeth's blessed and unsinful virginity. If there was the option to rate the book with zero stars, i would have.
Rating:
Summary: She was a Tudor through and through!!
Review: I must admit that, after reading this, I was not overly impressed with the Virgin Queen. She was every other inch her father's daughter...right down to the unfair tortures and imprisonments of some around her. But that in itself is not a condemnation of this book...quite the contrary. Ms Miles' history of Elizabeth the first was a most incredible ride from her days of flirtation to her last love and all the action and romance in between. I don't know how historically accurate this was, but it was certainly an intriguing read. I never cry over books and this one had me in tears in places. Well done, Ms. Miles. I want to read others.
Rating:
Summary: Blech. . .
Review: I picked up this book expecting it to be a great one; the blurb on the back made it sound very good. I started it eagerly and, yeah, it started good, then. . . Have you ever been on a roller coaster? You know how it suddenly plunges and makes you want to be sick? That is the analogy I would use. This book went down quickly. I was sitting there, reading this IN SCHOOL FOR SSR, and then there was a PARAGRAPH simply describing Henry's codpiece. . . let's not go into detail. It almost made me get sick, and I couldn't read it for severaly weeks. I shrugged it aside though, but then the plunge NEVER ENDED! It was like constantly wanting to barf and laugh because it's so stupid. Well, needless to say, after about 400 pages of ELizabeth saying, "Look at me. I'm the beautiful one here. No, not you Lettice. No, not you Frances. Look at me! I'm so perfect. Listen to me go into long boring dialogues on how everyone loves ME" I had to quit. I mean, Elizabeth was a wee bit vain, but it was ridiculous in this book. Spare yourself the pain of being wapped upside the head with STUPID DETAILS. Go read some Jean Plaidy. . .
Rating:
Summary: This is a Great book
Review: I read this book 3 times and now I'm reading it for the fourth time, it's such a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was rather excited about reading this book as a simple, easy way to learn more about one of history's most intriguing figures. In the end, I was rather disappointed. The book was not particularly well-written and did not flow well. Worse yet, the author failed to portray Elizabeth as a strong leader and more like a weak, frail queen subject to her lusts and relying almost entirely on her advisors for ruling. The plot did not really explain while Elizabeth never married, despite several love affairs and extreme pressure to do so to protect the throne.
Rating:
Summary: engaging and educational
Review: It mixes both the facts of Elizabethan life as well as giving vivd life to the days in a world which can only be described as diabolical. plots, intrigues, love and lust are dramatic and engaging. Miles adds to the piognancy by slipping in phrases from plays and poems of the time, a fun extra to Elizabethan literture buffs. A MUST!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest imaginative novels ever
Review: So much has been written about Elizabeth I that unless you're an academic, you would not have time to read every book about her life. But you don't have to. Rosalind Miles' I, ELIZABETH is that rare thing--a historical novel that transcends the genre to become a classic of contemporary fiction. Rosalind Miles is perhaps best known for her Arthurian novels, the Guenevere trilogy and the Isolde trilogy. But I, ELIZABETH is perhaps her finest work. It is meticulously researched (in addition to her impressive work as a novelist, the author is also a credentialed scholar and historian) and beautifully written in the voice of the great queen herself. Few other "memoirs" have equaled this one in capturing the essence of a legendary historical figure. Margaret George's classic THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII is the only other one that comes to mind, and perhaps it's no coincidence that Elizabeth, his daughter is just as intriguing as he was, if not more. For a woman who outshone the great kings of her day and whose reign is still acknowleged 400 years later as a golden era in Europe's history, Elizabeth was also a humane, cunning, humorous and vulnerable person, as evidenced by her writings and contemporary accounts. Rosalind Miles brings to life both sides of the woman in a novel that is by turns touching, funny, poignant, tragic and triumphant. It speaks to readers today in a way that few historical novels do. This is truly a masterpiece, and one for the ages. You are not likely to find another such book anytime soon.
Rating: 
Summary: well-researched, well-written
Review: The amount of research that went into this narrative is simply amazing, and it shows in the level of detail of the story. The author gives a solid sense of place and atmostphere as the queen's story unfolds, giving the reader an insightful window into what life very well could have been like for the monarchs and courtiers of 16th-century England. The writing truly gets into the mind -- and heart -- of Elizabeth on the amazingly difficult and triumphant journey of her life.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings...
Review: The book is broken up into sections "Parts of my History" as described.
-Bastard
-Virgin
-Queen
-Bellona
-Gloriana
Perhaps its just the subject matter, but after about a month, I gave up on finishing it. I could not get past "Bellona." The first two parts were excellent, but I had to force myself to get through Queen. Miles shows Elizabeth as determined to gain the throne all through the first two parts, and then when she finally recieves her much awaited position, is it JUST me or does the author portray her as some ninny that went and hid behind her advisors while she day-dreamed of "Sweet Robin." Yea, whatever.
I haven't even read Philppa Gregory's soon to be released "The Virgins Lover" from what I can understand it is about Elizabeth's first few years of Queen. I can already guarntee you that will be better, also, grab Jean Plaidy's "Queen of this Realm" much, much better.
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