Book Review: The Other Queen: A Novel: Philippa Gregory: Books
Book Review: The Other Queen: A Novel: Philippa Gregory: Books
It’s not a bad book, but nor is it terribly compelling.,
By Julia Flyte -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Other Queen: A Novel (Hardcover)
“The Other Queen” is about Mary, Queen of Scots’ imprisonment in England, focusing on the early years of her imprisonment. Like “The Boleyn Inheritance”, the story alternates between three perspectives. The narrators are George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, Bess of Hardwick who were charged with responsibility for the Queen; the third narrator is Mary, Queen of Scots. Bess is an ambitious social climber who initially thinks that hosting Queen Mary will be a way to advance the family fortunes, but who is dismayed to find that it drains their financial resources instead. George on the other hand becomes infatuated with the Queen, which causes irreparable friction in his own marriage.
I’ve enjoyed other books by Philippa Gregory, but The Other Queen lacks momentum. It’s a long book and not a lot happens (and when things do happen, they’re invariably taking place somewhere else, rather than happening to the characters who are telling the story). You get the feeling that most of the exciting parts of Mary’s life have already taken place, so there is lots of time spent filling in her back story. I enjoyed the book in a mild way, but it felt so repetitive: countless variations on Bess complaining about money, George idealizing Mary and Mary telling us how charming she is. Bess was actually quite a remarkable woman for her time, but she comes across as being so unpleasant that she failed to elicit my sympathy. I was also disappointed that Elizabeth I barely appears - only in one short scene, when Talbot goes to London to meet with her.
As always, Philippa Gregory has done her research. I didn’t necessarily agree with her interpretation of Mary’s personality, but I couldn’t fault it on historical grounds. It did feel however as if she couldn’t quite make up her mind what the nature of Mary and Bothwell’s relationship had been and why Mary had chosen to marry him, which I think is something that she needed to establish more clearly. Towards the end of the book events also get twisted and compressed, presumably to bring about a neater conclusion. Mary’s execution (still 15 years away) is described in a dream sequence: couldn’t Philippa Gregory come up with a better way to include it?
I kept waiting for the book to get going, but it never really did. At one stage Bess writes: “I can hardly believe that this nightmare goes on, goes on and on, and we never achieve victory and we never achieve peace”. In many ways that reflects how I felt about the book. It’s not a bad book, but nor is it terribly compelling.
Good Points and Bad Points,
By ILizbeth -
This review is from: The Other Queen: A Novel (Hardcover)
First the good points about this books.
1. This is Philippa Gregory, so you know that the writing will be well done and the research thorough
2. Very interesting take on the relationship between Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband Bothwell
Now the bad points:
1. As others have noted, practically nothing happens in this book. It drags
2. Most of the action happened in the past and is being retold
3. Unlike TOBG which had snappy dialogue that made you keep turning the pages, this feels like one long monologue told by several different people all droning on and on
All in all, three stars.
`She can speak three languages, but she can tell the truth in none of them.’,
By J. Cameron-Smith “Expect the Unexpected” (ACT, Australia) -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Other Queen: A Novel (Hardcover)
In 1568, Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge in England. She has trusted Elizabeth I’s promise of sanctuary only to find herself imprisoned on Elizabeth’s behalf by George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife Bess of Hardwick.
Ms Gregory has taken the familiar story of the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots in England and presented the viewpoints of those obliged by Queen Elizabeth to act as her gaolers. The impact on the Shrewsburys should not be underestimated: keeping Mary Queen of Scots captive was not without its costs (both monetary and political). While Mary herself lived, she was both wittingly and unwittingly a focal point for political and religious intrigue.
In terms of the main characters in the novel, Mary herself comes across as manipulative and naive. Bess of Hardwick is far more interesting than her husband George, while Elizabeth herself is torn between removing the threat to her throne and herself and a reluctance to execute a fellow monarch. Ms Gregory presents an intriguing, if not always exciting, picture of a number of people thrown together by fate. This particular version of the story, focussed as it is on Mary’s long period of imprisonment, not likely to bring much joy to those who prefer to see more action or a more sympathetic depiction of Mary. I enjoyed the novel without being fully swept up by it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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