The Other Queen
by Philippa Gregory
published
April 7th 2008
by HarperCollins
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binding
Unknown Binding
isbn
0007265778
(isbn13: 9780007265770)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1854)
Read in October, 2008
i am a phillipa gregory fan. well actually, i've never read her meridion series, but i do love her tudor series. so my excitement and expectation levels for the other queen were quite high. and then i started reading the book, and they crashed. not unlike the stock market this past week.
the history itself is fabulous a great story- mary, queen of scots ran away from the scottish uprising against her to take refuge in england, only to be "imprisioned" by elizabeth. mary then plott...more
the history itself is fabulous a great story- mary, queen of scots ran away from the scottish uprising against her to take refuge in england, only to be "imprisioned" by elizabeth. mary then plott...more
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Read in October, 2008
I seem to be giving a lot of "three star" scores to books I've read. These all turn out to be enjoyable books, but somehow don't make that leap to greatness that in my mind qualify them for that extra star or two.
The Other Queen is the latest historical fiction from Phillippa Gregory, and is set during the time of the house arrest of Mary Queen of Scots. Interestingly, much of the novel focuses on her hostess during the arrest, Bess of Hardwick. The book is written in first-pers...more
The Other Queen is the latest historical fiction from Phillippa Gregory, and is set during the time of the house arrest of Mary Queen of Scots. Interestingly, much of the novel focuses on her hostess during the arrest, Bess of Hardwick. The book is written in first-pers...more
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Read in June, 2008
This is a review based on an Advanced Copy obtained at Book Expo 2008
Like a good wine, Gregory's work only improves with time. I found The Other Boleyn Girl to be tawdry and lurid, but have been pleasantly surprised with her works since then.
The Other Queen tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, through her voice and the voices of her jailers, Bess and George, Countess and Count of Shrewsbury. Mary's character, however, is not a sympathetic one--she's manipulati...more
Like a good wine, Gregory's work only improves with time. I found The Other Boleyn Girl to be tawdry and lurid, but have been pleasantly surprised with her works since then.
The Other Queen tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, through her voice and the voices of her jailers, Bess and George, Countess and Count of Shrewsbury. Mary's character, however, is not a sympathetic one--she's manipulati...more
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Read in October, 2008
Philippa Gregory is always good if I'm in the mood for scandal, intrigue, and catty women. Since her last two more recent books weren't as exciting as The Other Boleyn Girl, The Virgin Lover, and The Queen's Fool, I wasn't expecting too much from this one.
The jacket makes The Other Queen out to be more about Mary and the battle for Bess's husband, but really, it's all about Bess. Mary Queen of Scots is reduced to a conniving, flirtatious, underhanded, manipulati...more
The jacket makes The Other Queen out to be more about Mary and the battle for Bess's husband, but really, it's all about Bess. Mary Queen of Scots is reduced to a conniving, flirtatious, underhanded, manipulati...more
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Historical fiction is masterfully written by author Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl), and her newest installment of English history has just been released. The Other Queen tells the story of the captive years of Mary, Queen of Scots, who trusted her cousin Queen Elizabeth’s promise of sanctuary, but instead found herself the “guest” of the Earl of Shewsbury and his wife. Bess of Nardwick.
Author Gregory uses her passion for historical accuracy to tell the story of the beautiful yo...more
Author Gregory uses her passion for historical accuracy to tell the story of the beautiful yo...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
history lovers
I listened to this on audiobook. It was well read and a very good listen and entry into Gregory's books of this time period. Mary of Scotland was portrayed as a very conniving woman and fairly and rough and tumble in that she rode astride and shimmied down ropes in escape attempts.
As the mother of King James (of the King James Bible), it is interesting how dishonorable she is portrayed as being and her sense of entitlement that she was raised to expect as the future Queen of Scotland and Fra...more
As the mother of King James (of the King James Bible), it is interesting how dishonorable she is portrayed as being and her sense of entitlement that she was raised to expect as the future Queen of Scotland and Fra...more
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Read in August, 2008
While this book took me a few chapters to "fall into it", once I got going, I found it to be quite enjoyable and educational. It is the story of the imprisonment of "Bloody" Mary, the Queen of Scotland by Queen Elizabeth of England. It is told from the first person point of view, jumping from Mary herself, to George, the Lord whose home poses as her prison, to George's wife Bess, a trademen's daughter who has greatly married up in the world. their lives all intertwine in g...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Paula by:
new title buyingrecommends it for: factual historical readers
Gregory is of course, an international best seller. Like Alison Wier, she combines her historical knowledge and personalises it.
I read this knowing the outcome (hello, who doesn't?) but he finality of it was still a shock. Bess of Hardwick was the character that drew me in - I have wanted to read Mary S Lovell's biography for a long time - and Gregory's portrayal of a woman so far ahead in thinking and ability is good.
I read this knowing the outcome (hello, who doesn't?) but he finality of it was still a shock. Bess of Hardwick was the character that drew me in - I have wanted to read Mary S Lovell's biography for a long time - and Gregory's portrayal of a woman so far ahead in thinking and ability is good.
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Read in October, 2008
A very entertaining historical fiction about Mary Queen of Scots and her relationship with her English captors, followers, and Queen Elizabeth.
Although the tale had me at the edge of my seat at times, this was not my favorite Gregory novel because at other times it read like a soap opera and tended to drag. Granted, this is probably true to the history but doesn't make it an easier to get through.
I still recommend this for any Gregory fans or lovers of good historical fiction.
Although the tale had me at the edge of my seat at times, this was not my favorite Gregory novel because at other times it read like a soap opera and tended to drag. Granted, this is probably true to the history but doesn't make it an easier to get through.
I still recommend this for any Gregory fans or lovers of good historical fiction.
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Read in October, 2008
Meh. It was ok. I have enjoyed her books in the past, but this one did not keep my attention. The book is told from three different perspectives, Mary Queen of Scots, Bess Shrewsbury, and her husband, George the Earl of Shrewbury. Honestly, I think the format made the book feel very repetitive. It moved a lot slower than what I expected, which isn't always bad, but if it moves slowly, I want the book to be worth the wait. And, sadly, this one, for me at least, wasn't.
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Read in August, 2008
The story of Mary Queen of Scots and her captors Earl of Shrewsbury and Bess of Hardwick. I quite enjoyed this book although it is repetitive. Bess talks non-stop about her lands and church silver, George talks non-stop about his honour and Mary just talks non-stop about anything. It lacks the passion that made her previous Tudor novels so compelling.
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I love Phillippa Gregory's books, but I didn't really care for this one at all. The constant back-and-forth between the three main characters' points of view was a bit much for me, and I never felt like I got to know any of them. The plot took a long time getting off the ground, and the repetition was very frustrating (as several other reviews have noted). I enjoyed her other books though, so I'd be willing to give her another shot in the future.
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Read in July, 2008
Shifting between the thoughts of alternating narrators is NOT my favorite format for a novel. In real life we do tend to keep thinking the same thoughts over and over, but that doesn't mean I want to read them in a book! That said, once I got past the earlier sections and the action behind these repetitious thoughts started to speed up, I did enjoy the book. I knew Mary before only as a background character in the reign of Elizabeth I.
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Read in September, 2008
Not my favorite Gregory book. Like some others who read it, I found the content extremely repetitive and the storyline lacking excitement. Unlike other Gregory books where I couldn't get enough, I had to persist in finishing this one. But like most historical fiction novels, I did at least find the overall story rather interesting and it made me curious about the characters.
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Love historical fiction, love Philippa Gregory. However, this book was not my favorite. It was very slow. I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again. There are 3 main characters and the chapters alternate between their words. I felt like each of them basically said the same thing in every chapter. I started skimming pages because it was so predictable.
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Read in February, 2008
I was really excited to get a reading copy of this book, and then it started in a really strange first person that frankly scared me. I had a flashback to The Constant Princess. Once I got past that though, I really liked it. It's a totally different take on Mary Queen of Scots, and very interesting. I would recommend it to anyone who's been a fan of her other books.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
no one
I have yet to finish this book and do not plan to. It was awful. I hated how the story was being told through three different characters, there was no flow from one voice to the next. It was just choppy and the overall story was lacking. Philippa Gregory novels are hit and misses. She has some pretty good novels and than some wretched ones.
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Read in October, 2008
A compelling look at the years Mary spent as a royal prisoner, told by her "jailers", Bess and George and by Mary herself. This novel overcame being written in first person and present tense, two styles I generally avoid, by drawing me into the relationships of three people thrown together by Elizabeth.
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Read in October, 2008
I love Philippa Gregory's writing style! My sister gave me The Other Boleyn about 2 or 3 years ago and I fell in love with her books! I've read them all! I just started reading this one last night so I haven't gotten very far yet. I have high expectations though!
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Read in October, 2008
Another great book by Phillipa Gregory! I wasn't as "into" this book as some of her others, but it was still a great work of historical fiction. I like that the focus was on Mary, Queen of Scot's perspective vs. Elizabeth's. It was an interesting and fun read.
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