false 381713 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 381713 10 371491 2003 Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens total:401|5:96|4:164|3:112|2:21|1:8| 401 1522 737 62 67300 3.78 442 69 22012257 138214 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.82 349 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 5 2 false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun May 11 04:00:21 -0700 2008 Sat May 17 02:33:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 10918456 699771 381721 0002571501 9780002571500 1 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332145m/381721.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332145s/381721.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381721.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 4.00 9 Elizabeth and Mary takes as its rich and explosive subject matter the ultimately fatal relationship between Queen Elizabeth I of England and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. Throughout much of the second half of the 16th century, these two women found themselves queens of their kingdoms and locked in a battle for possession of the British Isles, which only ended with Mary's eventual downfall and execution at Elizabeth's hands in 1586.

As Dunn points out in her meticulous and compelling recreation of the complex relationship between the two women, "from that one act of regicide, a queen killing a fellow queen, has spun a mythology of justification, romance, accusation, and blame that retains its force right to the present day." Her approach attempts to avoid myth and romance and understand the complex bond that existed between the two women. Elizabeth, the apparent victor, "was haunted by a deep-rooted insecurity as to her own legitimacy", while Mary was pursued by claims of sexual excess and immersion in murderous plots against husbands and enemies, variously seen as "a wronged Madonna or a murderous jezebel."

Dunn elegantly follows the ups and downs of both monarchs as they strive for political power. Mary's tumultuous reign as Queen of Scotland is particularly well handled, as is Elizabeth's agonised vacillation over her decision to execute Mary. In the end, death triumphed over both, and ensured that each was "elevated to an idealised majesty" for very different reasons. Dunn has marshalled an impressive body of evidence that never overwhelms this psychologically nuanced account of these two remarkable women. --Jerry Brotton

]]> 2003 4 2 false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Dec 23 11:17:48 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 23 11:23:15 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4700720 286960 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 4 2 false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Aug 17 11:32:30 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 05:41:32 -0800 2009 more...]]> 38403055 1291846 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 4 1 false Wed Apr 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Nov 22 15:14:04 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 15:14:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 79227049 2084360 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 3 0 false Tue Nov 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 28 14:39:07 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 28 15:14:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 69396251 2682466 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 4 0 false Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Aug 29 20:21:25 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 20:30:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 52815429 2030200 1295363 0375408983 9780375408984 4 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182557198m/1295363.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182557198s/1295363.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1295363.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.48 27 Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens offers a blend of history and biography that traces the "dynamic interaction" between two of the most powerful women in Western history. Dunn remains ever aware of the uniqueness of her two central figures: both women ruled as divinely ordained monarchs in a male dominated power structure; and both women were from the same family (Elizabeth I was the granddaughter of Henry VII, and Mary Queen of Scots the great-granddaughter of King Henry).

By focusing not on pure biography but instead on relationships, Dunn is able to narrow her book (still mammoth in scope) to the most salient and interesting events in the two queens' lives. The book begins in 1558, the year in which Mary first wed and Elizabeth assumed the throne of England. Almost immediately the cousins were embroiled in a conflict that would endure for the remainder of Mary's life. A restless, sexually-active Catholic, and leader of the Scottish people in alliance with France, Mary was ever a conduit for rumors of rebellion. The "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth used Mary as a dark reflection to underline her own celibate constancy as a ruler of law and order.

The pair never met face to face, but as Dunn reveals, their lives were closely intertwined. After holding Mary in Fotheringhay prison for nearly two decades, Elizabeth ordered her cousin executed in 1587. Mary had chosen martyrdom in favor of a confession to complicity in the Babington assassination plot. In court, she declared: "I would never make Shipwreck of my Soul by conspiring the Destruction of my dearest Sister." Though the ostensible victor, Elizabeth (who had struggled to find a way to release her cousin while still upholding her own power as queen) confessed, "I am not free, but a captive." In Elizabeth and Mary, Dunn has built a rich world that underlines the tragic struggle between private emotions and the public faces history puts on them. --Patrick O'Kelley

]]> 2003 5 1 false Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 14:58:21 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 06:36:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 56415847 2104474 804296 000653192X 9780006531920 1 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178524186m/804296.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178524186s/804296.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/804296.Elizabeth_and_Mary 3.54 13 Elizabeth and Mary takes as its rich and explosive subject matter the ultimately fatal relationship between Queen Elizabeth I of England and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. Throughout much of the second half of the 16th century, these two women found themselves queens of their kingdoms and locked in a battle for possession of the British Isles, which only ended with Mary's eventual downfall and execution at Elizabeth's hands in 1586.

As Dunn points out in her meticulous and compelling recreation of the complex relationship between the two women, "from that one act of regicide, a queen killing a fellow queen, has spun a mythology of justification, romance, accusation, and blame that retains its force right to the present day." Her approach attempts to avoid myth and romance and understand the complex bond that existed between the two women. Elizabeth, the apparent victor, "was haunted by a deep-rooted insecurity as to her own legitimacy", while Mary was pursued by claims of sexual excess and immersion in murderous plots against husbands and enemies, variously seen as "a wronged Madonna or a murderous jezebel."

Dunn elegantly follows the ups and downs of both monarchs as they strive for political power. Mary's tumultuous reign as Queen of Scotland is particularly well handled, as is Elizabeth's agonised vacillation over her decision to execute Mary. In the end, death triumphed over both, and ensured that each was "elevated to an idealised majesty" for very different reasons. Dunn has marshalled an impressive body of evidence that never overwhelms this psychologically nuanced account of these two remarkable women. --Jerry Brotton

]]> 2003 0 0 false Sun May 17 17:26:54 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 17:39:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 51837342 2052429 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 2 0 false Tue Apr 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 13:00:36 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 14:02:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 12068651 762307 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 4 0 false Thu Jan 24 15:03:37 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 09 09:59:52 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 09 10:09:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 52301950 1170687 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 3 0 false Sun Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 11 10:43:12 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 10:43:41 -0700 2009 40334798 1803764 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 5 1 false Wed Dec 17 15:38:03 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 15:38:40 -0800 2008 77101532 2859126 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 4 0 false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 08 09:44:41 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 09:49:10 -0800 2009 62847580 2045724 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 3 0 false Sat Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 18:44:37 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 17:00:44 -0700 2009 26520139 781083 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 3 0 false Sun Aug 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 07:32:22 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 31 15:00:17 -0700 2008 I had read several books about Elizabeth a...more...]]> 17486264 835567 1295363 0375408983 9780375408984 4 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182557198m/1295363.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182557198s/1295363.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1295363.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens offers a blend of history and biography that traces the "dynamic interaction" between two of the most powerful women in Western history. Dunn remains ever aware of the uniqueness of her two central figures: both women ruled as divinely ordained monarchs in a male dominated power structure; and both women were from the same family (Elizabeth I was the granddaughter of Henry VII, and Mary Queen of Scots the great-granddaughter of King Henry).

By focusing not on pure biography but instead on relationships, Dunn is able to narrow her book (still mammoth in scope) to the most salient and interesting events in the two queens' lives. The book begins in 1558, the year in which Mary first wed and Elizabeth assumed the throne of England. Almost immediately the cousins were embroiled in a conflict that would endure for the remainder of Mary's life. A restless, sexually-active Catholic, and leader of the Scottish people in alliance with France, Mary was ever a conduit for rumors of rebellion. The "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth used Mary as a dark reflection to underline her own celibate constancy as a ruler of law and order.

The pair never met face to face, but as Dunn reveals, their lives were closely intertwined. After holding Mary in Fotheringhay prison for nearly two decades, Elizabeth ordered her cousin executed in 1587. Mary had chosen martyrdom in favor of a confession to complicity in the Babington assassination plot. In court, she declared: "I would never make Shipwreck of my Soul by conspiring the Destruction of my dearest Sister." Though the ostensible victor, Elizabeth (who had struggled to find a way to release her cousin while still upholding her own power as queen) confessed, "I am not free, but a captive." In Elizabeth and Mary, Dunn has built a rich world that underlines the tragic struggle between private emotions and the public faces history puts on them. --Patrick O'Kelley

]]> 2003 3 0 false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 10 20:59:39 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 10 21:05:42 -0700 2008
The story of these two queens is riveting, but the writing style of this biography is not. The author is needlessly rep...more...]]> 35696019 1605591 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 4 0 false Sun Oct 19 11:59:03 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 28 12:57:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 50050113 1414556 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 3 0 false Sat Apr 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 07:44:12 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 19:47:11 -0700 2009
I loved the story but feel the book was a bit too long and very repetitive in parts.
]]> 54949190 1371068 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 5 0 false Wed Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 04 16:27:33 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 16:28:41 -0700 2009 78008446 1351876 381713 0375708200 9780375708206 56 <![CDATA[Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140m/381713.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174332140s/381713.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/381713.Elizabeth_and_Mary_Cousins_Rivals_Queens 3.80 401 Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.]]> 2003 5 0 false Mon Nov 16 16:06:55 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 16:07:23 -0800 2009 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=381713