Two female titans -- perfectly matched in guts, guile, and political genius.
Elizabeth, queen of England, has taken on the mighty Spanish Arm... read full description
reviews
Jul 13, 2010
Elfdart
rated it: 
i got this book anticipating adventure, excitement.. something. two powerful and notable women from english history are coming together, there’s potential for a great story. instead this book was written like a documentary… a very slow paced documentary. i lost interest after the first couple of chapters but dragged myself to the halfway mark, and at that point i could care less about the characters and wasn’t at all involved in the story line, so dropped it for something better. history is such
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Mar 31, 2010
Aaminah
rated it: 
The Irish parts of this novel were better than the English parts. Had the author stuck to two perspectives (Grace O'Malley, the Irish pirate, and Queen Elizabeth I) the novel would have been better. Instead while the book purports to be about these two great women very little is seen from Elizabeth's perspective and the majority of the book is seen from her lover & favorite Earl of Essex. A lot of the Irish side is seen from the viewpoint of Grace's son Tibbot. So although the book description m
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Aug 07, 2011
Kelsey
rated it: 
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I was going to. I'm glad I picked it up on a whim. I like the personal flair added to what, in other books, is an extremely factual and political time period/collection of events.
My major criticism would be that at times the author seemed to forget from what time period she was writing. I thought it was odd for someone who writes primarily historical fiction, but there were certain words or phrases that stood out glaringly as FAR too modern a lan More...
My major criticism would be that at times the author seemed to forget from what time period she was writing. I thought it was odd for someone who writes primarily historical fiction, but there were certain words or phrases that stood out glaringly as FAR too modern a lan More...
Mar 27, 2010
Traci
rated it:
This book is just shy of 4 stars for me, it starts very intruiging and deep in the story between the powerful Elizabeth I (a personal facination) and Grace O'Malley (a personal obsession!!) Obviously being historical fiction, certain parts of the story are "lead along" with bits of interest to string know events together. The beginning is facinating, already knowing quite a bit about the two subects, the fictionalized parts stood out but helped the story flow and made me wonder if som
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Aug 25, 2008
Jen (RevJen)
rated it: 
When I read this, I felt like I was reading two different books. The first half of the book dealt with the meeting between Grace O'Malley and Elizabeth I. It took place in 1593 and used Grace to tell the story of the Irish and their treatment at the hands of England. The fascinating part of it was the unification of the Irish people from separate clans (think Italian city-states) into one against their common enemy of England. Even more fascinating was the thought that a woman was able to rise u
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Jan 12, 2008
Kris
rated it: 
This book was completely awesome. I can't say enough about how good it was. And I know that there are other people who weren't that thrilled with it, cuz I guess it wasn't as historically accurate as they would've liked. This is a work of fiction that just happens to use actual historical figures. Of course liberties were taken. Nowhere does it say that this is non-fiction.
The first half is Grace O'Malley telling her life-story to Elizabeth I (how so many crazy things happened t More...
The first half is Grace O'Malley telling her life-story to Elizabeth I (how so many crazy things happened t More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Susan
rated it:
I got several chapters into this book before realizing that I'd read it a few months ago. I'm not sure whether that says more about me or the book. Stories of Grace O'Malley (the Irish pirate) are few and far between, which is why I gravitated towards this one (twice!). Sadly, Maxwell's version of the epic meeting between O'Malley and Elizabeth I struggles with accuracy. Whether Elizabeth and Essex really "got it on", I suppose is up for debate, but Grace would not have thought of the
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Jan 07, 2009
Carrie
rated it:
The story was a little convoluted, there was a lot of hopping between the point of view of Grace O'Malley as she narrated her life story, and the point of view of Queen Elizabeth I. That point aside, it was wonderfully done and is a must read for any fan of either Grace O'Malley or QE I.
Jul 10, 2010
Missy
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Fascinating. This is the story of the Irish Rebellion which started during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. If you have a wee bit of Irish bllod you will find this interesting.
Aug 30, 2010
Jessie
rated it:
Eh, I was underwhelmed. I really expected a tale of two spirited women and, instead, was bored through the whole thing. It was a struggle to finish the book and I admit I skimmed through the last hundred pages because i was just done with it.
Jul 19, 2009
Kaye
rated it:
Really interesting content historically, but I'm not crazy about the writing style. A little more gratuitous sex than suits my taste. Still, it interested my enough to encourage me to buy a biography of Grace O'Malley. I want to know more!!!
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Feb 19, 2009
C.w.
rated it:
The aging Elizabeth I, a fierce Grace o' Malley, and the tragedy of the Earl of Essex come to vivid life in this accomplished novel.
Jan 15, 2011
Sylvia
rated it:
The plot (it is a novel after all) rambles loosely for several generations. Characters are unconvincingly robust, or depressingly weak.
Jan 18, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
Lots of interesting history of Ireland and the conflict with England in the 1600's. Good reading, but a little slow at times.
Mar 10, 2009
Sabrina
rated it:
I only read half of this because I didn't want to waste any more time. I rarely stop a book when I'm half way through.
Jan 25, 2009
Cindy
rated it:
I sure would have loved to fhave been a mouse in the corner to hear this conversation between two very powerful women.
Oct 27, 2007
KJ
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Not what I was expecting, and not in a good way. It's very "tell, not show" -- a significant chunk of the book was Grace O'Malley telling Elizabeth her life story, and much of the rest is narration. It felt as though Maxwell wanted to show a few scenes from the lives of Grace and Lord Essex (who is really the other main character in this story; Elizabeth is a secondary character at best), and didn't want to be bothered really writing the bits between. A disappointment -- now I want to
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Sep 09, 2011
Natasha
rated it:
Decent. It might have been better if not for the annoying format of the book. The first half had large parts of the book told from O'Malley's point of view. The book itself is third person. Also, the rest of the book managed to skip major events and battles and just told you about them. There were leaps of years at a time.
Aug 01, 2010
Crystal
rated it:
I started out this book knowing virtually nothing about the history of Ireland – I knew there had been fights with the English, trying to take over Ireland as it tried to take over so much of this world – but beyond that, very little. This novel did a great job of pulling me in with the Tudor world we are all so familiar with, and then throws you right into the middle of the Irish rebellion and Grace’s story.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1486 More...
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1486 More...
Sep 01, 2008
Karen
rated it:
Historical fiction hasn't had it this good in a while. The majority of the biographical background is spent on O'Malley, a little known female Irish pirate who was a contemporary thorn in the side with Elizabeth I. The epilogue details the historical background of the novel giving the reader a clear sense of the depth of research undertaken. Although not particularly plot driven novel, the story moves at a decent pace. Worth a read for anyone interested in the time period or Irish history.
Oct 24, 2007
Lorie
rated it:
To say I am a QEI and Renaissance/Medieval Britain fanatic would be mild. :) I'm also a pirate in my other life. This book gives the best of both my obsessions.
I love the Maxwell books. I know they are fictionalized; I know they are novels. That's what makes them fun. There's just something about losing yourself in someone else's history, someone else's story, and imagining what might have happened a few centuries ago.
I love the Maxwell books. I know they are fictionalized; I know they are novels. That's what makes them fun. There's just something about losing yourself in someone else's history, someone else's story, and imagining what might have happened a few centuries ago.
Oct 06, 2008
Cori
rated it:
I loved learning about the Pirate Grace O'Malley...what an amazing woman. My knowledge of Queen Elizabeth was sketchy, so I enjoyed filling in details of her life in England and her Irish war during the late 1500's.
I found that I had to read slowly to digest all the characters, as many are introduced in this book.
I found that I had to read slowly to digest all the characters, as many are introduced in this book.
Sep 20, 2008
Lettie
rated it:
I enjoyed the book, but it's set-up was confusing to follow. The author kept jumping around from character to character, that I don't think she fully completed what she wanted to with the relationship/conflict between Grace O'Malley and Elizabeth.
Jul 26, 2008
Megan71203
rated it:
This had alot of history crammed in which I loved, but others might find alittle tedious. I never really knew much about Grace O'Malley, and now I am completely intrigued! Especially after learning that she married into the Flaherty clan like I did!
Mar 14, 2008
April
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This book was very intriguing. I love historical fiction and have been interested in the female Pirates. There were a few through history who dressed as men. The Pirate O'Malley was one of the most successful and notorious.
Sep 16, 2007
Melody
rated it:
Interestingly imagined tale which veers wildly from the recorded facts at times. I'm interested in Grace O'Malley now that I've read this fictionalized tale, and I'm planning to find other, more true-to-life biographies.
