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The Other Queen
The Other Queen
A dramatic novel of passion, politics and betrayal from the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory. Mary, Queen of Scots, fights to regain her kingdom whilst under the guard of Queen Elizabeth's trusted accomplice, Bess of Hardwick. Mary is Queen of Scotland but she has been forced to flee her land and take refuge in an England that is ruled by her cousin Elizabeth. But England, precarious in its Protestant state, set against the mighty powers of Spain, France and Rome, doesn't need a charismatic Catholic figurehead at large. So Elizabeth's chief advisor, Cecil, devises a plan in which Mary will live under guard with his trusted accomplice: Bess of Hardwick. Bess is a self-made woman, a shrewd survivor. She is newly married to her fourth and most distinguished husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury. But what marriage can withstand the charms of Mary? Or the threat of rebellion that she always carries? Mary must wait in her privileged imprisonment for the return to Scotland and her infant son; but waiting is not the same as doing nothing... With her characteristic combination of superb storytelling and authentic historical background, Philippa Gregory brings to life this period of great change, in a riveting tale of betrayal, loyalty, politics and passion.
A dramatic novel of passion, politics and betrayal from the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory. Mary, Queen of Scots, fights to regain her kingdom whilst under the guard of Queen Elizabeth's trusted accomplice, Bess of Hardwick. Mary is Queen of Scotland but she has been forced to flee her land and take refuge in an England that is ruled by her cousin Elizabeth. But England, precarious in its Protestant state, set against the mighty powers of Spain, France and Rome, doesn't need a charismatic Catholic figurehead at large. So Elizabeth's chief advisor, Cecil, devises a plan in which Mary will live under guard with his trusted accomplice: Bess of Hardwick. Bess is a self-made woman, a shrewd survivor. She is newly married to her fourth and most distinguished husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury. But what marriage can withstand the charms of Mary? Or the threat of rebellion that she always carries? Mary must wait in her privileged imprisonment for the return to Scotland and her infant son; but waiting is not the same as doing nothing... With her characteristic combination of superb storytelling and authentic historical background, Philippa Gregory brings to life this period of great change, in a riveting tale of betrayal, loyalty, politics and passion.
Reviews-
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Starred review from May 5, 2008
In her latest foray into the lives and minds of Elizabethan shakers and movers, Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl
) takes on Mary Queen of Scots during her 16-year house arrest. By the secret order of her cousin, Elizabeth I, Mary is held at the estate of George Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife, Bess of Hardwick; the latter three share first-person narrative duties. The book centers on Mary’s never-ending clandestine efforts to drum up enough support to take her cousin’s throne, but the real story is in the clash of two women and the earl who stands between them. Shrewsbury’s refusal to recognize superior intelligence and force of will in his wife, who runs the estate, and in Mary, who tries to make him her instrument at every turn, makes for one delicious conflict after another. The voices are strong throughout, but Gregory’s ventriloquism is at its best with Bess of Hardwick, a woman who managed to throw off the restrictions of birth, class and sex in order to achieve things that proved beyond her titled husband. -
Mary, Queen of Scots, was an imprisoned guest of the Earl of Shrewsbury for 16 years, under the orders of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. Philippa Gregory employs her impressive knowledge of the Tudor period to create this historical novel, narrated from the perspectives of: Mary, George Talbot (the Earl), and George's wife, Bess of Hardwick. The presence of three narrators serves the book well, helping to ease some of the redundant accounts. Ron Keith presents a genteel and somewhat na•ve Earl, whose fondness for Mary's charms causes him to agonize over his loyalty to his own queen, Elizabeth. Stina Nielsen and Jenny Sterlin portray two sharp-minded women engaged in a battle of wits as one endeavors to reclaim her throne while the other strives to recoup her fortune. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
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After her forced abdication, Mary, Queen of Scots (Dagmara Dominczyk), flees to England, where her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, promptly imprisons her. Mary lives her life of confinement on the secluded Sheffield estates under the spying eyes of the Earl of Shrewsbury (Graeme Malcolm) and his wife, Bess (Bianca Amato), until she is ultimately tried and executed for treason. Dominczyk's understated French accent is ideal for a queen born to entitlement, and her flashes of irritability and impertinence enhance Mary's royal persona. Malcolm's forlorn voice befits the earl who is falling in love with Mary while struggling with loyalties to both queens. And Amato shines in a commanding performance as Bess, a treacherous woman who stops at nothing to ensure self-preservation and financial security. A.R.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
