I, Elizabeth: A Novel by Rosalind Miles Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I, Elizabeth: A Novel
Book Review: Was E R really a simpering, vapid woman?
Summary: 2 Stars
Argh, as a reader of historical fiction I was really looking forward to this book and it is only about 30% actual history and the rest is Elizabeth's vapid moaning about (a) men she loves, (b) men who love her, (c) catty other women, (d) men she loves, and so on. By the end of the book (around age 60) she is showing herself as a ruler who is being led by her heart, not her mind, with consequences for England that were not the best.
Due to the excessive discussions of love and romance in this book I'd be more tempted to classify it as a romance novel than historical fiction.
Book Review: a good book
Summary: 4 Stars
Well it was a pretty interesting book but i was kind of mad when the virgin queen lost her Virginity. It was mostly about Elizabeth's lovers and social life rather than what she did for her country!!!Book Review: her father's daughter
Summary: 5 Stars
king henry viii turn england upside down to get the son he desired.anne give him a daughter and lose her head.but her daughter became the amazing skillful leader her father always thought only son would be.this book give you inside working of tudor life how elizabeth survive it and became england greatest queen.Book Review: very hard to put down!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am so happy I found this book, which was by accident. About 6 years ago I read several biographies of ER (Including the very good one by Alison Weir) but found myself unable to remember a lot of the details a few years later - I remember Dudley but not his title (Leicester) and didn't he have a son or something that ER also doted on? (Robert Devereux, his stepson from his marriage to Lettice Knollys). Now after reading this wonderful novel I feel that I "know" the historical people and can never forget them or the timeline. I also feel as though I "know" ER - biographies based on 3rd person accounts will always be a bit of a caricature but this book let me imagine what she might have been like as a person. There are many good novels featuring ER, including "The Queen's Fool" and the mysteries by Patricia Finney. This one was very, very hard to put down. I would rate is as best among them, and that is saying a lot. If you suffered under the 1998 Movie "Elizabeth" and it's silly fiction then this book is the antidote. It is readable, intelligent and highlights the inherently interesting life that ER lived. If you loved the movie and are looking for something more, you may or may not like this book. The author takes some liberties since it is a novel, but she remains true to the timeline and actual people who lived during that time. There is so much of interest in ER's life that there is little need to embellish the tale by making up new characters, moving the timeline around and adding absurdities such as poisoned dresses.
This novel will give the reader a firm feel of the history and biography of ER, and those looking for more facts should check out Alison Wier's bio, and those looking for more entertainment will enjoy the 6 part series starring Glenda Jackson, which is also true to facts.
Book Review: well-researched, well-written
Summary: 4 Stars
The amount of research that went into this narrative is simply amazing, and it shows in the level of detail of the story. The author gives a solid sense of place and atmostphere as the queen's story unfolds, giving the reader an insightful window into what life very well could have been like for the monarchs and courtiers of 16th-century England. The writing truly gets into the mind -- and heart -- of Elizabeth on the amazingly difficult and triumphant journey of her life.