I, Elizabeth: A Novel by Rosalind Miles Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I, Elizabeth: A Novel
Book Review: Blech. . .
Summary: 1 Stars
I picked up this book expecting it to be a great one; the blurb on the back made it sound very good. I started it eagerly and, yeah, it started good, then. . .Have you ever been on a roller coaster? You know how it suddenly plunges and makes you want to be sick?
That is the analogy I would use. This book went down quickly. I was sitting there, reading this IN SCHOOL FOR SSR, and then there was a PARAGRAPH simply describing Henry's codpiece. . . let's not go into detail. It almost made me get sick, and I couldn't read it for severaly weeks. I shrugged it aside though, but then the plunge NEVER ENDED! It was like constantly wanting to barf and laugh because it's so stupid.
Well, needless to say, after about 400 pages of ELizabeth saying, "Look at me. I'm the beautiful one here. No, not you Lettice. No, not you Frances. Look at me! I'm so perfect. Listen to me go into long boring dialogues on how everyone loves ME" I had to quit. I mean, Elizabeth was a wee bit vain, but it was ridiculous in this book. Spare yourself the pain of being wapped upside the head with STUPID DETAILS.
Go read some Jean Plaidy. . .
Book Review: Breath of Fresh Air
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read many biographies on Elizabeth, from textbooks to fictional history, and this one breathed new life into them all! Miles really makes the biography/story come alive for me. I am so glad I found it!!Book Review: Can be a little confusing....
Summary: 5 Stars
If you don't know much about the history of Elizabeth, the names of so many characters can be a bit daunting. Especially when it is mentioned in passing that someone has received a new title, and then pages later they are called by this new name. There were more than a few times of, "WAIT!! Who is this person??" But it really was quite a good book, even if you want to scream at the title character a few times during the reading. If one had a reasonable knowledge of her history, I doubt they would have any of these problems. And there is also an index in the book to help keep everyone straight. After I read this, I picked up "The Virgins Lover" by Philippa Gregory, and compared side by side, Gregory's book isn't even worth a read. (I'm making myself read it, since I spent $12 bucks on the thing.) This is also the only book I've found, though I'm sure there are more, than encompass such a wide range of Elizabeth's life, which really helps one to get a better idea of who she was and why she made the decisions she did.Book Review: Captures the essence of the Queen and her times
Summary: 5 Stars
As a keen reader of Tudor fiction and non-fiction, I found the character of Elizabeth as portrayed in this novel to be spot-on with my imagined image of one of the most influential queens and rulers of the world. A rivetting book, with all the sweetings, swearings, bellowing and tantrums of the Queen, courtly intrigue and power politics of the time.Remains one of my favourites.
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
I was rather excited about reading this book as a simple, easy way to learn more about one of history's most intriguing figures. In the end, I was rather disappointed. The book was not particularly well-written and did not flow well. Worse yet, the author failed to portray Elizabeth as a strong leader and more like a weak, frail queen subject to her lusts and relying almost entirely on her advisors for ruling. The plot did not really explain while Elizabeth never married, despite several love affairs and extreme pressure to do so to protect the throne.