The Other Queen - Philippa Gregory

I am a big fan of Philippa Gregory and was ecstatic when I noticed her latest novel, The Other Queen, on the shelf at the library. I had known she had a new book out but as I'm less and less inclined to pay hardback prices these days I hadn't really paid much attention, thinking I'd eventually borrow a copy from the library although her books are usually in demand so I was expecting a longer wait. When I got The Other Queen home I started reading straight away and was immediately drawn into life during the tenuous reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a monarch who knew she was holding onto her throne by the tips of her fingers with other nobles constantly plotting ...  Read the complete review

*** The Main Characters *** This is a tale of Elizabethan Tudor England told by the Earl of Shrewsbury (George Talbot), his wife the Countess (Bess), and Mary Queen of Scots. With each chapter the storyteller changes as the reader learns about the years when The Queen of Scots was a "compulsory guest" of the Shrewsburys, as desired by Queen Elizabeth I, and her chief advisor, William Cecil. As with all good historical fiction books, I felt that I got to know the main characters very well. In addition to the three storytellers, I also got an understanding of the most important people in England at the time. This included Elizabeth I, ...  Read the complete review

Why this book ******************* Having read and enjoyed a lot of Philippa Gregory's novels about Tudor Britain such as the Queens Fool. I took this book out of the library with high hopes of enjoying another enthralling read about Tudor Britain and reading about Mary Queen of Scots as I haven't read many novels about this Queen. About the author ******************** Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of Historical fiction. She holds a PhD from Edinburgh University. She lives in Yorkshire on a small farm several of her novels have been adapted fro television and film the most famous probably of these is The Other ...  Read the complete review

Philippa Gregory is quickly becoming my favourite historical novelist, (just behind Jean Plaidy) this is the 6th book out of her Tudor series and excels each of them. It covers the life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, during her long imprisonment in England from 1568-1587. Like other Gregory novels this book is narrated by three characters, them being Mary herself, George Talbot and his wife Bess. Throughout the course of this novel you see how dramatically they realise their mistakes have changed the way they live. It starts off with the fact that Mary has had to flee from Scotland despite that she is the rightful heir and Queen of the country. ...  Read the complete review

This is the sixth novel in Philippa Gregory's "Tudor Court" series. The majority of the novel is set between 1568 & 1572 (with the final chapter in 1587), making this the novel in the series which is set the latest chronologically. In order they are:- 1491 - 1529: The Constant Princess 1521 - 1536: The Other Boleyn Girl 1539 - 1547: The Boleyn Inheritance 1548 - 1558: The Queen's Fool 1555 - 1560: The Virgin's Lover 1568 - 1572: The Other Queen The events described the in the novel are seen through the eyes of the three major characters: Mary, Queen Of Scots, George Talbot (6th Earl of Shrewsbury) & ...  Read the complete review