The Other Queen: A 17th Century Love Triangle (The Other Queen - Philippa Gregory)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	The Other Queen - Philippa Gregory
Date:	04/06/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written & engaging

Disadvantages: Three main characters that readers might find unlikeable / annoying

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) & George's wife Bess.

After fleeing from Scotland, prior to the events of the novel, Mary Queen Of Scots sought refuge in England which was then ruled by Elizabeth I, a cousin of Mary's father. This presented Elizabeth & the ruling elite of the time with a thorny problem. England had previously been a Catholic country (aside from a brief period under Edward VI: 1547-1553) & there was still much tension between Elizabeth & her Protestant advisers & Catholic sympathisers amongst the aristocracy & general populace.
Mary's presence in the country gave the Catholics a figurehead, a rival for Elizabeth's throne. Elizabeth therefore had the option of ordering Mary's execution or attempting to limit her ability to be a problem. Initially, she elected the latter option, choosing to place Mary into the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury & his wife Bess, which is what this novel covers.

After finishing the novel I read the rest of the reviews on here to see what other people who had read the book thought about it. To an extent I agree with some of the points raised in all of the reviews.

This novel will probably divide readers more than any other in the series purely for the style & approach that Philippa has used to tell the story.

In essence she has chosen to emphasise the prevailing concerns of the three major characters. So, Mary talks an awful lot about her need to be free & her desire to take the English throne from Elizabeth. Bess's main concern is her property & her fortune whilst George is concerned about how Mary is treated & whether she'll be restored to her throne in Scotland.

The focus on these main concerns of the characters means that they are perhaps not as well rounded as they could have been & that some readers may find elements of the novel repetitive & dull. However, given that Mary had lost her throne & was, to all intents & purposes a prisoner, it's not beyond the realms of probability that her overriding thoughts revolved around her freedom & regaining her throne (or displacing Elizabeth from hers).
Likewise it's likely that Bess was worried about losing her wealth & possessions given that she'd been born in poverty &, through hard work & strategic marriages had managed to rise to a position of wealth & privilege.
So, even though some readers might find this approach annoying or tiresome I can understand why the choice was made to structure the novel in this way.

The novel may also fall down in terms of background information. Readers familiar with the story of Mary, Queen Of Scots & reign in Scotland before her flight to England should have no problem setting the story in context. However, readers who know little or nothing about Mary's life might struggle to understand the reasons for Mary's escape from Scotland etc.

Very little actually happens in the novel, aside from Mary being moved from one location to another, although I personally found it fairly engrossing as I knew a lot about the period already.

Overall, not the most accessible book in the series &, with it's reliance on the three main characters it may turn out that you don't like any of the three at all.

More information on George Talbot, his wife Bess & the events of the novel can be found at:-

http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/talbot6shr ewsbury.htm

Summary: Overall a book for someone interested in the period rather than a casual reader