Name: Elizabeth and Mary
ISBN: 9780375708206

Jane Dunn

A dual portrait of England's Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots documents their complex relationship, different characteristics, and ideals, and discusses their reigns, power struggle, and influence on British history.

Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Elizabeth and Mary

Jeni Enjaian

I do not understand how this book has such a high rating. It simply is not that good. In fact, one of the few positive things I have to say about it is that the narrator was fantastic, my favorite female narrator, Donada Peters. 
The other (slightly) positive thing I have to say about the book is that Ms. Dunn's premise set out in the introduction is admirable. She claims that this will be a dual biography focused on the events that shaped each woman's characters and "interactions" in a roughly chronological format. It's too bad that she doesn't even come close to supporting her premise.
This narrative is all over the places both in time and setting not to mention characterization. She starts off by describing Elizabeth's coronation but then abruptly back tracks to chronicle Anne Boleyn's rise and fall from power. (That's just one especially egregious example.) A simile that occurred to me while reading is that Dunn is like a hummingbird that flits from flower to flower never drinking deeply. While some histories must skim the surface (college textbooks for example) most do not. In my opinion, Dunn's historiography is abysmal 
She also repeats frequently. She uses some of Elizabeth's more famous quotes two even three times to illustrate the same points. This is yet another example of her poor historiographical skills. 
Apart from a few events in Mary's life, the only thing that I learned from this book is that the two women never actually met. That astounds me. It also compels me to find a decent biography of Mary, Queen of Scots. 

I highly recommend that all people stay far away from this book, especially if one is an amateur or professional historian or lover of history.

Elizabeth and Mary Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Reviews

Highlights