Alison Weir

A vivid fictional portrait of the tumultuous early life of Queen Elizabeth I describes her perilous path to the throne of England and the scandal, political intrigues, and religious turmoil she confronted along the way, from the deaths of her parents, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, to the fanaticism of her sister, Mary I. By the author of Innocent Traitor. 75,000 first printing.

A Novel

The Lady Elizabeth

The Lady Elizabeth started out strong but as it went on, things kind of became repetitive. Maybe I've just been on a Tudor kick lately and am making myself tired of this period of history and historical fiction surrounding it by reading so much about it. 

The drama in this book doesn't seem very high stakes, even though I know for the real Elizabeth it would have been. Some authors have the ability to keep the reader hooked even though they know the history and what's going to happen in the end. I've read two of Weir's books, and I'm just not sure she has that ability. At least not for me. I found myself growing bored, especially with the constant back and forth between Elizabeth being suspected and punished and then her being in favor again. There's the constant back and forth between being at court and removed to one of her homes as well. 

Also, this book has very long chapters that hinder the reader and disrupt the pacing. Many readers prefer shorter chapters that make it seem like the book flies by, and when you go 50 or so pages without that little break, it can make the book feel like it's dragging on. Weir breaks up her chapters by year, so some at the beginning are short because of Elizabeth's childhood, and they get longer as the book goes on, just making for a bit of a drag. I'm not sure why she chose to break up her chapters this way.

Weir is a historian, which I greatly appreciate. The reader knows she's done her research and gets as much right as possible. She also brings these characters--and settings--to life. It was interesting, too, that she explores myth and legend as well as fact in this novel, leading to an interesting plot line. 

I did like how Weir portrayed Elizabeth; she's a very witty and even snarky character at times, full of spirit and grace. As I mentioned, if I hadn't read so much of the Tudors recently, I may have enjoyed this book more; it's hard to be completely objective with a book review, leaving out certain aspects of your life at the time you read a book. I think I'll take a little break from this time period.

Amanda

The Lady Elizabeth started out strong but as it went on, things kind of became repetitive. Maybe I've just been on a Tudor kick lately and am making myself tired of this period of history and historical fiction surrounding it by reading so much about it. 

The drama in this book doesn't seem very high stakes, even though I know for the real Elizabeth it would have been. Some authors have the ability to keep the reader hooked even though they know the history and what's going to happen in the end. I've read two of Weir's books, and I'm just not sure she has that ability. At least not for me. I found myself growing bored, especially with the constant back and forth between Elizabeth being suspected and punished and then her being in favor again. There's the constant back and forth between being at court and removed to one of her homes as well. 

Also, this book has very long chapters that hinder the reader and disrupt the pacing. Many readers prefer shorter chapters that make it seem like the book flies by, and when you go 50 or so pages without that little break, it can make the book feel like it's dragging on. Weir breaks up her chapters by year, so some at the beginning are short because of Elizabeth's childhood, and they get longer as the book goes on, just making for a bit of a drag. I'm not sure why she chose to break up her chapters this way.

Weir is a historian, which I greatly appreciate. The reader knows she's done her research and gets as much right as possible. She also brings these characters--and settings--to life. It was interesting, too, that she explores myth and legend as well as fact in this novel, leading to an interesting plot line. 

I did like how Weir portrayed Elizabeth; she's a very witty and even snarky character at times, full of spirit and grace. As I mentioned, if I hadn't read so much of the Tudors recently, I may have enjoyed this book more; it's hard to be completely objective with a book review, leaving out certain aspects of your life at the time you read a book. I think I'll take a little break from this time period.

Lacy W

Note: even though I have shelved this as historical fiction, it is probably more towards non fiction. The author has taken liberties when bringing up dialogue and things like that. But other than that, Alison Weir tried to stick with history. 

I am officially all about Alison Weir. She is a master storyteller and has an amazing gift of bringing monarchs to life. I truly felt that I was with Elizabeth I and watching her grow up and become the bright woman that I didn't know she was. 

As I just mentioned, this follows the tale of Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn's child. It's separated into three parts: The King's Daughter, The King's Sister and The Queen's Sister. Every part was about how Elizabeth lived during that time frame. 

Often times, Elizabeth found herself shamed or hurt in some way. In the part of the King's Daughter, she was banished from court several times and made her father mad on more than one occasion. During the King's Sister, she had an okay life but made a very foolish mistake that could have costed her everything. During the Queen's Sister part, her life was in danger more than it wasn't. Her sister, Mary, often tried to destroy her in a lot of different ways. She even sent Elizabeth to the Tower at one point. 

Overall, I really liked this book. I grew to really like Elizabeth. She has quickly become my favorite monarch and I am anxious to get to know more about her. I hope that Alison Weir will release a book about the reign of Elizabeth. I have read that her reign was one of the most successful reigns in the English monarch history. 

 Note: I have to admit that when I grabbed this book, I thought it was about the Plantagenet Elizabeth, who was married to King Henry VII. I wasn't even disappointed to find out that this wasn't the case.

Danielle H.

Helene Utterback

Astor Reinhardt

Candice

Elda Mengisto

Bianca

Nicole Blazek

Shelby Goodwin

A vivid fictional portrait of the tumultuous early life of Queen Elizabeth I describes her perilous path to the throne of England and the scandal, intrigues, and religious turmoil she confronted along the way, from the deaths of her parents, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, to the fanaticism of her sister, Mary I. By the author of Innocent Traitor. Reprint. 100,000 first printing.

The Lady Elizabeth A Novel

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