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Mary, Queen of Scots
- Margaret
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 2440
- Joined: August 2008
- Interest in HF: I can't answer this in 100 characters. Sorry.
- Favourite HF book: Checkmate, the final novel in the Lymond series
- Preferred HF: Literary novels. Late medieval and Renaissance.
- Location: Catskill, New York, USA
- Contact:
Mary, Queen of Scots
Can anybody recommend a really good novel about Mary Queen of Scots? It does seem to me it would be difficult to write something exciting about a woman who was (a) apparently not very bright and (b) imprisoned much of her life. But the main character in As Meat Loves Salt was not bright at all, and that was one of the best novels I'd read in a long time. And the part of The Traitor's Wife in which Eleanor was in prison was tremendously exciting - the best part of the novel, I thought. So it can be done!
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info
That is the million dollar question isn't it? As well written as Margaret George's was I was quite bored towards the end and was only able to finish it up as my treadmill book. I have Reah Tannahill's book on Mary on the pile but not sure when I'm getting to it. Boswell Baxter's read this one if I'm not mistaken.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be
...is the only place I want to be
- boswellbaxter
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 3066
- Joined: August 2008
- Location: North Carolina
- Contact:
The Margaret George book is my favorite Mary QS novel. I also enjoyed Reay Tannahill's novel, but not so much for its portrayal of Mary, because in the last third of the book Tannahill seems to be more interested in the other characters and Mary becomes almost an afterthought.
Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/
Coming in October: The Woodvilles
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/
- princess garnet
- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1797
- Joined: August 2008
- Location: Maryland
Jean Plaidy's duology, Royal Road to Fotheringay and The Captive Queen of Scots.
Last edited by princess garnet on Thu September 24th, 2009, 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- sweetpotatoboy
- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1641
- Joined: August 2008
- Location: London, UK
I'd like to see an author focus on Marie de Guise's life and times in France and Scotland, with her daughter featured as a major secondary character. At least up til 1560, then maybe finish out Mary of Scotland's life and times. The mother seems a lot more interesting to me than the daughter.
I haven't read Dunnett's Queen's Play, so I don't how much focus Marie de Guise receives in it.
I haven't read Dunnett's Queen's Play, so I don't how much focus Marie de Guise receives in it.
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode
I liked Reay Tannahill's Fatal Majesty, and also the Jean Plaidy pair, Royal Road to Fotheringhay and The Captive Queen of Scots.
As I remember, the Jean Plaidy books are straightforward in style and between them they cover pretty much all of Mary's life. The Reay Tannahill book has more in the way of dry humour (which I like) and covers mainly the period of Mary's personal rule in Scotland. As boswellbaxter said, towards the end of the book the focus shifts to Maitland and Mary becomes a secondary character.
Antonia Fraser's NF biography of Mary is well worth a read, if you haven't already read it. It's very long, but as readable as many a novel, and she maintains a reasonable balance between being sympathetic to Mary without entirely overlooking her (many) faults and poor decisions.
As I remember, the Jean Plaidy books are straightforward in style and between them they cover pretty much all of Mary's life. The Reay Tannahill book has more in the way of dry humour (which I like) and covers mainly the period of Mary's personal rule in Scotland. As boswellbaxter said, towards the end of the book the focus shifts to Maitland and Mary becomes a secondary character.
Antonia Fraser's NF biography of Mary is well worth a read, if you haven't already read it. It's very long, but as readable as many a novel, and she maintains a reasonable balance between being sympathetic to Mary without entirely overlooking her (many) faults and poor decisions.
PATHS OF EXILE - love, war, honour and betrayal in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com