Posted by Marlene on 3/7/2009, 20:59:34, in reply to "Re: Book corner - what are you reading now?"
72.192.192.149
An absolutely awful book.
--Previous Message--
: I was in a bargain bookshop the other day
: & bought 'The Coburg Conspiracy' by
: Richard Sornick, it's subtitled 'Royal Plots
: & Manoeuvres'. It was £6.00 - haven't
: started it yet though!
:
: --Previous Message--
: I read that book and thought it was a
: fascinating read.
:
: --Previous Message--
:
:
:
: http://www.amazon.com/After-Elizabeth-Scotland-Struggle-England/dp/0345450469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246619616&sr=8-1
:
: I just finished this book. I did not think
: it would interest me, but it was quite
: interesting. The famous and beloved ruler's
: best days are over when the book begins, so
: instead of a grand monarch, the book
: presents a tired paranoid old woman whose
: health is in decline. Elizabeth is not the
: focus of the book, but it was interesting to
: see how her once-loyal supporters were
: trying to deal with teh succession behind
: her back, since Elizabeth did not want to
: deal with the issue. The book's main focus
: is King James, and Arabella Stuart keeps
: surfacing in the story too. However, neither
: of these rival heirs are portrayed in a
: sympathetic light, particularly King James.
: The person who comes off in the best light
: is James' queen, Anne of Denmark. What
: amazed me is how quickly the long-reigning
: Elizabeth -- the only monarch most of the
: English folks living in 1603 ever knew-- was
: all but forgotten, and how
: "disrespected" she was in death--
: her corpse, the scheduling of her funeral
: arrangements, the surprising fate of her
: remarkable trousseau. As a rule, I have
: tended to avoid reading about the brutal and
: bloody Plantagenet and Tudor eras, but was
: amazed at the savage and sadistic executions
: that continued under King James. Finally, it
: was interesting to read about the later
: years and fate of Sir Walter Ralegh, one of
: the many colorful characters that figure in
: the story.
:
: Based on my experience, I have pre-ordered
: the author's upcoming book which will deal
: with story of Lady Jane Grey ("The Nine
: Day Queen") and her sisters.
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