As background for Shakespeare

books:


	• The Life of Elizabeth I Alison Weir Ballantine Books, 1998 - 532 pages average customer review:based on 127 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Interesting but dry at times

Weir does a great job of giving the flavor of the times and the Virgin Queen. However, she gets bogged down in too much detail sometimes. There are hidden bits of humor that are fun to find, as well.

Overall I believe this is a good biography of the Queen, however, it isn't for those looking for a quick or simple read.

Great book!

I love reading books on the royal family,and this is a great book. Lots of history, very interesting, best book I've read in a long time. She was a great lady. Get ready for a LONG read!

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As background for Shakespeare

I read this book as part of my interest in the Shakespeare authorship question. It was my first biography of Elizabeth, so I can't presume to compare to others. But I have read some other Tudor/Elizabethan history. I found Weir's book engaging, informative, relevant to my own interests, and colorful; and it seemed reasonably balanced. Take Me With You When You Go

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Time for a Queen

This magnificent book has me convinced that a woman can rule a complex country. My mind is changed and I think it's time for this country to elect a female president.

Amazing indepth information.

I was hooked on this book.I could not put it down.Im amazed at the amount of historical paper work that still survives to this day for this kind of biography.I felt like like I eas there.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Perhaps the most influential sovereign England has ever known, Queen Elizabeth I reigned prosperously for more than forty years, from 1558 until her death in 1603. During her rule, however, she remained an extremely private person, keeping her own counsel and sharing secrets with no one--not even her closest, most trusted advisors. Now, in this brilliantly researched, fascinating new book, acclaimed biographer Alison Weir brings the enigmatic figure of Elizabeth 1 to life as never before.

Here are provocative new interpretations and fresh insights on the intimacy between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, who rose from Master of the Horse to become Earl of Leicester; the imprisonment and execution of Elizabeth's rival, Mary Stuart; Elizabeth's clash with Philip of Spain, once her suitor and then her enemy; and the cruel betrayal of her beloved Essex.

Against a lavish backdrop of pageantry and passion, intrigue and war, Weir dispels the myths surrounding Elizabeth I and examines the contradictions of her character, exploring complex questions. Elizabeth I loved the Earl of Leicester, but did she conspire to murder his wife? She called herself the Virgin Queen, but how chaste was she through dozens of liaisons? She never married, but was her choice to remain single tied to the chilling fate of her mother, Anne Boleyn?

An enthralling epic that is also an amazingly intimate portrait, Alison Weir's The Life of Elizabeth I is a work of deep reflection and extraordinary scholarship--a mesmerizing, stunning reading experience.

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