"Biographers often neglect the captive years of Mary, Queen of Scots, who trusted Queen Elizabeth's promise of sanctuary when she fled from rebels in Scotland and then found herself imprisoned as the "guest" of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his indomitable wife, Bess of Hardwick.
The newly married couple welcome the doomed queen into their home, certain that serving as her hosts and jailers will bring them an advantage in the cutthroat world of the Elizabethan court. To their horror, they find that the task will bankrupt them, and as their home becomes the epicenter of intrigue and rebellion against Elizabeth, their loyalty to each other and to their sovereign comes into question. If Mary succeeds in seducing the earl into her own web of treachery and treason, or if the great spymaster William Cecil links them to the growing conspiracy to free Mary from her illegal imprisonment, they will all face the headsman."
Well, I finally got around to reading another Philippa Gregory book. While I liked the first two that I read (The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl), I was not necessarily a fan of this one. I think that Mary Queen of Scots was an interesting woman. But I found Gregory's writing in this book to be a bit long winded in the wrong spots. She went on and on and on about Bess's money and land obsession. It's like, "Alright, we get it." While she spent so much time on those sorts of things, the actual action sequences flew by without any sort of elaboration.
I don't know, parts of this book I did like. I mostly enjoyed the parts that Mary narrated. If you enjoy Philippa Gregory, go ahead and give this a shot. I listened to it on the Audio Book. I can't decide if that was a good choice or not. The voice of George Talbert was awful for me. But overall, I am glad that I can add another Gregory book on my "Already Read" pile.
Next for me? I am working on a fabulous Georgette Heyer! And I've got a trilogy by Nora Roberts that I am listening to on Audio Book. I never thought I would read any of her work since it's so.... well, you know. But I actually really like what I've got so far! Reviews will of course come!
