The Life of Elizabeth I

Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Comes Alive!
Review: I have read several biographies of Elizabeth I. This was by far the most interesting and most detailed. Many of the key players in Elizabeth's long reign have been brought to life for me. They are no longer just names in history books or marble effigies. I felt at times as if I was transported back to Elizabethan England. It was definitely one of the best books that I have read on the life of Elizabeth I.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting History on Elizabeth
Review: Overall very well written. . .some passages however, appear to be a mere recitation of facts. Forced to skim various parts of the book, but overall a nice piece of non-fiction work.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating and Well-Researched
Review: As thorough as any academic biography yet so lively and captivating as to give the reader the sense of living in Elizabethan England, from Elizabeth's perspective as well as that of those who knew her. Chronologically covers the events of her life with scrupulous detail. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and amazingly researched
Review: I found this one of the most engrossing books on Elizabeth I in years and I have read several. Alison Weir's interpretation of the greatest of English monarchs is sensitive and thorough. I felt as though I was transported back 450 years; the atmosphere that Ms. Weir provides in this work of non fiction gave a true rendition of realism for those precarious times in European history. This allowed you to understand the reasoning behind this enigmatic and yet, mysterious woman.

She is mysterious because all we know about Elizabeth I comes through the pages of history; she rarely spoke of the inner trifles she had dealt with, in particular that of her mother, Anne Boleyn. However, she was a person of great strength and character. Many books, movies and sadly enough, even history professors have tried to read these unwritten pages in order to malign her. Even though she was by no means perfect, I am glad that Alison Weir has provided a dignified image of the icon that was Glorianna, and of the human being herself. She does this remarkable woman justice. This is also one of the most amazingly researched books with new information and insights. I have read so many books on Elizabeth I, that they all read pretty much like carbon copies. "The Life of Elizabeth I" is wonderfully fresh and enlightening; it also gave me more appreciation for this truly "modern" woman in a time when women were considered inferior and unimportant.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting character
Review: The only issues I had with this book is that Weir uses quotes in the beginning to describe Liz's feelings, actions and what people thought of her, only to find out that it was actually said much later in her life. This seems to be a little misleading as people change over the years. The endless courtships does get tedious at times but other aspects of her life, the political intrigue, more than makes up for it. Particularly interesting is Weir's psychological theories on why Liz acted as she did. On a nitpick issue, the paperback has an unusually thin cover that curled like crazy. I recommend the hardcover version instead.

Rating:
Summary: Not Weirs best
Review: For some reason, I had a terrible time finishing this book, which is unusual for Weir's books. Normally I can't put them down, but I just got bogged down in Liz's repetitive courtships to be fully engrossed. I know the author's intent was to present a personal history rather than a political one, but the resulting work is uneven, derivitive, and often just dull.

Rating:
Summary: A better-than-average look into one monarch's life
Review: History is boring to most people, that is just a fact of our nature. And those dry-and-boring accounts by stiff historians do little to reverse this opinion. But I feel that Alison Weir managed to bring history alive in this book, creating a vast tapestry of colors in which to look at. I must admit, being a virgin to both Weir's writing AND the history of British Monarchs, this was a good introductory book. I was rivoted for the latter 2/3 of the book. I was least impressed with the endless accounts of Elizabeth's suitors. Although this was a "big deal" of her time I felt it to be less important next to her larger political and economic feats. Overall, the information in the book was grouped as well as can be expected when dealing with the vast archives of information that has been written about Elizabeth I since her reign. I found Weir's research to be unequaled to anything I've read about Elizabeth I since. A good jumping-off point for the armchair historian.

Rating:
Summary: An engrossing read!
Review: I don't know what the academics would say about Alison Weir, but as a History student, I find this book invaluable. It is an engrossing and easy read which gives you a nice introduction into the reign of a fabulous ruler. For all of you out there who have seen the recent 'Elizabeth' movie with the wonderful Cate Blanchett doing a marvellous job as the Queen, please get this book. The movie had fine performances and looked fabulous, but as a History student I have to give it the thumbs down. Why do film makers play around with history? The real story of Elizabeth is so much more exciting than the fiction they present. I urge everyone to get this book and read the REAL story of Elizabeth, Dudley, Walsingham and company. It is far more exciting than the travesties the movie world has been giving us.

Rating:
Summary: Disorganized, repetitive mess; Erickson much better
Review: It is hard to believe that such a marvelous topic as Queen Elizabeth could be rendered so dry, so disorganized (jumping enormous leaps in subject from paragraph to paragraph), and even redundant, three times tellinbg how the Spanish overestimated Catholic support in England, etc. Even spelling and grammar mistakes. Read Carolly Erickson instead!!!

Rating:
Summary: Fails To Depict The Influence Of Times On Subject
Review: Alison Weir has written a book that focuses almost exclusively on Elizabeth I of England, but almost ignores her times. Thus, the book fails to capture the power of the monarch and reduces her to a petulant woman. Ironically, this is not the author's intent, rather Weir seems to have ignored the import of what she has written to attempt to glorify her subject. The result is a mass of contradictions and perhaps misstatements. For example, at the end of the book Weir indicates that under Elizabeth the country has had 45 years of peace despite the fact that it has been at war with Spain, France, Ireland and in the Netherlands and Scotland throughout the queen's reign. Further, Weir argues that Elizabeth choose her advisors well despite having spent pages denigrating fools like Leicester and Essex. Whatever made Elizabeth's reign magnificent is completely missed by this book due to its intense focus on its primary character and an unwillingness to understand the forces around her.