History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots Author: Carolly Erickson Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Release Date: 2009 Pages: 351 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: In this dramatic, compelling fictional memoir Carolly Erickson lets the courageous, spirited Mary Queen of Scots tell her own story—and the result is a novel readers will long remember.     Born Queen of Scotland, married as a young girl to the invalid young King of France, Mary took the reins of the unruly kingdom of Scotland as a young widow and fought to keep her throne. A second marriage to her handsome but dissolute cousin Lord Darnley ended in murder and scandal, while a third marriage to the dashing, commanding Lord Bothwell, the love of her life, gave her joy but widened the scandal and surrounded her with enduring ill repute.     Unable to rise above the violence and disorder that swirled around her, Mary plucked up her courage and escaped to England—...

Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen Author: Sarah-Beth Watkins Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Chronos Books Release Date: 2017 Pages: 169 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:  Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess, married Charles II in 1662 and became the merry monarch's Restoration queen. Yet life for her was not so merry - she put up with the king's many mistresses and continuous plots to remove her from the throne. She lived through times of war, plague and fire. Catherine's marriage saw many trials and tribulations including her inability to produce an heir. Yet Charles supported his queen throughout the Restoration, remaining devoted to her no matter what. Outliving her husband, she ended up back in her home country and spent her final days as queen-regent of Portugal.       My Review: Catherine of Braganza was the wife of Charles II. She is known for making tea popular in E...

The Queen’s Caprice Author: Marjorie Bowen Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Endeavour Press Release Date: 2015 Pages: 288 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: There have been few more controversial figures in British history than Mary Queen of Scots.       In this thrilling novel she is bought vividly back to life.       She is a woman shrouded in secrecy and surrounded by violence who has learnt to use her desirability to intoxicate her subjects into carrying out her will.       Yet despite this natural authority she cannot escape the domineering men who not only sway the court but the opinion of the people.       Lord Moray, her bastard half-brother, adores her more than his familial position should allow and vows not to let her into another man’s clutches.       Which compels her to marry the handsome but naïve Henry Stewart in ac...

A Want of Kindness: A Novel of Queen Anne Author: Joanne Limburg Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Atlantic Books Release Date: July 2, 2015 Pages: 448 Source: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Every time I see the King and the Queen, I am reminded of what it is I have done, and then I am afraid, I am beyond all expression afraid.      The wicked, bawdy Restoration court is no place for a child princess. Ten-year-old Anne cuts an odd figure: a sickly child, she is drawn towards improper pursuits. Cards, sweetmeats, scandal and gossip with her Ladies of the Bedchamber figure large in her life. But as King Charles's niece, Anne is also a political pawn, who will be forced to play her part in the troubled Stuart dynasty.      As Anne grows to maturity, she is transformed from overlooked Princess to the heiress of England. Forced to overcome grief for her lost children, the political manoeuvring...

Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart Author: John Guy Genre:  Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Mariner Books Release Date: 2004 Pages: 608 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than thirty years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history’s greatest women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading lady — achieving her ends through feminine wiles — and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I.      Through Guy’s pioneering research and superbly readable prose, we come to see Mary as a skillful diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions that sought to control or dethrone her. Queen of Scots is ...