I wasn't sure quite what to expect when my GoodReads giveaway arrived in the mail. Like many others, I find the Tudors and their times fascinating. What a delightful surprise Robert Stephen Parry's Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen and the Men Who Loved Her (#736) turned out to be!
This slim volume is based on a series of lectures which Mr. Parry attended in the past at an aging Elizabethan manor hosting a history retreat. He took notes in shorthand, and thus this entertaining weekend event lives on for readers to enjoy. There are brief biographical sketches of the significant men in Elizabeth's life with a helpful timeline, and several essays on court life in general. These sketches are each followed by a "Vignette", an imaginative dramatization of events alluded to therein, thus blending fact and fiction. Like GoodReads each man, from her father Henry VIII on down the line, are given a tongue-in-cheek "Tudor Roses" rating for their usefulness, importance and commitment to the Queen.
This book can easily be read in a single sitting, and will be a useful "Who's Who". It's a welcome addition to my library.
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