 "decent book on Elizabeth I" | 2008-06-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1NV56GJ4F7BVK |
This book was okay. I like some of Carolly Erickson's books. I loved Erickson's biography on Mary I and her novel on Catherine Parr, but I didn't like her biography of Anne Boleyn. This book is better then Carolly's "Mistress Anne," but not as good as "Bloody Mary" and "The Last Wife of Henry VIII."
This book doesn't spend as much time on her reign as other books do. This book was about 400 pages and there were less than 250 on her reign. The first 150 pages were on her life before she became queen. That time is interesting, but usually in books there is only a brief over-view of her life during that time, and I like books to be more detailed. In my opinion, it's fine if you write a whole book on that period of her life, (like "Elizabeth" by David Starkey), but I personally prefer it when nonfiction books just skip to her reign. (Like in "The Life of Elizabeth I" Alison Weir.) I just wish that she spent more time on Elizabeth's actual reign then she did.
Erickson is not as good to Elizabeth I as most authors are. She doesn't present Elizabeth in this book as horrible as she did in her novel, "The Last Wife of Henry VIII," but Elizabeth still doesn't fare too well in this book. Many things that most historians say that are good about Elizabeth, Erickson denies.
Example 1: Most nonfiction books say that although Mary had a good education and was tried her hardest with her studies, she just didn't have the natural brilliance that Elizabeth had. Erickson said that Mary was much smarter then Elizabeth.
Example 2: most nonfiction books say that when Elizabeth had cousin Lady Katherine Grey imprisoned in the tower, she still recieved nice rooms that were worthy of her rank. Erickson says that Katherine's rooms were awful.
I just wish that I knew which nonfiction books were correct...
As I wrote earlier, less then 250 pages are spent on Elizabeth's reign. In most nonfiction books on Elizabeth, important things that happened to Mary Queen of Scots are explained and just fit it into the dialogue.
Example: When the book is talking about what happened in Elizabeth's life in 1566, the murder of David Rizzio is described. When it is the year 1567 in the book, the murder of Darnley is described.
In this book though, when Mary has already been imprisoned, the murders of Rizzio and Darnley are mentioned.
In most books, the execution of Mary Stuart is described. However, in this book, for Mary's execution, it just said that Elizabeth signed her death warrant, and that is the last that you read of Mary. The book then starts talking about the Armada.
This book was a good read though, which is why I gave it three stars. My favorite biography on Elizabeth is "Gloriana: The Years of Elizabeth I" by Mary M. Luke which is about 700 pages and very detailed. I also like "Elizabeth the Great" by Elizabeth Jenkins. "The First Elizabeth" is okay, but I would suggest either Luke or Jenkins for a really good Elizabeth biography. |
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| "A good biography of the Virgin Queen by Tudor Scholar Erickson" | 2005-12-05 |
| - Reviewed By cmmills6 |
Carolly Erickson has done her homework on the Tudors of England and in her 1984 biography of Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603)
does a fine biographical profile.
Elizabeth's mother Anne Boleyn died at the stake failing to produce a male heir for the cruel HENRY VIII. Her only chld was Elizabeth who ruled Britain from 1558 to her death in 1603.
Elizabeth had a difficult and dangerous life dealing with such
enemies as:
1. The might of Spain and France.
2. Various Catholic groups wanting to assasinate the Protestant leaning queen.
3. Personal enemies include her half-sister Queen Bloody Mary
who at times had Elizabeth imprisoned in the tower. She burned
Protestants at the stake in her short reign from 1546-1553 following the death of her half-brother Edward VI (son of Henry and Jane Seymour). Another enemy was Mary Queen of Scots who Elizabeth had executed in 1587.
4. Elizabeth was very intelligent, crafty and skilled in survival in a dangerous time of civil war, various rebellions and complicated international political and religious warfare.
Erickson is good at writing Elizabeth's story focusing on her many love affairs most notably with the Earl of Leicester.
Elizabeth's reign is well told in this biography which is a good place for a burgeoning interest in Tudor History to bloom.
The book is one of the finest I have read on Elizabeth. I can
recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story well told about one of the great female rulers in history! |
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 "Nearly reads like a novel ..." | 2002-08-23 |
| - Reviewed By vmonc |
| I tend to read mostly fiction, but for some reason earlier this year I decided to foray into biographies. This book gives you a peek into Elizabethan life, gives you insight into Elizabeth I's personality, and you learn quite a lot of history, scandals, and rumours-of-the-day along the way. This book reads more like a biographical novel than a pure biography, which, considering the subject matter is about 500-years old, probably means some license was taken with dialogue, etc., however, I think the style makes the subject infinitely more memorable. |
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| "First Elizabeth a reading pleasure" | 2002-01-25 |
| - Reviewed By steiffbar |
| The major difference in "The First Elizabeth" by Carolly Erickson and "The Life of Elizabeth I" by Alison Weir is stylistic. Both women are thoroughly versed in the life of their royal subject, and obviously enthusiastic about her as well. Erickson's style, however, leans more toward novelistic narrative. She seems to be sitting with you, telling you a story about this great monarch with her infamous "virgin" status, her political adeptness, her fearsome temper, her penchant for swearing oaths that made one's blood freeze, and her ability to command deep love and adoration from her subjects. This style is especially appealing for those for whom this biography is their first foray into Tudor biography. It introduces the major players in the queen's life thoroughly so that one is well acquainted with Robert Dudley, Cecil and Walsingham, as well as Mary I and the many other colorful characters that populated the Queen's life. You also get a real feel for the terror and uncertainty of Elizabeth's youth, when she lived in fear of death at the hands of her unstable, Catholic sister. Erickson adroitly paints a stunning (and sometimes shocking) picture of life at court - and what a life it must have been. Living at the various castles Elizabeth moved between (they changed castles regularly so that the one previously used could be cleaned and "aired out") was far from our 21st century idea of luxury, and when you read about the trials and travails inherent in the Queen's annual "progresses", you'll never gripe about rush-hour traffic again! Again, I would recommend this to anyone starting out to read about Elizabeth I, and to the reader already familiar with the life of the greatest queen of England. Those of the latter group might find that the author falls in love a bit too much with her subject (and who wouldn't, as this lady is one of the most fascinating people in history). In some places towards the end the flow of the narrative (going from event to event) isn't quite as seamless as it could be (you feel as though you are jumping from one to the other without a lead-in sentence/paragraph) but never mind that. Erickson does a marvelous job of painting a portrait of the life and times of Elizabeth and it's a most pleasurable learning experience and enjoyable read. After finishing "Elizabeth I", the reader would do well to continue on with Weir's biography mentioned above. I started with Weir and am now committed to reading Erickson's extensive series on the Tudors, including "Great Harry", "Mistress Anne", etc. |
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 "Hail Britainia" | 2001-12-10 |
| - Reviewed By dbra174578 |
| A great book about a Queen whose story reads more like "The Godfather" than you'd guess. Elizabeth I, thrust onto the throne while her country was still in the midst of it's centuries-long emergence from Roman rule, turned England into Great Britain through a heady mixture of guile, guts, and British steel(How's that for rhetoric?). It's a great book, as are most of Erickson's titles. |
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| "Elizabeth the Woman & the Queen" | 2001-11-26 |
| - Reviewed By lrobertstreasures |
| I have read this book several times over the years and have found it engrossing both on the historical and dramatic level. The author manages to portray Elizabeth as an all powerful monarch as well as a very human woman with all of her strengths, weaknesses and faults. The personality of Elizabeth is emphasized throughout and so the reader is left feeling that something of the person behind the legend is revealed. Carolly Erickson also reveals a great deal of the political and social environment in which this woman functioned. Knowing the political and social environment in which she was raised, came to power and ruled makes her life story that much more remarkable. Overall I found this book very worthwhile and enjoyable reading. |
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| "Excellent Biograpy of Elizabeth I" | 2000-06-10 |
| - Reviewed By cominguproses |
| I have read this book many times, but the life of Elizabeth I never ceases to fascinate me. The abandoned child of a disgraced mother, Elizabeth survived her father and both her siblings to become the mistress of England. Shrewd, willful, charismatic, and completely in control, she dominated and used those around her to fulfill her goals. Ruling alone, she suceeded in unifying England under one church, defeating Spain, and making Britain a driving force in Europe. This is my favorite of all of Carolly Erickson's books. Go ahead. Just read it! |
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 "A Very Difficult Read" | 1999-11-23 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| I have read a couple of her books, Mistress Anne and Bonnie Prince Charlie, and I enjoyed them. So when I got The First Elizabeth was extremely disappointed. Having read dozens of books on Elizabeth and knowing something about the subject, this book does not really paint an accurate picture in my opinion. She writes more on gossip and rumours without giving acutal facts. There are accurate statements but they are not in evidence on the whole. She also tended(IMO) to side more with Mary Tudor, who was not as intelligent or politically astute as Elizabeth. She gave the feeling that Mary was just misunderstood. The author seemed to relish in court gossip especially from Elizabeth's maids of honour. I would recommend Mary M. Luke's, Gloriana: The Years Of Elizabeth I, and Alison Weir's, The Life of Elizabeth I before I would recommend this book. |
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| "Great book" | 1999-03-18 |
| - Reviewed By cagliostroanime |
| I greatly enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be accurate and highly exciting. Erickson not only talks about the queen herself but also the era in which she lived. An excellent book for learning about the Tutor world. |
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| "Excellent, excellent biography!" | |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| I have never had the pleasure of saying that a biography was hard to put down, but this is. I first encountered this book in college while taking a British History course, and I was hooked. It has been eight years since I took that course, and I am on my fourth re-reading. Every time I notice a detail that I did not before. I am fascinated by the Tudors and especially Elizabeth I. Erickson's prose is so engaging and lively you will forget you are reading a historical biography. I have the film Elizabeth, but I was disappointed in the lapses and the fact that it only covers her first year as queen. Of course, it would be a very long movie if it covered her entire reign, but buy this book to discover more of the "real" Elizabeth. Great read! |
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