The Other Queen (The Tudor Court series Book 6)

The Other Queen

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Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms. The Tudor Court Novels - chronological Series by cover. Series description The Tudor Court. The Tudor Court Novels. Related publisher series The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester.

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. Arthur, Prince of Wales. George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury. Mary, Queen of Scots. Alvarez, Bishop de Quadra. Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Two women competing for a man's heart. Two queens fighting to the death for dominance. The untold story of Mary, Queen of Scots. Biographers often neglect the captive years of Mary, Queen o Two women competing for a man's heart.

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The Tudor Court Series

Published September 16th by Touchstone first published Derbyshire, England , To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Other Queen , please sign up. I want to surprise my wife with a new Philippe Gregory book. What are her most recent two? Then I will discreetly browse her collection and check. Sonia "Order of Darkness: Dark Tracks" and Order of Darkness Volumes , Do you have to have read the other books in the series for this one to make sense, etc?

I got it as a gift and just want to know if I should read the others first. Each book has a standalone quality and is sufficiently detailed that you don't have to have read the other books to understand what is happening. See all 5 questions about The Other Queen…. Lists with This Book.

Sep 11, Diana rated it it was ok. This book took me quite some time to get through. I have read Philippa Gregory's other books, and though they are not always factually correct, and most often read like gossip mags, I have come to enjoy them and expect that of her books. This was so long and drawn out, and not at all enjoyable. It is written from the viewpoint of Mary Queen of Scots and her two jailers, but you are never engaged with any of the three main characters.

Gregory simply twists and repeats the same sentiments for each This book took me quite some time to get through. Gregory simply twists and repeats the same sentiments for each chapter. I had to force myself to finish it.

No new revelations, or interesting facts are ever revealed. It was like walking through mud. View all 14 comments. The story is told from three viewpoints Bess, Mary and George and each character gets its own distinctive and independent voice.

I give bonus points when audio books do this, as they can be hard to follow with only one narrator not to mention they can get quite monotonous , so to have three on this one made the experience enjoyable. Each narrator was concise, deliberate and animated and highly-skilled. Hands down, a great audio experience. This well-informed novel tells the story of the one and only Mary Queen of Scots. Mary, Queen of Scots, is strikingly beautiful, and also holds the unique position of being heir to the thrones of Scotland, France and England.

This, obviously, does not sit well with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, who exiles Mary to northern England, to live with newlywed couple and loyal English subjects , Bess Hardwicke and George Shrewsbury. While living with the couple, Mary tries in vain to return to Scotland and regain her throne, using her charm to persuade the Earl of Shrewsbury to help her.

But with the threat of a treason charge on his head, will George help the young queen, or deny his feelings and avoid a beheading? Initially, I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters in this novel. Mary was brave and confident, determined to overcome what others thought of her in pursuit of what she rightfully deserved.

Bess was also very strong and independent, focused on providing for her family and keeping her fortune. George was a devoted husband and loyal subject to Queen Elizabeth- until Mary enters the picture. By the end of the novel I was not as enamored with the characters. Mary had become entitled and whiny, George was a downright sap and nincompoop, and Bess although quite possibly the only likable character by the end was self-obsessed and shallow.

As usual, Gregory does stellar research, and her knowledge of the period is above par.

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I found, however, that parts of this novel dragged on too long. There were many royal figures in this novel, and their roles in the plotting were often just fillers. The three main players of this novel, George, Mary and Bess, drew me in and kept me engaged, but the other multitudinous royals and nobleman beyond Elizabeth herself of course did not interest me. I went into this novel with the knowledge of how the fated Scots Queen would fare, but I still enjoyed reading her story.

Overall, the narration of this novel is a five-star delight, and the novel had me intrigued for the most part , although a shorter novel with fewer characters and more focus on the main plot would have made this a perfect read. View all 13 comments. May 13, B the BookAddict rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Lovers of Historical fiction. The ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots.

The Tudor blood ran in her veins yet she was ousted from Scotland and denied the English crown in the event of Elizabeth's death. Her right to the crown is often debated amongst historians. Her guardian George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. A man torn between serving his own queen Elizabeth 1 and Mary who is thrust into his household. He was in an unenviable situation; to serve England or to honor what is right and just.

His wife Bess Talbot Countess of Shrewsbury. A rare commodity in Elizabethan times; a businesswoman but also a woman who finds more than her estates in jeopardy. Strangely, I had little sympathy for Bess; I felt she was more concerned with losing her wealth and her houses than she was about her marriage. The evening hour is fading within the dwindling sun, And in a lonely moment those embers will be gone And the last of all the young birds flown.

Her days of precious freedom, forfeited long before, To live such fruitless years behind a guarded door," One of those weird moments: While reading this novel yesterday, a really old song came on the radio see above. Of course, Fotheringay is the castle where Mary Queen of Scots was finally imprisoned. Hearing that song while reading of Mary felt really strange. Recommended for lovers of good books and historical fiction novels. View all 17 comments. I understand that it was the most popular and was made into a film.

Can't an author write other books and in other writing styles?! Straighten up, some you other "readers". Moving on, The Other Queen, featuring Mary Stuart during her time of "protection" aka house arrest under Elizabeth I in the home of Bess of Hardwick; is indeed a great read. Mary had quite a life from the moment she became Queen, merely days after her birth.

With a mother like Mary of Guise, this was written in the stars. The story picks up after Mary's involvement or lack there of with the murder of Lord Darnley and the subsequent marriage with Bothwell. Afterwards, Mary flees to England thinking Elizabeth can help claim her innocence and to return to Scotland stronger than ever, however, Elizabeth with the help of scheming yet intelligent Cecil is urged to place Mary under house arrest to protect her own crown and that of James Mary's son in Scotland.

Yes, The Other Queen did skip all that drama and focus on the house arrest but this brought into play the famous Bess of Hardwick and her views on the situation. This opens a new fork in the road to how one can perceive Mary and Elizabeth during this time. Despite being in Bess's household, Mary is still portrayed as a stong, daring, and conviving in a good way.

Mary was an extrememely ambitious indiviual throughout her turmoil and Gregory suffciently presents that in a unique way. Gregory seems to have changed her style some since 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. This is certainly not a frothy bit of 16th century soap opera but quite a serious and well researched bit of historical fiction on life of Mary, Queen of Scots during the first few years of her imprisonment in England. It also places a great focus on one of my personal heroines of the period, Bess of Hardwick.

She is one of the three narrators. Most of the action takes place at the Talbot's estates rather than at the court of Queen Elizabeth. I feel Gregory has tried to up her game in terms of accuracy to history though may find, if reviews on amazon and here are any indication, that readers who enjoyed the gossipy fluff find this hard going. Gregory suggested two recent biographies, one for Bess and one for MQoS, that had influenced her writing. On the strength of that I've reserved them both from the library.

Sep 20, Quianna rated it did not like it Shelves: This is the latest book in the Tudor series and it is painful to get through. I can pick up The Other Boleyn Girl and read through it in one sitting, but each book in the Tudor series grows more and more tired until we are left with the mess that is The Other Queen. Using three different perspectives worked fine in The Boleyn Inheritance, but in this book they change so often, sometimes lasting only a page and a half, it is hard to grow attached, or even understand the point of view of one singl This is the latest book in the Tudor series and it is painful to get through.

Using three different perspectives worked fine in The Boleyn Inheritance, but in this book they change so often, sometimes lasting only a page and a half, it is hard to grow attached, or even understand the point of view of one single character. Sep 18, Tara Chevrestt rated it did not like it Shelves: As a Gregory fan, I am very very disappointed. This book has the same style as The Boleyn Inheritance, in which it goes back and forth between narratives of three different people. That, I did not mind.

The narratives themselves are awful. You have Bess Hardwich who just goes on and on and on about her properties and her candlesticks stolen from monasteries and her account books. She never talks of much else and she speaks every 2nd chapter. You have her husband George that just rambles on about As a Gregory fan, I am very very disappointed. You have her husband George that just rambles on about his loyalty and honor. And of course you have Queen Mary. Let me say, I am going to search for another portrayal of her because this queen resembles nothing of what I have heard of her.

In this book, Queen Mary just pontificates on her status. My body is sacred. You cannot touch me. One chapter she is writing him letters "My dear Bothwell, come save me," and the next chapter she is stating how he raped her and forced her to marry him and kidnapped her. Then again, in the following chapter, she is declaring he is the only man manly enough to fight for her. Somebody, enlighten me, please.

View all 3 comments. Jan 10, Anna rated it did not like it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As soon as I realized that this book was Tudor-Lite, I speed-read it just to be done with it. Which made me sad: So "Mary as divinity" wasn't a surprise, turning the fascinating Bess of Hardwick into a Elizabethian version of Angela Channing just turned me off, and George Talbot made absolutely no impact on First off: So "Mary as divinity" wasn't a surprise, turning the fascinating Bess of Hardwick into a Elizabethian version of Angela Channing just turned me off, and George Talbot made absolutely no impact on me whatsoever.

Series: The Tudor Court Novels - chronological

This is how bad it was: I truly enjoyed "The Other Boleyn Girl", and Gregory is normally a highly engaging author, so maybe that's why I'm disproportionately disappointed in "The Other Queen". I groaned when I realised that Philippa Gregory had returned why, oh why?! Three reasons why this format doesn't work for Gregory. One, she has a tendency to use this as a crutch so that she can "tell" rather than "show". Two, the voice of the three different narrators is indistinguishable and you only knew who was narrating which chapter because the chapter heading always said so.

Three, in an effor I groaned when I realised that Philippa Gregory had returned why, oh why?! Three, in an effort to really distinguish the personalities of her three narrators from one another Gregory tends to hammer her readers over the head with certain points. From her first chapter, which was only five and a half pages long in paperback, Mary Queen of Scots repeats three times how she is a sacred anointed queen and a queen of three countries Dowager Queen Consort of France, Queen Regnant of Scotland, and rightful heir to the throne of England.

I could tell instantly that this is what she would be harping on about for most of the book. The three protagonists often express the exact same thoughts in concurrent chapters. Real people do not think exactly the same thoughts as each other.

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Once again, Philippa Gregory lazily amalgamates Francis Walsingham into William Cecil, and the historical inaccuracies are ever a problem in Philippa Gregory's works. I overlooked this in the previous two books, but by this stage the level of her anti-Elizabeth bias is plain for all to see. As a historian, this is a glaring example of how Gregory picks out baseless slander to insert into her books over the facts. There are plenty of anachronisms too. Bess refers to the exploits of "Sir Francis Drake" in a chapter dated , but Drake would not launch his first major enterprise to the Spanish Main in order to plunder Spanish treasure ships until , and he wasn't even knighted until - in he was no more than an officer in the private fleet of his distant cousin John Hawkins and no one in Elizabeth's court would have heard of him.

Bess also refers to "a fine Turkey carpet" which keeps popping up in the novel. Turkey, as a nation state, would not come into being for several centuries; in it was known to Elizabethan England as the Ottoman Empire. Mary's character talks about the Spanish raising an Armada for her in yet another chapter dated , when in fact construction work did not commence on a planned Armada until Gregory even picks out details such as Mary making an embroidery of her new motto - "In my end is my beginning" - whilst with Bess at Tutbury Castle, when in fact Mary sewed this motto when she was newly arrived in England and at Carlisle.

A word on the resolution of the two plots as portrayed in the novel. The first plot, known as the Northern Rebellion, is resolved in the book by a simple loss of confidence from the Northern forces and a melting away of the threat. In fact, though Elizabeth struggled to raise an army at first, she was able to muster an initial force of men, and a supporting army of over 12,, against the estimated of the rebels. The second plot, the Ridolfi plot, was actually uncovered by John Hawkins - aforementioned relative of Francis Drake - who gained the confidence of the Spanish ambassador to England and informed the government.

Elizabeth was also sent a second notification about the plot from the Grand Duke of Tuscany, so far from being without friends in Europe as the novel proclaims she was, this was not the case at all. There was no Spanish help coming for Mary - they rejected the idea of sending support because of Mary's close ties to France. Philippa Gregory must have researched even these basic facts when writing the novel, so why does she falsify events?

Why not go with actual events? The only reason for doing this that I can see is to underplay Elizabeth's support and popularity, overplay the support and popularity of Mary, and portray Elizabeth's situation as far more precarious than it was. It's repeatedly stated that the whole of the North is in support of Mary, but this was not the case at all. The Papal Bull mentioned in the novel, encouraging Elizabeth's Catholic subjects to rise up against her and assassinate her, was widely ignored by English Catholics, who enjoyed the prosperity brought by her moderate middle-way policies.

This ties in with the repeated nonsense notions in the novel that Elizabethan England was crawling with spies, that torture was used as a matter of course, and that justice and law meant nothing to "evil Cecil" and Elizabeth's other "unscrupulous, hard-hearted" advisors.

Norfolk's trial is portrayed as little more than a show trial. The Protestants, embodied in Bess, are portrayed as nothing more than greedy money-grabbers concerned only with expensive houses and possessions. All of this seems simply a ploy to further vilify and discredit the historical figures that Philippa Gregory dislikes, whilst at the same time promoting those she has taken a liking to. I'll give you an example of this. Towards the end of the novel, Mary receives a crude drawing of herself as a mermaid and a comment on her scandalous love life.

Mary and Bess then discuss how the drawing and other scandals going around about Mary were probably created and spread by Cecil's agents. I mention this in particular because I've seen exactly the artefact on which this little incident is based. It comes from Edinburgh in Scotland not from England , and dates to the spring of not December , at the height of Mary's affair with Bothwell.

The placard was one of many such plastered throughout Edinburgh at the time, and reflected a widespread unpopularity of Mary amongst her own people. The fact that Philippa Gregory uses this artefact and twists it in such a way clearly demonstrates her bias against Elizabeth and Cecil and the way she changes the facts in her novels for seemingly no other reason than her own biases. Gregory's selection of time period feels odd, given that she could have chosen from many other far more interesting periods in Mary's life, such as the murder of Rizzio and Darnley followed by the rebellion of Mary's lords against her and Bothwell.

The characterisations of the three narrators were uninteresting - George was dull and I rushed to get past his chapters, and I found it incredulous that he was so blinded by his love for Mary incidentally I would really like to see the supposed wealth of evidence that Philippa Gregory claims in her author's note strongly suggests that George was in love with Mary. Bess was reduced to a constant cataloguing of her income and outcome, always at her account books and grumbling about Mary reducing them to paupers. I found it hard to like Mary when not only is she so false, but almost every single character falls under her charms and Gregory drastically overplays her popularity and prospects.

An even worse sin - she makes Mary boring. Most of her thoughts and conversation are rehashed and vapid fare. The book also severely lacks action. I thought something might happen when the three protagonists were forced to flee from the Northern Rebellion, and in fact the way they went on about how convinced they were that the rebels would catch them, I was anticipating an action scene or two I don't think Philippa Gregory can write action.

She dodged out of it in "The Constant Princess", she dodges out of it here, and come to think of it the only action sequence I can recall in any of her novels is the fall of Calais in "The Queen's Fool".

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Frankly, the book drags interminably and feels dull throughout. I didn't think much of George foreseeing Mary's death in an afterthought at the end - Gregory writes with far too much hindsight. Overall, the novel was simply monotone, failing to make an impact. It lacked passion, excitement or intrigue, and some of Gregory's readers have suggested that Gregory was by this time bored with the Tudors. I swore to never ever read another Gregory book.

The sample sounds like I will loathe it. But how on earth am I supposed to resist the glorious combination of Richard Armitage and Alex Kingston? View all 5 comments. Oct 27, Brittany B. This is Philippa Gregory's worst book. If this had been her debut novel, it would never have been published. I've read most of Gregory's books, Ive come to realize that the bad outweigh the good.

And here is her book of shame: When the book opens, Mary, cousin to Elizabeth, seeks protection and refuge in England. She has been chased from France, following the death of her husband. She has no one but Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth promises her safety, but keeps her g This is Philippa Gregory's worst book. Elizabeth promises her safety, but keeps her guarded until she can be sure of Mary's loyalty. Elizabeth must also figure out how to help her: Mary is a queen with no throne; Scotland refuses to accept her.

As this story begins, Elizabeth, acting both in good faith and in caution, places Mary under guard with a noble English family. That is an intriguing backstory, is it not? So the first quarter of the book is slightly interesting. There is no plot, we are "told" everything. There is no actual action. The setting is bland and the story is boring and completely repetitive. What about the characters?? The main character, Mary Queen of Scots, is a monster bitch, I'm serious!

Through her first person narrative, Mary shows herself to be the single most narcissistic and unsympathetic character I have read in a long time. Now that Mary is safe, thanks to her cousin, what does she do? She never stops plotting against Elizabeth, except to revel in her own charm and beauty and greatness.

One of the things we are "told" is that at some point, every man in England, Spain and France falls madly in love with Mary. We are told that she is so enchanting she is able to seduce loyalty from the English queen's most loyal subjects. The queen is justified in keeping Mary under guard, considering she endlessly conspires against the crown of England. But Mary swears she is unjustly kept prisoner. Men everywhere feel compelled to "free" her from imagined captivity, so we are told. Mary's plotting and failing, her rescue and capture goes on for the entire book.

This woman ruins so many lives in this book Meanwhile, the other two main speaking characters, the husband and wife who must keep her at their home, lose their appeal very quickly. I don't know what the author's aim was with this book. All that comes through is negativity and spite for every character, including an aged Queen Elizabeth and her trusted councillor William Cecil. Gregory made her feelings for Elizabeth clear in the previous book, nothing has changed. There is nothing good about this book and I finished it only so that I would feel justified in rating it.

But I do know that she indeed conspired with others many times to steal the English throne, capture and even kill Elizabeth. Mary was Catholic, so she was a convenient alternative to a Protestant Elizabeth. Mary was delusional in this novel about her power over all men. It wasn't enchantment of her beauty, but pure politics and religious power that allowed Mary a chance to the throne.

The pope excommunicated Elizabeth, and ordered Catholics to revolt against her. Mary was a convenient Catholic to place in throne. Nor did Gregory help flesh out Mary, so that the reader could understand her better. Gregory shed no light on the real history, and her fiction was pointless. Literally, I have no idea what the purpose of this book was. She did not show a different point of view or paint any depth to her characters. I never struggled with conflicted feelings.

I was never moved by anything in this book, except the desire to rant this review on Goodreads!!!

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