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Title: Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser ISBN: 0-385-31129-X Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 01 September, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.55 (33 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A detailed look at one of history's most fascinating queens.
Comment: If there is one thing the Lady Antonia Fraser does not do in this work, it is gloss over details. Mary Queen of Scots is an in depth and well reasearched investigation of the somewhat tragic life of Mary Stewart. From Mary's birth as the granddaughter of Henry VII of England and her assumption of the crown of Scotland as an infant, to her years of pitiful confinement and execution by the order of her once trusted cousin, Elizabeth Tudor, this book brings Mary, her surroundings and her motivations to vivid life.
A note of warning: This is a long and detailed book, but if one has any interest in the subject it is well worth the time. If one has a serious interest in the topic, this book is simply a must-read.
Rating: 5
Summary: Queen of Scots, Queen of France, Queen of Hearts
Comment: Mary Stuart, only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, is a gift to biographers through the ages, not least because her life cleaves so easily into three stages: (1) her brilliant debut in the court of the Valois and her marriage to King Francis II; (2) her journey from Paris to Scotland, where she ruled through a series of misadventures; and (3) her flight to England, where she was captured by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, and eventually executed as a traitor at Fotheringay. Lady Antonia Fraser made her (now enormous) name in 1969 with this work - and the liveliness of her prose is often credited with a wider revival in narrative biography. What is now lost sight of is that Fraser's biography was, in many respects, revisionist in nature: not least because Fraser, herself a Catholic, was uniquely qualified to present Mary's credentials as Roman martyr, while at the same time unflinching cataloging her many personal failures. Another departure from the heroic tradition is her condemnation of 16th century Scottish nobility for the murderous rabble it truly was - especially the loathsome Bothwell. Finally, as Fraser explains at length, the trumped-up conviction and cruelly botched execution of Mary was nothing short of judicial murder. By the way, the early 1970s film starring Vanessa Redgrave, while excellent as a work of romantic history, is unconnected, and bears little resemblance to the grim contemporary environment as depicted by Fraser.
Rating: 3
Summary: Wonderful book bogged down with annoying problems
Comment: It probably is unfair to compare the writing styles of Fraser and her counterpart, Alison Weir, but having just read what seems like a mountain of books by both of them, I can't help but do so and find Fraser ahead on some points, behind on others.
Fraser has a methodical style wherein each sentence is so cram-packed with detail that her books probably improve on their second or third readings. She takes a comprehensive, relatively non-biased look at her subject here and provides an interesting biography of a woman who has been characterized as everything from a near saint to a scheming, treasonous viper who deserved her eventual beheading. While Weir seems to take the position that Elizabeth I was some beloved angel who eventually had to sully her hands and cut off the head of her cousin for national security, I think the truth is somewhere else, as does Fraser.
In terms of historical accuracy, I think Fraser probably has the edge over Weir, notwithstanding both authors' impeccable research. Weir allows story to take precedence over fact, something that doesn't seem to happen as much with Fraser.
Which brings me to my list of quibbles with this book. Fraser may write factually, but in doing so, she comes thisclose to having written a book every bit as dry as the ones I steered clear of in school. It was torture to get through some of the passages and I put the book down more than once, not to pick it up again for days. I wasn't compelled to finish the book and find out the rest of the story the way I was with Weir's.
My second issue was with all of the passages in untranslated languages, French primarily. A few years ago, I'd say I spoke French fluently, but even I had to look up some of the phrases here. It wouldn't have hurt the narrative to provide a parenthetical translation for those of us not fluent in multiple languages who don't feel like getting up to run the thing through Babelfish. Intended or not, it gave the author an air of arrogance and was my main stumbling block to enjoying this book as fully as I wanted to.
Overall, it was a detailed biography, probably as accurate as anything else that's out there, without the apparent author bias that's seen in Weir's book. This is not easy reading though; the story is unevenly written, overly laden with minutiae where it's not necessary and filled with passages and important comments that a lot of people won't even be able to decipher without help. I'd give it 4 stars for credibility, 2 for accessibility, for a final 3 stars overall.
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Title: The Wives of Henry VIII by ANTONIA FRASER ISBN: 067973001X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 30 November, 1993 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: Marie Antoinette : The Journey by Antonia Fraser ISBN: 0385489498 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 12 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir ISBN: 0345425502 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 05 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Warrior Queens by ANTONIA FRASER ISBN: 0679728163 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 14 April, 1990 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir ISBN: 0802136834 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: April, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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