Eclecticism

...making decisions on the basis of what seems best instead of following some single doctrine or style.
Me in a nutshell!!!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Tuesday Teaser...


~Hosted by: http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/
~Grab your current read
~Open to a random page
~Share with us two "teaser" sentences from that page somewhere in the middle
~Make sure to share the title and author of the book
~NO SPOILERS PLEASE

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Elizabeth & Mary Cousins, Rivals, Queens; Jane DunnJane Dunn’s Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens offers a blend of history and biography that traces the "dynamic interaction" between two of the most powerful women in Western history. Dunn remains ever aware of the uniqueness of her two central figures: both women ruled as divinely ordained monarchs in a male dominated power structure; and both women were from the same family (Elizabeth I was the granddaughter of Henry VII, and Mary Queen of Scots the great-granddaughter of King Henry).
By focusing not on pure biography but instead on relationships, Dunn is able to narrow her book (still mammoth in scope) to the most salient and interesting events in the two queens’ lives. The book begins in 1558, the year in which Mary first wed and Elizabeth assumed the throne of England. Almost immediately the cousins were embroiled in a conflict that would endure for the remainder of Mary’s life. A restless, sexually-active Catholic, and leader of the Scottish people in alliance with France, Mary was ever a conduit for rumors of rebellion. The "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth used Mary as a dark reflection to underline her own celibate constancy as a ruler of law and order... --Patrick O’Kelley --


I just started this book,recommended by a good friend. So far it's excellent. As Patrick O'Kelley says in his review, this book is far more than just a biography about these two women, it's about relationships and the intricate game of monarchy, with all the players.

My teasers...

When it came to Elizabeth's dealings with Mary, nothing was quite as it seamed. pg.214

Amy Dudley's death brought an abrupt end to any pretensions Elizabeth may have had that she could marry the man she loved. pg. 163

2 comments:

  1. Oh this sounds fantastic, I really want to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations on this lovely blog! I've just discovered it.

    You are welcome to visit mine, on Belgian royalty at

    crossoflaeken.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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