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Many volumes have been written about the reign of Elizabeth I; this book focuses on the critical year her reign ended, when England lost its childless queen and a Machiavellian struggle ensued to find her successor. December 1602: The formidable ruler has become a dithering old woman. The kingdom has been weakened by the cost of war with Spain and the simmering discontent of both the rich and the poor. Elizabeth's senior relative, James VI of Scotland, is a foreigner and a Stuart, excluded from the throne under English law. Around the old queen and the new king swirl a cast of unforgettable characters. We witness the scheming of courtiers for the candidates of their choice, and the widespread fear that civil war, invasion, or revolution will follow the monarch's death; and we are given intimate insights into political power plays and psychological portraits relevant to our own era.--From publisher description.… (more)
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Leanda then moves on to James I of Scotland, who does eventually get the crown of England, quite easily it seems. There is no struggle here until England realizes perhaps having a man to rule is not so great after all. We learn a bit more about James and his personal life, his habits, and his intellect. We get a sense of what Scotland felt to essentially lose their King to England, and how the English felt to get a Scottish King after years of Border Wars and hostility towards one another. The book then details the various plots and the plotters, notably Walter Ralegh, and their effects on England that occurred after James took the throne. The book picks up its pace once getting through the first half and where it picks up after Tudor books have left off.
The criticisms I DO have of the book are that I felt when the author was trying to convey a certain point she was telling a quick synposis of an event, that related to another event, which brought us to another.. I felt I had to keep track of the dates because there was a bit of jumping around in the timeline. This happened a lot and always aggravated me. I wish it were a bit more straightforward.
Also, whereas I found this book to be an engaging read for the most part, most of the information may not be new to the British history buff, and could become a bore if looking for "new" insights especially regarding Elizabeth. The way that the author flings about the names of the effected people, it would be hard to keep up if you have not already read a few other books of the era. The author in no way "goes slow" with us as far as name dropping. And then there were some slow parts, like James' very expensive journey through England to ascend to the throne; the author comprised it of mini-stories weaving in and out.
Upon finishing the book I find myself more interested in doing some followup reading on some of the supporting characters that Leanda De Lisle touched upon. I have read several novels and biographies on Elizabeth and yet still enjoyed Leanda De Lisle's telling of it perhaps because of the enormous amount of details. Because of the differences in laws between Scotland and England, it was interesting to see how James changed things and how England's nobility reacted. I also enjoyed the color pictures, there were some that I had not seen before. This is not a light read, there is a ton of information here, so don't start this unless you are planning on devoting some time to it. This took me about two weeks to read.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars = Good, and Recommended for those interested in just the facts regarding the transition from Elizabeth I to James I, and England's journey to becoming part of the United Kingdom.
Overall, the sense of change from QE to KJ is well conveyed but it is sometimes hard to keep track of all the characters: even Burleigh/ Cecil father/son of whom one has at least heard but i often didnt know which was which or was it only one?