The First Elizabeth: Amazon.ca: Carolly Erickson: Books

Product Description

Review

"Even more readable and absorbing than the justly praised works of Tuchman and Fraser." --Philadelphia Inquirer

"A masterpiece of narrative, a story so absorbing it is as hard to put down as a fine novel." --Edward M. White, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Carolly Erickson is a great interpreter of history. She writes political history, but imbeds it into social, and even more, humane history. She's likely to be the Barbara Tuchman of her generation." --David Herlihy, Charles Lea Professor of History, Harvard University

."A vivid and eminently readable portrait of history's favorite Tudor, [Queen Elizabeth I]." --The New York Times Book Review

Book Description

In this remarkable biography, Carolly Erickson brings Elizabeth I to life and allows us to see her as a living, breathing, elegant, flirtatious, diplomatic, violent, arrogant, and outrageous woman who commands our attention, fascination, and awe.

With the special skill for which she is acclaimed, Carolly Erickson electrifies the senses as she evokes with total fidelity the brilliant colors of Elizabethan clothing and jewelry, the texture of tapestries, and even the close, perfumed air of castle rooms. Erickson demonstrates her extraordinary ability to discern and bring to life psychological and physical reality.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
The afternoon sun was already low as the constables and marshals, their great staves ready in their hands, took up their stations along the route the royal procession would follow. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly reads like a novel ..., Aug 22 2002

By

Stuff Guru "Victoria" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Elizabeth (Paperback)

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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A Very Difficult Read, Nov 23 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The First Elizabeth (Paperback)

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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars First Elizabeth a reading pleasure, Jan 25 2002

By

Laura G. Carter "Castlebreaker" (Reidsville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The First Elizabeth (Paperback)

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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 19 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 29 reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Hail Britainia
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... Read more

Published on Dec 10 2001 by David Bradley

5.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth the Woman & the Queen
I have read this book several times over the years and have found it engrossing both on the historical and dramatic level. Read more