The Lady Elizabeth

Before she was Queen, she was The Lady Elizabeth

As a little girl, I thought that there could be no better life than the life of a princess. As I grew and started reading history rather than fairy tales, I realized that the life of a princess is not an easy life to lead. Especially if you happen to be the daughter of King Henry VIII. I became fascinated with the Tudor era, especially the reign and life of Queen Elizabeth I. I would read or watch whatever I could find. I am very happy to have found The Lady Elizabeth.

The Lady Elizabeth deals with the Queen's life from birth through her ascension to the throne. It is the first work I have read which is Queen Elizabeth's life woven into a very well told novel. I loved this book from the moment I started reading it. The attention to every detail of the period, the personalities of the people involved with her life, the way she was treated, the way she had to shrewdly deal with interrogators to save her own life at a very young age are so vividly described you almost feel like you are living through it with her.

If you enjoy historical novels, I would definitely suggest this one.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Alison Weir is one word...Amazing!

Standing ovation for Alison Weir ladies and gentlemen! I adore this book! I am only 317 pages into it but my goodness, I felt as if I was there. I love Elizabeth I. She is my rolemodel, and to read how strong,smart and amazing she was made me fall in love with her all over again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. I love,love love this book and I am not even finished with it! For those of you that are looking for an exciting read and want to learn more Elizabeth I and Henry VIII....please go buy this book. I promise you will enjoy every single page! Honestly, I literally felt as if I was there. There was a certain part in the book when Elizabeth kisses her father King Henry VIII on his forehead, and mind you this is when he is very ill in bed and she says to him 'it will be my constant prayer that God will soon restore you to good health sir'. And he looked up at her with tears in his eyes......I swear to you I felt like I was right there standing next to the young Elizabeth watching the whole thing!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a great fictional story of elizabeth

The Lady Elizabeth is a fantastic novel for anyone interested in the life of the girl and young lady that would become one of the greatest ruling monarchs in history.So much of what she accomplished after taking the throne is well know,but here the author gives insight into what life could have been like for her as she grew up.The emotions the you feel for the child who never really knew her mother,and lived in a state of constant turmoil are well depicted.It was these feeling and experiences in her life that drove her to become the queen that she became,ironically enough the prince that her father would have dreamed of ,but as a woman.Even with some of the liberties taken historically it is a really great book simply about the girl Elizabeth.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic!

This was my first Alison Weir read and I have definitely been made a fan! I know what an expert historian on this time period she is and I thought I would check out her fiction work. I think she makes such an outstanding book because not only was it exciting and extremely interesting, but it was mostly true to fact! Anything I was unsure about she cleared up in the author's note, which I really appreciated! I felt like I had a conversation with her where all my questions were answered. I cannot wait until she writes another!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointed in Alison Weir

I love Alison Weir's writing and ordinarily enjoy her books as well as her spin on history. This book however, is difficult for me to get through. She attributes sayings and feelings to a 2-year-old Elizabeth that make me wonder if she even has children of her own. For instance, "Elizabeth was wide-eyed, taking in all that was going on around her and very conscious of being dressed in her best gown, the orange satin one. It was a little tight now around the bodice and sleeves, and Lady Bryan had the hem let down, but with its gay gree underskirt and matching French hood, it looked very fine, Elizabeth thought, and it showed off her red hair to advantage" So, how does a 2-year-old know what's to her advantage? This annoyed me so much. We all know Elizabeth was exceptionally smart, but I find it hard to believe a 2-year-old who has lost her mother would think of much else besides missing her mother. She also supposedly knows HOW and WHY her mother is missing. There are other passages that I find hard to believe as well. It seems like this book was written just to get a book out there. I didn't like it.

Amazing!

This makes you want to keep reading! It's very well written!

Amazingly good

Loved her style. This was my first Weir but wont be my last.

Wonderful!!

This book was amazing!! I loved every minute of it. I think that the author being a historian helped to make the book truly come alive. After reading this book, it has made me want to learn more about Elizabeth specifically.

Amazing book, hard to put down!

I love books on the Tudor era, and Allison Weir never disappoints. While most books on the Tudor dynasty are written to give you cold facts, this book was written to educate as well as entertain. Worth the read, again and again!

Overblown

I have read several books during the Tudor era. I'm sure fans of Alison Weir have as well. This book is anything but interesting. We all know the story of Elisabeth. There was nothing new here. Weir, tells a story that has been retold over and over again, yet she forgets to add her own spin to it, or even her own conjecture. I felt like I was reading a 17-year-old essay on 16th England. I only made it through about 80 pages before I gave up and decided I could take no more. I understand she is a very well liked author, however, I have yet to find a book by her that has held my interest.

I love this book!!

If you are a lover of Tudor history then this is a MUST for your library!! I love this book about Lady Elizabeth who later became Queen Elizabeth I.

Alison Weir is a wonderful writer! I have several of her books on Tudor history! This is one of my top two favorites, my other being The Lady Jane Grey.

Most Highly Recommended

A most wonderful story of the Lady Elizabeth where you are drawn right into the midst of everything from the first page. A real page turner, wonderfully written, and extremely hard to put down. Exciting from first to last page. Brava, Ms. Weir, and thank you!

Superbly written

After reading The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance and then The White Queen, I felt I had read so much on Henry the 8th, but this book was absolutely superb! The writing was perfect and I couldn't put it down. It was a real page turner. It all starts with Mary telling Elizabeth that her mother has died when Elizabeth is little and with each page, you realise just what Elizabeth had to go through to become Queen of England. This book gives much insight into how she had to play the game in order to stay alive. If you enjoy history, then this book is for you. Not at any stage does Alison preach to you, but just lets you get inside Elizabeth's head and even Mary's at certain stages of the book. Enjoy

Good historical read

A good introduction to the world in which Elizabeth the first grew up.

A fresh look at an old story.

Allison Weir takes the many-times written life of Elizabeth I and gives us a fresh look at her early years as Princess Elizabeth, then declared illegitimate, then threatened with the Tower, and finally holding her own as Queen.

The Lady Elizabeth

This was my first historical fiction book. It certainly made for livelier reading than another book I had read about Elizabeth. As long as the facts of her life haven't been tampered with I think this is a brilliant way to learn about history. It was fun reading.

A Very Good Read

I think Elizabeth I is one of the most fascinating persons in English history. Ms. Weir's fine historical novel brings alive Elizabeth's life prior to her ascent to the English throne upon the death of her half-sister.

Read this book!!!

Historical Fiction at its best

Taking credible facts and spicing it up with probable "what if"s, Alison Weir enchants all with the tale of Queen Elizabeth I's turbulent childhood. Throughout the book we witness the development of an innocent and bright child into a captivating young lady who wields her wit and charm to save her life on many occasions. A great read for any lover of the Virgin Queen, the Tudor Dynasty, history in general and strong independent women.

A wonderful read!!

This was the 2nd of Alison Weir's books that I have read. She is a great writer! Her research seems thorough and her love of English history is obvious (I too am fascinated with the Tudor period). I have never read anything about Elizabeth I's childhood and this is where this account begins, taking the reader up to the day she learns that she is Queen!
I could hardly put it down!!! Another of her books that I highly recommend is Innocent Traitor, the story of Lady Jane Grey!!

terrific

Alison Weir is a wonderful author. The story of Elizabeth's life before she came to the throne is fascinating and Weir captures the intrigue and suspicion superbly