Elizabeth and Mary

Cousins, Rivals, Queens

By: Jane Dunn

Narrated by: Donada Peters

Length: 19 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The first dual biography of two of the world’s most remarkable women - Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots - by one of Britain’s “best biographers” (The Sunday Times)

In a rich and riveting narrative, Jane Dunn reveals the extraordinary rivalry between the regal cousins. It is the story of two queens ruling on one island, each with a claim to the throne of England, each embodying dramatically opposing qualities of character, ideals of womanliness (and views of sexuality) and divinely ordained kingship.

As regnant queens in an overwhelmingly masculine world, they were deplored for their femaleness, compared unfavorably with each other and courted by the same men. By placing their dynamic and ever-changing relationship at the center of the book, Dunn illuminates their differences.

Elizabeth, inheriting a weak, divided country coveted by all the Catholic monarchs of Europe, is revolutionary in her insistence on ruling alone and inspired in her use of celibacy as a political tool - yet also possessed of a deeply feeling nature. Mary is not the romantic victim of history but a courageous adventurer with a reckless heart and a magnetic influence over men and women alike. Vengeful against her enemies and the more ruthless of the two queens, she is untroubled by plotting Elizabeth’s murder.

Elizabeth, however, is driven to anguish at finally having to sanction Mary’s death for treason. Working almost exclusively from contemporary letters and writings, Dunn explores their symbiotic, though never face-to-face, relationship and the power struggle that raged between them.

A story of sex, power and politics, of a rivalry unparalleled in the pages of English history, of two charismatic women - told in a masterful double biography.

©2004 Jane Dunn (P)2004 Random House, Inc., Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A perceptive, suspenseful account of complex English history .... By the end of this satisfying book, one feels sympathy for both women, brave queens in an age when ‘no one considered that a woman could effectively rule alone.'" (The New York Times Book Review)

“Elegant.... Dunn demythologizes Elizabeth and Mary. In humanizing their dynamic and shifting relationship, Dunn describes it as fueled by both rivalry and their natural solidarity as women in an overwhlemingly masculine world.” (Boston Herald)

“A wholly engrossing and sumptuous retelling of a tale that entered legend even before its protagonists were dead.” (Newsday)

Too Long

If it was half as long, it would have been too long.

This book is for those wanting extreme detail.

This book is NOT for the casual listener who wants to become more familiar with this time period. It's so full of detail and analysis that it becomes a chore to listen to and nearly impossible to follow. I assume the abridged version would have been a better choice for me.

so-so story

good history book. narrator was good. but the story just went on and on. i lost count of all the noble men in elizabeth and mary's lives. i thought this english/scottish story would be more exciting.

Disappointing

The audio version of the book was hard to follow. It was long and tedious, and kept jumping around in history. I listened to over 7 hrs and couldn't finish it. The reader did a nice job with accents and quotes, but read so fast it was hard to find a spot to stop the book at the end of a sentence. Although if she hadn't read so fast, the book would have been even longer and more unsufferable.

loved the narrative. but...

It was very plodding. hard to finish. jumped around. hard to finish. was so so.

Interesting material, repetitive presentation

The story of Elizabeth and Mary is an intriguing tangle, and I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it didn't do it for me. There's only so many times a reader can stomach hearing about Mary's prowess on horseback, or her near fatal-attraction charms on men. The author repeatedly reminds readers of facts to the point where the overall book is somewhat boring and a little insulting.

I really enjoy histories of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and I hope audible finds more excellent books in this category. Unfortunately, Elizabeth and Mary isn't one of them.