The Life of Mary: Queen of Scots - Hardcover

Graham, Roderick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1605980498 ISBN 13: 9781605980492

Publisher: Pegasus Books, 2009

Synopsis

Mary, Queen of Scots lived during one of the most fascinating periods in history. Graham’s epic work paints a unique picture of this controversial woman, showing her to be neither a Catholic martyr nor murdering adulteress but a passive young woman caught up in the ruthless sea of sixteenth-century politics who lacked the shrewdness and empowerment of her contemporaries―Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers and Elizabeth Tudor. Instead, she relied on her beauty and charm and allowed herself to be a victim of circumstance. When she did finally attempt to control her future, she set in motion the events that would lead her to the executioner’s block.

About this title

About the Author:

Roderick Graham was educated at the Royal High School of Edinburgh and Edinburgh University. He has worked in radio and television as a writer, director, and producer. He produced the award winning BBC program Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson. He is the author of John Knox: Democrat, The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume, and The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots: An Accidental Tragedy.

From Publishers Weekly:

French-raised Mary Stuart's life began with tragedy and ended with tragedy for both the monarch and Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots has not always been shown in a positive light, but Graham's pro-Elizabeth bias appears in his showcasing of the instincts of wily, intellectual Queen Elizabeth against naïve, spoiled Mary. Raised in a gilded cage in France to be an ornamental object at court, she ignored governing and deadly court politics as long as she could, and she routinely irritated her English counterpart, Elizabeth. Unsuccessful as ruler in a fragile Scotland, the queen grew even unhappier as the wife of John Darnley, a syphilitic narcissist. All in all, Graham, producer of BBC-TV's Elizabeth, narrates Mary's short life as a hellish fairy tale for naughty children, ending with the queen's grisly death. This dense biography in strongest in carefully detailing the Western European political atmosphere of Mary's youth and nimbly describes the Scottish nobles' machinations to improve their lot before forcing her to abdicate. 16 pages of illus. (July 22)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1605980498
• ISBN 13: 9781605980492
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 542