Tracy Borman

Sigh. There were a bunch of small errors that in the grand scheme of things shouldn't weigh that much - except that they make you wonder whether the author was as cavalier with her primary points. It was an important concept that had never been fully addressed - but didn't feel all that fully addressed here either (Elizabeth reigned for a long time and not all of it was well-represented...or was that just because it was unimportant?). I am assembling information for my upcoming trilogy on Elizabeth so it was a must-read - but I didn't come away with reams of notes as I'd expected. Still, I suspect I will be returning to it more than I expect right now....so I gave it the extra star.… (more)

I've been a fan of Anne Boleyn since I was a teen, but I've never gotten around to reading about Elizabeth I. I love the framework of this biography where it looks at Elizabeth's story through the lens of her mother, Anne. The first third of the book is focused on Anne and then it moves into Elizabeth's story. I really enjoyed the focus on Anne's intellectual and religious pursuits, beyond just her relationship with Henry VIII. Elizabeth's childhood was covered better than the rest of her life. Borman went into the psychological impacts caused by the death of Elizabeth's mother at the orders of her father. The author also highlights evidence of ways that Elizabeth paid tribute to her mother subtly throughout her reign. There was a certain point where I got bored reading lists of Boleyn relatives and how many times Elizabeth used a falcon as a symbol, but overall it was a solid biography and I'm glad it was my introduction to Elizabeth's biography. This is a must read for Tudor history fans.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.… (more)