It might have been a nostalgic desire to revisit the tortuous pains of the last year or so, or merely a desire to read something which didn't involve fiction which made this book seem a good choice to read. Starkey has written something which is very readable. It is scholarly yet approachable.
Starkey who has a cruel sense of humour and an even crueler wit is a noticeable force in this work, a vivid example being his description of Bloody Mary as a "bit of a goer". One can feel his hand writing the words, hear his soothing voice reading the text and see him nodding when some point is revealed with a flourish. It is usual for historians to try appear as little as possible in their work a mere emince gris- Starkey is no shrieking violet. We get in this book a highly personal yet professional narrative of Elizabeth's life.
Or at least some of it. The book's preface states that this biography is not a complete sweep of the life of the Virgin Queen, but instead it is a narrative of her early years; the formative years that shaped Gloriana and the fate of the nation. We don't then get to see the imperial majesty of Good Queen Bess, but what we do get is an insight into one of the great Britons and the story behind the mask.
78/100 (Non-Fiction Chart)
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