Nancy Goldstone

This was a fantastic group biography of the granddaughter and the four great-granddaughters of Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, was the daughter of James VI/I, and she and her four daughters helped set the stage for the world we know today. I thoroughly enjoyed Goldstone’s writing; she untangled the similarly named sons and daughters with aplomb, and her footnotes and side comments continually cracked me up.

I found this book particularly satisfying in terms of show more building on my knowledge. I’ve read a fair bit about British history, and to a lesser extent about continental European history, and with this book I could feel the jigsaw pieces slotting into place in my brain. That’s how wide-ranging this family’s social circles and interests ranged.

I’d highly recommend this if you’re interested in Scottish and European history, and if you like biographies of women in history. show less

I admit, I picked this one up because of the excellent title, then realized it was by Nancy Goldstone (and have enjoyed her work in the past) -- and -- I was continuously astonished about how much I enjoyed this book. That sounds like a backhanded compliment, but what I mean is that I have never been interested in this particular time in history, or Mary, Queen of Scots, or the reign of James I or, god forbid, Cromwell and Charles -- for whatever reason, they've never appealed to me. Now I'm show more fascinated by the whole clan. This book is exceptional. It's amazing. It's a soap opera with deeply far reaching future impacts, and Goldstone not only is a master storyteller for the history, but she effortlessly weaves the stunning future complications into the greater story without breaking the narrative. In addition to that, her somewhat snarky commentary left me giggling on more than one occasion. This isn't dry nonfiction, it's unputdownable. I love that it centers on the women, I love that it's structured in short bursts that really give you a sense of the personalities of the times, and I love the thought and research that has gone into it. Can't recommend it highly enough. show less

This book is entertaining. I think that's the best I can say for it. I became very nervous when I read in the genealogical table at the beginning that two of Marie Antoinette's children were fathered by Count Fersen. In fact, the whole of the sections about Marie Antoinette seem to me to be a bit far-fetched. There is absolutely no evidence that Count Fersen and Marie Antoinette were lovers. Yet, the author goes to great pains to describe how Count Fersen was never far from the ill-fated show more queen's bed. Her husband, Louis XVI, is labeled as being on the autism spectrum. The author indicates that she contacted a professional about this diagnosis. One wonders what information she didn't send to the professional. The sections on Marie Antoinette give me cause to doubt the rest of the veracity of the book. I enjoyed reading about Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen, as I had never read anything about her. However, the author's style of writing doesn't suit a legitimate biography. Footnoted and annotated throughout the book are the author's personal opinions in response to some of the happenings of the day. Completely unprofessional.

If you're looking to be entertained, this book is for you. If you're looking for a serious biography of the daughters of Maria Theresa, I'd look elsewhere. Unfortunate coming from Nancy Goldstone. show less

This was a very colourful and dramatic slice of Medieval European history focusing on a little known and fascinating ruler, one of the most powerful female rulers of the Medieval age. "During her long, eventful reign, Joanna held together a large and far-flung dominion, which included Provence and all of southern Italy, and even expanded her rule, however briefly, into Sicily and Piedmont.....For more than thirty years, this queen fed the poor and cared for the sick; built churches and show more hospitals; reduced crime and promoted peace; protected trade and introduced new industry within her borders. She guided her subjects to recovery from the many instances of plague, war, famine, and depression endemic to the second half of the fourteenth century." So, why is she called the "notorious" Queen? This is because of the accusation that she murdered her first husband Andrew of Hungary, though she was cleared of this in a trial in 1348. However, this set off a very turbulent period of threatened and actual invasion, negotiating with 5 or 6 successive popes, marital turmoil with the first three of her four husbands, and seeing the deaths of her young children by Andrew and by her second husband Louis of Taranto. Joanna's final fall came at the hands of another Hungarian invasion, after she fell foul of the battles of rival Popes at the time of the Great Schism of the Papacy, an event "which would bitterly divide the church for the next forty years and be as damaging to Europe, and especially to the kingdom of Naples, as any war". Her murder as a wretched prisoner in a remote castle I found particularly sad and bathetic, an ignominious end to a great ruler. In conclusion, the author rues the fact that Joanna's story "when it is recounted at all, focuses entirely on her notoriety, as the queen who murdered her husband, and not on the many impressive accomplishments of her reign." A great read. show less