When I went to join my grandparents for a few days in the Wisconsin Dells, I forgot to take a book with me. (I know--shocking! but I packed in a hurry on a Sunday afternoon, post CROP walk, so I cut myself some slack...) Then it rained one day and we decided to forego the International Crane Foundation and to stay in eating fudge. So clearly I needed a book...
I was planning to read The Other Queen soon anyway, so I picked it up at the local bookstore. I ended up napping most of the rainy day away but I finished the book at home over the weekend. It's very Philippa Gregory--well researched and written. It's a different style than I think she's written before--written as first person accounts from the various people in the story, so you have to pay attention to the title of each chapter as it tells you who's speaking. It definitely told the story of Mary Queen of Scots in a different and catchy way!
All in all, a good fluff book. and it wasn't all fluff--it was more timely than many historical novels are, as this novel explores what happens when a leader governs from a place of fear--what principles, what ideals, what people get sacrificed to maintain that fear? hmmm...
Of course then I went to Philippa Gregory's website and discovered that I somehow missed TWO of her novels, which I promptly put on hold at the library. As soon as I can get some free time, I'm escaping to the land of beautiful gowns and court intrigue!!
Do you want to come be a guest speaker in my class on women and contemporary romance? =) (btw: You need to read Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle--the heroine writes costume gothics!)
ReplyDeleteJust so ya know, as a fellow library lover and cat lover..
ReplyDeletethere is a new book, Dewey the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.
I read the first chapter as soon as I opened the package...I got watery eyes...
So,thought you might like it