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Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin (view source)
Revision as of 10:13, 24 June 2012
, 10:13, 24 June 2012no edit summary
''Spy for the Queen of Scots'' forms part of this honourable tradition. Was Mary really as rash, foolish and sexually irresponsible as she is so often presented? Or did her circumstances reduce the choices open to her so thoroughly that she really did the best that she could? And why is her intelligence and charisma - a matter of contemporary record - so often played down in comparison to her glittering cousin, Elizabeth I of England?
We see Mary through the eyes of a lady-in-waiting and one who loves her very much. We see the intrigue and plotting but most of all, we see a woman pushed into corner after corner, always on the edge of disaster. It's nicely paced and Breslin paints a vivid picture of the chaos created in Scotland, not so much by the pressures of being a small country amidst aggressive neighbours, but by the greed and ambition of its own nobles. And, most importantly, we see a Mary we can like.
Recommended to all fans of historical fiction. Enjoy.