Our last book had us in Africa in the late part of the last century. In a completely different world, we now turn to Elizabeth and Mary who take us back to England, Scotland, and France in the middle of the sixteenth century. It was a fascinating as well as dangerous time in Europe as different branches of the Tudor dynasty vied for the throne. I have read a lot about King Henry VIII and his many wives. When we read the book the Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir a couple of years ago in book group it was quite popular. I knew already a lot of the history then about Henry, I have also read a great deal about the Plantaganets and Lancasters. The lives of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots are not ones I have delved into and I am thoroughly enjoying this book. These strong women who had to fight for their destinies in an age where it was thought women incapable of ruling a country showed the world that women were more than capable. I am attaching a couple of you tube videos one on each queen that you may like to watch to get more of a sense of the time and what each queen endured.
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Jennifer Mcgillis
I have been working at the Morse Institute Library for 18 years, and running the Wednesday evening book group since February 2005. |