Immortal Queen: A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots

by Elizabeth Byrd

On February 8th, 1587, a woman of forty-four, regal, elegant, but no longer beautiful, knelt to lay her head upon a block. At the third stroke of the axe the order signed by Queen Elizabeth I of England was carried out, and the turbulent life of Mary, Queen of Scots was ended. — "Immortal Queen" tells the story of that life, from Mary's childhood days in France to her death at Fotheringay. The narrative is in the highest tradition of historical fiction - vivid, alive, and rich in pageantry. From the first page the reader is lost in a world of nearly four centuries ago, a world of drama and torturous intrigue, of treachery and high courage. Mary, a widow and a queen at the age of eighteen, dies as courageously as she had lived; and Bothwell, that lion of a man who perished a madman in a Danish prison, more that matches her in courage - and is the one man she could trust among many who would betray her and plot her downfall. All spring to life in this enthralling, unforgettable book.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Scotland, Historical, Tudor Period, Royalty, Novels

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Family:
Born Sarah Elizabeth Evelyn Byrd on December 8, 1912, in St. Louis, MO; died May 11, 1989, in Tucson, AZ; daughter of Joseph Hunter Byrd (an entrepreneur and mining promoter) and Emma (Howard) Byrd; married Don Phares. Education: Attended New York University, 1932-33.
Elizabeth is the elder sister of composer Joseph Byrd (December 19, 1937) and physician Dr. Ruddell Byrd.

CAREER:
Columbia Broadcasting System, radio news writer, 1939-45; Station WMCA, script writer and actress on "What's News," 1942-43; associate editor for New York literary agencies, 1944-50; Betty Byrd Associates (literary agency), owner and operator, 1951-53; A. L. Fierst Literary Agency, critic, 1952-53; Julian Messner, Inc., writer of jacket copy, 1952-60; freelance writer.

In addition to her 9 novels, she wrote a non-fiction book "A Strange and Seeking Time", and two short stories for Argosy in 1969- 1970:

* Gay Street Ghost, Argosy (UK) Jun 1969
* Try a Little Tenderness, Argosy (UK) Mar 1970

Contributor of articles and stories to Venture, Reader's Digest, McCall's, and Scottish Field.

Reviews

[Helen Azar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came upon this book at a library completely by accident. It is a historical novel about Mary Stuart, starting with her life in France as a child and ending with her execution. It is extremely well written and accurate, as far as I can tell. It reads like a very good novel and draws you in to a point where you don't want to put it down - even though you know what's going to happen. It gives great insights into Mary's life and personality. It actually made me feel somewhat sympathetic towards Mary (which I didn't prior to reading this book) - at least it made me sort of understand where she was coming from and why she did the things she did. IMO, this is one of the best books, fiction or non-fiction, I ever read about Mary Queen of Scots!

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

i could read this book over and over and over again. the first copy i read was my mother's. Then i bought my own copy off amazon. i made a clamshell box for my copy to help preserve it. I buy copies whenever i see them in used book stores, sometimes for 20 or 30 bucks. This book is worth it. I'm sad it is out of print. One of my personal life classics. I LOVE IT.

[Undine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it is a work of fiction that was first published nearly fifty years ago, "Immortal Queen" still ranks as arguably the finest book ever written on the controversial Mary Queen of Scots. The novel is beautifully written and better researched than most biographies, but what truly makes this book such a classic is Byrd's insight into Mary's enigmatic personality. The psychological portraits of Mary and her star-crossed soul mate, the Earl of Bothwell, are the most fascinating and plausible ever written, and illustrate the Scottish Queen and her times better than a boatload of Antonia Frasers could ever hope to do. For anyone who wonders what Mary "was really like," this is the book to read!

[Christi Barth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I read this 20 times in the 7th grade alone. Loved it - and opened my eyes to the beauty of history.

[Rio (Lynne)]

I'm yeilding for now. The whole Henry VII being her grandfather (not great grandfather) bugged me....I had downloaded a sample. It was a large sample since the book is over 500 pages. I decided to try my Margaret George book on Mary before I spend $10 on the Immortal Queen.

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wondrfully written book and it got me very interested in historical fiction.

[Kissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superbly written novel covering the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. While it is technically a fictional piece, Byrd did a superb job of staying true to the facts known of Mary's life and not letting imagination distort details to one's ideology. Despite being written over 50+ years ago, the context still feels fresh and modern; the flow of text is smooth and easy to follow, often pulling you into the story and make you not want to stop reading. Overall, if you are a fan of reading about Europe's regency figures, this is a great one to check out.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best novel about Mary Queen of Scots that I have read. Bothwell emerges as a compelling and even likeable character and their relationship is well rounded and convincing. Manages not to paint Mary as a helpless victim of circumstance but clearly shows her as the author of her own undoing while still maintaining the reader's sympathy. I am not normally a great fan of Mary Stuart, but I found my self warming to her in this book.

[Roz Naughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but rather a long story at more than 500 pages. I struggled to read it but it is a wonderful book about Mary based on fact. Well written .
Mary’s life was a series of terrible unfortunate incidents.

[Bianca Zarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

A novel based on facts that really feels like you’re reading Mary’s point of view. I really enjoyed reading this one

[Norah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative fictional account of the life of Mary Queen of Scots. I enjoyed it as a 'good read' and also for the historical information. For anyone who enjoys historical novels this is a good one.

Received as a trade from bookcrosser daemonwolf, and put it quite near the top of mount tbr! I previously read this while in labour with my third child, and was quite awed by the fact that she rode into battle while pregnant (?while in labour, can't remember!) so was looking forward to a re-read of this!

[Dj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in my long lost youth and I still remember it as one of the best books I ever read. I loaned my copy out because I loved it and wanted to share, and friends gave it back with torn dust jacket and dirty pages. I never thought of those friends in the same way again, and I became a lot more selective in my lending practices.

I should read it again . .

[Deidre Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Byrd writes with a flair for the dramatic, while at the same time keeping true to the historical facts of Mary's life. Ms. Byrd paints Mary as a real woman, with real feelings and desires. . .

[Krista C · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best fictional portrayal of this tragic queen that I've read so far. It's hard to sympathize with Mary until you realize what a sheltered and privileged life she led up to returning to Scotland. She was I'll equipped to rule. This booked was pretty accurate and the fiction was believable.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!! The best historical fiction I've ever read!! Written in 1972, but even better than phillipa Gregory one of my all time favorite authors. The story is amazing, an there are lots of true facts in this book of Mary Queen of Scots

[Timo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kaisa

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book.

[Mary Nickum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was entertaining, well written and serves as a model for my historical fiction (one model, anyway). It was well recommended in a book on writing historical fiction.

[Kara]

Its well written and well researched. Everyone comes out looking pretty bad - so much so you wonder how anyone could have written favorably about this time period.

[Jonathan Derr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story even if it is kinda chick lit. Gives an interesting inside look at the inner workings of royalty life back in the 16th century.

[Polly MacDavid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over & over again when I was a teenager.

[Truida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Lots of information, vivid scenes. Flowing story

[Jan Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I learned a lot about Mary, Queen of Scots. It seemed to drag in parts and I got tired of her making one bad decision after another but I guess that's what really happened.