Penguin (Cornerstone) The Tower.

by Flora Carr

The summer of 1567.  Scotland is  plagued by  turmoil; the country is tearing itself apart. Fresh from the battlefield, a pregnant Mary  Queen  of Scots is dragged out of her palace by rebel Scottish lords and sent to Lochleven, a castle situated in the middle of a vast loch. Her infant son and heir Prince James is captured by her enemies. She does not know if she will ever see him again. But she is not alone. Jane and Cuckoo, two very different chambermaids, will accompany her. When they arrive at Lochleven,  the men around Mary smell the blood. But it’s not just the men. Her female captors, including Margaret Erskine, a formidable courtier in her fifties and former mistress to the king, they all want her dead. Instead, they settle on the abdication of her throne.  

An 11-month imprisonment follows. The women are moved to the tower of the castle, the tower becoming their entire world. They share everything: their food, their beds, even their periods are in sync. Mary finds solace and inspiration in her women; they lift her out of her darkness. But when Lady Seton arrives, Mary’s childhood friend, the delicate balance between them is upended. Seton’s instant dislike of Jane masks something carnal and unspoken, and the tension between the women rises. All of them want to stay close to Mary, all of them want a place in history. But all of them want above all, for Mary to escape. And they will risk anything to do so

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Scotland, LGBT, Adult, Lesbian

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE TOWER is a tight, spare, haunting, lovely novel about women asserting themselves against the prison of patriarchy. It's Mary Stuart at her very finest and most human: arrogant, emotional, charming, magnetic, loyal, sometimes irrational but always the gravitational center of any room she's in. The prose is absolutely gorgeous and reminds me of Lauren Groff and Maggie O'Farrell, which is praise I don't throw out lightly. I did not expect to devour this book and then become a Mary Seton fangirl but here we all are somehow. And the *schemes*! The schemes are a triumph! I will be eagerly waiting for whatever Flora Carr writes next. Genuinely, this is one of my favorite reads of the year. MQOS hive, don't miss it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally forgot about reviewing this. Marketed as a feminist twist on a very short period in Mary Queen of Scots life, The Tower finds the Scottish Queen isolated, abandoned and vulnerable. It was interesting to see Mary in this way, held to her male subjects whims and cruelty and forced to accept her influence and power has ebbed away. The Tower itself becomes a physical representation of Mary's situation, and seeing events unfold through the eyes of her ladies maids means Mary is always this slightly out of reach, truly unknowable character that adds to her demeanort. As always, the comparisons with her cousin Elizabeth are there at the forefront of the story, the two Queens who never met, ruling turbulent lands and the obvious similarities between them. I liked the sapphic twist too, although I'm not really sure it added much to the overall story.

A short read, and one that has obviously stayed with me, however I do think it could have done more to embellish and flesh out the story.

[Rachel N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Mary Queen of Scots is a familiar one to most of us, a Scottish woman executed by her cousin to protect her English throne. The sheer number of beheadings of leading women in Tudor times means that we often stop seeing them as individuals and they become numbers, just more figures in a procession of hideous deaths. This book uses fiction to bring Mary to life. It covers the year she spent as a prisoner on the island in Loch Leven in Perth and Kinross as different factions sought to control the throne of Scotland. Her third husband, Bothwell, has fled and she is alone with two servants, at the mercy of her jailer, her illegitimate half brother Moray, The history of Scotland at the time, the battles over religion, the conflicts between nobles, the relationship of many of them is complicated but this book manages to lay it out very clearly.

Much of what is remembered about Mary's life is centred about her relationships with men - the early death of her first husband, Francis II of France, the murder of her second husband Lord Darnley, the controversy over Bothwell, her third husband, her son James VI and I, who united the crowns of England and Scotland - but male characters hardly feature in this novel. Instead we concentrate on Mary herself, her servants Jane and Cuckoo, and her companion Mary Seton, who joins them in their prison. We see what little control women have over their lives, their helplessness in many ways against the constant threat some men hold over them, but also the strength of their friendship and ability to stand up to their challenges. Many books recently have claimed to be feminist retellings of older stories, not always successfully, but this one felt far more genuine to me.

The women are all vividly brought to life, for good and bad, with the core four working together but others on opposing sides working against them. Their different positions and ambitions are all understandable and it's a wonderful thing to read a book about women in history that focuses entirely on these women, even though their lives were so shaped by the men around them. There's a real sense of time and place - I grew up in the area and the descriptions of the countryside surrounding it are spot on - and it's hugely atmospheric. It also includes little flashbacks and flash forwards so we learn more about what happens to these women, which I was keen to know. Even though I knew what the end result was going to be, there was still real tension and somehow you hope the four will manage to escape to a quiet life!

I really enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end, it's some of the best historical fiction I've read and I've read a lot!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
#TheTower #NetGalley

[Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

This didn't work for me. I was keen to learn more about Mary Queen of Scots and I did. But I also hoped (based on the nice UK cover) for more than straightforward historical fiction and didn't get that.

It is billed as a feminist retelling, but that message was laid on a bit too thick and didn't go beyond putting women centre stage, reminding of their extremely disadvantaged position, and adding some sex scenes (for which there is no historical evidence so I am not sure I agree with that).

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a claustrophobic fictional glimpse into the days Mary Queen of Scots spent in imprisonment.

The historical research and detail is thorough and somewhat interesting, although it has been extensively written and rewritten before. I also found the flow between historical information and background didn't often merge well with the fictional narrative and found the jumping around jarring.

There were too many florrid descriptions and metaphors that began to grate on me. I struggled to relate to the characters although some of the themes of status and class were interesting. But, although I understand they were in a situation that was incredibly tough, frightening and degrading - I began to find their internal voices whiney and irritating, particularly after Seton arrived.

I started to become quite bored and dnf'd at 44%, but I imagine that many readers would enjoy the feminist, LGBTQ themes with the famous historical figures. However, for me it just didn't blend together well.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Women in captivity : Mary Queen of Scots in Lochleven Castle 3

Inevitably, this was a claustrophobic and oppressive read, and one which did not fully engage me, despite some believable characterisation (from what seems to have been known of the major historical figures) and certain historical records.

However…………..what has pulled me back from a higher rating is an inevitable ‘modernised perspective’ which almost always seems to result in visiting sexual encounters between characters, where, of course there is no objective record. I wouldn’t really care if completely fictitious characters were used, but always find use of real people somewhat suspect, particularly where it seems laudable modern sensibilities are being bolted on to people from the past.

My cynical imagination always suspects ‘sex sells’ and a twentyfirst century viewpoint determined to happen

[bird]

abandoned at 10%, hilary mantel wept

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mixed feelings on this one.
Was good in some parts, others not so much.
I kept losing interest, mainly due to the author's prose I think.
I was looking for a different historical account of Mary Queen of Scots, and this telling was very a "feminist" story of 3 women surviving together and it seemed to focus fully on that.
I also didn't much care for how Mary was portrayed at times throughout the story.
So, rather a very generous 3 star for this reader.

[WhatMichaelaReads]

DNF - Apparently you need to understand Mary Queen of Scots history to understand any of this book.

Also making real people LGBTQ+ with no evidence they were is extremely icky.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read The Tower because of an extraordinary one-woman show by Isabelle Huppert in which she played Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Said What She Said). Huppert was terrifyingly intense and magnetic, which gave the novel's portrayal a lot to live up to. Moreover, all historical fiction set in Tudor times must suffer comparison with Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy. With these points of comparison in mind, it hardly seems that I can judge The Tower on its own merits. The novel covers a period of time when Mary was imprisoned in a Scottish castle, away from her young son James king of Scotland. The claustrophobic narrative is confined to the tower she is trapped in, with occasional supervised walks outside. Mary herself is viewed entirely via her attendants, two maids and her close friend Mary Seton, all of whom are fascinated by her. The tone can, I think, be discerned from this paragraph in the first chapter:

No one is sure which rumour Agnes is talking about; there are so many whispers surrounding Boswell. They say he killed Mary's second husband Darnley for her, and that is why she married him. They say he rapes every woman he meets. They say he raped Mary, and that is why she married him. They say she is a whore. They say that, after their wedding night, Mary called for a knife: she said she would cut herself, she said she would drown herself. They say that he was unfaithful to Mary with his first wife, who he divorced a fortnight before his second marriage. They say he bedded Mary while she was still married to Darnley. They say she is a whore. They say she loves Bothwell. They say she bequeathed him a jewel in the shape of a mermaid, made of diamonds and rubies. They say Bothwell killed an old servant right in front of her, and she said nothing. They say they killed the old servant together, and that Mary laughed. They say she is a whore.

In short, it is a downer. The many humiliations of Mary's confinement emphasise the limitations faced even by ostensibly very powerful women. The writing is pretty evocative and full of visceral, often gory, details. It lacks the subtlety of Mantel, but very few writers can write like her. There are some memorable moments, including the misery of menstruation and some endearing kittens. The illicit romance subplot wasn't particularly compelling, though. Mary herself was the most interesting character, as she should be, without achieving the gravitas of Isabelle Huppert on stage. To reiterate, such comparisons feel unduly harsh, particularly for a first novel. In their long shadow, The Tower seemed pretty good but unexceptional.

[Kiera ☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solemn story of sisterhood, feminism and the patriarchy. I found myself completely interwoven in this story. Listening to the audiobook with every free moment I had. Bravo to the narrator, she tackled may accents and characters beautifully which really added to the richness of this read.

The characters are what make this book for me. Their development, relationships and personalities come together in such a captivating way. As a debut novel, this is fantastic. I'm interested to see what else Carr writes in the future, it will definitely be an auto buy for me. The one thing missing for me and why it didn't quite get 5 stars was a lack of POV from Mary herself. While her story was certainly told, it's more from the perspective of her handmaids/ladies in waiting. You get her story from their experience more than from Mary herself which I found kind of took away from the read for me personally. With that being said, this was still a wonderful book and I appreciated and enjoyed the ladies in waiting's perspectives and story lines. They make up a main bulk of the story told and with all the woman having quite different back stories and personalities it's certainly what makes this book so rich and all consuming.

Another stroll into Historical Fiction and another winner for me. My 'Historical Bish' Era is definitely in full swing!

[Thebooktrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discover the locations in the novel here

I have read a LOT of historical fiction. A lot about Kings and Queens. I haven’t read much about Mary, Queen of Scots and nothing like this. This is EXCELLENT historical fiction. So good, that I moved my review up from March to now.

What I loved about this (where do I start, there were so many things!) was the way the book took you right inside the minds and souls of Mary Queen of Scots and her maids. Three women who were imprisoned on a tiny island in Scotland. Mary was taken there as a prisoner, to keep her out of the way, as men fought for her throne. That sets the scene for how the women are treated. They are at the mercy of men, their supposed superiors, a runaway husband, an illegitimate half brother and so many more.

We learn about Mary and what she is going through by what men have done to her, what men think of her, what lies men have told about her. History books tell Mary’s story in relation to her second husband who was murdered, her son the King and others in her life but what this novel excels at, is the fact that there are very few men, or even mentions of men in Mary’s story here.


By focusing on Mary and her maids Cuckoo and Jane, as well as Mary Seton, we get under their skin and in their heads. We sit with them before the fire, we eat with them, sit in the dark with them and worry with them. What I was humbled to do, was to realise just how strong and resourceful these women were. They didn’t talk down on men but revealed their own inner strength which was so much more powerful. Their lives might have been shaped by men but their minds and words were not. Far from it.

The sense of time and place was superb – one castle, one prison, one island. Claustrophobic and utterly gripping. I am dying to go to the castle in question and take this book with me to hear the whispers of these remarkable women on the wind.

The writing is superb and reads like an historical account as if the author was actually there, but with a modern accessibility.

THIS is historical fiction at its finest!

[Amy Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flora Carr’s debut novel “The Tower” delivers a tight and visceral depiction of Mary's incarceration at Lochleven Castle from June 1567 to May 1568 from a decidedly feminist angle. 

Here the queen remained under the watchful eyes of Margaret Erskine and her daughter-in-law Agnes at the behest of Mary’s half-brother, James Stewart, Earl of Moray. Her only companions are Jane Kennedy, Marie de Courcelles (called “Cuckoo”), and later Lady Mary Seton. A few days after her arrival, Mary is deposed, losing her throne.

In their imprisonment, the four form a tight bond that blurs the lines between mistress and servants. Their constant close proximity both pulls them together and creates moments of tension.

During this time, Mary begins to plot her escape. She's determined to escape Lochleven and regain her kingdom. Can she escape her prison? And what about those around her?

“The Tower” explores how women find companionship forged in the fires of adversity, a theme easily relatable to the modern day. Carr employs a deep understanding of psychology and engrossing writing to create an unsettling but powerful depiction of Mary's imprisonment.

Sadly, however, the novel suffers from inconsistent and often indistinguishable perspectives, slow pacing, and no chapter structure that occasionally turns it into a literary slough as thick and impenetrable as the fog of a Scottish loch.

"The Tower" comes out on March 5th!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and @NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel!

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is only my second ever 5 star review for an audiobook*! I listened to it both in the UK and whilst out on exploratory walks in Lanzarote and honestly I was totally gripped by it.

My knowledge of history and especially of kings and queens is really poor, so perhaps that's why I love historical fiction so much - despite the fact they are actually fiction, I still do feel like I'm learning!

The Tower tells the story of a short time in the life of Mary Queen of Scots, a period where she spent time as a prisoner at Loch Leven. The Tower refers in the main to the females in Mary's life - her servants Jane and Cuckoo, and her companion Mary Seton. Flora Carr portrays their relationships brilliantly, not just the good but also the bad. At times, it is loving and tender, at others, it is raw and tense.

Flora Carr is a wonderful storyteller, interspersing Mary's present situation with information from her past, to build up the tension, which is difficult to do in a book set in such a claustrophobic setting. A truly captivating story - I'll be eager to read more from Flora Carr!

(*I had to select Hardcover because in typical Goodreads style there is no audio option for this book with the UK cover. They need to start letting us add our own versions like other apps do!)

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

⇝ 2.5 stars

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annnd I'm crying. I love historical fiction when it brings out so many emotions in me, even though I KNOW what happens because it's well known history. That's how I can say that this book was written beautifully when I care about these characters and their relationships and history; all while knowing in the back of my head what their fates are. I haven't read any books about Mary before and now I need to read more! My heart breaks for her and all the women of this time who are just trying to survive. BY the end of this book I felt the claustrophobia and beating desire to escape and feel the fresh air, just as Mary did. Beautiful!

Note: I LOVED the narration of this audiobook!

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy to review; my thoughts and review are my own.

[Isabelle Kennedy-Grimes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was well-crafted which appealed but I found it incredibly hard to engage with to the end. Not enough happens for the entirety of the plot to take place in one setting. I also found the points being made about the women’s relationships and sexual tensions etc extremely repetitive and explicit.

[Mary: Me, My Shelf & I · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary, Queen of Scots, imprisoned in cold, damp Lochleven Castle, on an island in the middle of the loch, plots her escape while attended by a small, faithful circle of women-in-waiting.
A queen since she was 6 days old, thrice married, and mother to 1-year-old James, Mary, at 24, is pregnant again when captured and imprisoned. Early in her incarceration she miscarries twins and is then forced to sign abdication papers.
A modern revisiting of popular historical territory.
I myself enjoyed that Flora Carr brought some newness and energy to the story.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. The Tower is the very best type of historic fiction - the kind that gives modern voice to the injustices of the time without losing the edge of the period. This book manages to explore friendship, feminism, class dynamics, and politics within the tightest language. The closest comparison I have is Lauren Groff’s Matrix, but where that book is epic in scope and sweeping in timeline, The Tower is intimate and confined. It is such an interest note in history, while still ringing relevant to our current world.

There are two tiny details that I particularly appreciated: 1) while the characters of this book are always referred to as women, it’s made very clear that non are older than mid-20’s. To me, what they endure is made all the more tragic by this. 2) this is a me thing, but whenever I consume historical content (books, plays, movies… really anything) the smells of the time (particularly people) takes up much more of my brain space than it should. Carr directly addresses this disgusting detail and it not only heightens the claustrophobia at the crux of this story, but also helped my reading experience, as I didn’t have to wonder.

Very excited to recommend this to friends. Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for access to an e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[Dianne Alvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulously written book of historical fiction. It takes place at Lockleven Castle, which is the prison that Mary, Queen of Scots, is taken to by her enemies. For eleven months, she will live in a small, stifling, gloomy room in the tower. She will not see her infant son, James, ever again as he is now with her enemies. Accompanying her are two serving women, Jane and Cuckoo, and then, when Mary is forced to abdicate, Lady Seton, her childhood friend, joins them.

The story takes place in the year 1567 in Scotland. It's a tumultuous time of political and religious chaos. Carr explores the rebellion within the country, as well as the situations with Mary's three husbands, and Elizabeth I. But, the focus of the story unfolds within the claustrophic room- and the four womnen within.

Carr expertly delves into the characters' inner lives, as well as their thoughts, and conversations with each other. These were people who were as human as any of us. This is what kept me wanting to turn the page, and this is what made the story outstanding. There is so much more to this book, as Carr introduces other characters, who move the plot along to its perilous conclusion. She is a brilliant storyteller, and this is a book I will not forget.

[Samantha Krivensky · Rating 5 out of 5]

- historical fiction retelling of the 11 months Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at Lochleven Castle with her three companions
- a reflection on the ways women in power are torn down by weak men & how friendship between women can provide salvation
- THE PROSE. But the prose. I am in awe. Flora Carr is a master storyteller and wordsmith
- if you love Maggie O’Farrell you need this

[Stacie (MagicOfBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://www.youtube.com/magicofbooks

“The Tower” by Flora Carr tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, eleven-month imprisonment in Lochleven Castle in 1567 with three of her ladies-in-waiting.

I’m glad this book was under 300 pages because I was starting to get a little fidgety near the end of the book. The book is by no means terrible, I did enjoy it, but it does start to feel almost a little repetitive as events are winding down. As the synopsis says, this book is covering the eleven-month imprisonment of Mary Stuart in 1567 before she is able to escape, only to continue to be imprisoned for the remainder of her life in England until her execution in 1587. This book knows what it is about and it sticks to it, staying short, to the point, and precise. This is a story about four women in imprisonment. They have nowhere to go and don’t really speak to too many other characters. From what I know of Mary Stuart’s story, Flora Carr kept this pretty historically accurate and she didn’t throw anything in here for the sake of shock value. This is definitely her version of events and her imaginings of the types of conversations and scenarios that could have possibly happened during this eleven-month ordeal. It’s a story of female friendship. These four women who come from totally different backgrounds must rely and trust in each other in order to go through with escape plan after escape plan. They have no privacy so those threads that used to separate them are gone. Yes, Mary is still their queen, their superior, but this situation also allows them to see her just as a woman with weaknesses and vulnerabilities, but also her incredible determination and strength to reclaim what is rightfully hers. The three women with her are a fellow Scottish woman, Jane, a Frenchwoman who goes by Cuckoo, and Lady Mary Seton who is one of Mary’s closest confidantes. I kept wondering if all these women were fictional, but in Flora Carr’s author notes she does say that all three women were real and were with Mary during her imprisonment. These three women have their own distinct personalities, history with Mary, and their own demons they are facing. But they all are loyal to Mary and will see this through until the end.

I wouldn’t blame fellow readers if this book feels slow or boring. If you are waiting for wild craziness to happen, this is not that type of book. It’s very quiet and insular. It’s about exploring these women, their dreams and desires, their strengths and weaknesses. You feel every moment of this eleven-month isolation. It’s bland and colorless, which is done with intent. I did enjoy Flora Carr’s writing, especially since this is a debut book by her. Her writing is concise and she seemed to have a hold of the narrative and where it was going from start to finish. She knew where to have moments of excitement and tension in just the right places. Like I said, I was getting a tad bit fidgety, literally right near the end of the book, because there had already been two previous escape attempts, so I was eager for the book to conclude by the third attempt. Fortunately, I was never bored. I’m curious to see what Flora Carr produces after this.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated by Mary, Queen of Scots. I’ve watched the movies, shows, and documentaries about her life, but I’d never read a book that explored her story. This one is technically fiction, but it imagines what her life could have been like during her imprisonment at Lochleven Castle in 1567.

The themes of female power were incredible, and I absolutely loved the lush, flowery, lyrical writing style. This book completely pulled me in and I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author in the future.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book assuming it was about the Tower of London but was delightfully surprised to see that it was actually about Mary Queen of Scots and her time at Lochleven Castle within their tower. Not a lot of pages in this book, but SO RICH with female friendships and just how much little things matter. (The little things are SO important!!!!!) This book hit home with that mark.

Loved loved LOVED this book and its side notes on historical accuracy moments.

Also — did NOT see that romance coming….I’m assuming that was fictional but ?! Wild and was in fact shocked.

[audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was kinda hoping to learn more of the history but this is more fictitious! Maybe? I am not sure! Is interesting but also could have either been shorter or packed with more details and longer. I hoped for the latter! But a cool look into an era of history I don’t know much about.

[Clare Rhianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tower by @floracarr13 , out now.

What an amazing debut novel!

It was the first book I read in 2024, & I'd be happy if it was the last - it is the most intriguing, exciting, gripping & addictive historical fiction that I have read for many years!

Looking for a break from the Tudor Court, I was initially drawn to the book by the beautiful cover work.

I'm familiar with MQOS & her story but she is by no means my favourite historic character so have never searched for a HF based solely on her.

By the end of the first chapter I knew that this book & author were something very special.

We start in the thick of Mary's troubles... she is forced to abdicate & sent to Loch Leven, an old delapidated castle standing solitary in the middle of a loch; Mary has only two companions - the native born Jane, timid & intelligent, then there's 'Cuckoo' the vain, flamboyant French woman Mary brought across the seas with her.

We see how these women's worlds revolve around their Queen, Mary is their universe, they see no one else; jealousy, envy & spite breed within the close confines of their rooms - but these women need to realise there are bigger enemies at work against them & their Queen, they need to come together to protect her & to survive their captivity.

The description through out was so vivid, so poignant I felt that I was there in that small stuffy room full of unwashed bodies & unemptied chamber pots.

I have never read a book like this, the writing style is so unique - we read of the past, the present & the future all in one chapter... hindsight, inner thoughts, dark desries, lust & guilt, I really could not put it down.

Being able to keep a reader invested with minimal characters & the MC being confined mostly to their Chambers on a small island shows Carr's talent.

I was on the edge of my seat through out even knowing Mary's story & how her time at Loch Leven would end.

Highly historically accurate & beautifully written.

Thank you so much for gifting me with a copy, it was an absolute pleasure to read your work; you most certainly have a fan in me, I look forward to your future projects.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over 500 years past her lifetime Mary Queen of Scots still implores books about her.
The focus of the new novel about her is on the three lady attendants who showed Mary the utmost devotion: Jane, Cuckoo, and Lady Seton.
It was an interesting read in a world comprised of greedy people and danger lurking about every corner.
The author’s afterward was a helpful conclusion to the historical facts.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advance copy.

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a bit of an Anglophile, I am very familiar with Elizabeth I and her struggles with ruling England as a woman, and one for whom it was made even more difficult with the idea that her mother’s marriage to Henry VIII may not have been fully valid. I’ve always known of Mary, Queen of Scots, but I didn’t know all that much about her.

While this book only covers the eleven months during which Mary was kept captive at Lochleven Castle, including her forced abdication, the reader is given a glimpse into who Mary was — a beautiful, young (she was only 25 during this time of imprisonment), charismatic, intelligent leader. Had her people been more receptive to being led by a woman, and perhaps had she never married at all, like her cousin Elizabeth, Scotland may have had one of its best rulers. Then again, this may be the Mary that Flora Carr has imagined, and not the true Mary at all. I’look have to read another account because what I seem to remember is that Mary was too easily led by her husbands. I wonder if that’s the patriarchy speaking.

I love that this book is a love letter to female friendships. Too often, we’re taught that women scheme and plot against other women to jockey for position, and while at times these women did claw a bit for favoritism, in the end they were a unit of four, united to support Mary.

Whether this book is perfectly historically accurate is to my mind less important. This is a lovely portrayal of a woman who had been Queen but who had had it ripped from her by force, and a beautiful imagining of female friendship.

[Alix Prior · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark and immersive story about Mary Queen of Scots during her imprisonment and escape from Lochleven Castle. The feminist perspective challenges historical narratives about Mary’s complacency and abilities, centered around the powers of female friendship. I read this after listening to the There’s Something About Mary Queen of Scots season on the Vulgar History podcast, which made reading the account of this specific period in Mary’s life so much more enjoyable. Highly recommend both!

[Jamie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this one. A lovely evocative account of power dynamics, political intrigue and the cunning of women in spite of a lack of basically everything. Also sapphics and Scotland, it's a double win for me.