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An Accidental Tragedy: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots
Based on contemporary documents and histories, Roderick Graham paints a unique picture of Mary that sees her neither as a Catholic martyr, nor as a husband-murdering adulteress, but as a young girl adrift in the dangerous seas of sixteenth-century politics. Mary Stuart had none of the ruthlessness of her contemporary sisters, and the female empowerment of Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers or Elizabeth Tudor passed her by. In an age of intellectually brilliant and powerful women, Mary relied on her beauty and charm in place of reason and determination. Passively and gracefully, she allowed events to overtake her as accidents and when she did attempt to control her future she unwittingly set in train the events that would lead her to the executioner's block.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
16 people are currently reading
628 people want to read
About the author
Roderick Graham
11 books2 followersEdinburgh-born Roderick Graham was educated at the Royal High School of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh before serving with the Royal Army Education Corps as staff officer for education at the East Africa Command.
On leaving the army, he went on to pursue a long and varied career in television and radio as a writer, freelance director and producer. He produced the double Emmy award-winner Elizabeth R in 1971, and from 1974 to 1977 he was the producer of fifty-four episodes of the long-running BBC police series Z Cars. He was appointed head of drama at BBC TV Scotland and produced and directed A Scots Quair, Boswell for the Defence and Sutherland’s Law among many others. He eventually returned to freelance directing and worked on the well-known TV series Juliet Bravo, One by One and All Creatures Great and Small. He also wrote and directed two series of children’s archaeology for BBC TV, seven radio plays and one four-part radio biography of Sidney Smith.
Roderick Graham has also taught writing and directing at Napier and Leeds Metropolitan Universities, Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He is the author of the critically acclaimed John Knox: Democrat (Hale, 2001) and The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume (Tuckwell Press, 2004, paperback edition by Birlinn, 2005). In 2007 Birlinn published An Accidental Tragedy: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots. In this readable and insightful biography, Roderick Graham challenges many of the traditionally held perceptions of the Scottish queen, and examines her roles as a woman, a politician and a monarch.
Roderick Graham now lives in Edinburgh.
On leaving the army, he went on to pursue a long and varied career in television and radio as a writer, freelance director and producer. He produced the double Emmy award-winner Elizabeth R in 1971, and from 1974 to 1977 he was the producer of fifty-four episodes of the long-running BBC police series Z Cars. He was appointed head of drama at BBC TV Scotland and produced and directed A Scots Quair, Boswell for the Defence and Sutherland’s Law among many others. He eventually returned to freelance directing and worked on the well-known TV series Juliet Bravo, One by One and All Creatures Great and Small. He also wrote and directed two series of children’s archaeology for BBC TV, seven radio plays and one four-part radio biography of Sidney Smith.
Roderick Graham has also taught writing and directing at Napier and Leeds Metropolitan Universities, Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He is the author of the critically acclaimed John Knox: Democrat (Hale, 2001) and The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume (Tuckwell Press, 2004, paperback edition by Birlinn, 2005). In 2007 Birlinn published An Accidental Tragedy: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots. In this readable and insightful biography, Roderick Graham challenges many of the traditionally held perceptions of the Scottish queen, and examines her roles as a woman, a politician and a monarch.
Roderick Graham now lives in Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 2, 2019
I was really looking forward to read this book. I love history, especially about Europe and monarchy, but this was a tough read.
I found the book incredibly tedious and confusing. Names are thrown left and right, sometimes hard to follow who is who.
Then there is the whole story narrative. The writer is all over the place. He starts telling you about a plot to assassinate Mary's husband, then jumps to a completely unrelated topic. He re-enters the assassination plot several pages down the road, leaving the reader even more confused.
The story is well researched, but that's all I can say about it in the positive manner.
The writer reminds me of Professor Binns in the Harry Potter series. He makes even the most exciting history topics, such as troll wars, dry and rather uninteresting. The same could be said here. I know history can be written with much personality and make it interesting and engaging. This one is, sadly, none of those things.
I found the book incredibly tedious and confusing. Names are thrown left and right, sometimes hard to follow who is who.
Then there is the whole story narrative. The writer is all over the place. He starts telling you about a plot to assassinate Mary's husband, then jumps to a completely unrelated topic. He re-enters the assassination plot several pages down the road, leaving the reader even more confused.
The story is well researched, but that's all I can say about it in the positive manner.
The writer reminds me of Professor Binns in the Harry Potter series. He makes even the most exciting history topics, such as troll wars, dry and rather uninteresting. The same could be said here. I know history can be written with much personality and make it interesting and engaging. This one is, sadly, none of those things.
October 30, 2011
What struck me most whilst reading this tome on Mary Stuart was just how unprepared for her role as Queen of Scotland she really was. Her early life was totally dominated by her Guise relatives during her time in France as Dauphine. She was in effect raised to be Queen of France rather than Queen of Scotland - nothing of her time in France went to preparation for a return to the country of her birth.
Her time as Queen of Scotland proper was - in my opinion - a failure. With her blind reliance on her relatives, she was unable to develop an opinion of her own nor develop the lessons taught her by both Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Graham remarks of Darnely (her disasterous choice of second husband): "... like Mary, had no wish to apply himself to the practicalities of government." Mary had been spoonfed in France and all decision making had been taken out of her hands - with - as we know - disasterous effects. And again, as Graham remarks: "... the Valois Kings held their power to be God-given and Mary followed their example blindly."
Events and influences of her early childhood become obvious when Mary assumes her role as Queen of Scotland - one cannot but imagine that at no time was Mary's return to Scotland even planned, and thus she knew nothing of its changing religious beliefs, style of government or status of the nobility. And all of the above reflect her style of rule.
What was a bit of a surprise for me was how early Mary had made the acquaintance of Bothwell - during her time in France when he was in semi-imposed exile. And how frequently he appears in her life once she has returned to Scotland. I guess after a bad marriage to "a bisexual syphilitic" and slightly effeminiate boy, a rough and ready "man's man" made an enjoyable change. I for one think that Mary went rather willingly with Bothwell.
Another point that struck me was Elizabeth I's ability to meddle in the affairs of Scotland and yet have a bit of a hissy fit when Mary sought to do the same. I am sure that Elizabeth would have not allowed another foreign monarch to attempt to not only influence her political and personal decisions, but that of both her government and nobles. And yet this is exactly what Elizabeth herself does in Scotland under Mary.
The death of Mary Stuart at the hands of another monarch has always been a source of contention for me. One can always point to finger at the so called Casket Letters and the Babington Plot in support of this action - but Elizabeth stayed her hand many times before signing the document - and even then was having second thoughts. Mayhap the thought that this could quite easily be her own future would not have been too far from her mind.
Mary's story is no doubt a tragic one - one cannot help but wonder how things may have turned out had she listened to wiser heads and not behaved with childish impetuosity.
Her time as Queen of Scotland proper was - in my opinion - a failure. With her blind reliance on her relatives, she was unable to develop an opinion of her own nor develop the lessons taught her by both Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Graham remarks of Darnely (her disasterous choice of second husband): "... like Mary, had no wish to apply himself to the practicalities of government." Mary had been spoonfed in France and all decision making had been taken out of her hands - with - as we know - disasterous effects. And again, as Graham remarks: "... the Valois Kings held their power to be God-given and Mary followed their example blindly."
Events and influences of her early childhood become obvious when Mary assumes her role as Queen of Scotland - one cannot but imagine that at no time was Mary's return to Scotland even planned, and thus she knew nothing of its changing religious beliefs, style of government or status of the nobility. And all of the above reflect her style of rule.
What was a bit of a surprise for me was how early Mary had made the acquaintance of Bothwell - during her time in France when he was in semi-imposed exile. And how frequently he appears in her life once she has returned to Scotland. I guess after a bad marriage to "a bisexual syphilitic" and slightly effeminiate boy, a rough and ready "man's man" made an enjoyable change. I for one think that Mary went rather willingly with Bothwell.
Another point that struck me was Elizabeth I's ability to meddle in the affairs of Scotland and yet have a bit of a hissy fit when Mary sought to do the same. I am sure that Elizabeth would have not allowed another foreign monarch to attempt to not only influence her political and personal decisions, but that of both her government and nobles. And yet this is exactly what Elizabeth herself does in Scotland under Mary.
The death of Mary Stuart at the hands of another monarch has always been a source of contention for me. One can always point to finger at the so called Casket Letters and the Babington Plot in support of this action - but Elizabeth stayed her hand many times before signing the document - and even then was having second thoughts. Mayhap the thought that this could quite easily be her own future would not have been too far from her mind.
Mary's story is no doubt a tragic one - one cannot help but wonder how things may have turned out had she listened to wiser heads and not behaved with childish impetuosity.
August 1, 2009
Excellent book by Roderick Graham, not Graham Roderick. Graham seems more impartial than other writers, neither demonising Mary nor representing her as the embodiment of virtue. He is quite amusing in places, referring to the Earl of Shrewsbury being dominated by his wife, Bess of Hardwick "when he wasn't being dominated by Elizabeth Tudor" and adding that "he now had to welcome Mary Stewart" into this happy household! He's a bit harsh on Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk: having criticised Mary for being fanciful and over-romantic, he calls Thomas "dull and unromantic". He even calls Thomas "too stupid to realise" that his actions would be treasonable - perhaps Mr Graham is unaware that the evidence against the Duke was severely contaminated by lack of security and would not stand up today in a court of law, whereas it should not be too difficult to get a conviction against Mary for the murder of Darnley, Casket Letters or no Casket Letters. I was disgusted to read that not only did Mary fail to make any serious effort to investigate her husband's murder, she gave his horse and some of his clothes to his murderer, whom she then married less than three months after the killing. Recently medical historians have revealed that the fact that Mary is known to have miscarried TWINS after her and Bothwell's defeat at Carberry Hill and during her imprisonment by the Lords, means she must have been at least 5 months pregnant (as 16th century medicine couldn't have identified twin foetuses until they had reached this stage), hence her affair with Bothwell had begun before Darnley's death, giving her a compelling motive for her husband's murder. It will be interesting to read the first biography of Mary that addresses this recent medical revelation.
April 23, 2012
Early on, I started to find the subtitle as strange choice. For, the otherwise good biography is marred at times by Graham's snide asides about Mary which made me think he believed her tragedy anything but accidental. Here are five examples. I give so many so you can see that his derogation of her was systematic:
“Since it involved less intellectual effort, Mary simply believed what her Guise uncles told her to believe.” 102
“Mary Stewart’s enchantment with the path of least resistance took precedence over her only slight political acumen.” 115
“Not for the first time she was expressing the sentiment that death was a preferable option to making up her own mind…” 118
“Diane de Poitier’s lessons [in manners] were being put to good use, even if Mary had no substance beyond the sugar coating.” 139
“Mary’s enthusiasm for embroidery was clearly greater than her enthusiasm for affairs of state.” 145
It is a shame since it is a distraction (at least for me) from a solid and interesting biography.
“Since it involved less intellectual effort, Mary simply believed what her Guise uncles told her to believe.” 102
“Mary Stewart’s enchantment with the path of least resistance took precedence over her only slight political acumen.” 115
“Not for the first time she was expressing the sentiment that death was a preferable option to making up her own mind…” 118
“Diane de Poitier’s lessons [in manners] were being put to good use, even if Mary had no substance beyond the sugar coating.” 139
“Mary’s enthusiasm for embroidery was clearly greater than her enthusiasm for affairs of state.” 145
It is a shame since it is a distraction (at least for me) from a solid and interesting biography.
November 2, 2013
This book was extremely well researched, and it certainly tells an interesting story in a fascinating time. Yet it goes into an exhaustive degree of detail on every aspect of her life, and it is often difficult to keep details and characters straight. As was the custom of the time, people in the aristocracy are called by their titles (the region they come from), but because of this, when someone dies or is arrested, the person who takes his place has the same name; when someone is promoted or demoted, their name changes. Furthermore, chapters are long and unbroken, so if you do not plan to sit down and read for an hour at a time you will have trouble finding a good place to pause. I'm glad I read this, and anyone looking for an in-depth look at the historical Mary and the motives behind the happenings during her reign will be satisfied with this, but for the casual reader it struck me as rather tedious.
February 11, 2020
My first complaint would be with the cover image which I highly doubt is a contemporary portrait of Mary. The ruff is post-1570 and at that point her face definitely didn't look like that. It also doesn't match up with other portraits where her nose is much more prominent and her face is longer and even when thin she had a bit of a double chin.
I honestly did like the first hundred or so pages that were concerned with her life in France. I liked the details and I thought the author did a good job of making those parts seem very vivid and accessible. It's the later parts that make me question whether I should've believed what was written in those first hundred pages. The author takes for granted that Lord Darnley was bisexual but mostly seemed to be homosexual, and that he was syphilitic. Elsewhere I've seen those considered allegations at best and completely unproven. I really found issues when it came to the Babington Plot where I actually know an unhealthy amount. Several of the author's claims are completely untrue based on documents of the time. (Poley being arrested with Savage is just complete nonsense, as is Babington and the others being arrested in St Johns Wood when they were actually found much further west at Uxendon at the Bellamys). The inaccuracies that I was aware of make me very much worry about the veracity of the claims that I'm less familiar with. Maybe it's a bit of a compliment while also being a criticism, but the author reminds me of Suetonius: he's very salacious and interesting to read but not as concerned with being accurate.
Overall, I liked the level of detail and attempt to bring the history to life. Despite having learned a lot about Mary, I'd never really felt bad for her, but I admit that by the end of reading this I had found some sympathy for her. My concern is with the inaccuracies and the degree to which this biography can be trusted.
I honestly did like the first hundred or so pages that were concerned with her life in France. I liked the details and I thought the author did a good job of making those parts seem very vivid and accessible. It's the later parts that make me question whether I should've believed what was written in those first hundred pages. The author takes for granted that Lord Darnley was bisexual but mostly seemed to be homosexual, and that he was syphilitic. Elsewhere I've seen those considered allegations at best and completely unproven. I really found issues when it came to the Babington Plot where I actually know an unhealthy amount. Several of the author's claims are completely untrue based on documents of the time. (Poley being arrested with Savage is just complete nonsense, as is Babington and the others being arrested in St Johns Wood when they were actually found much further west at Uxendon at the Bellamys). The inaccuracies that I was aware of make me very much worry about the veracity of the claims that I'm less familiar with. Maybe it's a bit of a compliment while also being a criticism, but the author reminds me of Suetonius: he's very salacious and interesting to read but not as concerned with being accurate.
Overall, I liked the level of detail and attempt to bring the history to life. Despite having learned a lot about Mary, I'd never really felt bad for her, but I admit that by the end of reading this I had found some sympathy for her. My concern is with the inaccuracies and the degree to which this biography can be trusted.
February 3, 2021
On the positive side, this biography of Mary Queen of Scots is a good narrative history, adding details to a story I've encountered many times previously. On the less positive side, I found little in the author's analysis and interpretation of events I felt I could agree with. I soured on the author early on, when Francois II of France was described as "retarded both mentally and physically," which struck me as a bit harsh. Furthermore, the author leaned into the characterization of Mary as a spoiled princess and often described her as "hysterical" or crying when events didn't go her way, which left me wondering if the author might be somewhat sexist. While I appreciated some aspects of this book, it's far from the best biography of this famous queen that I've read (John Guy's Queen of Scots provided a much better analysis, imho).
February 13, 2011
This book started off strong but became draggy at the end with the author trying to include so many superfluous details of Mary's imprisonment. Other than that it was a pretty good book. A lot was included in this book that previous biographies had left out. Also, the author did not try to romanticize Mary or excuse her from her mistakes despite the title of the book. The book was a very interesting and thorough biography of Mary, Queen of Scots and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about her.
Reading Scavenger Hunt: Queen
Reading Scavenger Hunt: Queen
March 18, 2020
This books is well researched but a little difficult to read. There are many people involved and Graham puts them altogether in his paragraphs. I did learn a lot about Mary's personality as well as Queen Elizabeth's.
It seems that Mary was naive and never really learned how to lead a nation. She seemed rather frivolous. I feel that not having parents who were active in her life (and she herself spent barely any time at all with her son James) had a major impact on her intelligence and social skills.
She did, however, have Catherine deMedici and the mistress of Henry II in France to learn from. Yet Mary didn't seem to believe it was important to learn how to build a coalition of supporters. She preferred to rely upon her charm as a beautiful woman, which only took her so far.
Mary also had an arrogance about her that did her in. She seemed to believe that everyone should respect her just because she was queen and that a queen can do no wrong. I definitely doubt the Catholic Church would ever qualify her for sainthood due to that arrogance. She was quite kind to her servants and compassionate for their future after she was executed.
I'd have to say she was rather a passive person who could've done much more to prove her innocence in the murder of her second husband, the king. If she had taken the charges against her more seriously and tried to prove her innocence, perhaps she could have been spared her fate. However, she drastically underestimated Elizabeth's intelligence, temper and upbringing and thus failed to extend her life past the relatively young age of 45.
I ended up having a greater respect for Elizabeth I and her character. She also was far wiser in choosing her advisers in a time when women were criticized constantly for their leadership, intelligence and many other skills.
I will probably read more about Elizabeth's life and point of view as a result. I ended up having little respect for Mary and not as much empathy as I had before.
It seems that Mary was naive and never really learned how to lead a nation. She seemed rather frivolous. I feel that not having parents who were active in her life (and she herself spent barely any time at all with her son James) had a major impact on her intelligence and social skills.
She did, however, have Catherine deMedici and the mistress of Henry II in France to learn from. Yet Mary didn't seem to believe it was important to learn how to build a coalition of supporters. She preferred to rely upon her charm as a beautiful woman, which only took her so far.
Mary also had an arrogance about her that did her in. She seemed to believe that everyone should respect her just because she was queen and that a queen can do no wrong. I definitely doubt the Catholic Church would ever qualify her for sainthood due to that arrogance. She was quite kind to her servants and compassionate for their future after she was executed.
I'd have to say she was rather a passive person who could've done much more to prove her innocence in the murder of her second husband, the king. If she had taken the charges against her more seriously and tried to prove her innocence, perhaps she could have been spared her fate. However, she drastically underestimated Elizabeth's intelligence, temper and upbringing and thus failed to extend her life past the relatively young age of 45.
I ended up having a greater respect for Elizabeth I and her character. She also was far wiser in choosing her advisers in a time when women were criticized constantly for their leadership, intelligence and many other skills.
I will probably read more about Elizabeth's life and point of view as a result. I ended up having little respect for Mary and not as much empathy as I had before.
October 20, 2021
In this hefty volume, Roderick Graham paints a vivid and engaging portrait of Mary Queen of Scots. He takes the reader through her life and her times, demonstrating great sensitivity and objectivity. The geopolitical and societal realities of her days are thoroughly analysed, with the all main historical players deftly brought into the fold of her story.
Mary herself comes across as a real human being, a lone woman in a man's world, a monarch amongst rivals and contenders, fallible, naive and gullible, sometimes dangerous (to others, but mainly to herself), a romantic and adventurer at heart, a woman manipulated, betrayed, fighting back, winning a few battles and squirmishes, but losing a war, and ultimately her head.
It is a fascinating read, showing vividly Mary's fatalistic path towards her final demise in a way that makes the reader understand, become sympathetic towards her and furious about her detractors and duplicitous, side-swapping allies and advisers.
What I particularly appreciated about this book (as opposed to others I read about her) was the lack of spurious judgment dictated by the perspective of the victor (Elizabeth I and England) and the sensibilities of the twentieth century. This story is firmly set in the sixteenth century before posterity had a chance to analyse it, twist and warp it to meet the objectives of our modern context which did not exist in Mary's day. Roderick Graham gave Mary a chance to tell her story as it was.
A wonderful book that reads like action-packed fiction, but at them same time is based on detailed and in-depth research.
Mary herself comes across as a real human being, a lone woman in a man's world, a monarch amongst rivals and contenders, fallible, naive and gullible, sometimes dangerous (to others, but mainly to herself), a romantic and adventurer at heart, a woman manipulated, betrayed, fighting back, winning a few battles and squirmishes, but losing a war, and ultimately her head.
It is a fascinating read, showing vividly Mary's fatalistic path towards her final demise in a way that makes the reader understand, become sympathetic towards her and furious about her detractors and duplicitous, side-swapping allies and advisers.
What I particularly appreciated about this book (as opposed to others I read about her) was the lack of spurious judgment dictated by the perspective of the victor (Elizabeth I and England) and the sensibilities of the twentieth century. This story is firmly set in the sixteenth century before posterity had a chance to analyse it, twist and warp it to meet the objectives of our modern context which did not exist in Mary's day. Roderick Graham gave Mary a chance to tell her story as it was.
A wonderful book that reads like action-packed fiction, but at them same time is based on detailed and in-depth research.
November 14, 2020
This was an interesting read. It was quite refreshing to read a different perspective on Mary. This wasn't the easiest read and did get quite monotonous. Elizabeth's procrastination got mentioned more than it needed to be. The writing did not flow easily, with a bit of jumping ahead and back again.
March 31, 2023
Well researched, overall a decent flow to the book, but there are too many times names are thrown about with no context or the author expects the reader to remember ALL of the nobility and aristocracy of the time. In a few other spots, the author veers off track a little bit before returning to the topic at hand.
November 4, 2020
This is a very good read. The rating reflects the fact that I think it is good, but would not necessarily read it again anytime soon. It is a very detailed history of the life of Mary Queen of Scots, and I learned quite a lot from this book. As a student of history, I was always fascinated with her story, and while living in Edinburgh, a few minutes walk from Holyrood Palace, I felt so interested in that story. (After all, seeing where Rizzio was murdered and the haunting blood stains still on the floor, leaves quite the impression!)
Graham presents a very well-organized depiction of this tragic queen's life. The organization into sections based on the country she was living in was good. I appreciate that the book started by the author making it clear that his "book seeks neither to blacken her character, by portraying her as a murderess of husbands, nor to sanctify her as the lonely champion of her faith, but to recount the circumstances which formed her character and to explain the events which determined her fate" (pg. xi). That is remarkably well said and an excellent effort on the author. Graham stayed true to this goal throughout the book, and that alone made it an excellent read. From this telling of Mary Queen of Scots' life, I gathered that she was really just a passive entity being pushed along by the tides of life. It was a sympathetic lens on her story. One that showed a woman thoroughly unprepared for her actual role in life, of moderate intelligence, but one who preferred to have the decisions made for her because she heavily relied on the wisdom of others. A lot of unfortunate circumstances coalesced around her in life, but overall, this book shows that she maintained a particular personality throughout.
As previously mentioned, I learned some new things from this book and really enjoyed the descriptions of the Rizzio/Darnley/Edinburgh period! It is a wonderfully educational read, if one is not familiar with her story.
My only issues with this book are that the citations are vague. I like having works to which I can reference directly. There are several grammar mistakes throughout the book, particularly at the beginning, which could have been avoided. And it is a bit monotonous at times, and by that I mean the names of all the powerful men become a bit confusing and muddled and a few call-backs or reminders to the reader about the situation or the people involved would have been nice. Otherwise, this is a good book and a pleasant read!
Graham presents a very well-organized depiction of this tragic queen's life. The organization into sections based on the country she was living in was good. I appreciate that the book started by the author making it clear that his "book seeks neither to blacken her character, by portraying her as a murderess of husbands, nor to sanctify her as the lonely champion of her faith, but to recount the circumstances which formed her character and to explain the events which determined her fate" (pg. xi). That is remarkably well said and an excellent effort on the author. Graham stayed true to this goal throughout the book, and that alone made it an excellent read. From this telling of Mary Queen of Scots' life, I gathered that she was really just a passive entity being pushed along by the tides of life. It was a sympathetic lens on her story. One that showed a woman thoroughly unprepared for her actual role in life, of moderate intelligence, but one who preferred to have the decisions made for her because she heavily relied on the wisdom of others. A lot of unfortunate circumstances coalesced around her in life, but overall, this book shows that she maintained a particular personality throughout.
As previously mentioned, I learned some new things from this book and really enjoyed the descriptions of the Rizzio/Darnley/Edinburgh period! It is a wonderfully educational read, if one is not familiar with her story.
My only issues with this book are that the citations are vague. I like having works to which I can reference directly. There are several grammar mistakes throughout the book, particularly at the beginning, which could have been avoided. And it is a bit monotonous at times, and by that I mean the names of all the powerful men become a bit confusing and muddled and a few call-backs or reminders to the reader about the situation or the people involved would have been nice. Otherwise, this is a good book and a pleasant read!
September 1, 2020
Finished it a long time ago but just now writing the review. What I found interesting about the book, i.e. my takeaway, are what I assume to be factual accounts of what the royals of the time ate, how they travelled, and what how they dressed. These are minor things in the book but what I found interesting. The number of animals they consumed at a meal was incredulous. As I recall, the book painted Mary as somewhat of a dimwit when it came to politics and understanding the undercurrents and agendas of the rulers of the time while also being a sweet young lady easily taken advantage of. I've heard and read of other accounts that she was quite astute and cognizant of her political surroundings and of her enemies. I came away thinking the former picture is more accurate if not perfect. In the end, she lost the game so it really doesn't matter.
September 27, 2013
What a fascinating woman and what a cruel world in which she lived. Although I found many parts of the book bound down in historical detail a picture emerged of a vulnerable young women brought up in a manner that did not prepare her for the challenges of ruling Scotland. Her clever cousin had lived under threat of death since a young girl and Mary with her soft early life at the French Court was no match for her streetwise cousin. But what a vivid picture of this time the book created and I felt so much sadness for this lost woman whose life had no choice but to become `An Accidental Tragedy'.
May 28, 2013
Thorough and detailed, but dry. The author subtitled the book "An Accidental Tragedy," but I didn't get the sense that he felt any particular sympathy for Mary. He generally described her as "childish," and emphasized her average intelligence and lack of political skill. This may all be true--I knew next to nothing about Mary before I picked up the book. It's worth reading if you want info on this time period, but the writing is unremarkable.
March 10, 2014
It's certainly exhaustive, but extremely easy to read. As solid a biography of Mary of Scots are you are likely to find, without your mind being dissolved into a puddle of minute detail and too-much-information. It tries to sell itself on the idea that her entire life was a tragedy waiting to happen, and for the most part, the author succeeds at this task; you will certainly never feel more sorry for anyone as you will for Mary by the end of this tale.
May 19, 2014
Whilst this was a fascinating read and it started out with great promise it got bogged down with too many insignificant facts. It really did show how she was a pawn in a make dominated world! Which ultimately led to her downfall. The book ended as it started with the quick pace leading up to her death. It was still a very good book to read and have me a great insight to her life.
April 17, 2015
***1/2
Graham provided me with a point of view I wasn't accustomed to--someone who has no admiration whatsoever for the subject of his study. He's less sympathetic than Zweig and less indulgent than Fraser, but more importantly he's brutally right most of the time. Slightly sexist here and there, though.
Graham provided me with a point of view I wasn't accustomed to--someone who has no admiration whatsoever for the subject of his study. He's less sympathetic than Zweig and less indulgent than Fraser, but more importantly he's brutally right most of the time. Slightly sexist here and there, though.
July 6, 2015
Pretty good biography of a historical figure, not as well written as I may have hoped and about a hundred pages too long. But after hearing about her as a sort of "villain" for many years, it was interesting to learn that she was probably more of a victim of circumstance and her upbringing than someone with true bad intentions.
July 31, 2011
A good look at Mary, Queen of Scots and the difficult road she had to walk in life. She had troubles that were out of her control, and then made some choices which impacted her life and reign negatively for sure. I enjoyed this book and found it very easy to read and follow.
August 11, 2014
Pretty solid and balanced information the author however was definitely predisposed to attribute immature motives to Mary's behaviors. In truth we have no idea why she made the choices she made. I like that he made her neither a demon nor a innocent but left it instead up to the reader.
June 21, 2014
Comprehensive in the extreme. Also, she was a twit.
May 3, 2015
This book was very informational and not boring to read. I learned a lot from it that I was not aware of.
December 6, 2014
Absolutely fascinating, well written! Full review to follow soon.
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