Philippa Gregory is a masterful author, and I really did enjoy reading The Other Queen because of Gregory's style. However, it is not in the same league as the very exciting and event-filled The Other Bolyn Sister, which I have read half a dozen times and can never seem to put down. I had been looking forward to reading The Other Queen, largely due to the fact that so much less has been written about Mary and I wanted to see how Gregory handled the subject. Sadly, the book becomes quite tedious. Very little action occurs, just the same perspectives voiced over and over. Perhaps Gregory chose too narrow of a time frame. I was disappointed by the way she handled Mary, Queen of Scots.

I had really enjoyed Ms. Gregory's other books, but really a story told from three different people? It was difficult to follow and keep track of when event's were actually taking place and the story line seemed to drag on forever with no real destination. I was really disappointed. I would recommend reviewing the book at your local library before buying it.

What is happening? None of Philippa Gregory's other books can match The Other Boleyn Girl. That was a book that I couldn't put down. This book just didn't have any kind of excitement to it. It just dragged on. I was sorely disappointed. My only saving grace is that I got from the library. Don't bother spending your money.

I enjoyed this book. I liked how the story is told by three different people, and three points of view. Bess, a countess who cares for money more than anything else, her husband, George Talbot, who falls in love with The Other Queen (Mary of Scots) and Queen Mary, who is imprisoned by her cousin Elizabeth.
I read other feedback and lots that read other Gregory books found this one to be lacking, however, as my first book, I enjoyed the perspectives, the points of view, and some history of how Queen Elizabeth handled her cousin of Scotland.
I would have loved to have had a little more history intertwined, but this book was just a snapshot of Queen Elizabeth's reign, and Queen Mary's imprisonment.
I can't wait for more.

Philippa Gregory has done it again-- she brings Tudor England to life once more, this time telling the opposite side of the story that occurred in her novel "The Virgin's Lover," that of Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. She paints the beautiful young queen as a sympathetic figure and a model of the Catholic monarchs of the age. The novel takes place from Mary's point of view, as well as from George and Bess, Earls of Shrewsbury, her "jailers" that held her while Elizabeth I decided her fate.

Gregory makes several great insights throughout the story-- William Cecil, one of Elizabeth's advisors, becomes something of an opportunistic villain, much as she began his characterization in "The Virgin's Lover." Elizabeth's desire to release Mary and her simultaneous fear of her is an interesting dynamic. And as always, Gregory's research is impeccable and very accurate.

However, Gregory also made several missteps in this novel. The three-view narrative should have offered an opportunity to delve deeper into every scene of the book, but instead she ends up repeating herself. For instance, if has Mary telling us, before she meets an English Duke, that she hopes to seduce him, she will then have George telling us how he fears Mary's seductive powers, and then Bess telling us how she knows intuitively that Mary must rely on her seductive powers to sway this duke. That's pretty much what too much of this novel boils down to: Mary is seductive, charming, and uber-Catholic; George is chastely in love with Mary but will never turn his back on Elizabeth because of his Talbot honor; Bess is a self-made woman who has become hardened by Elizabeth's treachery. Instead of fleshing out the characters from the multiple viewpoint mechanism, they fall back and become 2-dimensional. Too much of the action is also left off the page-- most of the book is the characters talking about themselves and worrying about things that don't end up happening. Essentially, they're all just waiting for Mary to die.

Nevertheless, Mary, Queen of Scotts is eternally fascinating, and a great pick on Gregory's part. I wish she had chosen to write about Mary's earlier life, which was hinted at throughout the novel and seemed much more intriguing than her captive life... maybe she is saving that for a future book?

Of course, Gregory never fails to deliver a good read. If you want a good introduction to her Tudor novels, however, I suggest "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Virgin's Lover" before you tackle her later books, such as this and "The Boleyn Inheritance."

I have been a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's books since discovering "The Other Boleyn Girl", and have since gone back and read all of her Tudor period fiction. While I admit that I have never enjoyed any as much as Boleyn Girl and Boleyn Inheritance, I was still sorely disappointed by "The Other Queen". While including all of the lovely descriptive writing that vividly conveys the era, I found this book completely lacking in the passion and emotion that played such a large part in the other books. We all know ultimately how each of these books end...we know the fate of most of the lead characters because they are historical. What has made the books magical and mesmerizing for me is the (albeit fictional) insight into the people's minds and motivations; their foibles, their fears, their obsessions...and while some of that is eveident here, it is totally lacking in passion, and therefore made it difficult for me to understand the motivation. I found the characters flat and uninspiring, and the book felt like a chore I had to complete. Definitely not in a class with her earlier books!

SUMMARY: The latest in what can be called Gregory's Tudor series tackles the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots at the hands of her cousin, Elizabeth I. Mary is held captive in England at Elizabeth's behest while Scotland engages in what is tantamount to civil war, while the English people silently debate if perhaps Mary is better suited to their throne than their current monarch.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Gregory has a gift for making Tudor England come alive to the reader. The sights, smells, and attitudes all ring with a modernity which drags the past into the present. There is no question that Gregory is a talented author who researches well her books.

WHY YOU WON'T: One has to wonder if Gregory has lost her passion for her subject. The narrative is plodding and at times completely boring, with numerous repetitive sections, specifically as related to Mary and Bess Hardwick. Despite recent scholarship on both women, Gregory fails to make their perils in any way impacting, rendering the characters one-dimensional and grating.

BOTTOM LINE: A difficult read, even for die-hard Gregory fans and Anglophiles. There's little to no new information here, and almost nothing which hasn't been addressed - and with more flair - in Gregory's previous novels.

This book is just so-so. I would be reading a page, and feel like I had read it before. That was because I probably had. The book is too repetitious. A paragraph can go one and on, just saying the same thing over again, especially when Mary is telling her side of the story. With some good editing to trim the story down and make it move forward faster, it would have been a much better book. As it is, it is slow as molasses.

Despite the mixed reviews here, I decided to give THE OTHER QUEEN a chance and am glad that I did. Having read biographies of Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwicke, I think that Ms. Gregory did an excellent job of giving "voice" to the characters, and even though I knew the final outcome for all, I still found myself hoping that one of the rescue plots would work and sympathizing with Bess as she saw the world she had worked so hard to build crumble in her hands.

A very enjoyable read -- I was actually sad to have it end!

The Other Queen: A Novel

This is not the 'norm' when it comes to Mary Stuart - Queen of Scotland - heir apparent to both France (through marriage) and to the English Throne (her sister is King Henry VIII's sister).

The story reflects the period in which Mary was 'guest' in her cousin Elizabeth's country while waiting to be returned to Scotland where she would retake her throne from the brother who stole it from her. It tells of the conditions she was kept and of her keepers. It tells of the politics of the era that kept her in hiding away from the public's eye. It tells of a queen without a country in a country where she did not have very many friends - including her cousin.

As other reviewers have mentioned - the story is long and it drags at many places. It does not, in my opinion, have the 'action' that makes you want to read for hours and hours on end. Though like Phillipa Gregory's other books - it is very well researched and looks at a different side then what most people know, it is not the attention grabber you are used to from her.

Would I recommend you read it? Absolutely - but there are alot of other books - even Phillipa Gregory's books that I would read first.

I was disappointed with this book, having loved The Boyeln Inheritance, the Reluctant Queen, the Queen's Fool, the Queen's Lover, and the best, The Other Boyeln Girl. As other readers have stated, this book is a bit boring. The main characters keep thinking/saying the same things over and over again, nothing much happens, the dialogue isn't interesting or smart: yes, Mary shouldn't be imprisoned, yes, Elizabeth's jealous, yes, Mary's a threat to Elizabeth's throne, yes, Bess has worked hard all her life, yes, George is a nobleman and enthralled with Mary, but, get on with it already ... why did it take so many years to either restore Mary to her throne or accuse her of treason? 17 years??? There must have been more happening. The Boyelns were much more interesting.

I've read quite a few of Gregory's other books and enjoyed them. This one wasn't as good as the others. Although I appreciate the fact that focusing on the years that Mary Stuart was a prisoner in England is a different focus for telling her story, the down side is that all of the most exciting parts of her story have already happened and are being retold or remembered. Since Mary is a prisoner there is really nothing for her to do, except plot and flirt.
The Earl of Shrewsbury is depicted as annoyingly simple. He falls in love with the Queen of Scots and despite the fact that she is constantly plotting and lying he STILL defends her to his wife and Queen Elizabeth, and STILL cannot say no to her.
The Countess was the most sympathetic character of the whole story. She is the only voice of reson and moderation. The only thing that bothered me was her constant assertion that she is a self-made-woman, risen from nothing. After hearing about how her previous husbands helped her gain and maintain her fortune over and over again I was ready to yell, "OK! I get it!".
I guess that I would have to say that I'm glad that I checked this book out of my local library and read it for free. It's not a terrible book, but when compared to Gregory's other books I feel that it comes up short.

I was so looking forward to Gregory's latest. Before I even knew what it was about, I had it preordered. I can't believe that I didn't like it! None of the characters were particularly likeable; I couldn't really get behind any of them. I know that no well-developed character can be perfect and that's not what I was looking for, but for me to enjoy a book I have to find a way to like them faults and all. Also, the plot was repetitive. I found myself skimming through much of the book. I'm sorry to say, but something was missing for me and I regret not waiting for it to become available at my library.

I have enjoyed some of Gregory's other books, so though her last few have felt rushed to me, I pre-ordered this one. It was a mistake.

This book felt as if the author's brainstorming notes were simply thrown together and filled out by repetition. In one short scene, for example, Mary is described the same way three different times. "They form a circle around me, as if I am a witch...they have her ringed with torches, like a witch...as if they were frozen in enchantment. As if she were a witch..." Gregory then details the scene, and how it looks like men surrounding a witch. It's maddening, and it happens over and over, both within paragraphs and though out the book as a whole. Even the characters are one dimensional, and repetitively so.

My high school English teacher would have been all over this sort of writing. Gregory should have been sent back to her desk to finish her work. She is better than this, as is the subject.

While this was my least favorite of Phillipa Gregory's books, I think the problem was with the story she chose to tell, not because she did a poor job. From a historical angle, it was very interesting and I thought the idea of presenting this story from the perspectives of the guardians as well as the queen (and their division over what this responsibility meant and stood for) was great. It just wasn't an "entertaining" read. It would be difficult to write an "exciting" book when the main character is imprisoned throughout the entire novel. I thought she did a wonderful job with phrasing and writing, the plot itself just doesn't measure up to the other books I have read by her.

I bought this book with some trepidation because though I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl (long before the dreadful film) and its sequel, the others in the series, not so much. But this was written in such concise, compelling prose from the respective points of view of the main characters that I found myself taking the book with me wherever I went, just to be able to read it whenever I had a free moment. It does not disappoint in any way. Characters you can identify with, although all three have separate agendas; historical fiction that is informational in an organic way; a story stranger than fiction but most of it, based on fact; dialog (and internal monologues) that are as if you are a fly on the wall. Brava, Ms. Gregory!

I eagerly waited for this book hoping to find it in the same league as her other work but was disappointed. It was not easy reading because of the multi-character dialogues and I would even say it was boring. I appreciate the facts she had to work with but I still couldn't really relate to the characters as I have in her other books. I'm not sorry I read it, but I was expecting more.

I've looked forward to Ms. Gregory's book on Mary, Queen of Scots, because she usually makes her characters so alive. When you have Mary for material, I thought the book would be vivid and move quickly. Unfortunately, I don't think the 3 points of view helped at all. I did enjoy the book, but was hoping that she could take Mary and help us see the reason so many people loved and followed her. It just seemed sort of blah to me much of the time.

I am a fan of Philippa Gregory but this book is LONG and boring. Not much is happening and pages after page it is the same old. How many chapters you read about Bess and her love for materials and that is all I was told about Bess. Disappointing book.

I was on the list to get this book the minute it was available. I am one of Phillipa's biggest fans, and she did not disappoint with this book. I have not spent much time on Mary, Queen of Scots in the past, but found this quite interesting, so that may change.
If you are a Phillippa fan, you will enjoy this book. If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy it, too.

While Philippa Gregory is undoubtedly one of the more gifted historian-novelists of our times, this is not her finest work by any measure. As others have indicated, the story itself is less than compelling, and the characters less than fully realized.

I am also beginning to have a real problem with what I see as Gregory's thinly veiled dislike for Elizabeth I. Her portrayals of EI are nearly always less than flattering (as compared,for example, to her oddly sympathetic study of "Bloody" Mary in "The Constant Princess"), and frequently at odds with traditional/historical accounts. I haven't noticed anyone commenting about Gregory's apparent prejudice here, but on other websites, I "talk" to many readers who are somewhat annoyed by it.

Regardless, I still find much of Gregory's work compelling enough to overlook this perceived bias. Unfortunately, "The Other Queen" does not fall into that category.

As a Gregory fan, I am very very disappointed. This book has the same style as The Boleyn Inheritance, in which it goes back and forth between narratives of three different people. That, I did not mind. The narratives themselves are awful. You have Bess Hardwich who just goes on and on and on about her properties and her candlesticks stolen from monasteries and her account books. She never talks of much else and she speaks every 2nd chapter. You have her husband George that just rambles on about his loyalty and honor. And of course you have Queen Mary. Let me say, I am going to search for another portrayal of her because this queen resembles nothing of what I have heard of her. In this book, Queen Mary just pontificates on her status. "I am a French princess. My body is sacred. You cannot touch me. Yada yada yada." Also, I am confused about the Bothwell situation. One chapter she is writing him letters "My dear Bothwell, come save me," and the next chapter she is stating how he raped her and forced her to marry him and kidnapped her. Then again, in the following chapter, she is declaring he is the only man manly enough to fight for her. Somebody, enlighten me, please.

I've read several other Phillippa Gregory novels, and I enjoyed this one. This wasn't the sexiest of her novels, but I do think it was among the best written in terms of language, character development, and consistency.

I have read all of Phillipa Gregory's books and
was so looking forward to this one . It is BORING .
What a letdown - I can't get through it .

I'm a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's books, having discovered her when "The Other Boleyn Girl" was still mostly undiscovered! While I waited for "The Other Queen" eagerly, it was with some disappointment that I realized that it, like "The Boleyn Inheritance", was told from several points of view. I don't like her multiple-character perspective novels nearly as much as when they have a single protagonist. I managed to get through the first few chapters, but when she started the "Voila!" thing again that made Mary, Queen of Scots and Catherine Howard (from "The Boleyn Inheritance") sound like exactly the same naive character, I'd had enough. I stopped reading it. Mary came across as impossibly gullible (I can't imagine someone raised to be a queen, who had experienced as much as Mary had, would be quite so without real intelligence and depth) and the other two main characters were not particularly compelling either.

A good friend of mine had a similar opinion and also stopped reading partway through, and considering that I rarely fail to finish a novel, I think that speaks to the rather dull nature of this particular offering. Previous reviewers have said how repetitive the points of view are - rather than seeing rich, well-developed personalities, we see stereotypes repeated over and over from chapter to chapter. One of the appealing aspects of "The Other Boleyn Girl" is that there is depth to Anne and Mary. While Anne IS continuously presented as conniving, she experiences real emotions and Mary Boleyn is innocent, but learns to function in court. There is development in the characters that is completely absent in "The Other Queen," at least in the first hundred or so pages that I made myself read.

I like Gregory's work very much but think she has over-done this period and perhaps needs to pick a different era. We all know she thinks Elizabeth I was manipulative and promiscuous and that anyone who ISN'T Elizabeth I must therefore be good in some way, since she's told us so in multiple novels so far. No need to reiterate; time to move on to new characters, go back to the single-perspective narration, and give us more of the fantastic, rich writing that drew me to her books in the first place!

I'm a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's books, having discovered her when "The Other Boleyn Girl" was still mostly undiscovered! While I waited for "The Other Queen" eagerly, it was with some disappointment that I realized that it, like "The Boleyn Inheritance", was told from several points of view. I don't like her multiple-character perspective novels nearly as much as when they have a single protagonist. I managed to get through the first few chapters, but when she started the "Voila!" thing again that made Mary, Queen of Scots and Catherine Howard (from "The Boleyn Inheritance") sound like exactly the same naive character, I'd had enough. I stopped reading it. Mary came across as impossibly innocent (I can't imagine someone raised to be a queen would be quite so gullible) and the other two characters were not particularly compelling either.

A good friend of mine had a similar opinion and also stopped reading partway through, and considering that I rarely fail to finish a novel, I think that speaks to the rather dull nature of this particular offering.

I like Gregory's work very much but think she has over-done this period and perhaps needs to pick a different era. We all know she thinks Elizabeth I was manipulative and promiscuous, since she's told us so in multiple novels so far. No need to reiterate; time to move on to new characters, go back to the single-perspective narration, and give us more of the fantastic, rich writing that drew me to her books in the first place!

Despite her less than historic treatment of the subject matter, I have enjoyed the other books in this series because of Gregory's ability to give historic characters a realness. While this book is no different in that aspect, it seems like each chapter says the exact same thing as the one before it - Mary constantly yearns for liberty and can't pronounce George's last name, George constantly yearns for Mary, and Bess constantly yearns for money. The story could have been told the same way had each character's chapter contained only one word (liberty, Mary, money) depending on whose chapter it is. Plus they are always racing around from one place to the next. I am only halfway through this book and I am bored with it already - it is a chore to pick it up and read it. What a disappointment.

Ms. Gregory again employs the technique of each chapter spoken from the point of view of one of the characters. This does not work with the material she presents in The Other Queen. Each character essentially says the same thing over and over.

Queen Mary - I am of royal blood, I can not be killed.
I should rule the world.
All men love me.

George - I am honorable.
I am a fool.
I am infatuated with Queen Mary.

Bess - I love my lands and homes.
My husband is a fool.
Did I tell you I love my lands and homes?

This reminds me of seeing a great actor in a horrible big budget movie and feeling he just acted in this one for more money.
I wonder if we are the fools and we are just helping someone who wants more land and homes?

I have enjoyed all of Philippa Gregory's previous books. I was disappointed that The Other Queen was so boring and bland when compared to her other novels. It's a shame, considering the material with which George had to work.

Mary Queen of Scots had a life as intriguing as that of her cousin Elizabeth. However, Phillipa Gregory chose to highlight the least interesting part of her life (her quasi imprisonment with Bess of Hardwick and George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury). Her two marriages prior to her imprisonment, the birth of her son, (and death of her twins) would have all made much more interesting reading than the back and forth of her flirtations with her so called jailers. These aspects of her life were barely mentioned in the novel. For this reason, this book does not live up to Gregory's extraordinary talents. Having read everything she ever wrote, including two novels published in England and never in the U.S., I would recommend "Wideacre" as her finest.

This is by no means Gregory's best foray into Tudor-era historical fiction (that honor is still reserved for The Other Boleyn Girl), nevertheless, I would recommend this book to fans of her other works. It gives a decent fictional insight into the lives of two other extraordinary women living during the time of Elizabeth I's reign: Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury. Gregory's writing, while not her best, still made me want to investigate the lives of these women. As companion volumes to this piece, I would also recommend John Guy's biography of Mary Stuart and Mary Lovell's recent biography of Bess of Hardwick, where Gregory got some of her inspiration for this novel.

I'm a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's historical fiction novels on the Tudors. Every time one comes out, I eagerly read it, usually in one sitting, and revel in her writing talent. I really do adore her books; they make the history come alive and she has a penchant for detail, making everything so interesting. So, then, I asked myself, how in the world was The Other Queen so boring, so tedious?

I think the main problem is the characters. The voice of the book is divided between three people, and it jumps so often that the reader doesn't really have a chance to sympathize with any of the characters. By the end of the book, I didn't really care what happened to any of them; I just wanted the book to be over.

And the characters are so whiny! Mary, Queen of Scots, complains the entire book about being a Queen and what that means and how she's so special. Seriously, there are pages of the book where she just rants about herself. It's unreal. Bess of Hardwick (probably the most sympathetic character in the book) complains about how much money Mary is costing her. And George, Earl of Shrewsbury, complains about how he loves Mary. It really was just unbelievable.

On top of that, the story is somewhat boring. Gregory chooses to focus on Mary's time of imprisonment in England and all the plots she's involved in. Generally, the most interesting periods of her life were before that, when she was married to the Dauphin of France and then Queen of Scotland, and the Babington plot, after which she was sentenced to death.

Of course, I do have to say some good things as well. As other Gregory novels, the book seems meticulously researched and her attention to detail is commendable. She really does paint a portrait of the Elizabethan world; however, the book is not set at court, and I think it suffers for that. Country houses are much less interesting than the intrigue at Queen Elizabeth's court. So, in some senses, the blandness of the story isn't Gregory's fault; she was trying to tell the story from a certain point of view that, by its nature, just wasn't that interesting.

I also have to ask: has anyone else noticed Gregory's apparent prejudice against Queen Elizabeth? In every book, she is portrayed as a weak, sissy queen or as a whorish girl. I'm not saying she was perfect, I'm just saying that Gregory's bias is more than apparent, and it's starting to get old.

In sum, skip this book. Gregory hasn't lost me as a fan yet, and I'll still be in line for her next book, but I'm just going to pretend like I don't know that this book actually exists.

I have been reading Philippa Gregory over the past year as fast as I could, but this book did not meet my expectations. I read about 35 pages in and was just bored with it. I skipped around and read bits of pages to see if it would improve, which it did not seem to, so I just quit reading it. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was. Ms Gregory is an excellent storyteller. It just seems like her heart was not in writing this book.

This book was a disappointment. I'm glad that I checked it out of the library instead of buying it. It lacked the quality of "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Boleyn Inheritance". It's surprising because Mary Stuart was every bit as interesting as Anne Boleyn and of more historical importance than Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.

What I liked about the book: Mary Stuart is presented in a more realistic light than the romantic portrayals of her in movies. Think "Mary Queen of Scots" with Vanessa Redgrave. This Mary Stuart was more calculating and charismatic. With the Reformation/Counter Reformation in full swing, the novel conveyed how she was able to win converts to her personal cause in England.

What I didn't like: having the novel set in the years after Mary's abdication. Having the novel's present set in the time of Bothwell and Darnley would've been preferable. If there was to have been a narrative, why not have one of Mary's Ladies in Waiting be the teller? The Shrewsburys were boring. It may have even been accurate. Gregory like other historical novelists played fast and loose with the facts in other novels, she didn't here. This may have hurt this story.

If you are looking for good historical novel of Mary Stuart; I would recommend Margaret George's "Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles"

I am a Philippa Gregory fan through and through, having read nearly all of her works. I must say that I am so far a little disappointed with this one. I typically dive right in and can't get enough, and it has taken some work to get me "hooked." Haven't finished yet, but I have faith that she will come through!

The Other Queen is definitely not 'The Other Boleyn Girl" or The Queen's Fool, or The Virgin's lover. It not even The Constant Princess. It is however on the same level as The Boleyn Inheritance.

Also the Queen Mary comes off as vain, self centered, poor judge of people and manipulative. Worse, she manipulates using her beauty and charm. After some time you get put off by her constant attempts at making men do her bidding by the shear force of her pretty face and mannerisms. She made bad marriages, bad bad marriages. Except for the first one, which was arranged for her by her mother. Thanks to her association with Darnley - England had to suffer the reign of James IV and his equally ineffectual successors.

For some reason, the book and its various character keep repeating how awful Cecil and Elizabeth are, and yet you get the sense that together they provided England with a long run of peace and prosperity. Instead of looking at this man or that to marry her and support her and rule for her, Elizabeth was her own woman and she chose her adviser wisely, and she stuck to him, also very wisely. Rulers and administrators are there to provide efficient and successful management of a state, not to be pretty, witty and charming....

The Other Queen is the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, during a specific period in her life--the time that she spent in the home of George Talbot and his wife, Bess, at Tutbury Castle. It was a period fraught with political turmoil and the threat of another civil war, as Mary attempted to regain her throne. The story is told from the point of view of all three characters.

I have to say straight away that this was not one of Philippa Gregory' best--a shame, since I was looking forward to reading it. Part of the problem is that I more or less have a preconceived idea of what Mary was like. Therefore, I was a little dismayed by the way that Mary is portrayed in the book; she's arrogant. And that's another problem I had with the book; I feel as though it might have been better had Mary not narrated part of the story herself. Even George and Bess are pretty wooden characters with no distinctive voices of their own; I flipped from one section to the next and thought that the same person was speaking!

Another part of this novel's problem is that it fictionalizes one of the most boring periods in Mary's life. Really, couldn't she have fictionalized the Gunpowder Plot or the murder of David Rizzio? Instead, we get pages and pages about how queenly Mary is, how hard Bess worked to get where she is, Cecil is evil, ad nauseum. Essentially, if you read the first 100 pages or so, you've read the entire book. I feel as though Philippa Gregory is just following a formula here, one that doesn't entirely work for this novel. It's especially disappointing considering I've enjoyed so much of Gregory's work in the past. A much better novel about Mary's life is Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles: A Novel, by Margaret George, and a wonderful work of nonfiction about Mary is Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley, by Alison Weir.

In 1568, Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge in England. She has trusted Elizabeth I's promise of sanctuary only to find herself imprisoned on Elizabeth's behalf by George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife Bess of Hardwick.

Ms Gregory has taken the familiar story of the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots in England and presented the viewpoints of those obliged by Queen Elizabeth to act as her gaolers. The impact on the Shrewsburys should not be underestimated: keeping Mary Queen of Scots captive was not without its costs (both monetary and political). While Mary herself lived, she was both wittingly and unwittingly a focal point for political and religious intrigue.

In terms of the main characters in the novel, Mary herself comes across as manipulative and naive. Bess of Hardwick is far more interesting than her husband George, while Elizabeth herself is torn between removing the threat to her throne and herself and a reluctance to execute a fellow monarch. Ms Gregory presents an intriguing, if not always exciting, picture of a number of people thrown together by fate. This particular version of the story, focussed as it is on Mary's long period of imprisonment, not likely to bring much joy to those who prefer to see more action or a more sympathetic depiction of Mary. I enjoyed the novel without being fully swept up by it.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I just finished this book and it is a rather dull read.
I love P. Gregory so was disappointed.

I think the main problem with this book is that it mainly consists of one failed rescue plot after another that just happen over and over. Very tedious!

Also, the main characters are all somewhat unappealing, so you do not hope for any outcome. There is no investment for the reader....it just kinda meanders along to a rather forgone conclusion.

I feel this is her best book since the Boleyn Inheritance. This novel has intriguing characters and an interesting plot. It is a must read for historical fiction readers.

As a huge Philippa Gregory fan, I am sorry to say that I was slightly disappointed after finishing The Other Queen. Throughout the whole book I felt something was missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I just felt really detached from all the characters and wasn't on the edge of my seat like I was with all her other novels. I wouldn't say that I wouldn't recommend this book, but don't expect another The Other Boleyn Girl. I had my husband go out and buy this book for me the day it was released because I was so excited. Sorry to say it was a little bit of a letdown.

Another GREAT novel by Philippa Gregory! I waited a long time anticipating this book and it did not disapoint! I would absolutely recommend it to others.

I've read other books by Philippa Gregory and really enjoyed them. I was looking foward to "The Constant Queen" as I am interested in Mary, Queen of Scots.
Sorry to say, this book was dull. It's all about Mary's imprisonment. How much story can you get from that?
The book would have been better if it went through all of Mary's life.

I have enjoyed most of Ms. Gregory's novels. I thought her last novel, The Boleyn Inheritance, was amazing. So I was eager to read The Other Queen which is about Mary Queen of Scots.

The story is told from three different perspectives. While the three perspectives worked in The Boleyn Inheritance it doesn't work for The Other Queen. The three different narrators are Bess, George (Bess' husband) and Mary. And to be honest I didn't feel sympathy for any of them.

As I continued to read the novel I kept feeling like I missed out on all the interesting things that happened in Mary's life. I was left with nothing but flashbacks and some strange sexual tension. I pushed my way through 150 pages and after that I had to give up.

If Ms. Gregory wanted to write a novel about Mary's life she should have done so before her imprisonment. I think it would have been far more compelling. But instead she wrote a drab novel where nothing interesting happens. Even the exciting parts were dull as tombs.

Hardcore Gregory fans may want to give this one a go, but I strongly suggest they loan it from the library. I cannot thank Ms. Gregory enough for pushing historical fiction into the forefront, but I hope in the future she writes more compelling novels.

Am I the only one who feels like Philippa Gregory has just gone down hill?? Mary Queen of Scots is one of the most fascinating people in history so I was sure that I would LIKE this Gregory book. But I didn't. I think unless you are S.K. Penman you really can't 'pull off' a story told from three different view points, especially when they are all in the first person. I couldn't stand The Boleyn Inheritance for the exact same reason. Luckily, I got smart this time and just got The Other Queen from the library rather than purchasing it. Philippa Gregory is a wonderful writer so if you were disappointed with this book I highly encourage you to try one of her older ones. Those that have read Wideacre know that it is probably her best, right up there with The Other Boleyn Girl. Also phenominal is The Wise Woman and Earthly Joys. It seems that her books that run in series (ex. the Wideacre trilogy and The Other Boleyn Girl, The Virgin Queen and The Queen's Fool) seem to start off good and by the time you get to the third in the series they are quite lousy. About the time she wrote The Constant Princess the decline started and she hasn't re-couped yet. So disappointing for a fan such as myself, but I keep hoping the "old Gregory" will be seen again.

While I enjoyed the book and it was well written as far as historical detail, the author's view of Bess of Hardwick does not correspond with mine. Shortly before I was aware of this book, I had read Mary S Lowell "Bess of Hardwick Empire builder" and own a copy of David Durant's "Bess of Hardwick Portrait of an Elizabethan Dynast". I recommend these books to get a more clear picture of Bess, or at least a different opinion as to her character. You also might want to consider the book "The Tower and the Dream" which details her life.

Yes, it did get repetitive "my house" "my house" "my fortune" "my fortune". While Bess definitely did have the hard headed business sense, she apparently had something else, more than enough charm and charisma to get the men to marry her and leave her their property!!

I really enjoyed the Mary part of the book, I felt the author got that voice right. The book gets better as it goes along, especially in the last chapters.

There are so few real good historial books being written compared to yesteryear, in fact many of the "old authors" such as Jean Palidy are being reissued now. So I would recommend it just because of the time period if you like Tudor books.

I have to say it: I felt like the Little Engine that could while reading this book..."I think I can, I think I can"...finish it book that is!

Like most in my Historical Fiction world I have been eagerly anticipating Philippa Gregory's newest release The Other Queen, but I admit I picked this book up at the store with a little hesitation. While, I was interested to read Gregory's view point on Mary Stewart I knew it wouldn't measure up to other novels I have read on her.

Also, like most others, The Other Boleyn Girl, was my initiation into historical fiction and I will love Philippa Gregory forever for that. At the beginning of my historical fiction "learnings" I would read reviews and not understand why people weren't all that impressed with Gregory's writing, but that has since changed. After reading the likes of Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick and Jean Plaidy how could it not?

The Other Queen tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots during the time of her imprisonment with George & Bess Shrewsbury. It is told from 3 different points of view; Mary, Queen of Scots, Bess and George. A lot of people seem to have an issue with so many view points, but I don't have an issue with it (yet). Mary Stewart is a very interesting woman with a very interesting role in history, but you wouldn't get that from reading this book. The action is pretty much non-existent. And goodness, the repitition....yes, we know Bess raised her self up from nothing, yes we know that George is an honest man and yes Mary is a stunningly, beautiful woman and a Queen that must be free. Good lord, could one more man fall in love with her instantly?!

Bottom line...not too bad of a read for someone not totally dedicated to the Historical Fiction genre. My hope is that this book will serve as an "initiation" for someone else and we can bring more recruits over to the wonderful world of Historical Fiction!

Overall: 3/5

Song: "Mary, Mary" by Run DMC (Why ya buggin')

Mary, Queen of Scots, should be a great subject matter. Ms Gregory tackling this part of Tudor history I was definitely anticipating but am disappointed. About 100 pages into the story, you start to get the impression that rest of the book will be repetitive--nothing to just catch your interest and make you want to fly through the remaining pages.

Ms Gregory has written better and I will be looking forward to her next book since this one was a so so dud.

Like all of you I am a Philippa Gregory fan. I have bought and read every book that she has ever written. "The Other Queen" is absolutely dire. It is repetitious . It actually does read like a teen ager writing a book report. I am a student of Tudor History. This book has nothing new.
I am disappointed. I expected much more from Ms Gregory . Her story telling is always page turning. This book is like walking through mud. I couldnt wait until Mary finally met her demise and the book would be finished.

Gregory has again capitalized on her popularity as a historical fiction writer, specifically on the topic of the Tudors. While The Other Queen takes place during Elizabeth's reign, the focus of this book is on the tragic figure of Mary Queen of Scots and her "jailers," George Talbot and his wife, Bess of Hardwick. The narrative changes voices between the three of them, and each gives their perspective during this tumultuous time in English history.

Bess declares herself over and over again as a self-made woman who has constantly risen in title and wealth through four marriages and her own determination. When first asked to host Mary, she feels honored and is sure she will be greatly rewarded and highly praised. But the cost of housing Mary and her huge entourage quickly takes a toll on her, her fortunes, and her relationship with her husband. George is immediately besotted with his guest and is easily manipulated by the queen. While he sympathizes with Mary, he is a staunch loyalist to the crown and repeatedly declares that he must always be honorable in his duty to Queen Elizabeth. However, his devotion and infatuation with Mary costs him his reputation, not to mention his fortune.

Mary is portrayed as scheming and calculating. She constantly emphasizes her royalty and infallibility as God's anointed queen and stresses her desire to be free. She is confident that Elizabeth would never have the audacity to execute her; she who is the queen of Scotland, the queen consort of France, and heir to the English throne. She believes so strongly that she is entitled to be in Elizabeth's place that she feels no remorse in her plotting to dethrone her cousin. She has no qualms about using her charm and sexuality to influence men to conspire against Elizabeth.

The Other Queen was not quite as captivating as some of Gregory's other Tudor books. There is a lot of redundancy: they move from one castle to another repeatedly, Mary is constantly conspiring and claiming her innocence at the same time, George is relentlessly smitten in his defense of Mary, and Bess is persistently monitoring her accounts and referring to her former husbands. Plus Gregory is very vague in defining Mary's roll in the death of her second husband and in her marriage to the Earl of Bothwell. Aloud, she claims he raped her and she married him in duress, but in her letters to him and in her thoughts, she remains dedicated and fervent in her love for him. This book follows only a short period of Mary's captivity, a mere three years of the sixteen she is held in England under George's guard. But Gregory does a good job in describing the conspiracy of the Northern Lords to free Mary and return her to the Scottish throne and other schemes which lead to the execution of so many papists committed to the release of Mary.