David Durant does a very good job of making both the woman and her era intresting. Long time one of my favorite women of history, you have to admit that starting as a farmer's daughter and ending up the wealthiest woman in England (other than Queen Elizabeth I) Bess must have been something special. She could teach us modern girls a thing or two. Thank you, Mr. Durant, for writing this book.

Fascinating bio, well written,about a woman who came from obscure beginnings and turned into one of England's wealthiest women. Fans of Elizabethan history will enjoy reading about this smart, calculating woman who must have been very extraordinary for her time. A fictionalized account of her life in the romance genre is currently in paperback by Henley: A Woman of Passion...caution:explicit sex.

I bought this book after touring Hardwick Hall which was built by Bess in the late 1500's. The book brought Bess alive to me and gave me a good sense of what her life would have been like. Not only does it give a sense of Bess' life, but life in Elizabethan England. Anyone having visited Chatsworth and Hardwick wishing to know more about Elizabeth Shrewsbury should read this book. I can't help wondering what Bess would think to know that her family line continues to this day and that her grand-daughter married into the Howard family.