Excellent, excellent book for anyone who is interested in Quenn Elizabeth I or the Elizabethan era. Interesting little tidbits of knowledge about court life, politics and Elizabeth's private life. The pictures are absolutely beautiful and go along so well with the the written text. Definate A+!

The Public and Private Worlds of Elizabeth I is a nicely written look into her personal and private life. It is very informational; from the workings of Elizabethan politics to the fashion of the time. It is informative with out getting overly academic. It is great for anyone wishing to research and/or recreate aspects of that time period. I encourage anyone who is intererested in Elizabeth I to purchase this book. One of the greatest features of this book is the full color pictures. Definitely a must have!!! A wonderful coffee table book too.

This would be a perfect gift for a history buff, a teenager, or any adult that secretly loves to color. I study the "queens of the world" for a living-Elizabeth I just happens to be my favorite! I was hooked the minute I opened the book. I had NO idea the dolls, gowns, (a lot of it is costumes for the Elizabeth dolls) horses and characters would be so detailed! It's "brilliant", as the English would say. If you really want to make this a learning experience, I suggest going to your local library and looking at the portraits of Elizabeth I... Then your coloring book will be really authentic! And YES! the costumes ARE truly costumes she really wore. As I stated, I have studied Elizabeth I in depth and I can certainly vouch that the details of the costumes...right down to the jewelry are authentic. You will open this book up and say WOW! Unfortunately, I could only give this book four stars because it is titled "coloring book". I can't imagine getting a fat crayon in between the lines of the extreme details. I think this book requires very good color pencils instead. I own a set of "portrait" colored pencils. They have the colors necessary to really capture the personality of Elizabeth's costumes. If you get this book and have a blooming artist in the family...buy them a good set of colored pencils to go with this. Together they are an everlasting gift.

Huzzah! A book that lets the reader get up close and personal with the Queen of England's wardrobe. The pictures are well drawn, large, yet detailed. So many portraits of the time are sort of muddy-colored, it's hard to see the intricate details of QE's fantastic court dresses. This would be a wonderful book for a costumer, your favorite 'rennie', or someone doing research into the period.

I recently heard of a quote attributed to Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of evangelist, Billy Graham, when asked if she had ever considered divorce in the many years of their marriage; her tongue-in-cheek answer came to mind on my completion of this book: "Murder - yes; divorce - never!"

Sharon McCrumb might have had this thought in mind while writing "If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him". If nothing else, this book has a five-star title; it is intriguing enough to practically carry the book on its own sly humor. Fortunately, the title's encouragement isn't wholly wasted on the story.

McCrumb again uses a technique which she has employed in other works - "The Ballad of Frankie Silver" and "She Walks These Hills", for example - weaving a historical event into the fibers of a modern mystery. Here, the poisoning death of Major Philip Todhunter, allegedly at the hands of his wife, Lucy, seems to have been re-enacted by her great-granddaughter, who has a religiously-militant husband. Trying to solve both apparent murders falls to forensic anthropologist, Elizabeth MacPherson, whose brother, Bill, a gawky small-town lawyer, has been hired to defend the accused wife. In addition to that case, Elizabeth is called to assist Bill's law partner, A.P. Hill, with the case of Eleanor Royden, a socialite who dispatched her ex-husband lawyer and his sweet-young-thing new wife into the afterlife after having been the subject of her ex-husband's bloodlust for the sport of divorce. Elizabeth juggles the investigation of these cases while wrestling with upheaval in her own life: her mother's new-found zest for life and her determination to avoid dealing with the apparent death at sea of her beloved mate, Cameron.

I enjoyed this book (as I have all other McCrumb works), and often found myself laughing aloud at Elizabeth's wit and Eleanor's venom, in addition to the "folksy" atmosphere McCrumb describes in Danville, Virginia. However, I found myself annoyed at A.P. Hill, a newbie lawyer who takes herself (and womankind) far too seriously (as a female lawyer myself, sometimes all you can do with some clients and yourself is laugh - A.P. has yet to learn this survival strategy), and the sub-plots involving a group of ultra-liberal feminist academics and the extreme view of animal rights taken by one of them. The book lost credibility while muddling through these unrealistic and ludicrous elements, and they (in addition to a pervasive view of most men as sinister adulterers or bumbling idiots) sincerely made me wonder if McCrumb was wresting with some personal animosities on paper. But the book still raises important questions about a woman's relationship with herself and with the men in her life, and what it means for her to "take control" of her destiny. I think Ruth Bell Graham would chuckle reading this book too.

I had never heard of Sharyn McCrumb before getting this book from my dear departed mother in law.

When I picked it up while helping my father in law wade through her personal belongings, we were all still in tears from our loss. This book made me roll in the floor laughing my ... off. I found myself not wanting to put it down.

You can read all the other reviews on this book if you want someone to tell you how the story ends. Personally, I'd rather read the book to find that part out. You will have fun.

Sharyn McCrumb has written over 30 other books that I have now located and read. This is one of her best although the ballad novels are wonderful too. The Rosewood Casket is excellent.

This book is helpful to share with women friends who are dealing with divorce and particularly unfaithful spouses. The emotions of pain that are shown here but then charged with laughter are a wonderful way to start the healing.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, don't need a hat.

Sharyn McCrumb never ceases to entertain, and to allow her Elizabeth MacPherson books to possess a lighter side her Appalachian series does not. "If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him..." is a riot from beginning to end, with wonderful characters, a great plotline, and McCrumb's usual inimitable wit.

It's a great book to start with if you're introducing yourself to her Elizabeth MacPherson's stories, but all the others are great, too, particularly "Lovely in Her Bones," "Highland Laddie Gone," and "Missing Susan," which is deliciously wicked, ;-)

Doctors, whose heads are cluttered with statistics, case studies, and theoretical jargon, often write books that are too heavy, boring, and technical for the average person to want to understand. My sincere thanks go to the Dell Publishers, who have had the intelligence to create a series of easy-to-read guides for educating the public about mental health.

Having experienced Bipolar Disorder for several years now, I finally decided it was time to accept that I have this disease and to begin to understand it. "Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down" is a fast-paced, accessible book that tells you what you need to know.

The main idea that runs through this book is: Bipolar Disorder is a serious illness and needs to be treated by a psychiatrist. Having the disorder can mean a significant impairment in life functioning and, though it is not curable, it is treatable.

The book is written like a big brochure. It's organized into eight chapters covering aspects of identifying and learning to live with the disease: (1) Definitions/Overview; (2) Symptoms/Diagnosis; (3) Causes; (4) How to Get Help; (5) The Role of Psychotherapy; (6) The Role of Medication; (7) Alternative Therapies; (8) Coping. Each chapter is broken down into a friendly question-and-answer format, asking questions like, "What is the typical day like for someone in a hypomanic state," and then answering them.

While there is a chapter on alternative therapies, one of the main ideas in this book is that, if you have Bipolar Disorder, you'll probably be taking medication (combined with other therapies).

What this book drills over and over again is that Bipolar Disorder is a serious medical condition that needs to be treated. "Bipolar disorder is the leading cause of suicide in the country," the book says. ...

This book provides a straightforward explanation of bipolar disorder that is easy to understand and will help educate those with the illness. Some reviewers have described the writing style as dry, and I agree with this- it's pretty much just a dry presentation of facts, though I found the style conducive to learning. I also found it interesting to hear about the illness from an experienced psychiatrist's perspective, as his opinions are grounded in a lot of clinical experience. I also agree with one other reviewer that he sometimes doesn't seem too kind in his description of patients. Nonetheless, definitely worth reading to expand your knowledge of this illness. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

Easy to read -- I'm probably going to pass this along to family members so they can get a better idea of what I'm experiencing as a person who suffers from Bipolar disorder. This book was quite what I was expecting, so was a bit disappointing from that standpoint, but I think it explains a great deal about bipolar disorder and different aspects of the illness in a very readable format.

I read "I, Juan de Pareja" for school. This book was not necessarily the type of book that I would read in my own free time, however, I did begin to enjoy it once I had been reading it for a while. The cover of the book also somewhat gives away the book after the reader gets about half way through it. Overall, this book was somewhat satisfactory, and I would not read it again, however, I thought the book was educational in describing life in the 16th century. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to learn while you read.

Overall, I liked I, Juan de Pareja. I thought that Elizabeth Borton De Trevino developed the characters very well, which definetely made the book more interesting. I, Juan de Pareja described the aspects of 16th century life well, and it was fun to read.

I read this book in the sixth grade, and I thought I should just read it because my teacher, Ms. Aperribay, had us and I didn't want to get a "F" for this work. So I read it, bored with it in the first chapter. Then... I thought it was wonderful! Juan de Pareja is a true story of a slave of the famous painter, Diego de Silva y Velazquez, and he studies, just by watching, the arts of true painting. Secretly, he does his own pieces, and they are beautiful! He wishes he could share it with someone, but if he tells, he will be sinned because slaves aren't supposed to paint! This book disserves a 100 thumbs up, but I guess there is no such thing. I read this in spanish, and even though I didn't understand it well, I loved it.

David Starkey, in my opinion, for those interested in Royals,has written an easy-read eventful portrait of Elizabeth I and all her counterparts. From the time of her mother's (Anne Boleyn)flirt with her father Henry VIII, Mary's rise and fall and Elizabeth's life from thereon, he never leaves out any of the written historical details, while adding a touch of humanity to all the formidable characters; metaphoring their situations along the way. He has dug deep for the writing of this wonderful easy, readable story depicting Elizabeth's struggle for the throne.

David Starkey notes in his preface that few books have devoted much attention to the early life of Elizabeth I, and he is quite correct. That has now changed, as Starkey's book focuses almost entirely on Elizabeth's pre-queen days. The writing style is fluid and Starkey's research is sound. There is speculation, but the fact of the matter is that much of what we think about certain aspects of Elizabeth's life is just that-speculation. Starkey's assertions are logical and reasonable. While perhaps this isn't the book to start with for those who don't know Elizabeth, it now occupies an honored place on this English History Ph. D.'s bookcase.

I couldn't put this book down. I found it very easy to read and well researched. It primarilly covers Elizabeth's early life from birth to throne.

This was my first Elizabeth book. I've since bought another one by Alison Weir on Elizabeth's later life. Weir's book is also well researched, but I found that when the same event was covered in both books, I learned more from Starky's book.

My interest in this period stems from reading books about the French Wars of Religion. The only fault I found with Starky's book was that it did not give sufficient coverage in my opinion to the burnings of heretics that took place during Queen Mary's reign. They were mentioned almost in passing. The burnings must have had a major impact on public opinion, especially in London and other Protestant areas.

I couldn't make head nor tail of it all and got rather upset about it. What a waste of time and energy!

This book has very well conceived gritty characters. The three main ones are David Becket, a toughened gentleman and swordmaster who fell on hard times fighting in the Netherlands; Simon Ames, a Jewish Portuguese agent of spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, and 'Tom O'Bedlam' an old law school buddy of Becket's who has given way to madness, who sees angels and devils everywhere, and has an alternate personality called "The Clever One." The story has action and intrigue which is made all the more compelling since it is narrated, at least mostly, by "The Clever One," who because of Tom's discourse with angels can see events as they happen to others. The Elizabethan color permeates the text in an attractively idiosyncratic way. Walsingham makes for the most lively Historical character. In the beginning of the book he is suffering from kidney stones, and Ames' uncle, Dr. Hector Nunez, attends him. Finney takes the time to delve into Walsingham's psyche pondering the effect that being present at St. Bartholomew's massacre when he was Ambassador to Paris may have had on him. This only adds to our understanding of both his role and the intrigue which is the main portion of the story. Other historical characters presented, include Walsingham's son-in-law Sir Phillip Sidney who is working on a procession float for the Queen in the shape of "The Dragon of Discord." And another not so well known historical character, Laurence Pickering, 'the King of Thieves', makes an important contribution to the plot. There are still more interesting characterizations and relationships developed, many quite sad, but I don't want to give too much away. The writing style, above all, impresses. It is really effective and poetic. I felt as though every word was being read to me and didn't want to miss a single one.

As an performer who protrays Elizabeth, I found this book a very entertaining and informative glimpse into daily life in Elizabethan times. The writing style the author uses gives a flavor of the period while still being understandable. The characters are colorful, sympathetic and skilfully drawn. The plot weaves through historical fact and political intrigue so cleverly that the reader ingests a great deal of the historical period without even being conscious of being taught (a hallmark of a skillful writer). I highly recommend this historical novel which is more authentic than many so-called scholarly historical books. This is a great read for anyone with an interest in Elizabethan times. However, do not expect to learn much about Elizabeth the person, for although the book deals with an assassination plot against her, she is only in the background of the book.

A large brown box appears on the doorstep of teacher, Elizabeth Stone's front door. Inside she would find the journals and inner workings of former student, former human being, former AIDS patient; Vincent.
This book was extremely slow going. I felt that it asked too may questions and sort of implied the story rather than to tell it. Yes I am aware that Miss. Stone only had the journals as a reference yet I still believe this work could have been executed in a way as to end up with a much more impressive piece of writing.
In reading "A Boy I Once Knew," I also came across a variety of typos and errors thus proving the type of effort that went into the book.
Stone also seemed to focus much more on her life than Vincent's, the one she meant to be preserved.
When I look at this book as a whole I can't help but wonder if Vincent was made into the person he wanted the world to know. But, at the same time, I don't know if we were properly "introduced".

This was a totally absorbing read; I couldn't put it down and finished it within 24 hours of when I started. I disagree with the other reviewers who wanted more about Vincent; this is fundamentally Elizabeth Stone's story, as well it should be. There was a ton of food for thought here, especially in the idea of the "relationships" we actively carry on with people who have left our lives, whether due to death or just diverging life paths. The book is back on my shelf, but still in my mind.

When I first considered reading this book I said to myself "Oh, no - not another AIDS memoir!" having read at least a dozen and lived through the 80's and 90's in the San Francisco ground-zero of AIDS.

Elizabeth Stone's "A Boy I Once Knew" is something much more - a rare kind of memoir and memory game in one package. Here is a middle-aged New Jersey mother of two teenage sons in 2001 remembering a 14 yr. old student, Vincent, she briefly knew in Brooklyn 25 years earlier in the process of discovering him anew through his diaries as he grows into a 40 year old man about to die of AIDS in San Francisco in 1995. Ms. Stone ferries the reader through these dizzying time zones and locations with reflections on grief, discovery, death, illness and aging in her own family, relationships to her parents, children and husband as well as her role as teacher, mother and daughter. Reading this book is somewhat like reading a mystery where we know the beginning and the end but read to find out about the more nuanced matters in the middle. Two people become astoundingly revealed here: Vincent both through his own words and the author's recreation of him and the author through her dazzling insights into herself and her subject.

I confess to being dumbfounded by these harsh reviews of Weir's ELIZABETH. As a devout Elizabeth student, I've read dozens and dozens of biographies. The range is as one might expect: from dry and pedantic to worshipful and silly. But by no means did I perceive Miss Weir's book to be even remotely a 'tabloid style' biography. That Weir only outlines England's long involvement with the French Protestants is no cavalier treatment of great history; 45 years of epic history were encompassed in Elizabeth's reign, and it is significant that every biographer I've read makes his presence felt by selecting the very limited history he may, even then, just briefly explore. Weir tries to focus on character, and, I might add, helps to put the Earl of Essex in his place. Furthermore: I fail to see how it can be maintained that her scholarship is shoddy. From Holinshed to Camden to Neal, her bibliography reads right. More tellingly, she excerpts unexpected moments from these oft-quoted sources. No, this is not a great historical biography. But in terms of a popular treatment of Elizabeth, reaching many unfamiliar with the lady, we could have done far worse. Good Lord, people - save some venom for Edith Sitwell or Christopher Hibbert.

Another great book by Alison Weir, but the first half of the book should be renamed "A Husband for Elizabeth." As in Elizabeth I's life, the first part of the book deals with whether or not she will marry and the prospects of who would be her husband. Alison Weir does give the reader a lot of information, but the book is pretty easy to follow. It was not only facinating to read about how and why she ruled the way she did, but also the clothes that made that era truly "Elizabethan." Having already read Mary, Queen of Scots, I appreciated reading Elizabeth's point of view regarding the whole "Mary Situation." A nicely written book to take the reader through the life of Elizabeth I. As with Alison Weir's other books, this one contains wonderful portraits of all of the players involved in her life as well as a geneology table to keep them sorted out.

The story of Elizabeth I's life---from the early uncertainty of her young adulthood, to the early years of her reign, to her commanding dominance in Elizabeth's ambitious and rich years on the throne---is a nice read. Historical in perspective, "The Life of Elizabeth I" is also a more personal account of the Queen's loves, her brilliant mind, and, of the loyalty that was afforded to her by her public and her court (for the most part). In fact, it is this component of this book that makes it so real. When Ms. Weir, for instance, writes of one account of Elizabeth I riding through a village and how she interacted with her grateful subjects, one gets a more close-up view of a queen so regal and forbidding, yet gracious. One does not see Elizabeth I as a "person" in her portraits.....but one can in this book. Filled with stories, histories, and loves, this is a great book that is sweeping in reach. Well done.

Fiona Buckley's third historical mystery featuring Ursula Blanchard, lady-in-waiting (and sometime spy) to Queen Elizabeth I, "Queen's Ransom," takes place in the 1560s, mostly in France where war is brewing between Catholics and Heugenots. Accompanying her dead husband's father to fetch his niece from the troubled land, Ursula is asked by Elizabeth to carry an offer of mediation to Catherine, Queen Mother and Regent of France. Though she dislikes her father-in-law, Luke Blanchard, who was against his son's marriage and has spurned his young granddaughter, Ursula agrees to go partly in hopes of seeing her second husband, a leader of the Catholic faction in France. Joined by love, separated by politics, their relationship has several times landed them on opposite sides of armed and clandestine engagements (in previous books). The tradition continues as Ursula soon realizes she is immersed in treachery, murder at her heels. Lively period intrigue supplies subplots as well as the main story; Ursula is quick and brave but also a woman of her times, and the setting is vivid, brutal and atmospheric even to the contrasting feel of the countryside between France and England.

This is an outstanding mystery series for lovers of historical fiction, and although this entry may lack the punch of the first two (there seemed to be too few real surprises) the book is still a worthwhile read. The mystery is solid and interesting, the characters are complex, and the description of time and place is unbeatable.

Best of all, Fiona Buckley is an extremely good writer, a true pleasure to read. Unfortunately, Scribner's proofreaders seem to be letting her down--I noticed several typos (including a "teh" in place of "the"). Spell-check, anyone?

Fiona Buckley's third Ursula Blanchard/de la Roche mystery was a facinating read. The plot was complex, realistic, imaginative,smart, and VERY well-written. I found Ursula to be both a femanist and one overtaken by femanine emotions, a devious antogonist and angelic protagonist, a sage soul in desperate need of guidance. There were parts of this book in which I was laughing. At other parts, I felt like crying. I have perchased this book and urge any lover of a good historical mystery to do so also. The setting is vibrant and well-reasearched, the characters are well-written, the plot is realistic to a facinating degree, and the overall book is a true page-turner. Five stars isn't nearly enough to praise "A Queen's Ransom". Fiona Buckley is a true diva not only of historical mysteries, but of writing in general. She is a creative force to be reconned with.