Beautiful illustrations, excellent content, clear instructions. This is the perfect book for a person interested in crafts and life on the prairie.

I bought this book for my 31 year old daughter tammi who loves to sew. She said it was the best book she has ever had. Charlotte

This is the 2nd historical novel Margaret Irwin wrote about Elizabeth I. The 1st, Young Bess, was about her childhood. This novel, covers the period of her sister Mary's reign. You don't need to read the 1st to enjoy the 2nd, although I HIGHLY recommend both. A historical novel should not only entertain but give the reader some feeling for what it was like to live in a particular time & place. This Margaret Irwin does splendidly. She portrays a young woman who had to watch every word & gesture to merely survive. Elizabeth, in my opinion, was one of the greatest rulers England ever had. Irwin's attention to detail help you understand what she had to endure to reach her throne & what made her the brilliant, courageous soul she was.

Everyone knows Sir Walter Ralegh as the gallant courtier who spread his cloak across a puddle so that his queen might pass dry-shod. A commoner who never lost his thick Cornish accent, Ralegh was nevertheless precisely the sort of man likely to catch Elizabeth's eye: handsome, intelligent, witty, well-spoken, and possessed of enough pride and independence to speak his mind, even to his queen. The term "Renaissance man" seems coined with Ralegh in mind: He was a poet, soldier, privateer, explorer, scientist, historian.

He could also be stunningly naive, and surprisingly inept at the art of courting favor. His first meeting with James I, Elizabeth's successor, was a disaster. Accustomed to priviledge, Ralegh approached James unannounced, even though the king heartily disliked such surprises. When James observed that he might have had to fight for the throne, Ralegh's response was, "Would to God you had! Then Your Majestry would have known your friends from your foes." An honest sentiment and possibly a shrewd one, it not the sort of observation likely to endear him to the new king. James already had reason to be wary of Ralegh, for some of Ralegh's enemies had been plying James for months with negative reports. Ralegh's recent behavior seemed to support these dark hints: he was one of the few dignitaries who did not bother to contact James after Elizabeth's death to assure the new sovereign of his loyalty. Worse, Ralegh presented the peace-loving king with a proposal for seizing the West Indies from Spain. James had been told that Ralegh was a warmonger and possibly a traitor. With his own eyes he perceived another, more subtle threat: this handsome, powerful, and persuasive man was a living reminder of Elizabethan glories.

Ralegh's fall from power during the reign of James I was as swift and spectacular as his rise under Elizabeth had been. His enemies rejoiced, as did the common folk who then and now love to see the mighty brought low. Ralegh's greatest triumph, perhaps, was the courage and wit he exhibited through his trial, imprisonment, and execution. In a last interview with a friend, he advised him to come to the beheading early if he wished to get a place. "As for me, my place is assured," he quipped. His last words, spoken to the hesitant executioner, were, "What dost fear? Strike, man, strike!"

Margaret Irwin is a novelist as well as a historian, and this comes through in the tone and quality of her writing. This biography is far more entertaining than most fictorical fiction I've read. It's full of telling anecdotes, vivid descriptions, and dead-on characterizations. Considering the complexity of her subjects and the paradoxical nature of Ralegh himself, this is a remarkable achievement.

One minor disappointment was the lack of a bioliography; there were several incidents and anecdotes that I would have liked to explore in more depth. Even so, it's an entertaining story, as well as a window into a fascinating time.

This book really showed me the insite on a young bastardized Princess' life. I act in a Renaissance Faire and auitioned for the part of Lady Elizabeth at age 15 and got it. This book really helped me out on how her attitude on life was. It was a wonderfully written book that deserves more credit than it got. I don't recommend this book for young readers, it can be quite complicated at times. After reading this book you will certainly realize that Elizabeth was a truly amazing Princess, Lady and Queen.

I found this to be a wonderful, colorful, imaginative book. The plot was terrific and the characters very well evolved. It gave a thrilling account of the famous Queen Elizabeth's life as a young girl. I would advise it for ages 10 and over.

One of the best-written and most evocative historical novels ever. I first read this when I was twelve, and it is still one of my favorite books. Due to this book, I conceived a passionate admiration for Elizabeth I which I've never lost, as well as an interest in English history that's provided years of fascinating research. (I also fell madly in love with the Lord High Admiral, but that's another story....)

This novel (despite its--to our '90s vocabulary--unfortunate title) is a fast-paced, entertaining, and even funny account of the tumultuous life and times of that supreme swashbuckler, the Earl of Bothwell. The novel, which draws heavily on Robert Gore-Browne's biography, "Lord Bothwell," is recommended for anyone with an interest in Mary Queen of Scots and her third husband.