Most books on Elizabeth spend little time putting her reign into historical context, which is why Alison Plowden's books on that time period are a must-read for those interested in Elizabeth. In Danger to Elizabeth, Plowden describes the plans and plots of the Catholics who were determined to overthrow Elizabeth and rescue England from heresy. Plowden's research is thorough and her writing style is interesting and engaging.

I read Alison Plowdens first two books on Elizabeth when they came out years ago. It's nice to know they are being republished. Marriage with My Kingdom is so compelling I couldn't put it down. Elizabeth was shrewd enough to know that she couldn't have a husband and rule the England as well. How many of us would do that? I can't wait until the fourth volume comes out.

A wonderful book, brimming with the fiery personalities of women long dead. Plowden's purpose in this book is not to give an overview of the English civil war (don't buy the book if that's what you need), but to show how women participated. She does this by giving specific examples from the lives of Queen Henrietta Maria, Ann Fanshawe, Charlotte Stanley, Mary Verney, Jane Lane, Mary Banks, Brilliana Harley, Anne Fairfax, and many more. Plowden draws her information primarily from letters, many of them between husbands and wives. While her focus is on the women, she does not hesitate to bring out the strengths and weaknesses of their husbands, and she shows the warmth and devotion of these 17th century couples with an intensity that makes their relationships seem enviable.

One caution: this is a very specific book about a specific subject. If you know nothing about the English civil war, you may be a tad confused. If you're interested enough, you'll still enjoy the book, but you'll enjoy it more if you already have at least a skeletal knowledge of the history and the major players.

One weakness: the organization of the book was at first confusing. It is organized more by individual women than by chronology, although the whole is chronological (we stay with one person for a while, then jump to another, then to another, finally back to person number one). This is a trifle confusing, but I'm not sure how I'd do it differently.

I love both of these women and their place in history, but Plowden's work leaves me cold. This could have been a fascinating, gripping, dynamic fiction tale of love, ambition, politics, history and royalty such as Susan Kay's "Legacy". Despite the alluring title, it's not. Not worth buying.

Ms Plowden does a great job of keeping to the facts and keeping your attention. A must have for anyone interested in or required to learn about English and European history.

I read this book for a British History class and loved it. Plowden makes the history of the relationship between Elizabeth and Mary come alive with many anecdotes. She describes in such detail the way the two lived and the era that the reader can almost visualize it.

Wonderufl read - not just for a class but for pleasure-reading as well!

This book presents, in chronological order, the stories of the women of the Tudor family starting With Margaret of Richmond, Henry the 7th mother, and the founder of the Tudor line.

The writing in this book is easy to read, and the author is factually correct. However, the biographies lack any real depth to them, and there is little new information in this book and it mostly just skims over the surface of these women's lives.

The bulk of the book deals with the women of the tudor royal family. (Mary and Elizabeth Tudor and Henry 8th's queens). There is some discussion on the lives of non-royal women, but 95% of this book is on Royalty.

This book is a great introduction to the lives of Women in 16th century england, but don't get this book if you have read Extensively on 16th century england, because it primarly relies on secondary sources, and contribes very little in the way of new information.

It's a good book,but it lacks detail.I kept getting Margaret Beaufort and Margaret Pole mixed up because it didn't explain better. Still,it has good stuff because it has feeling; you can feel how daring Catherine Howard felt,you can feel the disapointment of poor Bloody Mary.It almost makes up for what it lacks.

By summarizing the Tudor dynasty through its women (including the underrecognized Margaret Beaufort), Alison Plowden has constructed a surprisingly gripping read. Her conclusions seem well-researched, and she approaches her subjects, even Katherine Howard and the despised Mary I, from a symathetic yet realistic vantage point. Far from being a dry bit of history, this book is succinct and extremely well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Though it produced only five sovereigns, the Tudor dynasty had a disproportionate impact on English history. Founded as a family of some power and fortune by Ednyfed Fychan who served Llewellyn the Great in the early 13th century, the Tudors had nearly as much English and French blood as Welsh in their veins when Henry Tudor, a little-known political refugee, staked his future on a single coup d'etat -- and won. Henry VII descended from Edward III through his maternal line and wrapped up the Wars of the Roses by his marriage to the neice of the king he had defeated at Bosworth Field. This well-written volume supplies the context for England's break with the Church of Rome and its part in the Renaissance that followed.

As a real history buff - especially interested in the Tudors and Stuarts - I really couldn't wait for this book to arrive. I wasn't disappointed! The book is well written, sympathetic without being cloying and a good basis of understanding for these girls and women. I would highly recommend this book for someone interested in history...or anxious to help a sister, daughter or niece become interested!

This book concentrates too much about Lady Jane Grey. I know it is called "LADY JANE GREY and the House of Suffolk", but the parts about Jane aren't detailed enough to be a biography, and the rest is too short and foggy to be read as an equal family saga.So close,yet so far.

It is really helpful in describing and understanding the Tudor period,but it's unbalanced.1 page on Mary Grey,2 chapters on the French Queen,Mary Tudor,1 paragragh on Frances Brandon.There's this uneveness.

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was not only the brother-in-law of Henry VIII but also his best friend; after the king's own children, Brandon's descendants were named heirs to the crown. The duke's granddaughter, Jane Grey, died for her legacy at the age of sixteen, a Protestant intellectual challenging the accession of the Catholic Mary Tudor. Jane's sister Catherine subsequently ruined her chances to become heir-presumptive to Elizabeth I by her unauthorized marriage to the earl of Hertford -- and then by presuming to give birth to a healthy son (seven of whose close relatives lay buried headless under the chapel in the Tower where he was christened). The Suffolk drama would have been a fitting subject for a Shakespear-ean tragedy.

This book is very dull. It tells about every single person she encountered in her 18 years. There are way too many names to ever remember them all. I was too worried trying to remember who everyone was that it was easy to forget that this book was actually about Queen Elizabeth. In the end this book went virtually no where. It gave a few points about her rise to power starting at childhood, but mainly it was just names of people that she knew.

Elizabeth I is one the most famous woman in history, and yet history books concentrate on the accomplishments of her reign without paying much attention to the woman behind them. This book is a wonderful introduction to Elizabeth the woman- well researched and detailed, it is never-the-less an enjoyable read for the non-historian. By reviewing the early incidents which shaped Elizabeth and her view of the world, Plowden lays the groundwork for explaining her actions thoughout her long reign. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I am looking forward to doing so in the near future.

Books should be judged on whether they achieve their purpose. Plowden's purpose in this book appears to be the creation of a scholarly, yet readable biography of Elizabeth I's pre-queen years. This she does with consummate skill. The writing is superb, and the scholarship seems excellent. Plowden selects details calculated to wet the reader's curiosity and to draw a thorough picture of her subject. She has definite opinions, but she does not do all her readers' thinking for them.

I found this book and the rest in Plowden's Elizabeth quartet very appealing. Based on these books, I've been collecting biographies on all sorts of other tantalizing personalities that the writer mentions in passing.

Note: I am an English masters student, not a historian. I am therefore better qualified to judge the quality of the writing than the quality of the research.

One criticism: The book begins with a very swift overview of the complex circumstances leading to Elizabeth's birth. The part pertaining to Henry VIII is easily digestible, but the earlier section involving Henry VII, Katherine of Valois, Owen Tudor, and the War of the Roses proceeds at baffling speed. If you are not already familiar with this convoluted period of English history, the multitude of characters entering and exiting the stage may overwhelm you. My advice: hang in there; it gets better.

Although this book has been feted by many there are frankly better, more interesting and more scholarly works availible. Alison Plowden does not really give any good idea of the structure and organisation of the English Secret Service, and she fails, on the other angle of making it seem interesting to non historians. However if you are a historian (as I am) this is a useful book to read but there are other books that are equally or more useful. Examples would be Conyer's Read Biography of Sir Francis Walsingham or (and this book should appeal to the non historian as well as being very useful to the historian) Charles Nicoll's 'The Reckoning'.