Mary Queen of Scots

By: Antonia Fraser

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

She was the quintessential queen: statuesque, regal, dazzlingly beautiful. Her royal birth gave her claim to the thrones of two nations; her marriage to the young French dauphin promised to place a third glorious crown on her noble head. Instead, Mary Stuart became the victim of her own impulsive heart, scandalizing her world with a foolish passion that would lead to abduction, rape, and even murder. Betrayed by those she most trusted, she would be lured into a deadly game of power, only to lose to her envious and unforgiving cousin, Elizabeth I.

Here is her story, a queen who lost a throne for love, a monarch pampered and adored even as she was led to her beheading, the unforgettable woman who became a legend for all time.

©1969 Antonia Fraser (P)2018 Tantor

Thorough and heartbreaking.

History told by a master, who leaves no doubt as to how she feels about those who treated this refined and generous woman so badly. Fraser shows how Mary was tragically buffeted about in the religious disputes of her era, and by her own sheer determination to remain true to her faith and her hereditary responsibility. Narrator had some odd tics (her French and Latin were especially weird) but when she clipped along, did a great job interpreting the meaning and importance of each segment.

Great Historical Biography

This title is a very detailed account of just a small sliver of European History. You feel transported into the life and times of Mary Queen of Scots. I highly recommend this title!

Fairly accessible but academic read

The narrator’s pronunciation drove me crazy. Her launch into French phrases without a translation…please God, Medici is not that hard a pronunciation. This is one I might have enjoyed more reading myself.

Wow!

I was a French major in college and Mary Queen of Scots always interested me. I was so happy to learn much more about her in depth. This book was amazing and I am personally offended by her execution because I feel like I know her so well now. I love the show Reign and it was cool to see that it actually was a little bit accurate while I knew a lot of that show wasn't. I guess a Mary Queen of Scots movie is coming out in december and I am happy I read this before it comes out. I can't wait to see how it is. The narration was great by the way.

Good, complete bio but not perfect

it is a good biography and covers a lot of details of her life. But as the book progressed into her adult years, I thought maybe it should have been titled, "In Defense of Queen Mary..." It seemed that, per the author, nothing was ever the Queen's fault--she always had the right motives but was tripped up by some other person (and most of the time that QE and/or some other England person).
My other criticism was of the narrator, not the best..However, if you want a detailed history of Queen Mary, still good book!