Not sure why but I was looking forward to be reminded about her death and the pageantry that would commence after it. The problems lay therein the execution which is inconsistent, speculative, blurred between history and fiction and with the absence of new information as so adamantly claimed.

Paranque highlights the personalities of her subjects masterfully through the use of modernised quotes which allows insight to the complex nature of how political leaders communicated with one another as such the situation benefited them whether it be war or even marital prospects. It's easy to read but also dense enough with facts, analysis and opinion that you come away feeling informed as well as entertained. As Queen, Regent and ultimately mother of the King, Catherine would remain one of the most influential voices in France for almost 40 years. The bond between the two queens started over a desire for one of Catherine’s sons to marry Elizabeth and become King of England and France, but alas, this was wishful thinking.Labiau 3 ⭐️, nes labai klampi, bet pabaigoje teko sau priminti, kad tai negrožinis kūrinys ir autorė pasirinko ilgą istorinį laikmetį grįsti istoriniais šaltiniais kiek įmanoma laisviau juos pateikiant. Two women who found friendship and a rivalry between each other with only a sea that divided them and religious discord to drive them apart. This story of the two queens was very readable and told in such a way I did not want to put the book down!

Paranque goes so far as infusing these make-believe spoken words with details such, “He touched his nose before speaking again and looked away”. That said, I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to insert dramatic interpretations of what historical figures might have said.

After all, Elizabeth is the first woman who’s name was named after an age- The Elizabethan Age, or the Golden Age for that matter. The action in the book never lulls and, by the end, you're left feeling somewhat similar to how these two queens must have felt: utterly exhausted by the constant threats to them, their families, and their rule. As that was the case I didn’t learn much that was new and I thought I would, as I know very little about Catherine. However, it was in both their interests to oppose the ambitions of Spain, and they had made the Treaty of Blois in 1572, agreeing to send help to the Netherlands in their revolt against Spain which began that year. When the issue of Elizabeth’s marriage came into play, Catherine de Medici entered Elizabeth I’s life, starting a 30- year relationship that began as a friendship but changed into a rivalry in the end.