Monday's Pick!

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory.

In her most recent book of historical fiction, Phillipa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl) has again brought to life some of the central figures of the Tudor era. The Other Queen focuses on the stories of Bess of Hardwick, her husband the Earl of Shrewsbury, and Mary Queen of Scots. Bess is a shrewd self-made businesswoman in a time when women were rarely allowed to own property, but everything she has built is jeopardised when Queen Elizabeth I appoints the Earl of Shrewsbury to act as guardian of the captive Mary Queen of Scots. For the next four years, the expense of subsidizing Mary's court in exile drains his and Bess's wealth, while plots made to free the Scottish queen, and the Earl's increasing attachment to his prisoner, put them in personal peril as well. Set against the backdrop of the Elizabethan court, with its intrigues, spies and kangaroo courts, The Other Queen sheds light on two of the most fascinating women of the era.

Also available on Book on CD!