Blood, Fire and Gold: The story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici

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Paranque expertly reminds us of the gravitational pull of Spain on our protagonists without bogging the story down with too much detail.

For example, I didn’t realize Marie didn’t care all that much for Mary, Queen of Scots, her daughter-in-law for a short time.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. Paranque did take written styling from Erik Larson which she indicates in the Author's note at the end of the book. Estelle Paranque’s fresh and compelling narrative approach is the perfect style in which to convey this extraordinary story of the rivalry, intrigue and heartbreak which defined their reigns. After the deaths of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, and Queen Mary I, Elizabeth got her chance to rule England in her way.

It also recounts Elizabeth's and Catherine's letters to each other, addressing topics such as Catherine's efforts to marry Elizabeth off to one of her sons as well as Catherine's efforts to get Elizabeth to spare the life of Mary Queen of Scots (Catherine's former daughter-in-law). She deals with wars, on global and personal scales, as well as how families (or would-be families) interact when they operate on an international stage. She acknowledges both women for their strengths and their faults, pairing their ruthlessness with a deep understanding of the environment in which they lived and ruled. Throughout the years, the would go from enemies, to friends, to potential family through marriage, and then to enemies again. But politics, religion and a bitter personal rivalry set them on a collision course that would dominate Anglo-French relations for three decades.To execute such a person would go against the Divine Right of Kings doctrine and her own legitimacy. Elizabeth, determined not to marry, would turn them all down, all the while protesting her friendship with Catherine.

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. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. She approaches her subjects with empathy and while criticism can be found, she also points out that it is easier to criticise them now that we know everything about the future of their lives and of course, talking about "what if she did this" results in a lot of maybes.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. This book, about the complex up-and-down relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Catherine de Medici, is very detailed; but in places we quite lose sight of that relationship. By merging biographies of Elizabeth I of England and Catherine de' Medici of France into a study of their relationship, Paranque crafts a marvelous lens for appreciating history that manages to be informative, thoroughly engaging, and remarkably brief—all at once. This also allowed me to learn more about Catherine life and what was going on at the same time in their respective lives. 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.