THE OTHER QUEEN

Mary, Queen of Scots, was an imprisoned guest of the Earl of Shrewsbury for 16 years, under the orders of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. Philippa Gregory employs her impressive knowledge of the Tudor period to create this historical novel, narrated from the perspectives of: Mary, George Talbot (the Earl), and George's wife, Bess of Hardwick. The presence of three narrators serves the book well, helping to ease some of the redundant accounts. Ron Keith presents a genteel and somewhat naïve Earl, whose fondness for Mary's charms causes him to agonize over his loyalty to his own queen, Elizabeth. Stina Nielsen and Jenny Sterlin portray two sharp-minded women engaged in a battle of wits as one endeavors to reclaim her throne while the other strives to recoup her fortune. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2009]