3.0
Elizabeth I's Last Favourite
ByPublisher Description
Despite widespread interest in Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, little has been written about him in decades past. In Elizabeth I's Last Favourite, Sarah-Beth Watkins brings the story of his life, and death, back into the public eye. In the later years of Elizabeth I's reign, Robert Devereux became the ageing queen's last favourite. The young upstart courtier was the stepson of her most famous love, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Although he tried, throughout his life, to live up to his stepfather's memory, Essex would never be the man he was. His love for the queen ran in tandem with undercurrents of selfishness and greed. Yet, Elizabeth showered him with affection, gifts and the tolerance only a mother could have for an errant son. In return, for a time, Essex flattered her and pandered to her every whim. But, one disastrous commission after another befell the earl, from his military campaigns, to voyages seeking treasure, to his stint as spymaster. Ultimately, his relationship with the queen would suffer and his final act of rebellion would force Elizabeth I to ensure her last favourite troubled her no more.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesElizabeth I's Last Favourite Reviews
3.0
“Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com
A special thank you goes out to John Hunt Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
tw: physical abuse, murder, cheating, death, possible poisoning, child marriage
When I got this email to review a book on Elizabeth’s last favorite, I was intrigued. I know about Robert Dudley, her first favorite, and while I think he’s a bit of a player, I enjoyed learning about him and his relationship with the Queen. So I was especially interested to learn that she had more favorites, including Dudley’s step son.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I learned a lot about Robert Devereux. He certainly took after his stepdad, that’s for sure. He was a man child and overall, just a pretty awful person. The author made sure to really show his personality, even though this is a biography and I liked that. Sometimes, biographies can come off as impersonal and cold.
One of my requirements that I look for when I read a biography is readability. Am I able to understand what is going and what the author is going for. In this case, I’d say that I was able to understand what was going on. I did get slightly confused with all the names but that’s just because back in those times, everybody was named the same thing which is annoying.
Overall, this was a good book. I wish it had been a little longer. It was only about 180 pages or so, which seems short for a biography. But that’s not awful. Sometimes biographies get to be too long and boring. This was just long enough to keep my attention. I’m interested in some more of this author’s work as I have read one other book by her.”
About Sarah-Beth Watkins
Sarah-Beth's life-long love of history and writing has seen her publish articles in magazines and online, and she has quickly established herself as one of the world's most eminent figures in the field of Tudor and Stuart biographical expertise. Sarah-Beth also tutors creative writing and journalism. She lives in Co. Wexford, Ireland.
Other books by Sarah-Beth Watkins
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