Synopses & Reviews
The haunting story of the beautiful--and tragic--Mary, Queen of Scots, as only legendary novelist Jean Plaidy could write it
Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland at the tender age of six days old. Her French-born mother, the Queen Regent, knew immediately that the infant queen would be a vulnerable pawn in the power struggle between Scotland's clans and nobles. So Mary was sent away from the land of her birth and raised in the sophisticated and glittering court of France. Unusually tall and slim, a writer of music and poetry, Mary was celebrated throughout Europe for her beauty and intellect. Married in her teens to the Dauphin Francois, she would become not only Queen of Scotland but Queen of France as well. But Mary's happiness was short-lived. Her husband, always sickly, died after only two years on the throne, and there was no place for Mary in the court of the new king. At the age of twenty, she returned to Scotland, a place she barely knew.
Once home, the Queen of Scots discovered she was a stranger in her own country. She spoke only French and was a devout Catholic in a land of stern Presbyterians. Her nation was controlled by a quarrelsome group of lords, including her illegitimate half brother, the Earl of Moray, and by John Knox, a fire-and-brimstone Calvinist preacher, who denounced the young queen as a Papist and a whore. Mary eventually remarried, hoping to find a loving ally in the Scottish Lord Darnley. But Darnley proved violent and untrustworthy. When he died mysteriously, suspicion fell on Mary. In haste, she married Lord Bothwell, the prime suspect in her husband's murder, a move that outraged all of Scotland. When her nobles rose against her, the disgraced Queen of Scots fled to England, hoping to be taken in by her cousin Elizabeth I. But Mary's flight from Scotland led not to safety, but to Fotheringhay Castle...
Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama. --New York Times
Synopsis
From the pen of international multi-million copy bestseller Jean Plaidy comes a rare insight in to the complicated and passionate emotions of Mary Queen of Scots - hers is a tale of love, romance, politics, plotting and bloody murder... Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory.
'This must surely rank best, or near it, of the many novels about this sadly fascinating woman' -- Birmingham Mail
'These books are page-turners; they offer a wonderful way to learn about history, their heroines are smart, strong and in control of their destinies and their stories will remain with you for ever...They are a celebration of women's spirit throughout history.' -- Daily Express
'Gripping and exciting' -- ***** Reader review
'Captivating' -- ***** Reader review
'Spellbinding' -- ***** Reader review
'Jean Plaidy at her best ' -- ***** Reader review
'I was gripped from the first page' -- ***** Reader review
'A riveting read' -- ***** Reader review
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At just six days old, Mary Stuart became Queen of Scots.
At just six years old she was betrothed to the Dauphin Fran ois, the future King of France.
Reluctantly leaving Scotland, Mary is raised in the decadent French court in preparation to become the Queen of France. But her reign with Fran ois is short-lived.
Widowed at just eighteen years old, Mary is once again forced to leave her home to return to Scotland. Now a Catholic queen of a Protestant country, Mary must rule with caution and choose her next husband prudently...