The Other Queen

By Philippa Gregory

A dramatic novel of passion, politics and betrayal from the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

They can fear me, and they can hate me. They can even deny me. But they cannot kill me.

1568. The Virgin Queen Elizabeth I has ruled England for ten years, but refuses to name a successor, despite the rival claims that threaten her kingdom.

Bess of Hardwick, the new Countess of Shrewsbury, has secured her future with her fourth marriage to George Talbot. Ambitious and shrewd, Bess anticipates royal favour when she and the Earl are asked to give sanctuary to the fugitive Mary Queen of Scots.

But the Scottish queen rails against house arrest in a desolate castle and plots to regain her throne. The castle becomes the epicentre of intrigue against Elizabeth, the Earl blinded by admiration for the other queen. Even Bess’s own loyalty is thrown into question. If Elizabeth's spymaster William Cecil links the Talbots to the growing conspiracy to free Mary, they will all face the Tower…

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Nov 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9780007380176

Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory is the author of many New York Times bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognized authority on women’s history. Many of her works have been adapted for the screen including The Other Boleyn Girl. She graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where she is a Regent. She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction. She is an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. She was awarded a CBE title for services to literature and charity in 2022. She welcomes visitors to her website PhilippaGregory.com.

Reviews for The Other Queen

[lbswiener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Other Queen is a very very long book. The book is a historical fictional story of Mary Queen of Scots who was ordered to be "imprisoned" by Queen Elizabeth at George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury's castles. She was to be treated like a queen and told that all expenses that the Earl incurred would be repaid by Queen Elizabeth. Unfortunately, the "imprisonment" cost the Earl all of his money because she never repaid him. The book just dragged on and on. One finds oneself hoping that all of the characters in the story die already so that the story would end. In all honesty the author's summary of the book at the end was quite interesting more so than the book itself. That being said, the author clearly researched the book. There is a beginning and an end. The rating here of three stars is a solid score.

[alphawoman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After seeing MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS the movie last week...(2 weeks ago?) I have been fascinated with Mary. This book fed that desire for more, but I found it a little redundant. Yes, Bess was worried about her wealth, George about his honor, and Mary needs to be FREE. A little dull for me, but I'm not sure what I was hoping for. Like GONE WITH THE WIND, no matter how many times I've seen it, I want it to end differently.

[curvymommy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to love this book, as I so thoroughly enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl. But this story was SO boring and repetitive.I got really tired of hearing about how Mary was regal and untouchable, and George was honorable, and Bess brought herself up from nothing and loved nothing more than her houses and land. Over and over, the same things. Yawn.The plot was boring. Nothing ever really happened. A lot of planning, but no results. Back and forth from house to house. I didn't feel a need to keep reading - it was far from compelling. I realize this story is based on real events, so maybe this just wasn't the best subject for Ms. Gregory to write a novel about. I forced myself to keep reading, but found my mind drifting off several times, because I wasn't engaged in the story.A disappointing read.

[dalzan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel covers the captive years of Mary, Queen of Scots, who trusted Queen Elizabeth's promise of sanctuary when she fled from rebels in Scotland and then found herself imprisoned as the "guest" of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his indomitable wife, Bess of Hardwick. The newly married couple welcomes the doomed queen into their home, certain that serving as her hosts and jailers will bring them an advantage in the cutthroat world of the Elizabethan court. To their horror, they find that the task will bankrupt them, and as their home becomes the epicenter of intrigue and rebellion against Elizabeth, their loyalty to each other and to their sovereign comes into question. If Mary succeeds in seducing the earl into her own web of treachery and treason, or if the great spymaster William Cecil links them to the growing conspiracy to free Mary from her illegal imprisonment, they will all face the headsman.The novel concludes with Bess effectively ‘divorcing’ the Earl and regaining all her land that she brought to the marriage as settlement. The Earl spends the next 16 (?) years living withQueen Mary as a prisoner. Always a gentleman, he never acts on his love for her, and is distraught when Queen Elizabeth eventually orders her beheading for treason and she is killed.Interestingly written. Each short chapter is written in the first person of different characters. The reader gets an insight into the thoughts of Bess, the Earl and Queen Mary.

[canalrat · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining tale of Mary, Queen of Scots in the period of her imprisonment in England. Interesting enough to to inspire me to pick up a bio of Bess Hardwick her hostess for the duration of her incarceration.

[juliec0802 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not Ms. Gregory's strongest book that I've read. Not a real likable character in the novel.

[jewels1864 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book I have read by Phillipa Gregory and find that I am likely to read another. I was intrigued by the first sentence: "Every woman should marry for her own advantage since her husband will represent her, as visible as her front door, for the rest of his life." I found the topic of the life of women in another time period other than the present to be interesting, and indeed the book contained many revelations about the value and status of women in Elizabethan England. Although I did enjoy the book, towards the end I found it to be a bit repetitive- how every time one of Mary's plots was foiled, another one would just pop up, and Bess reiterating that she regrets marrying Talbot and how she mourns for her lost land and possessions. The ending just seemed to be missing something too...The same goes for George, he seemed single minded always focusing on his 'honor' and falling for Mary's tricks, espcially when he stated that she was too beautiful that she 'had' to be free. In the end he did seem like a food. Finally, I feel like I could have used more detail about what happened afterwards but perhaps that is in another book. Overall, it was alright, but good enough to make me want to try another of Gregory's books. I did learn a lot while reading this book because I have never read anything about Elizabethan England, and I don't remember learning anything at all about it during school. I found the controversies between the Catholics and Protestants to be interesting-how so much was decided about the monarchs, ruling class, laws, and wars based on the support of one side or the other, as well as the fact that the queens and everyone in their line were 'chosen by God' to rule and be untouchable. I was surprised at how manipulative the women could be-especially Mary, who knew how to look, act, and charm to get her way, use everyone around her to try and gain her ends. But on the other hand, it seems as if the women had no choice because they weren't allowed to be educated, and could only make something of themselves if they married rich. I was also surprised at the sheer amount of lying and betraying that occurred and how there were spies everywhere in England. There were countless lies between Bess and George, Mary and Bess, Mary and George. It seems to have been a very difficult time to live in, always having to be paranoid about how you discuss the queen or any of her confidantes.

[womblingstar · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't think this is one of her best but still an enjoyable read into history. I was hoping to get to the end of Mary's life in the book and found the ending a bit disappointing. It left me wanting to know what happened next, like I had only read half a story. She does make Tudor England very real and easy to imagine which is good.

[beckylynn_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was horrible. It was the same sad storyline over and over again. I cannot believe how boring this book was! The writing was good, but that didn't make up for the story. Very dissappointed.

[maryreinert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story of Mary, Queen of Scots, totally kept my interest. Mary became the Queen of Scotland as an infant, but due to unrest is sent to France where she marries the young Francis who dies leaving her a widow at 18. The rest of her life is turmoil. She has claims to the throne of France, Scotland, and England as she is the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister. Mary is pretty, charming, and speaks several languages. She is also conniving and self-important. This is also the time of great struggle between the Reformers and the Catholic Church. Mary, is Catholic and wants to rule as a Catholic. Elizabeth I maintains a more balanced rule favoring the Reformers. The religious struggles are a vital part of the story.Much of "The Other Queen" centers on Mary's captivity in England where she is held at the Castle of the Earl of Shrewsburg, George Talbot, and his strong wife, Bess of Harwick. The story is told in alternate chapters by Mary, Bess, and George. Bess was raised as a commoner, but through marriages and shrewdness, eventually becomes the wife of an Earl. She is business smart, a trait not valued by her husband George. Their marriage, however, is a happy one until Mary comes in the picture. Forced to maintain Queen Mary in the style she is accustomed to, the riches of the Earl's house are slowly depleted. Bess, ever the wise one, understands the significance of this in their future. I grew to have much respect for Bess; in fact, she could be the "other queen." She is smart and practical at a time when it wasn't proper for women to be either smart or practical. Bess and George eventually divorce and Mary is eventually beheaded by her cousin, Elizabeth I.Very readable and believable.

[barpurple · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting read. I enjoyed the differing viewpoints and the juxtuposition of new, self made men and old, inherited titles and money.

[ltfl_jmls · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not her best, but still good. It did give me some interesting stuff to think about regarding Mary Queen of Scots, though.

[ladydymondz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having read all of Gregory's other Tudor novels, this one was just a bit of a bore. Well written as usual, however the characters were flat & redundant. The ending was abrupt, just did not expect that...

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a novel. It's historical fiction. I'd definitely have to put more belief in the fiction than the history, as Philippa Gregory gives us a new slant on Mary Queen of Scots in this novel published last year. Told through the eyes of Mary, and the couple chosen to be her 'host and hostess', George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife Bess of Hardwick, the Countess Shrewsbury, we are given a good look at Mary's life in the early days of her forced stay in England.As the imprisonment drags on, we learn as much about the Shrewsbury duo as we do about Mary. Bess is portrayed as a penny-pinching, money grabbing spy for Elizabeth's chief advisor (and Mary's chief protagonist) Lord Cecil. George is Bess's husband #4, and she's heretofore managed to better herself from each previous arrangement, somehow getting hubbies #1,2,3 to deed everything they owned to her.She evidently signed it all over to George when she married him, because she wanted to be a Countess. Now however, she sees her fortune going out the window as the Shrewsburys must foot the extravagant bill for Mary (up to 30 dishes a night for dinner! and a staff of over 100 to be housed and fed, royal linens to be washed, etc etc etc).George on the other hand, being the great honorable Galahad wannebe he was raised to be, finds himself tumbling head over heels in love with Mary, but bound by honor to do Elizabeth's bidding. Until the end , he is duped by Mary, and finds it inconceivable that she would ever participate in any kind of plot against her cousin Elizabeth.It is possible to judge Mary Queen of Scots from a number of different perspectives. Gregory's take that she was a conniving wench who used whoever she could to get what she wanted (a throne perhaps???) is probably close to being spot on.

[debs4jc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The heartfelt drama of this story kept me longing to take long car rides so I could continue to listen to it. It follows the Earl of Shrewsbury, his wife Bess of Hardwick, and Queen Mary of Scots and they are thrown together in an impossibly hard situation. Mary is of course a "guest" in England, there by the good graces of her cousin Elizabeth--who could of course always choose to behead her instead. The Earl and his wife Bess are "asked" to host Mary--a task that ends us bankrupting them and destroying their marriage. For the Earl can't help but be captivated by Mary, and Bess can't help but be devastated by this and by the fact that the fortune she brought into the marriage is quickly drained away by the exorbitant expense of keeping a Queen. Each takes turns telling their story--which in the audio version I listened to is expertly narrated--and the author does an excellent job of making this historical characters real people with hopes, dreams, and emotions that capture the heart. I heartily enjoyed it and it made me want to explore the "real story" further--always a plus with historical fiction. Historical fiction fans will love it of course, but also anyone who enjoys getting into the minds of the characters and stories with lots of human drama.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I quit reading this fanciful farce after page 11.... To be honest, I am so totally put off by the so called innocence of Mary Stuart, whom according to most all historical accounts was selfish, self-serving, man chasing, murderous, plotting and a poor ruler.... Not to mention the fact, that she continued to try and over throw Elizabeth I even when held captive in England!

[michellech_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having just left Sarum and the individual narratives that made up that historical framework I was a bit let-down when I saw that this was similar in style. I personally am not a big fan of the changing viewpoint from the perspective of the three main characters: Mary, Bess and George.The one character that I did find somewhat interesting was Bess - rare to find such a seemingly strong person in charge of their own finances during that time period. There was redundancy about how one woman was more beautiful than the other that got to be a bit much. Read it, now moving on..

[marieburton2004 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The first impression when beginning this book is I do not enjoy the switching back and forth between narrators. The author had done this before and I did an internal sigh when I realized it was happening again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets aggravating. It is narrated by Bess, her husband George Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and Mary. Once you are trying to get absorbed in the story, the chapter is finished and it's time for another narrator to catch up.I disliked this version of the character of Mary, Queen of Scots right away with her sanctimonious attitude and how near her station is to God that she believes herself to be due to the bloodline of royalty in her veins. Which is how the royalty see themselves and how they are expected to be treated, which is fine. But the way she speaks of it is simply bragging and grates on your nerves. In previous novels Mary is portrayed as being more passionate or sensitive. Here we only get a glimpse of Mary believing she should rule both England and Scotland, and that she is eager to participate in plots of her escape. She disguises herself as a sweet and tender woman but narrates the story as a shrewd woman very willing to promote violence in order for her release.The novel is opening to where Mary is brought from Bolton Castle to Tutbury in 1568. The positive side of the three narrators is of course you get all three point of views, but it just makes for annoying reading at times. It is rare to contemplate George Talbot's true feelings, most books I have read did not really consider his thoughts on the keeping of Mary, other than I always remember him wanting to be paid more for his expenses. Here we see George becoming enamored with Mary, becoming so much so as to be in love with her. He begins as simply believing that she is a Queen and should be restored to her crown in Scotland. But that is not what the Secretary of State, William Cecil, would like. Mary will always be his thorn since he believes Scotland should be under English command. He will stop at nothing to see her ruined, dead, beheaded, etc.In this version of George, he has fallen in love with Mary. He does not seem to care for the expenses as much as Bess does. Bess realizes that George is besotted with the Queen, but tells us that her property, her estates, her legacy to her children are more important than any man. She is very upset that George could jeopardize their well-being with their own Queen Elizabeth I due to his quiet admiration of Mary. Let the plotting begin.. one after the other...George and his fellow Protestant lords are eager to marry the Catholic Mary to the Duke of Norfolk, and get sons off of her that can rule both Scotland and England. Poor Elizabeth will not choose a man, will not marry, and this is causing an unsettling feeling with the Englishmen, questioning the succession of the crown. The nobles also despise Elizabeth's adviser, Cecil, being that he is a nobody and not with a heritage of nobility behind him such as George Talbot and his friends.Bess's narration is perhaps the only thing that seems close to reality in this book. She is a headstrong woman who is adamant to preserve her fortune that she has collected due to her wonderful mathematical ability and the fact the three husbands before her have left her something to add to her estates. She seems to have feelings for George, as they have not been married for long when the story opens up. She soon realizes that perhaps he is not as worthy as he could be once he begins to show his puppy love for Mary. He is to go before Queen Elizabeth to see what part he played in letting treasonous letters and plots be brought to Mary. Bess is outraged that everything that she has worked for her whole life and the prosperity of her future is put at risk all because of George. She falls out of love quickly.As I read this I have had thoughts that most of the events would not be true. The Earl's love for Mary, Mary meeting Anthony Babington when he is 8 years old, the hatred Mary feels for Bess because Bess is jealous.. The letters to Bothwell while he is in a Denmark prison and pretty much everything else that happens in the last half of the book. This becomes annoying so much so that I have to keep telling me this is fiction, please stop worrying about it. I fight the desire to stop reading it. I do not have much left to read, the chapters always begin with the Season and and Year, and I am still on 1571 which is odd since there are another 16 years left to her captivity. So I looked ahead and the rest of the chapters are 1572 with it finally jumping to 1587 and ending there. Imagine I had to read for the full 16+ years of this yuck?! I don't know how the book will end, we can obviously make an educated guess but I will read it to see how it does end just out of morbid curiosity, since whatever it does end with will be such a farce getting there.For the average person who just wants a good story, perhaps this is the book for them. If you are interested in Mary Queen of Scots and the events truly surrounding her life, then do not even read the book. It would not be worth the time. I was definitely not as eager to continue the story as I was with the fictional Mary Stuart books by Jean Plaidy. Therefore if you are in the mood for the fictionalized historical account Mary Stuart, I would recommend Jean Plaidy's books from the previous posts, and not Phillippa Gregory. This book just seemed like one character's whine to the next.I now understand the furor caused by Tudor Historians when Gregory's book "The Other Boleyn Girl" was made into a movie. Many were incensed that this movie would be the cause of such a fascination with British History. I must humbly admit that her book is what drew me to my own interest in this era, but at least I knew better to start reading non-fiction so I could get the facts straight. That was a good book for those wanting an introduction to the Henry VIII period. One must then read a few more books to get a true sense of the era. Phillipa's next book is "The White Queen" and I have dutifully deleted that from my wishlist at Amazon.Back to this review though: DO NOT READ 'THE OTHER QUEEN'! 0 of 5 stars(note to self: never never pre-order a book without reading reviews!)

[michdubb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gregory tells this story through the eyes of Bess of Hardwick, Mary Queen of Scots, and the Earl of ???, and engages the reader with the feelings of these three characters. The Bess character is particularily witty in how she describes the plight of women in Elizabethan society.

[puckrobin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I enjoyed Gregory's other books on the Tudors, and I was eager to read another installment of her novelizations based on her extensive knowledge of European monarchies. I can honestly say that I'm not sure what put me off - the writing seemed more abrupt somehow, and it may have been part of trying to write the character, but I found it choppy and difficult to immerse myself in the story. Further, I admit, I really had no use for Mary as she was depicted here (I say that because obviously I have no idea what I'd have thought of her in person). I tend to be drawn to characters far more than plot - if I don't care about a character, then I don't much care what happens to them - and frankly, I didn't care what happened to her because she was such a whiney, self important little chit. To some degree, this may well have been Gregory's intention - to develop an image of an immature, selfish woman, and if so, she succeeded, at least for me. Unfortunately, disliking the character made hanging in for the plot (with its obvious ending) not worth my time.

[alie_31 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've read the rest of Gregory's Tudor series, which are excellent, but found myself struggling with this one. The story of Mary Queen of Scots and her battle to claim the thrown, was drawn out and not on par with the other books in the series.

[mbmackay · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction about the captivity of Mary Queen of Scots, held by the Earl of Shrewsberry and his wife, who later became known as Bess of Hardwick. Told in the voice of the three main characters in alternating chapters, the result is unsatisfying. The characters of the Earl and Bess are one-dimensional and don't develop at all in the course of the book. Mary is more interesting, but in the end, I don't think I have a better idea of the 'real' Mary Queen of Scots than I had at the start. Read November 2009.

[cookiecat_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Boring and repetitive.I didn't even learn anything really... not that I would necessarily believe Philippa's "take" on t he story anyway.

[elsyd_19 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think this is one of Gregory's best books. I really like the format (moving from one to the other, of each of the three main character's, and showing their view of the same scenario.)

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've only read one other book by Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl) and I love it. So I had high expectations for this one...it didn't meet them. I was really bored with the way the story was told...I feel like the POV was missing from people on the other side of the story. It's possible that she tells Elizabeth's side in a different book, but something could have been included here. Even if it was Cecil's account. It just felt like something was missing.

[aspiringameliorant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gregory tells the story of the English imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary I of Scotland) from the perspective of the queen herself, and her two "hosts," Countess Elizabeth Shrovesbury, and The Earl of Shrovesbury, George.The book is certainly effective in making the history very personal and interesting. The Other Queen is portrayed as a devout woman, confident in her position as an inalienable person, born, married, and anointed royally. Bess is the nouveau riche, climbing the social ladder through successively more impressive marriages, incredibly concerned with her accumulated wealth and its safety, while her husband (whom she delights as referring to as "my husband, the earl," is characterized as a somewhat dopey member of the dying aristocracy, wooed by the young queen, obsessed with his own honor, and unsure of exactly where his allegiances do, or should, lie.The audiobook by recorded books is narrated by three different voices and produced quite well.

[mikitchenlady · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hardly bothering to tag this one. My first Philippa Gregory, although based on other reviews, perhaps it should not be my last. This book was repetitive and plodding, with one dimensional characters and an unexciting plot. I won't take up any space to describe it or review it in more detail, as others have done such a great job describing it. I'll just say I grew tired of the three narrators who just kept repeating themselves (Mary, Queen of Scots -- I'm a queen, I'm perfect, I'm awesome, I deserve to be free; Bess of Hardwick -- she's using up all of our money, my husband is a fool, I support Queen Elizabeth who won't pay me anything; George Talbot -- I'm an honorable man, I serve the Queen of England, and I love Mary). And so on...

[purelush · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really lovely, as always from Philippa.

[yabut-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Philippa Gregory has a way of getting me more interested in history than I've ever been before. This book takes place at the time of the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. This is the story of how she and her adviser kept Mary, Queen of Scots from her rightful reign.

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story behind this novel. It was very well-written and interesting. I really enjoyed Bess's character. She was definitely my favorite. My only complaint was that Mary, Queen of Scots seemed very whiny in the audio version. That might have been intentional, but it did get annoying in parts.