Fatal Majesty : A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots - Hardcover

Reay Tannahill

3.67

409 ratings by Goodreads

9780752804934: Fatal Majesty : A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0752804936 ISBN 13: 9780752804934

Publisher: Orion, 1998

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Fatal Majesty is the story of Mary, Queen of Scots--but this is no conventional retelling of a fascinating yet familiar tale.

Returning from the sophisticated court of France to take up her throne in a cold and backward Scotland, eighteen-year-old Mary found herself trapped in a web of ambitions and intrigues--those of her self-righteous brother, James, whose ambition was to rule in her place; of her brilliant secretary of state, Lethington, dedicated to placing the Stewarts on the throne of England; and of Elizabeth I, dazzling and unscrupulous, who feared Mary as a threat not only to her crown but to her life.

The intrigues of the men closest to Mary were to be responsible for shaping not only her tragedy but also their own. Yet the secretary stabbed to death at her feet, the murder of her husband, her marriage to his murderer, and even her own end on the headsman's block were not disparate events in an era of easy violence, but episodes in a grand, sometimes terrifying, and ultimately successful design.

Reay Tannahill's masterful control of characterization, pace, and plot combine to deliver a tragic romantic saga with all the complexities of a major political thriller.

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From the Publisher:

Praise for Fatal Majesty:

"For those who like history with a good dose of fun and imagination this is a must." --Sunday Express (London)

"Tannahill has added drama, wit, and some very apt dialogue to the tale. The result is a highly readable psychological thriller." --Birmingham Post

"[A] sweeping saga to thrill and confound." --Daily Mail (London)

"Witty and sharp...Business skullduggery, the struggle to keep loyal, and a love affair are blended with impeccable research and storytelling." --Mail on Sunday (London)

About the Author:

Reay Tannahill was born and raised in Scotland and is a graduate of the University of Glasgow. She is the author of five other critically acclaimed novels. She lives in London.

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