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Fatal Majesty A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots Reay Tannahill 9780312253868 Books

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Fatal Majesty A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots Reay Tannahill 9780312253868 Books

Reay Tannahill's Fatal Majesty is about Mary, Queen of Scots, and I liked it even better than The Seventh Son. It's written in a similar style, with a very dry, sardonic tone to the narration.

Fatal Majesty switches back and forth between the English court and the Scottish court, and has a very wide cast of characters--wide enough, in fact, to be rather confusing for someone who isn't intimately familiar with the main players of the time. Most of the characters act entirely in their own self-interest, like so many spiders spinning their webs, and it is the convergence of these webs that eventually engulfs and destroys Mary.

Though Tannahill is sympathetic toward Mary, one gets a sense of distance, especially in the latter half of the novel. Indeed, Tannahill's favorite character seems to be Mary's Secretary of State, Lethington, which gives rise to what I thought was the novel's major flaw: once Lethington makes his final exit, Tannahill becomes far less engaged with her material, making the last fifty pages a bit of chore to get through. Tannahill covers thirty years in those fifty pages, and although there's a lot of intrigue packed in those years and pages, I found myself skimming. Worse, Mary herself appears only occasionally in them. That may have been to drive home the point that she was little more than the pawn of others during that time, but I would have liked to have seen more of Mary nonetheless. Still, this is a 450-plus-page novel, and the pleasure of reading the first 400 pages, packed full of excellent characterizations and dry wit, more than makes up for the relative weakness of the last fifty pages.


Tags : Fatal Majesty: A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots [Reay Tannahill] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Returning from France to rule Scotland, young Mary faces a byzantine web of intrigue as friends conspire to grab the throne of England and enemies conspire to kill her. Reprint. 15,Reay Tannahill,Fatal Majesty: A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots,Griffin,0312253869,902564677,Historical - General,Scotland;History;Fiction.,Scotland;History;Mary Stuart, 1542-1567;Fiction.,1542-1587,English Historical Fiction,Fiction,Fiction Historical,History,Mary Stuart, 1542-1567,Mary,,Queen of Scots,Queen of Scots,,Scotland

Fatal Majesty A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots Reay Tannahill 9780312253868 Books Reviews

This is a book that needs to be read in a quiet corner where you won't be disturbed. It can get a bit difficult to keep track of the many plots, counter plots and even the changes of names of the characters.
Mary returned to Scotland from France to take up her throne when she was 18 years old. From that moment, she lost control of her destiny as she became the object of other people's ambitions and schemes. Her half brother James wanted to be the King of Scotland. Her secretary of state, Lethington, wanted to gain the thron of England for Scotland. Her two husbands both wanted the throne. The only people who had her interests at heart were the four ladies in waiting who came with her from France.
If Mary had had the cunning of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, she may have survived. As it was, it seems that she was manipulated by everyone who came in contact with her. She was completely out of her depth.
The book didn't seem to provide any insight into Mary's thoughts or feelings. One example being when she was held prisoner in England for 18 years. She must have wondered about her small son still in Scotland. This is barely mentioned.
I learned some Scottish history but Mary, Queen of Scots is still a mystery to me.
'Fatal Majesty' follows the life of Mary, Queen of Scots from the time of her French husband King Francois's death and her resultant relocation to Scotalnd, until her death. Mary is surrounded by advisors and lords, who are untrustworthy and scheming despite seemingly close relationships with her. Her brother James and her closest advisor, Lethington, spend a great deal of time negotiating her marriage amongst European leaders, namely Queen Elizabeth of England. Her choice of husband ultimately leads to chaos, rebellion, scandal, and accusations of murder and adultery.
The novel is well-written and very concise, but weighed down by a flurry of lords, dukes, and royals that are really hard to keep track of. Take the web on the cover illustration as a big hint--it's not eay to grasp the relationships between characters, and new characters are being introduced even in the final chapters of the novel. The family tree at the start of the book doesn't help much.
Great novel for those who love to read historically-based novels, but a bit of a struggle unless you have a great attention span and alot of patience.
This was a departure from the types of books I usually read, but one that I found very enjoyable. It read like a thriller, even though I already knew the outcome. The author is from Scotland and the book was naturally sympathetic to Mary.
The book begins in 1561 when the 18 year-old Queen Mary returns to Scotland for the first time in 13 years, as the widow of the king of France and its former Queen, albeit briefly. The story follows the plotting of her half-brother James who wants the throne for himself; her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England who sees Mary as a personal threat; and the brilliant leadership of Lethington, her Secretary of State, whose only agenda is to place a Stewart on England's throne. Although Mary and her ambitions were portrayed in a favorable light, I found that she also seemed to be a woman who was manipulated by the men who advised her, men who were out for their own personal gain (with the exception of Lethington and a few others).
The author has managed to make this story into a romantic thriller, in the best sense of the term. She brought these characters and the history of the time to to vivid life.
I was fortunate to have visited the palace (Holyroodhouse) and castle (Edinburgh Castle) where much of the action of the story took place, which greatly added to my interest.
Reay Tannahill's Fatal Majesty is about Mary, Queen of Scots, and I liked it even better than The Seventh Son. It's written in a similar style, with a very dry, sardonic tone to the narration.

Fatal Majesty switches back and forth between the English court and the Scottish court, and has a very wide cast of characters--wide enough, in fact, to be rather confusing for someone who isn't intimately familiar with the main players of the time. Most of the characters act entirely in their own self-interest, like so many spiders spinning their webs, and it is the convergence of these webs that eventually engulfs and destroys Mary.

Though Tannahill is sympathetic toward Mary, one gets a sense of distance, especially in the latter half of the novel. Indeed, Tannahill's favorite character seems to be Mary's Secretary of State, Lethington, which gives rise to what I thought was the novel's major flaw once Lethington makes his final exit, Tannahill becomes far less engaged with her material, making the last fifty pages a bit of chore to get through. Tannahill covers thirty years in those fifty pages, and although there's a lot of intrigue packed in those years and pages, I found myself skimming. Worse, Mary herself appears only occasionally in them. That may have been to drive home the point that she was little more than the pawn of others during that time, but I would have liked to have seen more of Mary nonetheless. Still, this is a 450-plus-page novel, and the pleasure of reading the first 400 pages, packed full of excellent characterizations and dry wit, more than makes up for the relative weakness of the last fifty pages.