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Whitelock delves deep into the court of Queen
Elizabeth I—in fact, into the monarch’s very bedchamber, where
she examines the lives, the roles, and the influence of her most
favored ladies-in-waiting. Culled from the aristocracy and much
more than glorified servants, these women bathed, clothed, and
often shared a bed with the queen. In doing so, they bore witness
to the political rivalries, social gambits, and personal scandals
that perpetually surrounded Elizabeth. Charged with pampering and
protecting the queen’s body, they also zealously guarded her
secrets—often with very little thanks or consideration—in the
fish environment of the Elizabethan court. This
history of Elizabeth’s boudoir and the women who populated it
approaches a popular biographical subject from an entirely fresh
angle, providing an enlightening peek into her private persona.
--Margaret Flanagan
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Review
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“Unquestionably [Elizabeth] is one of the most powerful women to
have ever lived. So is it any wonder that this brilliant, vain,
temperamental, wily woman still fascinates centuries later?. . .
Elizabethan England was a ribald wondrous realm ruled by an
extraordinary woman and Anna Whitelock brings it vividly to life
in The Queen's Bed.” ―Robert Collison, Toronto Star
“As Anna Whitelock's The Queen's Bed proves, there is still a new
and fascinating vantage from which to consider Elizabeth I. . .”
―Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review
“[The Queen's Bed] is filled with fascinating details of life at
her court, with eyewitness accounts from diaries, letters and
pamphlets. . . a trove of interesting facts.” ―Moira Hodgson,
Wall Street Journal
“Densely erudite, intriguing take on Queen Elizabeth I's very
public private life. . .Especially striking is the author's
chronicle of Elizabeth's relationships over the course of her
long reign; she was never alone, and she had several (probably
consummated) love affairs or inuations, most notably with her
beloved Lord Robert Dudley. . . Whitelock's deep reading into the
primary sources of this period proves wonderfully satisfying.
This chockablock, scholarly portrait invites further interest in
this endlessly alluring queen.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“This portrait of Elizabeth's private life, as refracted
through her relationships with the ladies of her bedchamber, will
engage any readers wishing for a more balanced portrait of
Elizabeth the flawed human being, as sed to simply another
rehashing of the mythical representations of her as Gloriana.”
―Publishers Weekly
“Fascinating glimpses of Elizabeth I's life behind closed doors.
. . [The Queen's Bed] is enriched by Anna Whitelock's eye for the
curious and engaging detail.” ―TLS
“Anna Whitelock's skillful and detailed history will bring you
closer than seems possible to this glittering, infuriating,
fascinating woman.” ―Hilary Mantel
“Whitelock's fearless approach to Elizabeth is not unlike that of
Essex. She, too, has burst into the bedroom and shown us the
Queen in her most private state. This is an history of
the court and a brilliant history of intimacy.” ―Frances Wilson,
The Mail on Sunday
“Whitelock makes sparkling use of the eye-witness testimonies of
courtiers, who recorded their impressions of the Queen in letters
as gossipy and vivid as any tweet or Facebook post . . . The
charm of Anna Whitelock's portrait of the Queen and her times is
that it shows the monarch and the woman, in all her power and
pathos, through the eyes of the people who knew her best.” ―Jane
Shilling, Daily Mail
“A great story, told with wit and verve.” ―John Gallagher, The
Telegraph
“Engrossing and admirably researched . . . Taking us behind the
closed doors of Elizabeth's bedchamber, Whitelock builds up a
remarkably portrait . . . [Her] excellent life of Queen
Mary was published in 2009. With this dazzling portrait of Mary's
successor, she takes her place among the foremost--and most
enthrallingly readable--historians of the Tudors.” ―Miranda
Seymour , The Sunday Times (London)
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