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The Other Queen (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 19,367 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory—a dazzling new novel about the intriguing, romantic, and maddening Mary, Queen of Scots.
Fleeing violent rebellions in Scotland, Mary looks to Queen Elizabeth of England for sanctuary. Though promised protection, Mary, perceived as a serious threat to the English crown, is soon imprisoned by her former friend as a “guest” in the house of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his indomitable wife, Bess of Hardwick. The newly married couple welcomes the condemned 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 grow to realize that the task will bankrupt their estate and lose them what little favor they’ve managed to gain as their home becomes the epicenter of intrigue and rebellion against Queen Elizabeth. And Mary is not as hopeless as she appears, manipulating the earl and spinning her own web of treachery and deceit, as she sharpens her weapons to reclaim her Scottish throne—and to take over Queen Elizabeth’s of England.
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"Interesting take on the Queen Elizabeth/Mary, Queen of Scots "battle" told through three characters; Mary, and her two "captors" George, Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Bess. Bess is a very interesting character as she is an anachronism as a strong, independent woman of the 1500s who cared about her land and possessions as HERS. Reading Philippa Gregory's interview and notes after reading "The Other Queen" was also interesting and shed some light on Gregory's thoughts and purpose of her writings."
— Joni (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Mary’s hell-bent assuredness combines deliciously with brisk chapters and rich historical detail. Indulge.”
— People -
“Dominczyk’s understated French accent is ideal for a queen born to entitlement, and her flashes of irritability and impertinence enhance Mary’s royal persona.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Other Queen Listener Reviews
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" Least favorite Philippa Gregory book I've read so far. At the end, there wasn't a single character that I liked. "
— Heather, 2/7/2014 -
" Its a good book. Has a lot of romance in it with a lot of history. It resideds in scottland. Still finishing the book but great one! "
— heather, 1/29/2014 -
" I thought it was only okay. A little slow. "
— Launi, 1/25/2014 -
" This is taking me FOREVER to read. "
— Dempse, 1/17/2014 -
" Sorry about the error/comment. Damn phone. Anyway, as I was saying, I love Philippa Gregory and I wanted to love this book. However I just couldn't do it. If the goal was to make me dislike the main character so much I would be indifferent to her fate, mission accomplished. I would be interested to read a biography of the Queen of Scots just to see if she was truly this unlikeable. The book was well written as usual. I found the secondary characters of the Talbots a great deal more sympathetic. "
— Denise, 1/13/2014 -
" I always love this author's books. Very interesting with a different perspective on history. "
— Angela, 1/13/2014 -
" Most of you know I almost always enjoy Philippa Gregory books. I was excited to find this one at the library because I had not read it yet! Sadly, I was disappointed at how this book unfolded. The book is about Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth, Queen of England and about the struggle of power and hatred for each other. I usually can't put Gregory's books down, but as I read I couldn't wait for it to end. The storyline seemed a little far-fetched even though some of it was true(it is history that Mary was beheaded by the Queen of England, I just felt the author read into some things that may or may not have happened. And there was really no big climax to the book! I won't read it again and don't recommend it. "
— Aimee, 12/28/2013 -
" More Gregory! Trashy fun as usual. "
— Joanie, 12/23/2013 -
" I felt the story went round and round in circles, but still a good read. "
— Tahara, 12/21/2013 -
" The writing style was not as good as "The Other Boleyn Girl". A disappointing read. "
— Ruth, 12/16/2013 -
" I didn't much care for this when I read it, so don't ask me why I also chose to listen to it. "
— Sasha, 11/22/2013 -
" i love her books but this was not one of her best. but still worth a read if you like historical fiction based on the tudors "
— Maritza, 8/25/2013 -
" It took a little while for me to get into it but it was good and totally kept my interest. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed "The Other Boleyn Girl" but very informative. "
— Christy, 7/20/2013 -
" I have to say I like this book but not how philippa wrote queen Mary. She has admitted in the past to not like Mary as much Elizabeth. So I think her bias sort of trickled in. "
— Bridget, 7/18/2013 -
" Another great tale of Tudar times! I think Mary Queen of Scotts is an amazing figure in history, and I love her story. It is so sad she and Elizabeth could not have joined together. They would have been a force to reckon with! "
— Elizabeth(The, 7/7/2013 -
" Definitely the most biased of Gregory's books. An okay read, but I was disappointed. "
— Bry, 6/10/2013 -
" Not my most favorite of Phillipa Gregory, but still pretty good. She intro's a new style of writing that is VERY different than her usual style. I prefer the old style personally. "
— Brooke, 4/30/2013 -
" Theme tends to be repetitive, but love the day-to-day living details thrown in. "
— Kataklicik, 2/28/2013 -
" I thought some of the parts narrated by Mary were silly. I love stuff about the Tudors but Hilary Mantel is way better. And I thought Philippa Gregory usually gave you a good sex scene or two? "
— Natalie, 10/8/2012 -
" i just couldn't get into this one. "
— Kimberly, 8/26/2012 -
" I enjoy the history that shapes her novels as much as the characters that come alive for the reader. "
— Jude, 7/7/2012 -
" I think this would have been better if it had been written from the perspective of just Bess and her husband or Bess and Mary. A good easy read though "
— Nikki, 6/14/2012 -
" I can't finish this one, it's just not like any other Philippa Gregory book I've ever read, super slow, no spice (or maybe I haven't gotten there yet) but I give up and surrender. LOL "
— Desiree, 5/8/2012 -
" very good read. I am going to read Margaret George's version of Mary next when I feel like taking it on. "
— Kathleen, 8/15/2011 -
" Not as sordid as other Boleyn Girl. Seems more researched. Great read. "
— Stacey, 7/3/2011 -
" Not as good as the other books, but still good "
— Sarah, 5/8/2011 -
" love philippa's books they are literary candy "
— Sheri, 5/1/2011 -
" I found this book pretty boring. The three characters kept repeating their same thoughts over and over again. "
— Nancy, 4/24/2011 -
" I really like her books. I already know the basic story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and I know what happened to her and yet I keep reading the book because I keep thinking she's going to be restored to her throne any time and part of me keeps thinking I remember it wrong. "
— Jeanne, 4/21/2011 -
" This was so hard to get through! Took my ages and I did not enjoy it that much. I LOVED The Other Boleyn Girl and expected the same quick absorption but there was less of a story here and it was very drawn out. I dot really recommend it. "
— Elizabeth, 4/1/2011 -
" I've never read a book where every chapter switches between 3 MC's & 1st POV. I knew what everyone was thinking & I'm not so sure I cared for that. However, I enjoy Ms. Gregory's style & ability to keep me turning pages. "
— Terri, 3/30/2011
About Philippa Gregory
Phillipa Gregory is an internationally bestselling author of historical novels whose success extends to the United States as well, where she is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She earned her BA from the University of Sussex and a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from Edinburgh University, where she is a regent. Gregory is the author of the Wideacre trilogy, the Earthly Joys series, and the Plantagenet and Tudor novels, which include the enormously popular Other Boleyn Girl, of which there are over a million US copies in print. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction.
About the Narrators
Bianca Amato, winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the Audie Award for best narration, is an actress born and raised in South Africa. Trained at the University of Cape Town’s Drama school, she went on to work in theater and television in South Africa before moving to New York in 2002.
Dagmara Dominczyk was born in Poland and immigrated to New York City at the age of seven. She has acted in numerous films, TV series, and plays. She is married to the actor Patrick Wilson, with whom she has two sons. She lives in New Jersey.
Graeme Malcolm was an actor and winning audiobook narrator who earned twelve AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has performed on Broadway as Pharaoh in Aida and as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I. His television appearances include Law & Order, Follow the River, and Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier). His film credits include A Further Gesture, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, and Reunion.