During the pandemic lockdowns, my partner and I watched a particularly awful period drama set in the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. Historical liberties were taken with wild abandon (there was even a contemporary soundtrack) and I came out of it thoroughly entertained but none the wiser. It is, of course, not the first dramatic treatment on screen or the page. The swill abounds, enough to fill the palace troughs. Which is a roundabout way of saying, if there’s one story of royal intrigue, treachery, murder and general depravity that needed rescuing, it is Mary’s.
I thought it especially interesting as it was written with a crime novelist's eye, giving the story a tension and the action a continual forward thrust that, say, an historical novelist might not have used. At least not as effectively.
Her conversation at the Edinburgh Int'l Book Festival was so much fun to watch! I've been a fan for a long time, but hearing her live (streaming) confirmed all good things I had assumed about her and makes me think so well of her personally.
I thought it especially interesting as it was written with a crime novelist's eye, giving the story a tension and the action a continual forward thrust that, say, an historical novelist might not have used. At least not as effectively.
Her conversation at the Edinburgh Int'l Book Festival was so much fun to watch! I've been a fan for a long time, but hearing her live (streaming) confirmed all good things I had assumed about her and makes me think so well of her personally.