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Arabella : England's Lost Queen | 
| Author: Sarah Gristwood
Publisher: Bantam Press, Limited
Category: Book
Buy Used: $32.28
Used (9) from $32.28
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 3186706
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0593048881
EAN: 9780593048887
ASIN: 0593048881
Publication Date: 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Title in very good condition. Thousands of satisfied customers!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Arbella: England's Lost Queen Review September 24, 2008
In Arbella: England's Lost Queen, Sarah Gristwood quite ably caught the essence of Arbella Stuart's sad, train wreck of a life which reflected her "too royal of a lineage" and the English monarchy's paranoia of a rival claiming the throne.
This worry was reflected years earlier by the beheading of the Duke of Buckingham, Anne and Mary Boleyn's uncle, for offending Henry VIII(Elizabeth's father) with "too royal blood in his veins."
Throughout her life, she was considered a threat; first by her cousin Elizabeth I and then by Mary Queen of Scot's son, James I. Living her life under pseudo house arrest, she was prevented from marrying until well into her 30's for fear of producing a male heir who could claim the throne of England. Since Elizabeth was childless, the line of succession issue reached a fever pitch.
In an almost parallel universe, Arbella was kept isolated as was Mary Queen of Scots (the mother of James and cousin to Elizabeth). With Mary Queen of Scots a prisoner under the roof of her grandmother, Bess of Hardwick and her 4th husband, Arbella spent many hours with the displaced Scottish Queen tending their tapestry. After Mary's death, Arbella continued her lonely existence occasionally being invited to court only to be sent away again.
Finally, when she was in her 30's Arbella took it upon herself to marry a Seymour who was also of royal bloodlines not to mention 10 years her junior. By marrying without the monarchs' consent, both were considered traitors and she was sent to the country while Seymour was imprisoned in the Tower of London. A botched escape ended with her capture and his reaching freedom on the mainland.
It was never clear if she went truly mad as her rambling writings would point to but surely the years of confinement, boredom and an unfulfilled life had to have taken its toll. In the end, she died from starvation in the Tower of London, all the while hanging onto the simple hope that she and her husband would reunite and finally be allowed to live a normal life.
How sad that such potential would be wasted and even more tragic that most people do not know of her existence. Hopefully, this excellent book will change that.
Might Have Been Queen After Elizabeth I July 9, 2008
If you are fascinated by Tudor and Stuart England as I am, you will enjoy this book. Arbella is a footnote on history, but was raised by her powerful (and well-marrying) grandmother Bess of Hardwick to be the next Queen of England. Elizabeth I, recognizing her worth and her threat, controlled her life so that this well-educated, intelligent girl of royal blood was used as a pawn on the international royal marriage market, yet was never given permission by Elizabeth I to marry.
Interestingly, Bess of Hardwick was given the responsibility of "housing" Mary, Queen of Scots during her long years Elizabeth I, held Mary captive. Mary, Queen of Scots was Arbella's aunt, being married to her father's brother, Lord Darnley.
After her cousin James becomes James I of England, she remained a pawn. At the age of 35 she married without the King's permission; her husband was also of royal blood and therefore the marriage is condemned. She was condemed to the Tower of London for her forbidden love.
Willy March 15, 2008
The book was very good. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys history. I couldn't put it down.
 Interesting read on a not-so compelling subject February 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although Sara Gristwood researched her book carefully and wrote as much of Arbella Stuart's life as feasible given the paucity of material, this bio just failed to spark a genuine interest. The reason is simple; Arbella never felt like a real person - there is a continual opacity to her, not so much because she was a "prisoner" or because her life was lived out many centuries ago, but because she just wasn't a very interesting or likeable character.
In fact, she was a privileged noble in a world of nearly universal want and she not only expected more but complained relentlessly about what she didn't have. Her rambling letters and odd behavior indicate a profoundly disordered mind and she, as is so prevalent even among today's celebrities, seems unnaturally self-obsessed, narcissistic even.
Gristwood believes Arbella's outbursts and uncontrollable behaviour was a result either of hugely frustrated ambition/identity or from porphyria, and thus she never really comes down hard on the girl. Frankly, oppressed and frustrated or ill she may have been, but Arbella Stuart appears more histrionic and just plain obnoxious than pitiful.
Gristwood would have done her readers a service if she'd spent more time discussing the porphyria theory, specifically the medical definition and a thorough symptom catalogue. We all know George III suffered terribly from it, but the lack of medical information meant that this reader had to set aside the book and go on-line to research it. Really, Sarah, that should have been your job.
Maybe she didn't include the medical information because it doesn't provide much causality. Also, the possibility that her "aunt" Queen Mary Stuart had it intermittently is irrelevant because Mary was an aunt by marriage only, not blood (Arbella's father and Darnley were brothers).
Ill or not, unhappy with her life or not, Arbella Stuart is not the best subject for the time-traveling reader. There wasn't much to her and what there is, Gristwood treats a little too sympathetically. This is one "lost queen" who would no doubt have been a disaster for England if she had been found.
subject intriguing but book is uneven May 15, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I read Arbella, England's Lost Queen by Sarah Gristwood becuase the subject matter interested me. Who was this woman perpetually kept as a prisoner by her relatives for most of her short life? Was she that much of a threat to the throne of King James I?
Sarah Gristwood provides lots of pertinent information about Arbella and her relations and sets the stage describing the royal personages and scandals of the day. Yet this biography is uneven at best. At times, it does not flow smoothly and the author consistently interjects her 21st century voice that often gets in the way of the story. Many of the author's comments either needed to be edited or written in a way that flowed in sync with the story and the setting. Here is an example from the book," Arbella may have been at once ill and actively scheming;just because they are after you doesn't mean you aren't paranoid" p.340. Is this last line necessary? Here is another line,"We know she was subject to depression, the "dumps". Is this a direct quote from a seventeenth century source? Somehow, using contemporary phrases and trite aphorisms does not work for a 16th/17th century royal biography. I also noticed there were some typos, unusual for a reputed publisher such as Houghton Mifflin, once again indicating this book needed a more careful editing job.
The author has clearly done her research and does give the reader many sources that give us clues as to who Arbella was, what her motivations were and how she attempted to live her life. However, due to a dearth perhaps of information on Arbella, one still feels something is missing here. I felt as if I really got to know the other characters in the history, such as Arbella's scheming aunt, Mary Talbot and her maternal grandmother, Bess of Hartwick.
Overall, the subject matter was more interesting than the presentation of the material. I think an editing job omitting the author's several cliched phrases that disrupted the flow of the story would have helped. She does pose some intriguing questions and theories and I learned alot about the time period. The Epilogue was certainly complete and well written.
Sarah Gristwood definitely did her research on Arbella. Her theories are thought provoking. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the interjection of her own voice disrupted the flow of the book, created unnecessary distractions and some of the worn out phrases could have been edited out.
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