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Critical Praise

"A balanced, nuanced, and eminently clear account. . . . Brilliantly conceived, elegantly executed, and compellingly readable."

——Richmond Times-Dispatch

"A wholly engrossing and sumptuous retelling of a tale that entered legend even before its protagonists were dead."

——Newsday

"Elegant. . . . Dunn demythologizes Elizabeth and Mary. In humanizing their dynamic and shifting relationship, Dunn describes it as fueled by both rivalry and their natural solidarity as women in an overwhlemingly masculine world."

——Boston Herald

"A perceptive, suspenseful account of complex English history. . . . By the end of this satisfying book, one feels sympathy for both women, brave queens in an age when ‘no one considered that a woman could effectively rule alone.' "

——The New York Times Book Review