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  • Young Elizabeth

  • Princess. Prisoner. Queen.
  • By: Nicola Tallis
  • Narrated by: Helen Keeley
  • Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (13 ratings)

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Young Elizabeth

By: Nicola Tallis
Narrated by: Helen Keeley
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Summary

Elizabeth I is one of England's most famous monarchs, whose story as the ‘Virgin Queen' is well known. But queenship was by no means a certain path for Henry VIII's younger daughter, who spent the majority of her early years as a girl with an uncertain future.

Before she was three years old Elizabeth had been both a princess and then a bastard following the brutal execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn. After losing several stepmothers and then her father, the teenage Elizabeth was confronted with the predatory attentions of Sir Thomas Seymour. The result was devastating, causing a heartbreaking rift with her beloved stepmother Katherine Parr.

Elizabeth was placed in further jeopardy when she was implicated in the Wyatt Rebellion of 1554–a plot to topple her half-sister, Mary, from her throne. Imprisoned in the Tower of London where her mother had lost her life, under intense pressure and interrogation Elizabeth adamantly protested her innocence. Though she was eventually liberated, she spent the remainder of Mary's reign under a dark cloud. On 17 November 1558, however, the uncertainty of Elizabeth's future came to an end when she succeeded to the throne at the age of twenty-five.

When Elizabeth became queen, she had already endured more tumult than many monarchs experienced in a lifetime. This colourful and immensely detailed biography charts Elizabeth's turbulent and unstable upbringing, exploring the dangers and tragedies that plagued her early life. Nicola Tallis draws on primary sources written by Elizabeth herself and her contemporaries, providing an extensive and thorough study of an exceptionally resilient youngster whose early life would shape the queen she later became. The heart racing story of Elizabeth's youth as she steered her way through perilous waters towards England's throne is one of the most sensational of its time.

“A nuanced and realistic portrait of a formidable and multi-faceted woman.”–Tudor Times

“History as it should be written, vivid, colorful, pacy and evocative, but above all authentic and based on sound and innovative research.”–Alison Weir, Number One New York Times bestselling author

©2023 Nicola Tallis (P)2024 W.F.Howes Ltd
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What listeners say about Young Elizabeth

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Engaging portrait of the young Elizabeth

Well narrated. Just the right amount of detail. Sympathetic to Elizabeth but not overly so. Balanced depiction of Queen Mary.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

Fantastic book, narration is great and very informative, I know a lot about the build up anyway and this really helped me learn more about the era

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

All the incredible facts. What research

Brings so much history to life. Taught me so much a lovely easy read. I was sad when it ended

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Clearly and sensitively read

I very much enjoyed this retelling of Elizabeth's story as princess, which provides new and more feminine insights to add to earlier biographies by Starkey and others.
However, there are some slightly jarring mispronunciations of words like Hertfordshire and Beauchamp Tower, which could have been avoided with a little more care by the narrator - unless they are deliberate Americanisations?

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