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    The Marriage Game
    The Marriage Game
    The Marriage Game
    Audiobook16 hours

    The Marriage Game

    Written by Alison Weir

    Narrated by Julia Franklin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In this compelling novel of Tudor drama and suspense, acclaimed author Alison Weir brings to life one of England's most scandalous royal love affairs: the romance between the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I and her courtier Lord Robert Dudley. Only twenty-five and newly crowned, Elizabeth vows to rule the country as both queen and king. But her counselors continually press her to form an advantageous marriage and produce an heir. Though none of the suitors have yet worked their way to her throne, the dashing-though married-Lord Robert lays claim to Elizabeth's heart. Their flagrant flirting, their unescorted outings, and the appointment of Lord Robert to Master of Horse inspire whispers through the court, and even rumors that Elizabeth has secretly given birth to Lord Robert's child. Events take a dark turn when Robert's wife is found dead. Universal shock is followed by accusations of murder. Despite the scandal, Elizabeth and Robert manage to navigate the choppy political, economic, and religious waters around them. But the greatest obstacle to marriage between the Queen and her true love may come not from outside forces, but from within. With intricate period detail and captivating prose, Alison Weir explores one of history's most provocative "Did they or didn't they?" debates. The Marriage Game maneuvers through the alliances, duplicities, intrigue, and emotions of a woman intent on sovereignty-over her country and herself.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 10, 2015
    ISBN9781490647630
    The Marriage Game

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    Reviews for The Marriage Game

    4/5

    15 ratings6 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Alison Weir has the ability to write biographies that read as novels without making assumptions and resorting to the scandals of the days. When she published [The Lady Elizabeth] a few years ago, it looked as if she can also write proper novels - that stay almost true to the real history but explore the characters in a way that allow more freedom. The previous novel finished at the day when Elizabeth was told that she is now the queen; this new one starts in this day. Unfortunately where [The Lady Elizabeth] was well written and vibrant, with great characterization and a pleasure to read, this new one is anything but. The history is all there - and Weir knows how to write it. The reluctance of Elizabeth to marry, Robert Dudley (who different historians tend to present in different light but he could not have been an empty headed toy boy considering what he had achieved; thankfully most of the current historians tend to agree), the suitors and all the other men around her. It is a fascinating story on its own and one would think that making it into a great novel won't be that hard.But none of her characters get out of the page or get fully developed - for almost half of the book Elizabeth and Dudley sound as a cross between a literary caricature based on Tudor history and petulant teenagers. As for the rest of the cast - none of them is defined enough for a reader to be able to recognize them, let alone make any distinction between them. The dialogue shifts from citations from real documents and letters (or close enough) to teenage angst and then to something even worse (and none of the characters at that point is a teenager). At the author's note at the end of the book, Weir mentions that even though she stayed close to the historical record, she moved some dialogs from one person to another or combined meetings into one. Which is part of what makes the whole supporting character list so similar - by doing that she lost the reasons for some of those decisions (or speeches); and shifting lines between people put some of the characters in positions that did not match their real counterparts - making it impossible for Weir to use them again where needed. The end result was a jumble of people that are so hard to recognize from each other that even I almost gave up - and I know who said what in the historical record (and even if you try to keep in your mind only what the novel says and claims people said, it is still a jumble). The novel feels as if Weir decided to write the history as is and then to make it a novel (considering that she wrote one of THE books on Elizabeth, that is actually not far from the truth). But that migration did not work. If you already know the history, there is nothing new in this book (and the fact that Weir decides that it is necessary to explain what a progress is in these times is leading me to believe that she was targeting the readers that have no idea of Tudor history at all). If you do not know the history, the parade of names and titles that speak with the same voice will probably be tiresome. At the end a novel that could have been great is just ok. I would have called it mediocre if it was not the fact that when Weir decides to stop even trying to build the characters (and that happens a lot), her prose is as good as always - more personal than in her biographies, more in line with writing fiction - but non-fiction in fact. So as a novel, I would not give it more than star and a half (I did finish it after all); as a biography - it's closer to 3 and a half.
    • 3/5
      Maybe im just getting burned out on the whole Tudor thing but i didnt find this a page turner as i have with Weir's other books.
    • 4/5
      Spanning thirty years from Elizabeth I's coronation in 1558 to the historic events of 1588 and with an epilogue reflecting on the events of the rest of her life, Alison Weir's The Marriage Game is a mesmerizing book that kept me racing through its pages. Information presented in story form makes more of an impression and sticks with me better than dry facts, which is why I love books of this kind--well researched, vividly written historical fiction.Basing this novel on historical fact, recorded verbal exchanges, and legend, Weir gives readers a glimpse into what may have been going on in Elizabeth's heart and mind during the years of her reign when she used marriage negotiations as a diplomatic tool to strengthen her position at home and abroad. Blending a love story (which was steamier than you might expect from the Virgin Queen) with the portrait of a strong ruler and fascinating woman The Marriage Game will hold the interest of readers who enjoy a good story, especially those already intrigued by Tudor history.
    • 1/5
      Queen Elizabeth favours Robert Dudley, and their affair is the talk of all Europe.Many believe them to be lovers and Elizabeth may not be the virgin queen after all.My Thoughts:Alison Weir has to be one of the most respected historical novelists and I have enjoyed some of her books. So what went wrong with this book. I have struggled to read half of it and don't have the heart to continue. I am finding the book so boring.This book lacks passion. I feel it is very flat and at times it seems I am reading a factual book with dialogue thrown in. For me the relationship between Elizabeth and Dudley is fascinating and I normally can't wait to turn the pages. I think because I know their story and have read several versions, to hold my interest it has to be something special. This version wasn't holding my interest at all. Is there any need for Eluzabeth to keep calling Dudley her eyes and Cecil spirit. This was annoying. Every time Elizabeth addressed Dudley she called him eyes and I didn't think there was need for the author to keep repeating this. I am sorry I couldn't have enjoyed this book more as I do love reading about the tudors but this book is boring.
    • 3/5
      A very familiar tale (to me, at the very least) of Elizabeth I. I truly felt more sorry for Robert Dudley in this retelling than I ever have previously - Elizabeth really stings him along in this version. Nevertheless, I found this book a little difficult to get through, mostly because the author (who has written extensively on the Tudors) has very little that is new to bring to this very old story. I would only recommend this book to the most dedicated of Tudor historical fiction fans.
    • 5/5
      Highly recommended for Tudor obsessed people like me. I've enjoyed all of Alison Weir's books, and this one is no exception.As the title implies, this is a book regarding the games and machinations of Elizabeth I in her attempts to commit to marriage. Noting so much violence as a result of marriage, including the beheading of her mother, Anne Boleyn, the beheading of her stepmother Katherine Howard, the disloyalty to her step mother Katherine Parr by Thomas Seymour, the deaths of two stepmothers in childbirth , her sister Mary's disastrous marriage to Philip of Spain, had a deep psychological impact on Elizabeth. At the mere age of eight, she stated she would never marry. And, true to her word, she died at 69, keeping the title The Virgin Queen, never marrying or bearing a child.Weir's books are well written and she adheres to history more than most writers of this historical period. Overall, the theme running through the book is Elizabeth's deep love of Robert Dudley, her Master of the Horse, who was a childhood friend and the person she loved above all others throughout her entire life.