ELIZABETH THE WOMAN

The long parade of Elizabeth's life, of history, politics, friends and enemies reviewed in this fictionized biography. From the time she was 10 until her death, through the tangled years of succession, of questions of bastardy, of the war of nerves that ended with Elizabeth's accession, this follows her dedication to her country which surpassed all personal loyalties, which drove her to soil her own reputation to prevent , to flirt with marriage of state to bring England through disastrous times. The ong tried -- and trying -- love for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the train of plots and counterplots, the favors to favorites, the mounting glory of good Queen Bess and all the ramifications of her never dying legend are here, well dressed and animated for another generation. A thorough-going factual background, this is interpreted from the ruler's as well as the woman's point of view and offers substantial, satisfactory reading.