The gay galliard margaret irwin

After past week’s adj literary excursion to Tōkyō and the island of Hokkaidō in the north of Japan with Haruki Murakami as a guide, I return to Europe and move a minute closer to the Arctic Circle again because until the end of the month this still is My Reading Summer of Northern White Nights. For today’s review I picked a historical novel, a classic one that is principally set in Scotland of the 1560s and includes a few scenes on the Orkney and Shetland Isles. Be assured right away that this time the protagonists don’t chase after mysterious sheep although they pass quite some time on horseback in the countryside. Much rather The Galliardby Margaret Irwin is a treasure story revolving around Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and her relationship to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, that ended in marriage, but sealed the unhappy fates of both.

Margaret Emma Faith Irwin was born in London, England, U.K., in March 1889, but after the premature death of both her parents she grew up in Bristol where her uncle was a master at Clifton High College. She studied Eng

The Gay Galliard: The Excellent Love of Mary Queen of Scots

August 25, 2011
I wish I had known, when I purchased this book, that the author had written it over 80 yrs ago. I might have made another choice. Anyhow, the publication was fine, although a clearly biased take on the story surrounding Mary Queen of Scots, the death of her husband Henry Darnley, and her relationship with Lord Bothwell. I did enjoy the book, and I did learn things from it. I preferred the last half of the manual, when Mary actually acted as Queen, to the front half, about Mary in France and the circumstances around her come back to Scotland. I would have liked some footnotes throughout the book to see what quotes were from actual historical documents and which were fictional. The author had an odd way of using quotation marks, which made me think that some things in quotes were actual quotes from actual documentation, while other things in quotes were merely fictional speeches. I never did figure it out completely. As for a pure reading experience, it was good but not great.


The Gay Galliard: The Great Love of Mary Queen of Scots by Margaret Irwin

Condition: Fair- Selling this book because it was not easy to fetch in South Africa. Still okay condition for reading.

Queen of Scotland at six days old.

Queen of France at seventeen years old.

A widow at eighteen.

The little and trusting Mary, Queen of Scots, is sailing home to her kingdom after years in exile. The danger from her cousin, the English Queen, has not lessened since then. Religious divides threaten to tear the nation apart and, across the border, Elizabeth keenly watches this new threat to her throne.

Amid the furious turmoil and uncertainty in her Scottish kingdom, Mary finds she has one loyal servant James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, a glorious, rash and hazardous young man known to all as the Galliard. In Bothwells courage and love for her, Mary finds serenity, and though fate works against them, no force can conquer their spirit.

This stunning novel from the acclaimed author of Young Bess breathes new life into the little-known story of the great love of Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

Queen of Scotland at six days old. Queen of France at seventeen years old. A widow at eighteen. The fresh and trusting Mary, Queen of Scots, is sailing home to her kingdom after years in exile. The danger from her cousin, the English Queen, has not lessened since then. Religious divides threaten to tear the nation apart and, across the border, Elizabeth keenly watches this new threat to her throne. Amid the furious turmoil and uncertainty in her Scottish kingdom, Mary finds she has one loyal servant James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, a glorious, rash and hazardous young man known to all as the Galliard. In Bothwell's courage and love for her, Mary finds serenity, and though fate works against them, no force can conquer their spirit. This stunning novel from the acclaimed author of Fresh Bess breathes new life into the little known story of the amazing love of Mary, Queen of Scots.


Genre: Historical


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