Elizabeth1 and Her Circle by Susan Doran

This was an excellent study of this great and powerful Queen's relationships with the important people in her life, such as Mary, Queen of Scots and the intriguing Robert Dudley. I especially enjoyed reading about Dudley's long and fraught romance with the Queen and the author's opinion of the reason for his wife's mysterious death.

Doran also captures the splendid atmosphere of the Elizabethan court well. For example, she describes Dudley's entertainments and the special garden that he created for the Queen at Kenilworth vividly.

I have read a lot about Elizabeth 1, but I learned a few new things, and I would highly recommend the book for people interested in this era.