Written in the first person from Elizabeth's point of view, it is as if she is looking back on her life from her early teens through her 70s and retelling her life story. The first half of the book I couldn't wait to read. During the second half it got long in parts and somewhat repititve, although it is all based on historical fact so I don't think the author could have changed much in the plot. As with most historical fiction, I like the approach of feeling like you are part of the event that are going on and while not always completely true to history, I find them useful in helping me understand who the historical figures of the time and their relationship with history.
Imagine that you are born into royalty, but due to your father's ever wandering attentions and obsession with having a male heir, you are declared a bastard. And then most of your early you live in constant threat of being imprisoned or killed or used in someone else's political intrigues. Elizabeth as an historical character was shaped by unusual forces. That may explain why she was so successful as a female monarch in the 1500s when the world was almost exclusively ruled by males.