Honestly, I was all for giving this book four stars, before I read the last chapter. Having read more than enough books on the Tudor period, I tend not to come to them looking to learn anything new, but to see whether the author has a different way of looking at things, or how they word and structure the events of the period. Having loved all Peter Ackroyd's previous books, and really enjoying his style of writing, I had high hopes for this. There were areas where it seemed a little dry, especially surrounding the politics of Henry VIII's reign (specifically the divorce - I am yet to find an author that can make all those papal bulls and legates as compelling as the rest of the Tudor era), but about halfway through, his enthusiasm began to show. A large section of the book is devoted to Elizabeth - perhaps rightly so, considering the length of her reign compared to the period as a whole - and Ackroyd succeeds wonderfully in bringing the saga of her and Mary, Queen of Scots back to life once more. It is not all kings and queens, however. Every now and then is a touch of the common man - how they felt towards religion, the famines and sicknesses being suffered as matters of high policy, with little effect on the majority of the country, were being discussed in court. Yet it was really the last chapter that stood out for me. In just a few pages, Ackroyd manages to bring together all the overarching themes of the period, and set the stage for the next instalment. He brings together politics, religion, culture, and social experience, and ensures that the reader recognises the enormous changes wrought upon England during these years.