When I saw the heft, I thought it would be her whole life. Was I wrong? It started when she was 55!!! It was sad as one by one, of those few whom she trusted, were dying. Elizabeth had such a turbulent beginning and that beginning affected how she lived during the last fifteen years of her life and reign. She didn't want to be seen as an impulsive tyrant as her father, but you better not underestimate her either. So glad I read this.