I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but Philippa Gregory’s newest novel, “The Other Queen,” was a tremendous disappointment. Partly this is because the main character, Mary Queen of Scots, is difficult to connect with. By page 150 her only contribution to the story - aside from a brief and unsuccessful escape attempt - is a series of journal entries about her distaste for nearly everyone, her own divinity, and how unfair her situation is. She is not a sympathetic character or even someone you hope will prevail in the end.

The novel covers Mary’s long imprisonment in England, brought about by a rebellion of the Scottish nobles. She flees to England but is quickly placed in custody because, as the Catholic queen believed by many to be the legitimate heir to England’s throne, she is too dangerous to set free. Mary’s real-life story is filled with intrigue, action and seduction, and though Gregory does include some of these elements in the novel it’s hard to care since Mary’s personality is so off-putting. I also felt like I’d missed out on much of the adventure in Mary’s life, only learning about the Scottish rebellion and her capture by (then marriage to) an upstart gentleman in the past tense. Even then, we are only given a brief overview of events.

“The Other Queen” is narrated from three points of view: Mary, Queen of Scots; Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (aka Bess of Hardwick); and George Talbot, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. Yet even with alternate interpretations of the story thrown into the mix, the resulting tale is tough to get into. I found myself resisting the urge to skim entire sections, and only finished the book by forcing myself to do so.