I would like to give this book four stars. It's certainly very engaging. The biographical sketches are informative and detailed without being too long. The author makes each of these women come alive for the reader, and finds interesting facts to share about each one.

However, I was quite disturbed by the number of inaccuracies in the section on the Tudors. No serious historian believes that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's mother were lovers, or that Catherine of Aragon was poisoned, and other things mentioned as facts in the book, such as Henry VIII having syphillis, are only theories with little evidence to support them. The Tudors are the only English dynasty I know a lot about, and seeing so many mistakes in that section makes me wonder how accurate the other sections are.

It's a good read, but don't consider it serious history. Double-check everything this book says before you believe it. ( )