A review of Embroidering Her Truth by Clare Hunter

For matching the topic to the style of writing: Mary Stuart had a grim life. Yet Hunter’s fascination with the material culture of the Queen – both author and subject expert embroiderers – gives padding to Mary’s bloody world. Hunter was also aware that telling Mary’s story through this political female art subverted the male prism with which Mary’s contemporary Protestant biographers assessed her captivity and reign. In addition, Hunter’s narrative consistently demonstrates an expert eye for detail. For me, that was the real joy of this biography. It was full of tiny concrete facts, which separately might not mean much, but stitched together as a whole, created a colourful image of a doomed but defiant queen.

Available to buy at Embroidering Her Truth by Clare Hunter | Waterstones