Series: Book 6 in the The Tudor Series series
Rating: ***
Tags: Fiction, Historical fiction, Britain, Lang:en
Summary
Bestseller Gregory captivates again with this expertly
crafted historical about the beautiful young Virgin Queen,
portrayed as a narcissistic, neurotic home-wrecker. As in her
previous novels about Tudor England (_The Queen's Fool_, etc.),
Gregory amasses a wealth of colorful period detail to depict
the shaky first days of Elizabeth I's reign. The year is 1558,
an especially dangerous time for the nation: no bishop will
coronate Henry VIII's Protestant daughter, the treasury is
bankrupt, the army is unpaid and demoralized. Meanwhile, the
French are occupying Scotland and threatening to install "that
woman"—Mary, Queen of Scots—on the throne. Ignoring
the matrimonial advice of pragmatic Secretary of State William
Cecil, the 25-year-old Elizabeth persists in stringing along
Europe's most eligible bachelors, including King Philip of
Spain and the Hapsburg archduke Ferdinand. It's no secret why:
she's fallen for her "dark, saturnine" master of horse, Sir
Robert Dudley, whose traitorous family history and marriage to
the privately Catholic Amy make him an unsuitable consort.
Gregory deftly depicts this love triangle as both larger than
life and all too familiar; all three characters are sympathetic
without being likable, particularly the arch-mistress
Elizabeth, who pouts, throws tantrums, connives and betrays
with queenly impunity. After a while the plot stagnates, as the
lovers flaunt their emotions in the face of repetitious
arguments from Amy, Cecil and various other scandalized members
of the court. But readers addicted to Gregory's intelligent,
well-researched tales of intrigue and romance will be
enthralled, right down to the teasingly tragic ending.
The story of Queen Elizabeth I and her court has been told
countlessly in historical fiction. This third novel in a
popular series following the machinations and passions of the
Tudor court presents lively characters, political intrigue, and
soaring emotions swirling around the early years of Elizabeth's
reign. Lifelong friend Robert Dudley and Elizabeth share an
ardent love affair, but the married Robert is already tainted
with a traitor's brush. In addition, his wife, the devoted Amy,
will never relinquish him. In tandem with her illicit liaison,
Elizabeth conspires with William Cecil, her most trusted
counselor, to secure the wealth of her court and country by
building a secret cache of gold. The coin of the realm's new
value will financially ruin Dudley. Readers already know how
history unfolds but will quickly turn pages to the story's end.
Elizabeth's manipulations, Dudley's allegiance, and Cecil's
political plotting come together in an engaging story. The
first two novels in the series were book-club favorites, and
expect this one to follow suit--and expect further entries in
this rousing series.
Kaite Mediatore
From Publishers Weekly
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