(Nov.)įorecast: The first hardcover in her series about Tudor England, this should prove Gregory's enduring appeal with a run on the lists. But readers addicted to Gregory's intelligent, well-researched tales of intrigue and romance will be enthralled, right down to the teasingly tragic ending. 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. 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. When Elizabeth I ascends to the throne, her advisor William Cecil warns her that she must marry a strong prince to keep control of her country, but she prefers her childhood friend, Sir Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. 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. 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. Meanwhile, the French are occupying Scotland and threatening to install "that woman"-Mary, Queen of Scots-on the throne. 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. , etc.), Gregory amasses a wealth of colorful period detail to depict the shaky first days of Elizabeth I's reign. As in her previous novels about Tudor England ( The Queen's Fool But Dudley has many enemies, amongst them William Cecil, the queen's most trusted advisor.Īs powerful families vie for stakes in the emerging kingdom, Elizabeth must secure her own future.Bestseller Gregory captivates again with this expertly crafted historical about the beautiful young Virgin Queen, portrayed as a narcissistic, neurotic home-wrecker. Dudley is a man of powerful lineage his father had been a kingmaker at the court of Henry VIII. For Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's ascension is a glorious new dawn, and he quickly positions himself as the young queen's favourite. Many believe that Elizabeth must marry if she is to survive. After years of waiting, Princess Elizabeth accedes to the throne of England.īut the country is divided, the restoration of the Protestant faith ignites opposition from the church and beyond, and court remains a treacherous place. Now I can be the queen that my mother intended me to be. A sumptuous historical novel set in the court of Elizabeth I, from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.
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