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Hardcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: Bargain Price
Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England s most intriguing and powerful queen.
Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as Lady Princess and now call her the Lady Elizabeth. Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her.
What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier she is imprisoned in the Tower of London and fears she will also meet her mother s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, Bloody Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen.
Alison Weir uses her deft talents as historian and novelist to exquisitely and suspensefully play out the conflicts between family, politics, religion, and conscience that came to define an age. Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time an orphaned girl haunted by the shadow of the axe, an independent spirit who must use her cunning and wits for her very survival, and a future queen whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness.
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| A fascinating tale |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Alison Weir has authored an intriguing fictional representation of "Lady" Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I). Her understanding of history provides a detailed context in which this story is placed. Since I am not a historian of the era, I cannot comment on historical accuracy per se. Nonetheless, from having read a few other works regarding the era, it does not seem too far off the mark.
The story depicts Elizabeth, bastard daughter of Henry VIII, as a survivor. Her early life often placed her in situations where she was at risk (this era featured quite a bit of killing of nobles/pretenders to the throne/etc.). The tale begins with Elizabeth as a child and traces her life up to the death of her sister, Queen Mary (also designated as a bastard by Henry VIII, daughter of Katherine of Aragon). Eli9zabeth is the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who has been beheaded (probably under trumped up charges). Obviously, that places her at some disadvantage!
The story focuses on Elizabeth's early life. She is shown to be very intelligent, very mature (the modern concept of childhood was not a part of the culture then). The story traces the trajectory of her life nicely--from the impact of friends, relatives, and powerful figures). She was often the pawn of power struggles involving others.
Her relationship with her father and sister and younger brother (later, Edward VI) is nicely told. The relationships among Henry VIII's children is well drawn. There are obvious tensions between Mary (Catholic daughter of a Catholic Queen) and Elizabeth (advocate of a reformed church after Henry VIII's breakaway from the Catholic Church). The dialectic between the sisters is developed very well.
There is one very speculative element (in the discussion at the end of the book, Weir elaborates why she used this episode) based on Elizabeth's time spent with Thomas Seymour and his wife. While it is a conceivable event, it is also controversial. Some will have this, perhaps, color their view of the novel. While I am unconvinced, I felt that the episode did work and helped provide a motivation for her later life.
At any rate, this is well done historical fiction on Elizabeth I's life before she ascended to the throne. It shows her as a tough survivor, someone who strived for being sovereign without being ruthless, someone who understood the delicate context in which she lived. All in all, a pretty intriguing novel.
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| The girl who would be queen |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Historian Alison Weir weaves her considerable knowledge about the early life of Elizabeth Tudor into an enchanting novel about the girl who would be queen. Born into the most powerful family in the land, the upbringing of the daughter of Henry VIII was anything but a bed of roses. Deprived of anything resembling parental love, officially designated a bastard, and caught up in the deadly impasse over religion, it is a wonder that Elizabeth survived to fulfill her destiny.
Weir's Elizabeth is strong-willed, observant, intelligent, and a natural born scholar, a mixture of humility and assertive self confidence. She learned early to mistrust the motives of those around her, to think for herself and rely upon her own wits and instincts. She also learned from mistakes, both her own and those of others. Weir's Elizabeth is a survivor, in a circumscribed world full of pitfalls and danger, and although she does have her fears, she does not give in to them.
The audio version of this novel is ably read by the talented Rosalyn Landor, who has a well modulated voice and is adept with accents and characterizations. Listening to the story brought a degree of drama and reality not possible on the printed page. Highly recommended.
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| Great novel |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I really enjoyed this. Alison Weir has helped us understand what the young Elizabeth thought and felt while remaining historically accurate.
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| The Lady Elizabeth |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Very pleased - - thank you for shipping so fast - -
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| A Terrific Read |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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As an avid fan of Ms. Weir's highly informative and greatly readable histories, I was eager to read this book of the young Queen's early life. I was not disappointed. The characters jumped from the page, and what history has not conveyed, Ms. Weir has skillfully woven into her fiction. The places, the times, the living, and the people all came to life for me in this vivd novel. While reading it, my favorite time of the day was hunkered down, late at night, where I could read and fully savor this book uninterrupted. A terrific read!
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