Just finished Phillipa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover.Fascinating read. I'm a big fan of this period of history - the Tudor period (1485 and 1603,). There is really is nothing like escaping to a period with a virgin queens, treason, murder and lots and lots of horse riding!
I'm finding a real satisfaction and enjoyment with historical fiction at the moment.
The characters in this book are especially well drawn and believable. Gregory is able to bring out the ambivalence of the men who supported Elizabeth have towards her as the 'weaker' sex.
I loved the character of William Cecil - uber machiavellian political adviser. Scary thing is that he would slot perfectly into a ministerial adviser role in government today!
Will most likely read Gregory's other books in her Tudor series:
- The Other Boleyn Girl
- The Queen's Fool
- The Constant Princess
- The Boleyn Inheritance
- The Other Queen
2 comments:
I just re-read The Virgin's Lover. Have been on Tudor reading spree - also read Margaret Irwin's Young Bess (1960s series) and Rosalind Miles "I Elizabeth" - told from first person p.o.v. AND watched The Golden Age - which I did not like at all. No story arc, no focus, just lots of beautiful costumes and people.
What i noticed when reading Irwin's book is that the characters sounded of Irwin's era and PG's are of our era. I suppose no one other than an academic would be able to read a book that retained authentic Tudor English! I want more...!! Might try the other books in Irwin's series.
I think I may have said I was over PG a few months ago, but have started reading the Boleyn Inheritance again and am really enjoying it. I got out The Tudors (Showtime series). It was ok. I didn't like how they messed with historic facts and made composite characters out of key figures. But once I accepted it was a rock'n'roll version, I thought it was a lot of fun. Bet they had fun making it :0
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