What can possibly be left to say about Queen Elizabeth I that hasn't already be said? For the fervent fan of the monarch, about all that is left is for the author to handle the story skillfully, or to attempt to find an unexplored viewpoint.
Weir has chosen the former here, and does a fine job of inhabiting both the world and the mind of the young Elizabeth, from the death of Ann Boleyn to the death of Queen Mary Tudor. The historical material is presented, along with fictional speculation about Elizabeth's relationship with her stepfather, Thomas Seymour, and the princess / lady / princess / heir-to-the-crown's internal struggles with the notion of marriage. Or not.
The thing one takes away, always, from well-told history (or historical fiction) about this remarkable woman, is how well she played a very real -- and very dangerous -- Game of Thrones, and did so from the moment of Henry VIII's death, when she was but fourteen years old.
'The Lady Elizabeth' would be a fine introduction into historical fiction of the Tudor era, and an enjoyable interlude for readers already familiar with the story.
Weir has chosen the former here, and does a fine job of inhabiting both the world and the mind of the young Elizabeth, from the death of Ann Boleyn to the death of Queen Mary Tudor. The historical material is presented, along with fictional speculation about Elizabeth's relationship with her stepfather, Thomas Seymour, and the princess / lady / princess / heir-to-the-crown's internal struggles with the notion of marriage. Or not.
The thing one takes away, always, from well-told history (or historical fiction) about this remarkable woman, is how well she played a very real -- and very dangerous -- Game of Thrones, and did so from the moment of Henry VIII's death, when she was but fourteen years old.
'The Lady Elizabeth' would be a fine introduction into historical fiction of the Tudor era, and an enjoyable interlude for readers already familiar with the story.
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