Helpful Score: 2
The Flower Reader is set in the Court of Scotland and begins during the last days of the Queen Regents reign; Mary de Guise of Scotland is dying. Her daughter Mary Queen of Scots is a new widow and is coming home. Our protagonist is a young woman by the name of Marina Leslie called Rinette, and has been in the old Queens service as a floromancer, (one who reads the future in flowers, hence the Flower Reader) for the past three years. Rinette feels that she has been a well treated, but still a prisoner. All she wants is to return to her beloved home and marry the man that she loves.
But on her deathbed the Queen has one more service to ask of Rinette. Make certain that a casket containing, the prophecies of Nostradamus and other sundry documents be given into Mary of Scotlands hands alone, this is Rinette last act for the Queen Regent. But it is not that simple. As the powers of France, England and the protestant lords of Scotland vie for its possession. Rinette is swept up into this dangerous world of politics and political murder, she can trust no one she learns that lesson very quickly indeed.
It is a wonderful story, a good mystery, and is told in first person. I have to say that Ms. Loupas ability to convey the story this way is so natural. I dont always like first person narrative, in fact I had to go back to see if she had written it this way. She has a thorough understanding of the subject matter. The Queen is so often portrayed as a victim or pawn or even a over sexed murdering schemer, instead you see a 18 year old who although was raised at the French count, was never taught to rule or of state craft, she was clueless and suffered for it, she was self centered and was wholly out of her depth. But this is Rinettes story. Elizabeth Loupas is now on my auto buy list, 4 stars.
But on her deathbed the Queen has one more service to ask of Rinette. Make certain that a casket containing, the prophecies of Nostradamus and other sundry documents be given into Mary of Scotlands hands alone, this is Rinette last act for the Queen Regent. But it is not that simple. As the powers of France, England and the protestant lords of Scotland vie for its possession. Rinette is swept up into this dangerous world of politics and political murder, she can trust no one she learns that lesson very quickly indeed.
It is a wonderful story, a good mystery, and is told in first person. I have to say that Ms. Loupas ability to convey the story this way is so natural. I dont always like first person narrative, in fact I had to go back to see if she had written it this way. She has a thorough understanding of the subject matter. The Queen is so often portrayed as a victim or pawn or even a over sexed murdering schemer, instead you see a 18 year old who although was raised at the French count, was never taught to rule or of state craft, she was clueless and suffered for it, she was self centered and was wholly out of her depth. But this is Rinettes story. Elizabeth Loupas is now on my auto buy list, 4 stars.
