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colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This was an interesting history fiction book about Queen Elizabeth I with a twist. What if she had an child that was switched for a still born at birth and lived close by? It was somewhat enjoyable but I had hard time believing in the story completely even though anything can happen in fiction even if it's not the truth.
ana3333's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't expecting much from a speculative historical fiction novel with randomly unnecessary erotic scenes. But it was surprisingly well researched, and author really paid a great deal of attention to the daily aspects of life in Elizabethan England. The entire chapters in italics were annoying, the plot was maybe a bit silly, and the eroticism seemed misplaced, but I still really enjoyed this book. Maxwell's real strength was in her characterization and worldbuilding. I was left feeling like the characters were all actual people with plausible actions and emotions, and they seemed distinctively Elizabethan, instead of being modern personalities forced into a historical setting (my biggest pet peeve in historical fiction.) I'll definitely be reading more by this author.
ashleykhoffman's review against another edition
4.0
I consider myself a Tudor-era enthusiast and this book hit a lot of marks well for me. I have only ever heard brief mentions of alleged bastards between Elizabeth and Dudley, so it was nice to have a different perspective on that story that made it feel wholly possible. The author's attention to detail was great. I was a bit annoyed at the italics used to differentiate characters as there are other methods that would have been more effective and less distracting. The last 50 pages of the book were the hardest to get through for me as the pacing felt weird and the imagery didn't seem as vivid as the rest of the book. Overall, I liked it a lot.
vhp's review against another edition
2.0
The historical perspective is interessting and very plausbile that Arthur (Southern) Dudley was the son of Elizabeth I and Robert (Robin) Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
amisner's review against another edition
1.0
Good stuff. Worked with a few general references of a real person, and created a well written story to go with it.
morgandhu's review against another edition
4.0
I have enjoyed reading Robin Maxwell's historical novels, even though I don't always agree with her characterisations of certain persons, or her choices in terms of their actions. The Queen's Bastard is another such book - well-researched and written, fun to read, but not featuring "my" Queen Elizabeth.
Maxwell's premise is that Elizabeth not only consummated her relationship with Robert Dudley, but that early in her reign, she conceived and secretly bore him a son. As difficult as such a thing would have been to hide in the Tudor Court, Maxwell does manage to effectively present a just-barely-possible scenario. The complete disappearance of the child from history is explained by a secret plot-within-a-plot by Kat Ashley and William Cecil to replace the live baby with a dead one, convincing both Elizabeth and Dudley that their son did not survive birth.
The novel is structured such that we alternate between reading sections of a kind of autobiography written by the adult child of Elizabeth - interesting for their look at the life of a child raised as the younger son of a minor country gentleman who follows the path of many younger sons and runs away to become a soldier - and sections from Elizabeth's perspective detailing key points in her reign, with particular focus on the public events that shaped what is known about her relationship with Dudley.
It must be noted that Maxwell has based her novel on a real incident. Not long before the launch of the Spanish Armada, an Englishman giving his name as Arthur Dudley was arrested and interrogated by the Spanish before being placed in prison and disappearing from historical record. He claimed to be the bastard son of Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, and the story he gave to his interrogators formed the basis of Maxwell's story. Most historians have dismissed Arthur Dudley as either a pretender or an English spy telling a wild tale in an attempt to save his life.
Certainly, when cast as fiction, it is intriguing but not quite credible, to my mind. But once one suspends one's disbelief, it makes - in Maxwell's hands at least - a fine and enjoyable novel.
Maxwell's premise is that Elizabeth not only consummated her relationship with Robert Dudley, but that early in her reign, she conceived and secretly bore him a son. As difficult as such a thing would have been to hide in the Tudor Court, Maxwell does manage to effectively present a just-barely-possible scenario. The complete disappearance of the child from history is explained by a secret plot-within-a-plot by Kat Ashley and William Cecil to replace the live baby with a dead one, convincing both Elizabeth and Dudley that their son did not survive birth.
The novel is structured such that we alternate between reading sections of a kind of autobiography written by the adult child of Elizabeth - interesting for their look at the life of a child raised as the younger son of a minor country gentleman who follows the path of many younger sons and runs away to become a soldier - and sections from Elizabeth's perspective detailing key points in her reign, with particular focus on the public events that shaped what is known about her relationship with Dudley.
It must be noted that Maxwell has based her novel on a real incident. Not long before the launch of the Spanish Armada, an Englishman giving his name as Arthur Dudley was arrested and interrogated by the Spanish before being placed in prison and disappearing from historical record. He claimed to be the bastard son of Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, and the story he gave to his interrogators formed the basis of Maxwell's story. Most historians have dismissed Arthur Dudley as either a pretender or an English spy telling a wild tale in an attempt to save his life.
Certainly, when cast as fiction, it is intriguing but not quite credible, to my mind. But once one suspends one's disbelief, it makes - in Maxwell's hands at least - a fine and enjoyable novel.
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