Reviews

The Girl in the Glass Tower by Elizabeth Fremantle

Title - The Girl in the Glass Tower
Author - Elizabeth Fremantle
Published - Feb '17
Publisher - Penguin
Genre - #History
Pages - 464
Price on Amazon - Paperback - £7.74 Kindle - £4.99
ISBN - 1405920041

Arbella Stuart is a royal who lives at Hardwick Hall, she cannot leave. Trapped behind the huge glass windows of Hardwick Hall Arbella longs to be free. But with half the country wanting her to take the throne and the other half wanting her dead so her cousin can take the throne and become the Scottish King.

All Arbella wants is to be free from her evil grandmother, she longs to ride her horses and be free to love who she wants. But to be free she needs to learn how to navigate the treacherous waters of the kingdom's power plays or he might just end up dead.

To be honest, I found this book to be quiet slow, I struggled to get into it and must admit I couldn't finish it. For this reason, I am unable to give a full review. I can say I will not read this book again and I would not recommend it either.

Thank You to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating - One out of Five Stars
Would I Read Again? - No
Would I Recommend? - No
Would I read other books by the same author? - Yes

Reviews for this book can be found on:
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Goodreads,
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My Blogs at http://www.readingbeyondobsession.co.uk/
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luellen1990's review

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1.0

leevo's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jmatkinson1's review against another edition

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5.0

Arbella Stuart is of the royal blood and potentially an heir to Elizabeth I. In order to keep her safe, Arbella is in the care of her grandmother Bess of Hardwick and kept far away from court and any Catholic sympathisers who may wish to influence her. Whilst young Arbella tries to rebel, her older self becomes resigned to her fate. Upon the death of Elizabeth Arbella is summoned to court as a cousin of the new king, however falling in love with a distant relative is seen as defiance. Arbella's tale is told by Amaelia Lanyer, a disgraced female poet who lived at court but now must make her way in the world as best she can.

Having read the terrific biography of Arbella Stuart by Sarah Gristwood, I was aware of the character, her connections to the throne and the miserable life she seems to have led. Whilst this book is a completely fictionalised account, it does show evidence of excellent research. I particularly liked the idea that Arbella identified with Katherine Grey and this is an explanation of how Arbells seemed to slip into madness and starve herself to death. The interesting character is Bess of Hardwick, a woman who married well and ended up as one of the richest people in England, she was powerful and complex before her time. Amaelia Lanyer is a character about whom little is known but she was a successful poet and some think she is the 'dark-eyed beauty' of Shakespearean fame. Steeped in knowledge of everyday life at court, in the houses of rich and poor alike, this is excellent historical fiction.

bec82roo's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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