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robyndansereau's review against another edition
4.0
I have found a kindred spirit in Lady Arbella. I loved this book so much I wrote a review on it for my blog. Check it out below!
https://robyntocker.weebly.com/girl-in-the-glass-tower.html
https://robyntocker.weebly.com/girl-in-the-glass-tower.html
stephjones71's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to on Audible, really good story and narration
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Memories are like that cracked pane of glass with its subtle distortions.’
Lady Arbella Stuart is ‘The Girl in the Glass Tower’ and I picked up this book with interest: Lady Arbella Stuart had always been a shadowy figure in my reading about Tudor/Stuart history. I knew that she had been considered as a possible successor to Elizabeth I, and when I first came across her name I was convinced it had been misspelled. But I knew little about her.
First, some biography. Lady Arbella Stuart was the only child of Charles Stuart, Earl of Lennox and his wife Elizabeth Cavendish. She was a grandchild of Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox and Lady Margaret Douglas, whose parents were Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England and widow of James IV of Scotland. In short, Arbella Stuart was the great-great- granddaughter of Henry VII, and was in line to the English throne. While it seems that she did not seek the throne herself, there were others keen to push her claims. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Cavendish, better known as ‘Bess of Hardwick’ was key.
In this novel, Elizabeth Fremantle brings Arbella Stuart out of the shadows. Arbella’s story is told in the past tense, in conjunction with the story of another historical figure, Aemilia Lanyer (Ami) a writer and poet whose story is told in the present. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition: Ami’s story moving back in time as Arbella’s story moves forward. The gaps in one story are filled in the other. Arbella spends much of her time with her grandmother, effectively imprisoned behind the imposing glass windows of Hardwick Hall. She is being kept safe: there is much danger in the world for those with royal blood. And living within this glasshouse, unable to take control over many aspects of her life, Arbella wishes to ride her horse Dorcas, and longs to be free.
‘You may not be Queen of England but you are queen over the realm of your body.’
The historical facts can be found readily for those in search of them, having all of the detail before reading the novel may well spoil the experience for some readers. Arbella wanted to marry, but because of her place in the succession neither Elizabeth I nor James I would agree. There were offers made for her, but they came to nothing. As Arbella grew older, she sought to control her life by controlling her body.
In this novel, her one last chance for happiness was thwarted. Ami Lanyer is part of this and, while aspects are wholly fictional, it provides an interesting dimension to Arbella’s story.
I finished this novel feeling like I had some greater sense of Arbella Stuart, but also wanting to know more about Aemilia Lanyer. I was left with a small question, though: were containers really called cartons in late 16th and early 17th century England?
Note: My thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Lady Arbella Stuart is ‘The Girl in the Glass Tower’ and I picked up this book with interest: Lady Arbella Stuart had always been a shadowy figure in my reading about Tudor/Stuart history. I knew that she had been considered as a possible successor to Elizabeth I, and when I first came across her name I was convinced it had been misspelled. But I knew little about her.
First, some biography. Lady Arbella Stuart was the only child of Charles Stuart, Earl of Lennox and his wife Elizabeth Cavendish. She was a grandchild of Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox and Lady Margaret Douglas, whose parents were Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England and widow of James IV of Scotland. In short, Arbella Stuart was the great-great- granddaughter of Henry VII, and was in line to the English throne. While it seems that she did not seek the throne herself, there were others keen to push her claims. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Cavendish, better known as ‘Bess of Hardwick’ was key.
In this novel, Elizabeth Fremantle brings Arbella Stuart out of the shadows. Arbella’s story is told in the past tense, in conjunction with the story of another historical figure, Aemilia Lanyer (Ami) a writer and poet whose story is told in the present. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition: Ami’s story moving back in time as Arbella’s story moves forward. The gaps in one story are filled in the other. Arbella spends much of her time with her grandmother, effectively imprisoned behind the imposing glass windows of Hardwick Hall. She is being kept safe: there is much danger in the world for those with royal blood. And living within this glasshouse, unable to take control over many aspects of her life, Arbella wishes to ride her horse Dorcas, and longs to be free.
‘You may not be Queen of England but you are queen over the realm of your body.’
The historical facts can be found readily for those in search of them, having all of the detail before reading the novel may well spoil the experience for some readers. Arbella wanted to marry, but because of her place in the succession neither Elizabeth I nor James I would agree. There were offers made for her, but they came to nothing. As Arbella grew older, she sought to control her life by controlling her body.
In this novel, her one last chance for happiness was thwarted. Ami Lanyer is part of this and, while aspects are wholly fictional, it provides an interesting dimension to Arbella’s story.
I finished this novel feeling like I had some greater sense of Arbella Stuart, but also wanting to know more about Aemilia Lanyer. I was left with a small question, though: were containers really called cartons in late 16th and early 17th century England?
Note: My thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
75rcook's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
saarahn's review against another edition
This is a historical fiction that was too difficult to plunge into and give even half a chance. Unfortunately. I’d say that I didn’t have the patience to agonise through this one, and get to the end.
rachachase1702's review against another edition
3.0
"But don't you be fooled by love. You are destined for greater things."
It was thanks to this book that I was first introduced to Arbella Stuart, someone who has longed for freedom for the majority of her life. However she finds herself a candidate to be the successor of Elizabeth I, along with her cousin James VI of Scotland, and so is kept hidden away to keep her safe.
Several years into the future we find Aemilia (Ami) Lanyer. She longs for one thing - forgiveness - forgiveness for something she did to the Lady Arbella...
I found this book very interesting and entertaining mainly due to the fact that, as mentioned, I'd never read or even heard of Arbella Stuart. I felt that writing in first-person helped the reader understand more of what Arbella was going through and why she did the things she did.
This is the first book I've read by Freemantle and I would definitely like to see what else she has to offer.
It was thanks to this book that I was first introduced to Arbella Stuart, someone who has longed for freedom for the majority of her life. However she finds herself a candidate to be the successor of Elizabeth I, along with her cousin James VI of Scotland, and so is kept hidden away to keep her safe.
Several years into the future we find Aemilia (Ami) Lanyer. She longs for one thing - forgiveness - forgiveness for something she did to the Lady Arbella...
I found this book very interesting and entertaining mainly due to the fact that, as mentioned, I'd never read or even heard of Arbella Stuart. I felt that writing in first-person helped the reader understand more of what Arbella was going through and why she did the things she did.
This is the first book I've read by Freemantle and I would definitely like to see what else she has to offer.
goannelies's review against another edition
4.0
Arabella Stuart heeft niet alleen Stuart- maar ook Tudorbloed door haar aderen stromen en wordt daarom van kinds af aan al genoemd als mogelijke troonsopvolger van de kinderloze Elisabeth I. Heel haar jeugd brengt ze door opgesloten bij haar grootmoeder. Wanneer ze uiteindelijk toch naar het Hof gaat leert ze Ami kennen, een jonge dichteres met wie ze haar liefde voor schrijven deelt. Maar al snel blijkt dat voor iemand met koninklijk bloed vrijheid niet bestaat.
Ok, ik ga het zeggen. Fremantle is momenteel mijn favoriete historische fictieschrijfster. In de eerste plaats neemt ze originele figuren uit de geschiedenis (de 6de vrouw van Henry VIII, Penelope Devereux...). Ik wist als echte Tudorfanaat niets van Arabella Stuart en heb dus ademloos zitten lezen. Weer een tragisch verhaal.
Daarnaast zet Fremantle ook altijd een perspectief van een onbekende persoon naast het hoofdpersonage. Dat gebeurt veel in dit genre, maar vaak zijn het hofdames die maar weinig bijdragen aan het verhaal. Wel, in deze boeken heb ik altijd een enorme klik met de bijpersonages. Ook nu las ik Ami's verhaal even graag als dat van Arabella. Misschien met momenten zelfs liever.
Het zit gewoon allemaal goed in elkaar, het is verfrissend, er zit symboliek in, geen vreemde anachronismen en geen grote loopjes met de geschiedenis. De pure feiten kloppen, de rest mag van mij best interpretatie zijn, dat kan ook niet anders.
Ook fijn dat in dit boek personages van haar vorige verhalen voorbijkomen. Ik heb deze nog niet allemaal gelezen, maar dat gaat niet lang meer duren.
Dit verhaal was misschien iets minder krachtig dan The Queen's Gambit, maar het vertelt een minder bekend verhaal, van een tragisch maar sterk meisje wiens enige misdaad haar afkomst was. Aanrader!
Ok, ik ga het zeggen. Fremantle is momenteel mijn favoriete historische fictieschrijfster. In de eerste plaats neemt ze originele figuren uit de geschiedenis (de 6de vrouw van Henry VIII, Penelope Devereux...). Ik wist als echte Tudorfanaat niets van Arabella Stuart en heb dus ademloos zitten lezen. Weer een tragisch verhaal.
Daarnaast zet Fremantle ook altijd een perspectief van een onbekende persoon naast het hoofdpersonage. Dat gebeurt veel in dit genre, maar vaak zijn het hofdames die maar weinig bijdragen aan het verhaal. Wel, in deze boeken heb ik altijd een enorme klik met de bijpersonages. Ook nu las ik Ami's verhaal even graag als dat van Arabella. Misschien met momenten zelfs liever.
Het zit gewoon allemaal goed in elkaar, het is verfrissend, er zit symboliek in, geen vreemde anachronismen en geen grote loopjes met de geschiedenis. De pure feiten kloppen, de rest mag van mij best interpretatie zijn, dat kan ook niet anders.
Ook fijn dat in dit boek personages van haar vorige verhalen voorbijkomen. Ik heb deze nog niet allemaal gelezen, maar dat gaat niet lang meer duren.
Dit verhaal was misschien iets minder krachtig dan The Queen's Gambit, maar het vertelt een minder bekend verhaal, van een tragisch maar sterk meisje wiens enige misdaad haar afkomst was. Aanrader!
ditte's review against another edition
2.0
It took some time to finish since I kept forgetting the book as soon as I put it down.
brewsandbooksuk's review
3.0
Elizabethan poet Aemilia Lanier stumbles across Lady Arbella’s memoir after her death in the Tower of London. Impoverished and riddled with guilt over the death of her friend, Ami explores the life of the woman whose lineage kept her trapped in a gilded cage. A woman who risked everything for freedom and lost.
Lady Arbella has always been a shadowy figure in history, one I knew very little about. I was intrigued by this woman who, in her time, had been seen as a sizeable threat to the English throne after Elizabeth I’s death, but has now been more or less forgotten. The Girl in the Glass Tower puts Lady Arbella front and center, using a fictional memoir written by the Lady herself to shine some light on her history, and the events that lead to her imprisonment and death in the Tower of London. That’s not a spoiler, by the way. You’ve had over 400 years to catch up.
The Girl in the Glass Tower starts off a little slow, but Elizabeth Fremantle does an excellent job of weaving historical facts and fictional aspects together to create a detailed and captivating account of the life of Lady Arbella. Portrayed as an intelligent, strong willed young woman, damaged by a neglectful upbringing and the complete inability to control her own destiny, Arbella really does come to life in Fremantle’s hands. There are lovely descriptions of her childhood, her heartbreaking relationship with her grandmother, the formidable Bess of Hardwick, and life in the Elizabethan country house described as “more glass than wall”. Arbellla’s hardships and misfortunes are more than just forgotten historical facts; you feel for this poor woman, who longed for nothing more than to spend her days reading and ridding her horse, but who is instead used mercilessly as a pawn in everyone else’s schemes for power.
Whilst Arbella’s portrayal was captivating, I was disappointed by Ami’s story, whom I never felt that invested in. I was frustrated whenever the story shifted it’s focus from Arbella to Ami, because it was far too distracting to be enjoyable. I can see the appeal of using her as a framing device, but I think the novel would have benefited from spending less time on Ami, and so I wasn’t a fan of the format. It was also hard to keep track of all the figures that came and went sometimes.
Overall, I found The Girl in the Glass Tower to be an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to fans of historical fiction that take place at the center stage of history, and anyone curious about the life of Lady Arbella. Trust me, the novel is a far more entertaining read than her Wikipedia page.
Check out The Bookworm Mummy for more reviews!
*I received this ARC free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
Lady Arbella has always been a shadowy figure in history, one I knew very little about. I was intrigued by this woman who, in her time, had been seen as a sizeable threat to the English throne after Elizabeth I’s death, but has now been more or less forgotten. The Girl in the Glass Tower puts Lady Arbella front and center, using a fictional memoir written by the Lady herself to shine some light on her history, and the events that lead to her imprisonment and death in the Tower of London. That’s not a spoiler, by the way. You’ve had over 400 years to catch up.
The Girl in the Glass Tower starts off a little slow, but Elizabeth Fremantle does an excellent job of weaving historical facts and fictional aspects together to create a detailed and captivating account of the life of Lady Arbella. Portrayed as an intelligent, strong willed young woman, damaged by a neglectful upbringing and the complete inability to control her own destiny, Arbella really does come to life in Fremantle’s hands. There are lovely descriptions of her childhood, her heartbreaking relationship with her grandmother, the formidable Bess of Hardwick, and life in the Elizabethan country house described as “more glass than wall”. Arbellla’s hardships and misfortunes are more than just forgotten historical facts; you feel for this poor woman, who longed for nothing more than to spend her days reading and ridding her horse, but who is instead used mercilessly as a pawn in everyone else’s schemes for power.
Whilst Arbella’s portrayal was captivating, I was disappointed by Ami’s story, whom I never felt that invested in. I was frustrated whenever the story shifted it’s focus from Arbella to Ami, because it was far too distracting to be enjoyable. I can see the appeal of using her as a framing device, but I think the novel would have benefited from spending less time on Ami, and so I wasn’t a fan of the format. It was also hard to keep track of all the figures that came and went sometimes.
Overall, I found The Girl in the Glass Tower to be an enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to fans of historical fiction that take place at the center stage of history, and anyone curious about the life of Lady Arbella. Trust me, the novel is a far more entertaining read than her Wikipedia page.
Check out The Bookworm Mummy for more reviews!
*I received this ARC free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
jaironside's review
5.0
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This turned out to be a huge book although I hardly noticed it at the time because I was so absorbed in the tale of this little known royal. Lady Arbella Stuart very nearly succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603. She was raised at Hardwicke house - an Eluzabethan building known for the vast amounts of then expensive glass it boasted in it's windows. This all sets the scene nicely for a claustrophobic and melancholy tale with a real 'princess' imprisoned in a way wven more poignant because she can see in glaring detail everything she is not permitted. As metaphors go it fits neatly. Intersecting with the main thrust of the story is that of Abi, the poetess sent in disgrace from James' court. This is a beautiful, richly layered and engaging historical novel that has managed to touch on an aspect of the Tudor-Stuart reign that few today are aware of. A beautiful book.
This turned out to be a huge book although I hardly noticed it at the time because I was so absorbed in the tale of this little known royal. Lady Arbella Stuart very nearly succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603. She was raised at Hardwicke house - an Eluzabethan building known for the vast amounts of then expensive glass it boasted in it's windows. This all sets the scene nicely for a claustrophobic and melancholy tale with a real 'princess' imprisoned in a way wven more poignant because she can see in glaring detail everything she is not permitted. As metaphors go it fits neatly. Intersecting with the main thrust of the story is that of Abi, the poetess sent in disgrace from James' court. This is a beautiful, richly layered and engaging historical novel that has managed to touch on an aspect of the Tudor-Stuart reign that few today are aware of. A beautiful book.
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