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A review by wyrmbergsabrina
Young Bess by Margaret Irwin
3.0
This took me much longer to get through than I thought it would. At times it read like a history text, giving me mountains of information about the events happening around Young Bess, rather than telling me more about her feelings. I suppose that's that hardest thing about historical novels where the focus is on a known historical figure; the author has to tread carefully between what we know from written documents and paintings, and what the writer can infer from small clues that may or may not have been left behind.
This is the first historical novel I've read where the focus is on a known person, and it was very well researched, written cleanly and certainly told me the events that happened around the time; how the actions of others had a direct influence on members of the royal household. This would not have been possible if the story was only told from Bess' point of view.
I certainly learnt a lot about the young future Queen's teenage years, the scandals that surrounded her, and the careful line she had to walk after the death of her father; no mean feat for the amount of men that craved the power they could get by controlling the royal children.
This is part of a series about the life of Elizabeth, and Mary and although ends with a very positive outlook on the future, which history tells us was not as simple as we'd wish it, there is certainly enough set up to make the reader want to know more about young Bess' next steps.
At this point in history, Lady Jane Grey has just been declared Queen, and many of us know her tale already. I wonder how Elizabeth's tale will be told in the next instalment?
Read if you like the Tudor era, lots of historical information, and plenty of scandal.
This is the first historical novel I've read where the focus is on a known person, and it was very well researched, written cleanly and certainly told me the events that happened around the time; how the actions of others had a direct influence on members of the royal household. This would not have been possible if the story was only told from Bess' point of view.
I certainly learnt a lot about the young future Queen's teenage years, the scandals that surrounded her, and the careful line she had to walk after the death of her father; no mean feat for the amount of men that craved the power they could get by controlling the royal children.
This is part of a series about the life of Elizabeth, and Mary and although ends with a very positive outlook on the future, which history tells us was not as simple as we'd wish it, there is certainly enough set up to make the reader want to know more about young Bess' next steps.
At this point in history, Lady Jane Grey has just been declared Queen, and many of us know her tale already. I wonder how Elizabeth's tale will be told in the next instalment?
Read if you like the Tudor era, lots of historical information, and plenty of scandal.