The Queen's Handmaiden

Being someone who studied history (and read the "real" stories of the Tudors before they became trendy plots for novel writers), I've stayed away from the recent crop of Tudor fiction, with the one big exception of the Matthew Shardlake mysteries by CJ Sansom, which I devoured, and enjoyed primarily because the author has a strong background in Renaissance English history. This author struck me as being perhaps similar, since the bio on the back of the book said she had a degree in history. So I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm glad - not thrilled - that I did, and I will certainly read more of her work if it comes out, but I won't wait up for midnight on the release dates of her books to order them as I did with the recent CJ Sansom one! The history was good, but as other reviews have said, I was disappointed that the affair with Dudley was hurried through. If I would have been the author, I think I would have skipped the aspect of the affair once Elizabeth was Queen all together. There's more than enough intrigue in the plots around her as Princess, and glossing it over just doesn't do it justice. Perhaps she could have written a sequel focusing on that? I probably would have been excited for that, especially if the novel had ended at a place where it "felt" like it should. As it was, the book was almost over, and Elizabeth becomes Queen, and then there's like 20 pages covering three years. It just felt hurried and rushed, and left me disappointed. Still, it's a good effort, and a worthwhile read.

These days, when I see a novel set in Tudor England -- from 1485 to 1603 -- I automatically cringe. So very much historical fiction is set in these times that it was become painful for me to read it, as most authors tend only to do the most cursitory of research, and usually, they don't get it right. Let's face it, the life of Queen Elizabeth I of England is pretty heady stuff and a great temptation for any novelist. No one had expected Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to become queen -- after all, she had a younger brother, Edward, and an elder sister, Mary, who would inherit before she did. And this princess had a less than ideal childhood -- alternately cherished then banished by her father as the whim too him, she was barely a toddler when her mother was victim to the executioner's sword. She was highly intellectual, with a natural flair for music and languages, and a wit that could run circles around most people. Jennifer Ashley's The Queen's Handmaiden, takes a look at the early life of this remarkable woman through the eyes of one of her attendants. Eloise Rousell is the daughter of a gentlewoman and a roving player in a theatre troop -- not exactly a birthright that will ensure stability. Raised by her grandmother, Eloise quickly displays an unusual talent, and one that will help her make her fortune -- she is an expert seamstress, able to create gowns that are beautifully made and designed. Eloise is also clever, and has learned quickly to keep her mouth shut -- a trait that will be even more valuable in the treacherous Tudor court. When still a child, she's sent to live with her Aunt Kat Champernowne, who is none other than the Lady Elizabeth's governess. Growing up as both a servant and a confidant of the princes, Eloise quickly turns into a quick-minded young woman. Through her eyes we see the dashing, if not too bright, Thomas Seymour, and his troubled marriage with Catherine Parr, and it is both of the girls first encounter with both love and treason. There is the short reign of her brother Edward VI, who is merely a king in name while two powerful families, the Seymours and the Dudleys, who each strive to be the real ruler of England. And then, there is Mary, Elizabeth's older sister who both wishes her sister dead, and England returned to the Roman Catholic faith... Certainly we've seen this story before, written over so many times that it has pretty much become a cliché in the world of novels. How many plucky heroines who are nobodies can the reading world put up with? But Eloise Rousel is a bit different and Ashley isn't afraid to make her so, either. While her role in the novel is that of the narrator, she is strong enough to have her own voice, and not once does the author let her slide into insipid, mawkish mooning about either -- Eloise is quite aware of the dangers around her, and not even the attraction that she has towards a courtier, John Colby, is enough for her to loose her good common sense.

I'm not a fan of historical fiction or biography. My book group chose this book and I unenthusiastically agreed. Instead of wading through the book, I quickly became fascinated by the story created by Jennifer Ashley. I finished the book in less than 48 hours giving me plenty of time to explore a biography of Elizabeth I as a factual contrast. If I finish that book, I'll submit a review for that book also.

As one of the most celebrated women in history, Elizabeth I of England is a much worn topic, of endless fascination to readers and authors alike. In this treatment, Ashley writes of Elizabeth's early years, the long road to the throne and the significant impediments along the way. Third in line for succession after her brother Ned, son of Jane Seymour, and sister, Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth, daughter of the infamous Anne Boleyn, is kept in a constant state of insecurity after the death of King Henry. Living for a time with Henry's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, the ambitious Thomas Seymour, Elizabeth learns early the danger of deception in service of an appetite for power, Seymour fixed on the princess after Catherine's death in childbirth. Unfortunately, Somerset, the king's Lord Protector, learns of his brother's machinations, Seymour's courting of Henry's flame-haired daughter abruptly curtailed by a sojourn in the tower, young Ned furious at the Lord Admiral's plotting. As seamstress to Elizabeth, Eloise Rousell, born the same year as the princess, watches the treacherous plan unfold, helpless to intervene with a love-struck Elizabeth or to protect her gossiping Aunt Kat, governess to the headstrong girl. Both Kat and Eloise are loyal only to Elizabeth, but the governess has been remarkably intemperate in her ambitions for her charge, a harsh lesson Eloise takes to heart. As Aunt Kat's ward, Eloise shadows the woman's household, growing familiar with Elizabeth's daily routines and the precariousness of her position as heir to the throne. Silent as a cat, Eloise watches and sews, absorbing the dangerous lessons of power and politics, her former naiveté no longer helpful in a place filled with volatile secrets and intemperate schemes. The plotting never ends, Elizabeth prey to ever more treachery the nearer she gets to the throne. Time after time, while Eloise stitches, Elizabeth discovers herself prisoner to the whims of men, drawn to love but deeply distrustful of the motives of suitors, usually vindicated in her cynicism. As her confidant, Eloise is in a unique position, invisible to royalty, a valuable conduit for Elizabeth's interests, moving silently from place to place. Through Eloise's narrative, Ashley reveals the many layers of intrigue that follow the Virgin Queen pre-coronation, from her infancy, perilous childhood, and Mary's Catholic reign, the English citizens chafing at the return of the True Religion, grown content in Henry's Reformed Church. As Elizabeth's seamstress, Eloise avoids none of the turmoil that surrounds her mistress, following Elizabeth from exile to Fleet's Prison to Mary's spy-riddled court, witness finally to events that change the course of history. Even if Eloise's character is but a clever fiction, the author skillfully recreates the grandeur, tension and persistent deceits of the royal household, the paucity of integrity and the ultimate loneliness of a queen forced to