Title- The Virgin's Daughters
Auhtor- Jeane Westin
Release Date- August 4, 2009
Publisher-Penguin Publishing
Rating- 5 Crowns
The Virgin's Daughters is a unique story of Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. It is a story told by two different ladies in waiting to the Queen . It is also told in two different times in the Queens life. Elizabeth wanted to be a strong monarch and she was in love with Robert Dudley but would not give herself to him because she considered herself the Virgin Queen thus she did not want any of the ladies around her to have relationships either.
Lady Katherine Grey , cousin to Elizabeth, was by some considered to be the next in line for the throne. She did not want to be Queen and just wanted to serve Elizabeth. She was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey who had been Queen for only 2 weeks. At this time she just wanted to serve the queen. She met and fell in love with Edward Seymour and secretly married him and had 2 children by him. Once the queen found out, she was very angry ,she had Katherine imprisoned as was Edward in the Tower of London. A sympathetic guard allowed Edward and Katherine to have visits which resulted in the second child. When Queen Elizabeth found out about this she ordered the children and Edward away and decreed that Edward and Katherine were never to meet again, which they never did. Their marriage was annulled and the children considered illegitimate.
Mistress Mary Rogers was the Queens lady in waiting in Elizabeth's later years. By this time Elizabeth is a bitter women and had never married and had no heir. Mary also met and fell in love and had to marry in secret also.
This story tells about the the men and women close to the Queen and how angry and bitter she could be and wanted to rule the lives of those around her. In her alter life she called herself The Virgin Queen and that she was married to her people and expected those around her to do as she wished.
This is a tale of court intrique, and sexual longings of a queen and her court, how the queen expected the ladies around her to be virtuous. She considered Lady Katherine and Mary to be her 'daughters'.
A very well researched and written, this is a book that I give 5 stars to. Another must...
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2 comments:
I adore the Tudors. I'm off to check this one out!
I have had this one on my list. I am interested because of the way she expected the people around her to behave just like her - a little excessive. Thanks for the lovely review.
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