But Dudley is already married, and his devoted wife Amy will never give him up, least of all to an upstart Protestant Princess. She refuses to set her beloved husband free to marry the queen; but she cannot prevent him from becoming the favorite and the focus of the feverishly plotting, pleasure seeking court.
Others too oppose the marriage, but for very different reasons. William Cecil, the queen's wisest counselor, knows she must marry for policy; her uncle hates Dudley and swears he will be murder him first. Behind the triangle of lovers, the factions take up their places: the Protestants, the priests, the assassins, the diplomats and the moneymakers. The very coin of England is shaved and clipped to nothing as Elizabeth uncertainly leads her bankrupt country into a war that no-one thinks can be won. Then someone acts in secret, and for Elizabeth, Dudley and the emerging kingdom, nothing will be as planned.
Blending historical fact with contemporary rumor, Philippa Gregory has created a dark and tense novel of Tudor times, which casts Elizabeth I in a light no one has suggested before. Passionate, fearful, emotionally needy, this is a queen who will stop at nothing.
This was the first novel by Philippa Gregory that I ever read, and I found it at the library whilst searching for The Other Boleyn Girl. At the time I knew little of Elizabeth's reign, and unfortunately did not take away much about it from my reading experience. The Virgin's Lover tells the complicated story of Elizabeth's relationship with Robert Dudley, her Master of Horse from a family line of traitors to the crown -- and little else save for her short war with the French involving the Scots and the difficulties of ruling a bankrupt and religiously-torn country. Elizabeth is portrayed as anything but the strong, feminist and brilliant Virgin Queen she is known as today, and is instead at twenty-five immature, flirtatious, and reliant on the guidance of counselors and the love and support of Robert Dudley. Ironically I don't have much of a problem with this, although Gregory's portrayal of Elizabeth deeply disturbs many other Tudor readers; Elizabeth had to start somewhere before becoming Gloriana.
I surprisingly had very few problems with the novel, save for one regarding its plot. From start to finish I feel as though Gregory is really just chasing the sun. There is no flow or direction, just event after event after event with a raw ending which leaves the reader feeling incomplete and unsatisfied. Overall I enjoyed The Virgin's Lover and admit to getting emotional at different parts of the book. Gregory may not always bring all the correct information, but she writes masterfully and I've never read history and romance more perfectly intertwined. I would say that this is a good start if you'd like to explore Elizabeth's long, seventy year reign.
Statistics
Pages: 448
Publisher: Touchstone
Year Published 2004
Kylie's Rating: ♛♛♛/♛♛♛♛♛ (3/5 Stars)
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