Description
Book SynopsisBestselling historian Alison Weir brings Elizabeth I to vivid life in a novel of intrigue, sex, plots, mysteries and tragedies, amid all the colour and pageantry of the Tudor court.
''[Weir] gets right inside the head of the Virgin Queen. The reader has a blissful sense of seeing history as it happens.'' - Kate Saunders, The Times
It was an affair that shocked the world.
Elizabeth I is the most sought-after bride in Europe. But though she is formidably intelligent, brave and tempestuous, she is desperately insecure. The tragic events in her past mean she cannot give herself to any man, and yet she relishes the thrill of the chase, the lure of forbidden fruit.
And so, using sex and high-powered diplomacy, she plays what becomes known as the ''Marriage Game'', dangling suitors to keep them friendly to her kingdom, while holding them off indefinitely.
But playing this tantalising game with the married Robert Dudley, the son and grandson of
Trade Review
[Weir] gets right inside the head of the Virgin Queen. The reader has a blissful sense of seeing history as it happens. -- Kate Saunders * The Times *
Politics, historical detail and unfulfilled love in Alison Weir's endlessly fascinating account of Elizabeth I's attempt reconcile her personal passions with public life . . . The sheer weight of Weir’s scholarship underpins the narrative, making it endlessly fascinating. * Sunday Express *
The captivating, tempestuous, often hilarious and ultimately poignant story of the extraordinary love affair between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley * Historical Novel Review *
With the vogue for Tudor history at its height, this is a brilliant novel that focuses on the volatile relationship with Elizabeth I and the charismatic Lord Dudley. * Woman and Home *
Based on in-depth knowledge of Elizabeth’s court, and the intrigues that swirled around it, the novel has the benefit of both verisimilitude and captivating story-telling. * Choice Magazine *
