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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Rosalyn Landor distinguishes the female characters nicely, handles the British and Welsh accents well and has a charming narrator's voice. She's less successful voicing the children, who sound like squeaky toys, and her Henry VIII makes one think of Papa Bear. While the book is often tediously detailed, and the children's psychological sophistication and vocabulary are beyond belief, Weir knows her landscape and how to tell a good yarn: she has written 10 histories of this period, and one bestselling novel, Innocent Traitor, about Lady Jane Grey. Landor's narration carries the fascinating plot twists and dynamic characters. Weir fans, historical novel and Elizabethan era buffs—and teenage girls—will enjoy this audio. A Ballantine hardcover (reviewed online). (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Review
Praise for Alison Weir’s Innocent Traitor
“Engrossing . . . suspenseful . . . enormously entertaining.”
–The Washington Post Book World
“Splendid . . . In giving narrative voice to her subjects Alison Weir brings us into emotional contact with them in a way that an unadorned historical account does not.”
–Boston Sunday Globe
“Every bit as good as anything [Philippa] Gregory has ever done . . . [Weir] makes a familiar story vibrant and fresh.”
–The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Completely absorbing . . . a brilliantly vivid and psychologically astute novel.”
–Booklist (starred review)
“Poignant and harrowing . . . a gripping finale.”
–The Seattle Times
“A sensitive and fast-paced tale . . . Weir conveys the age’s political intrigues, religious fanaticism and sexism.”
–USA Today
“Characters breathe as though they were alive last week–not five centuries ago. . . . A chilling epitaph on a period of history that continues to fascinate and bewitch us today.”
–San Antonio Express-News
From the Hardcover edition.
“Engrossing . . . suspenseful . . . enormously entertaining.”
–The Washington Post Book World
“Splendid . . . In giving narrative voice to her subjects Alison Weir brings us into emotional contact with them in a way that an unadorned historical account does not.”
–Boston Sunday Globe
“Every bit as good as anything [Philippa] Gregory has ever done . . . [Weir] makes a familiar story vibrant and fresh.”
–The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Completely absorbing . . . a brilliantly vivid and psychologically astute novel.”
–Booklist (starred review)
“Poignant and harrowing . . . a gripping finale.”
–The Seattle Times
“A sensitive and fast-paced tale . . . Weir conveys the age’s political intrigues, religious fanaticism and sexism.”
–USA Today
“Characters breathe as though they were alive last week–not five centuries ago. . . . A chilling epitaph on a period of history that continues to fascinate and bewitch us today.”
–San Antonio Express-News
From the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Grit and Wisdom of a Young Royal,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel (Hardcover)
Have you ever wondered what it would like to be a prince or princess of the royal line back in Tudor times? Probably a lot more demanding and less glamorous than the life and times of the late Pincess Margaret or Princess of Wales. Alison Weir, in her signature style, has penned another great piece of historical fiction that captures the personal anxiety and turmoil that accompanied Princess Elizabeth(aka Lady Elizabeth) in her journey to becoming one of the great monarchs the world has ever known. This is a story of both high adventure, political skullduggery, and a strong dose of the unexpected. Elizabeth goes from being a complete innocent at the start of the tale to becoming a very practiced and savvy young lady ready to handle great responsibilities of state at the end. The lessons she learns as an orphan along the way have a lot to do with keeping her emotions in check and knowing whom to trust during those critical times in her parlous existence. Weir does a splendid job in describing how Elizabeth, in the true spirit of being her father's daughter, tried to avoid becoming a pawn for all those political concerns that occupied the royal court at this time. If it wasn't the lustful attentions of Thomas Seymour preying on her security, it was the fanatical obsessions of her half-sister Mary trying to convert her to Catholicism and, at the same time, marrying her off to the Duke of Savoy. For so many years, Elizabeth lived in the knowledge that one wrong step and she could be executed, like her mother, for high treason. There were numerous conspiracies out there that were not coy in using her name as a rallying point against Mary Tudor. In the end, it was her skill to pretend to conform to the wishes of those in power that probably saved her life and gave her the freedom to stay true to herself. In this story I find Weir has created a very plausible characterization of the real Elizabeth, who learned in life to follow her own counsels and instincts if she ever hoped to survive to inherit her father's kingdom. Great read for anyone who wants to know a young princess saved the Tudor dynasty for another fifty years.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Tudor Tales,
By
This review is from: The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel (Paperback)
This is a gem of a book for history buffs. The story takes us into the formative years of the young princess, Elizabeth--from the death of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to the day she is proclaimed Queen of England.Having just finished reading "The Boleyn Inheritance" by Philippa Gregory, it was interesting to compare Alison Weir's version of much of the same period of Tudor rule in England. Ms. Weir is a historian turned author, and her novel "The Lady Elizabeth" is an interesting account of the childhood and adolescent years of Henry's youngest daughter. Where she does stray from the actual known facts of Elizabeth's life, she explains her reasons very nicely in the Author's notes. As she tells us, writing historical fiction is somewhat different than writing a history book. The story opens with the three-year-old Elizabeth learning of the death of her mother, Anne Boleyn. She is totally distraught about losing her beautiful mother but idolizes her father, who hasn't yet begun to show the signs of illness and aging that are soon to come. I found Ms. Weir's take on Henry somewhat more sympathetic than the mad monster, that Gregory paints him. One can almost feel sorry for the aging king as he rails against his loss of health, looks and virility. The few passages showing him with his three children are heart warming and the sadness all three feel at the death of their father is palpable. After Henry's death, life becomes increasingly dangerous for Elizabeth as, time after time, she foils Queen Mary's attempts to destroy her as successor to the throne. As "Bloody" Mary's obsession with the Catholic Church and her hatred and suspicion of her half sister grows, the people she rules become more and more sure that the younger woman is the one they want on the throne. From time to time it seems that Elizabeth will never be able to survive the intrigues and alliances set up to trap her into treason. Of course, as we know from history, she does survive and her reign turns out to be one of the most successful in the annals of English monarchs. However, "The Lady Elizabeth" is a fascinating glimpse into, what was probably the most dangerous period in the life of Elizabeth I.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a fabulous book,
This review is from: The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel (Paperback)
After reading 'The Princes in the Tower', I was not looking forward to reading this book. 'The Lady Elizabeth' is fabulous. I had a difficult time putting it down. I found Alison Weir to be a brilliant novelist. I am looking forward to reading my next book 'Elizabeth the Queen'. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing Elizabeth before she became Queen.
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