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The Virgin's Lover [Abridged] [Audiobook] (Audio CD)

by Philippa Gregory (Author), Graeme Malcolm (Reader)

3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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3 new from CDN$ 26.95 3 used from CDN$ 14.95

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Product Details

Audio CD
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (Nov 16 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 074353980X
ISBN-13: 978-0743539807
Product Dimensions: 14.7 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 159 g

Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Gregory captivates again with this expertly crafted historical about the beautiful young Virgin Queen, portrayed as a narcissistic, neurotic home-wrecker. As in her previous novels about Tudor England (The Queen's Fool, etc.), Gregory amasses a wealth of colorful period detail to depict the shaky first days of Elizabeth I's reign. The year is 1558, an especially dangerous time for the nation: no bishop will coronate Henry VIII's Protestant daughter, the treasury is bankrupt, the army is unpaid and demoralized. Meanwhile, the French are occupying Scotland and threatening to install "that woman"—Mary, Queen of Scots—on the throne. Ignoring the matrimonial advice of pragmatic Secretary of State William Cecil, the 25-year-old Elizabeth persists in stringing along Europe's most eligible bachelors, including King Philip of Spain and the Hapsburg archduke Ferdinand. It's no secret why: she's fallen for her "dark, saturnine" master of horse, Sir Robert Dudley, whose traitorous family history and marriage to the privately Catholic Amy make him an unsuitable consort. Gregory deftly depicts this love triangle as both larger than life and all too familiar; all three characters are sympathetic without being likable, particularly the arch-mistress Elizabeth, who pouts, throws tantrums, connives and betrays with queenly impunity. After a while the plot stagnates, as the lovers flaunt their emotions in the face of repetitious arguments from Amy, Cecil and various other scandalized members of the court. But readers addicted to Gregory's intelligent, well-researched tales of intrigue and romance will be enthralled, right down to the teasingly tragic ending.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

England proclaims Elizabeth I queen in 1558. Narrator Graeme Malcolm brilliantly captures the essence of England's turbulence and fears. He also reveals unforgettable characters in Queen Elizabeth, her lover, commoner Robert Dudley, and his wife, Amy. Using voice, tone, and nuance, Malcolm portrays Elizabeth as giddy and thrilled with her newfound power, yet lacking in confidence to lead her bankrupt, demoralized country. With deft narration Malcolm characterizes Dudley's Machiavellian schemes to marry the queen in hopes of being declared king, regardless of commoners' fears. Malcolm seamlessly depicts genders and ages with skill and draws the listener into a spellbinding, bittersweet ending. G.D.W. 2005 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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	53% buy the item featured on this page: The Virgin's Lover 3.0 out of 5 stars (7)
	15% buy The Queen's Fool: A Novel 4.2 out of 5 stars (49) CDN$ 13.86
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
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Average Customer Review

3.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well Written but Watered Down, May 20 2007

By	Teddy (Richmond, BC) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Virgin's Lover (Audio CD)

This is the third Philippa Gregory novel that I have read. While I found it entertaining, it seemed watered down. I see Elizabeth I as a strong, larger than life character. It seems that Gregory sees her as a weak female who couldn't make decisions for herself. She was portrayed more as a men's puppet than a queen in her own right. I much preferred Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Virgin's Lover, Mar 6 2009

By	Ekaterina Loban (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Virgin's Lover (Paperback)

This is perhaps the most boring book I have ever read! Such a drastic difference from the other book that I read by this author "The Other Boleyn Girl".

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Notorious Love Affair, Dec 20 2008

By	Toni Osborne "The Way I See It" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Virgin's Lover (Paperback)

This novel addresses another fascinating aspect of the Tudor Court drama. The Elizabethan enigma left us with an unsolved crime of passion that shocked a nation through history.

At the time of Queen Mary's death, the young princess had yet to act in a significant role on the great stage of England. The plotting of other legitimate heirs and powerful bishops who fear the return of Protestant rigors and Henry's rules leave Elizabeth beset by treachery on all sides. Left with few resources to protect her position and only a few trusted counselors (William Cecil and Robert Dudley) helping her rule the country.

Cecil is a devoted man who believes England should remain in the hands of the Protestant Queen. The ambitious Dudley is constantly looking for court favors and is a childhood friend hopelessly in love with her. This poses a critical impediment, Robert Dudley is married to Amy Robsart an unassuming woman waiting patiently for his return.

Elizabeth and Dudley's romance fills the court full of intrigues, whispers, gossip and treachery while the country is on the brink of war. Problems are compounded when Amy is found dead sending Elizabeth and Robert into a struggle for survival.

This romantic historically based fiction depicts the notorious love affairs of royalty. Ms Gregory brings her main characters and events to life by covering an abundance of period details with a wonderful blend of fantasy and fact. Robert is painted as a ruthless and manipulative man with the ultimate goal of obtaining power. Elizabeth is an emotional and indecisive sovereign torn between country and love, Amy an outcast is an innocent and a resolute individual languishing with a broken heart for her husband's return.

This cross between a love story and a murder mystery presents a rich tapestry of a country torn apart by religious wrangling, poverty and one that is titillated with royal scandals. It is history brought to live in a very entertaining way.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great character development ....
First things first. I recommend you read The Queen's Fool before reading this one. It contains a bit background information and a bit of a foundation to carry you over to The... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Karoline

3.0 out of 5 stars "The Virgin's Lover" doesn't do justice to Elizabeth I
Although I enjoyed reading this book, it was far cry from the information I've read about Elizabeth. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Krista Lyne

3.0 out of 5 stars Uncoventional Elizabeth makes me sad
I would like to say that sometimes I do like Phillipa Gregory's books. I really do. But the way she portrayed Elizabeth in this novel was immensely disappointing to me. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Lilly Flora

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't Compare This To Actual History!
Although new to this author I've read a few of her earlier works and truly enjoyed her take on historical figures and the stories she created around them. Read more

Published on Nov 25 2005 by Kristi Ahlers