Customer Reviews

The King's Daughter. A Novel of the First Tudor Queen (Rose of York)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Elizabeth of York was the only woman to be a daughter, niece, sister, wife, and mother to English kings. Her wide connection to royalty did not prove to grant her a charmed life, quite the opposite.

Her life began as a charmed one, the daughter of Edward IV, she was loved by her father and lived a brief life of joy and contentment as the apple of his eye. When war struck their country again at the tender age of five, she and her family were forced into sanctuary, and thus the first hints of tragedy started to enter her life.

Her father survived the battle and lived until she was seventeen, but with his death came the beginning of a series of events that led this hopeful princess into a life filled with death and sorrow. Losing her father, her brothers, her nephew, her queen and friend, and then her beloved uncle (the man she also loved), she never lost her faith. When given an opportunity to run, she stayed behind, determined to let a royal marriage to a man who claimed the crown end years and years of battle.

From the moment you open this book, drawn into a game of revelry, to the end you are hooked into Elizabeth's life as she tells it. Sandra skillfully relays a heartwrenching tale that pulls you into the heart of a queen. You find yourself enjoying each brief moment of happiness, and sharing each lonely moment of pain and fear.

"Elizabeth, the Good! Elizabeth, the Beloved! Elizabeth, the King's Daughter!" You will want to know her. You will want to see her find peace. She will be made a part of you.

Thoroughly researched, you can see that Sandra loves her subjects in all of her novels. You are given a touching tale that will leave you with real tears...and you will learn of a period of history through a historical figure often forgotten - but certainly no less important.

It seems of late that every time I hear of an author writing yet another novel set in the Tudor period of English history -- from 1485 to 1603, I mentally cringe and try my best to ignore it. It isn't so much that I know that they will be a horrible book, but rather that I've read and studied enough of the historical period that I know I am bound to be disappointed by whatever a fictional novel can cook up.

Having read one of Sandra Worth's previous novels, set in the turbulent era of the Wars of the Roses, I was pretty leery of taking on this account of Edward IV's eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who would marry Henry VII and become the mother of Henry VIII.

Told in first-person narrative -- a style that I am not fond to begin with -- this is an account of Elizabeth's life from young childhood to the grave. Elizabeth is the eldest child of King Edward IV and his queen, Elizabeth Wideville, and along with her younger sisters, she hopes that soon there will be a male heir born soon. She knows that even at a young age her parents are not exactly happy -- her father is eaten up with the worries of running a kingdom ruined by civil war, and her mother is shrewish and constantly seeking out favours and wealth for her numerous relatives. More than once Elizabeth overhears their sparring. During one uprising, her pregnant mother takes her children and flees for sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, and Elizabeth turns into a target for her mother's temper -- along with a display of what might be witchcraft. But the child that is born while they are in sanctuary is that longed for boy, and named for his father, Edward.

For a time, things go well for Elizabeth and her family, with younger sisters and another brother, Dickon, added to the ever-growing brood. But when her father dies suddenly, Elizabeth's world is turned upside down as it is judged that her young brothers are too immature to rule, and their uncle, Richard III, becomes king. Again in sanctuary, Elizabeth loses contact with her brothers, and rumours abound that her uncle Richard has had them murdered. Soon, Elizabeth, just eighteen, is sent for as one of the new queen's ladies in waiting, and she soon is caught between loyalty to her brothers and the charm and rich lifestyle of a royal court. She also indulges in flirtation, with Thomas Stafford, a knight of the king's and daydreams about having a peaceful and quiet life before her.

But Richard III's reign is a short one, and there is plenty of controversy for Elizabeth. First Richard's queen, Anne, is ailing, and before her death she encourages Elizabeth to care for her uncle, and Elizabeth finds herself falling for him, in a love that is hardly suitable for a niece. But there are more rebellions, especially by a rival claimant to the crown, Henry Tudor, and the specter of civil war rises again. Again there is war, and Elizabeth finds herself truly alone when the victor of Bosworth comes to claim her.

With Richard dead, Elizabeth finds herself wed to Henry Tudor, a cold, calculating man that listens far more to his mother, Margaret Beaufort, than he will to his queen. Even Elizabeth's coronation is delayed until she has proven her worth by bearing a son, Arthur, on whom she lavishes all of her love and attention. Can she manage to survive a loveless, agonizing marriage to bring peace to England?

And so is this rather turgid, overdone novel about Elizabeth Plantagenet, sister of the Princes in the Tower. This time Sandra Worth casts her into the mold of Heroine as Martyr, being so good and giving that she sweats sugar when it gets warm. And to counter that, the author makes nearly everyone else in the story wicked and selfish, from her mother and mother-in-law, to her husband, and her sisters, while Elizabeth goes on suffering nobly. The only exception to this are the characters of Richard III, here cast as a saintly, doomed man, with his equally sainted queen, Anne Neville. Once again it's an example of the author falling in love with her characters, for she creates an impossible situation by trying to make everyone either very good or very bad.

The mystery of just what happened to the sons of Edward IV will always be a riddle, as there are quite a few suspects who would have gained greatly by their murder. While Richard III probably did not do away with the children, neither was he a completely ambitionless man either. Ms. Worth has pretty much written herself into a corner, for by making Richard the subject of Elizabeth's undying devotion and love, it's pretty hard to have her turn around after his death to caring at all for his murderer, Henry VII, and to make sure that her audience gets the point, she has him be brutal and unloving to her. Only as a mother can Elizabeth come across as Queen-Martyr.

Again and again, we get to read of the various nastiness of the Tudors, and one note that really rubbed me the wrong way was the depiction of Elizabeth's second son, Henry, who is a overweight, pompous, sadistic brat of a child who obeys no-one and delights in cruelty. From everything that I have read of the actual man who became Henry VIII, he was well-educated, chivalrous and saw himself as a Renaissance king -- only much later in life did he turn into the monster that popular history paints him as.

Indeed, the only part of the book that was at all interesting for me was when Ms. Worth introduces Lady Catherine Gordon, the young Scottish woman that marries Perkin Warbeck, a young man that claimed to be the younger of Elizabeth's brothers, Richard of York, and who led a nearly successful rebellion against Henry VII. In the character of Catherine there was quite a bit of potential, but by focusing everything in Elizabeth, the writer squandered this opportunity.

Summing up, this was a dreadful novel. While I do admire authors who put plenty of history in their novels and bother to do the research -- besides the genealogical chart showing the tangled families of the York-Lancaster-Tudor claims -- there are notes and a bibliography to help further research. But Ms. Worth has turned this into a dull, sloppy melodrama with a sad-sack heroine and implausible twists that didn't really reveal anything new, nor bring new insights.

Three stars at best. Somewhat recommended.

"Love drew her heart toward him, and shame drover her eyes away." Such are the words shared by Tristan and Iseult in a volume treasured by King Richard of Gloucester and Elizabeth of York, the daughter of King Edward V, Richard's brother. Simple, clear words perhaps but in reality portraying a mesmerizing, complex life of a woman seeking her own role in history!

The story begins with understanding the totally dissimilar nature of Elizabeth's parents, her life intertwined with a loving but unwise father, King Edward, and her overbearingly meddling mother, Bess Woodville, a notorious woman feared by everyone in the kingdom. The latter is a woman like so many other tyrants, possessing an inordinate amount of greed stemming from fear of being deposed and having to return to an insignificant, impoverished status. The description sounds historically objective, but Sandra Worth fully captures the essence of Elizabeth's confused plight in the middle of this calculating shrew who calls herself mother and siblings who eventually will disappear or turn against Elizabeth for a very long time. Who will prevail and what personality will evolve from such chaotic parenting? Imagine such a childhood!

Bess Woodville's plans following the death of King Edward are thwarted by Richard seizing the throne as Protector and then King, and all seems well for a while as he and his beloved Queen Anne rule England. Justice becomes the norm rather than the exception, until Richard's rivals begin to make war to seize the Crown. Times of joy and tragedy follow the royal couple. Will Richard's mercy free Bess and allow Elizabeth a place in his court? For there we read of the intimate bond between this King and Queen about to be tested in the furnace of adversity.

During this time, Elizabeth realizes her mother's lies have distorted the truth. As Elizabeth begins to see Richard with new eyes, how will she be treated by the Queen and by Richard who previously sees Elizabeth only as a despised Woodville?

Destiny seemingly has other plans as Henry VII invades England and Elizabeth agrees to marry the usurper, a union tortured again, this time by Henry's own mother, Margaret Beaufort, a woman even more diabolical than Elizabeth's own mother. Will Elizabeth find honor or regret in her choice made for what she believes is England's good? What can she do against her mother-in-law's influence over her two very different sons, Arthur and Henry?

Again, the author allows clarity and accuracy to prevail as she presents Elizabeth's debacle and evolution over years. Elizabeth of York's account opens a window for the reader to view the benign and treacherous court dialogues, romances and planned unions, as well as important plans and actions of those who serve the Crown for different reasons. Questions regarding the disappearance of Elizabeth's brothers and the identity of the mysterious Pretender haunt Elizabeth through the remainder of her life. Were there other unseen, unrealized possibilities?

Sandra Worth's writing elicits confusing, loving and hateful thoughts, feelings and responses resulting from the reader's total immersion in these carefully crafted historical characters' lives, reactions paralleling Elizabeth's own. The author's creative writing skills are honed with excellent research and insight into personality.

Ms. Worth, superbly done! Readers, prepare yourself for an amazing, wonderful read herein as you sit down to enjoy the life of Good Elizabeth, the first Tudor Queen!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on December 6, 2008

Sandra Worth wasted no time diving into the turmoil of her chosen era, the tail end of the Wars of the Roses. She wove little historical gems into her prose, for example--having Prince Harry recount his conversation with Erasmus, or hinting at Machiavelli's book of politics--and had an eye for some details, as in brief descriptions of contemporary dress and literature. Worth had her main character, Elizabeth Tudor (née Elizabeth of York), narrate her own life as a beleaguered princess and unwilling queen; and Worth, at first, had created a character with enough depth to carry a first-person novel.

Unfortunately, however, after about the first third of the book, Worth began to rely upon constant reiteration of two themes...though, thankfully without ever losing momentum in the overall storyline itself. Worth's themes for this book seemed to be the following: Richard III was actually some kind of angel-like super-king, kind to a fatal fault and with terrible luck; and Henry VII was a greedy, power-hungry, blood-thirsty villain of a man who was actually a puppet of his own wickedly power-obsessed mother. It quickly became too obvious that Worth was trying to rehabilitate Richard III's terrible historical reputation, but she did her topic no favors by relying on the contrast between two blatantly biased caricatures.

The other major detraction from what could have been a very good little novel was how Worth appeared to abandon developing Elizabeth further as she lived through all of this turmoil. Elizabeth mentioned several times how much she hated conflict and contention, and Worth even had Elizabeth remark to herself early in the novel that speaking out just wasn't in her nature. And then Elizabeth spent the last two-thirds of the book either cringing in fear, fighting back tears of misery, or suffering a pounding headache every four or five pages. Worth managed to create a wimp of woman who indulged in incessant whining on nearly every page--she bemoaned internally about terrible situations she chose to watch unfold without protesting or trying to stop them. Worth had Elizabeth regularly offer herself the cold comfort of saying "it's in God's hands", while telling herself that she did her best. Did her best?! She did nothing!! All the while that people were dying around her, Elizabeth rarely spoke up; instead, choosing to complain to herself about the invisibility she seemed purposely to have cultivated.

Don't get me wrong, I never expected a feminist heroine--I am, in fact, a European historian and have studied this era. I am fully aware of the gender situation in Early Modern Europe--it was a pretty bad one, specifically where women were concerned. But Worth had strong, out-spoken female characters in her novel--one of which being Elizabeth's own mother--so there were examples against which to contrast the exceedingly watery Elizabeth, which only made her appear even more of a coward. This could have been an entertaining read. It flowed quickly, was easy to move through (minus the ubiquitous headaches), but disintegrated as it went along until I began to wonder how long Worth was going to torture her narrator.

"The King's Daughter" could have received three stars--it started out rather well and was entertaining at first--but Sandra Worth should have spent more time developing some of her characters (especially the narrator), instead of indulging in blatant caricaturization---and if only she had left off the monotonous whimpering. I have read excellently researched and written historical novels--this, regrettably, was not one of them.

[WARNING:Some parts of this review can be considered to contain spoilers, although if you know the history, you should probably be fine.]

There are basically two ways historical fiction authors will allow you to view Richard III. Either he's the second coming or he's the scourge of the earth. Historically, it's fine to regard Tudor accounts of Richard with some disbelief. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Richard III was a pretty good guy, overall, if still controversial. But this, my friends, this is just too much. Some Ricardian authors clearly have schoolgirl crushes on this medieval man and this makes them write some unbearably giddy fiction. Richard-Sue, as I will be calling him from now on, ruined the first half of Sandra Worth's THE KING'S DAUGHTER. From there on Elizabeth Plantagenet takes over. It would have been better, in my opinion, if Ms. Worth took some steps to emotionally detach herself from some of her clearly beloved characters. I wasn't sure if I could finish this novel, but I didn't want to write a review without reading the whole thing, since sometimes later parts can redeem early missteps. Not so here.

Since this novel is written in first person (why must authors keep doing this to us?) Elizabeth's perfect pureness is graspingly obvious. Not only is she the perfect queen, she's also the perfect person. And she loves her uncle Richard-Sue with the purest, most kind love imaginable. For a while there, she thought Richard had killed her brothers, but when Richard produces young Dickon Plantagenet in front of her eyes, she realizes it was all a huge misunderstanding. Sure, Edward's still missing, but that doesn't matter so much. She can go on loving her crowned, sainted uncle. Whose wife is dying of tuberculosis. But that, too, is alright, since she loves her Aunt Anne just as much and would never think anything sinful of a man she supposedly yearns for. Pure as angel's feathers, she is. Anyway, snark aside, I found Queen Anne's portrayal to be ridiculous if not altogether offensive. She's dying, her young and pretty niece-in-law is in love with her husband, and her only thoughts are of his happiness, so she decides to do some last days' matchmaking. What?! If I were Elizabeth, I might say something like, "No, no... Eighty times no... eighty to one times no... Queen Anne is another Mary-Sue." (This is, incidentally, the way Elizabeth actually speaks at one point in this book) This stretches credibility. I could not force myself to accept it. When Elizabeth confesses her love for Richard, Queen Anne says something along the lines of, "Love's nothing to be ashamed of." I wanted to throw the book.

I guess I'm being harsh, but this was truly what I was thinking while reading the book. It might be because I'm disappointed. I thought this was going to be a great book. Everyone seems to be raving about this author and it keeps popping up on my "Recommended Books" page. But the characterization was awful, the dialogue worse, and if Worth displayed some impressive prose from time to time, it was completely overshadowed by one of the characters wailing, "Woe! Woe! This is the fall of the House of York!" or something of the kind. If that doesn't bother you, then you're quite at your leisure to pick The King's Daughter up and start reading. I, however, was not impressed.

Perhaps I've been spoiled by the last book I just read, The Sunne in Splendour, but I found this exploration of Elizabeth of York's life lacking.

The writing was clunky and awkward. Mostly modern language had strange, Shakespearean sentences sporadically sprinkled about for seemingly no reason. Though well researched, the insertion of history into Elizabeth's story usually consisted of the action grinding to a halt while Elizabeth (the book is written in 1st person) gives the reader the who's who of the War of the Roses. She also uses the same stylistic tools over and over again; Henry must have stormed out of Elizabeth's room with a quip about her father 6 times, and if I was told, rather than shown, one more time about how much Elizabeth hated confrontation I was going to scream. Also, the Perkin Warbeck thing dragged on for EVER AND EVER. I'm sure it did so in real life, but she was not able to keep the tension and fear up for the reader.

Most people enjoy writing and reading historical fiction for the "what ifs?" and so I won't say anything about the less likely spins she has on various mysteries. However, I read historical fiction for the "whys?" I enjoy delving into possible motivations we can only indirectly infer from a person's actions. Ms. Worth does not really attempt to do this at all. Because of this, all of her characters are either GOOD or BAD.

GOOD: Richard, Anne, Edward IV, Elizabeth, De Puebla, Arthur
BAD: Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, Bishop Morton, Harry (future Henry VIII)

Now I'm not claiming that these people on the "bad" list were actually wonderful, saintly people, but everyone has their reasons, even if they're terrible greedy ones, and it's often the reasons that makes a person interesting. Without an exploration of this, many of her characters became two-dimensional cards.

The only remotely ambiguous character is Henry VII himself, but only to the slightest degree, and there are still many questions about the man left unanswered. Like: if he truly didn't give two shakes about Elizabeth (as portrayed in the novel), then why was he seemingly faithful to her, or at least very very quiet about his affairs? This was not the behavior of most kings.

I would say the most disappointing characterization was the future Henry VIII, because it was such a cheap shot, and to make Arthur good and perfect and sensitive and Harry a sociopath was too cliche and shallow to be taken seriously.

This was not a downright TERRIBLE book, mostly because she never goes out to left field in terms of the research and history, but there are many many better books out there exploring this time period and these characters. This would probably be given 2.5 stars if it were possible on Amazon.

Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, experienced the charm of life in a royal household early. When Edward IV was forced to flee when she was still young, she came to understand how fragile tranquility could be. Upon Edward's successful return to the throne, once more she took her position as a princess of the realm. Important dynamics in her life featured the role of her mother, stern, grasping, and ambitious. She used her position to advance her family's interests, wealth, and power--and, in the process, triggered enmity among many.

Edward's early death led to a period of intrigue; his son was to become king, but Edward's brother, Richard, was crowned instead and ruled briefly as Richard III. Elizabeth Woodville took part in considerable scheming at the time. This is also a story within a story, as young Elizabeth ends up at Richard's court and comes to be a friend of the Queen, Anne (of the Neville family). As her health began to deteriorate, she tried to orchestrate young Elizabeth following her as Queen to Richard. No time! Henry Tudor arrived in England, fully intending to overthrow Richard III and assume a role as king. By the time of the battle at Bosworth, where Richard perished, young Elizabeth had fallen in love with him.

Afterward, a political marriage was arranged--Elizabeth (a Plantagenet from the House of York) to Henry Tudor, now styled Henry VII (a Tudor). The hope was to link feuding families and create conditions for a calmer, less turbulent England. Elizabeth and Henry did not love one another; they did develop a rapprochement over time. She submerged herself as Queen to maintain pacific relations in the realm. Thus, she is sometimes styled "Elizabeth the Invisible," because she avoided situations that could create problems. She was also called "Elizabeth the Good" be the people, for her generosity and care for them.

The book describes the hard times, the multitudinous deaths as Henry tries to quell any opponents who might threaten his rule. The book discusses the wicked fights between Elizabeth Woodville and Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort. The tale ends naturally, with Elizabeth's death at an early age.

This book is rendered in the first person, with Elizabeth the character through whose eyes we see. As always, the disadvantage here is that she experiences many important events at a distance. This allows us to better see how such events (death, defeat, etc.) affect her, but sometimes this works against a fuller knowledge of those incidents. The book is well written. The characters seem to take on a life through Elizabeth's eyes. Some characters are especially striking--the juxtaposition of her sons Arthur and Henry (later Henry VIII) is one nice example. Sometimes, characters seem to be one dimensional--awfully good or awfully bad. Seen through her eyes, that may make sense, but often times matters are more nuanced than that among humans. At any rate, I found this a good read and enjoyed this volume quite a bit.

Elizabeth of York, loyal daughter to King Edward IV, worships her father and believes in him as king. While her mother plots and schemes, her father reaches her with his ideas and warmth. When he dies, Elizabeth encounters Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the man appointed as regent for Edward's son. Despite the wicked rumors about Richard and the multiple misfortunes her family experiences throughout his rise to power, Elizabeth knows her father entrusted the kingdom into his hands. Was he wrong? One night, Richard's wife Anne speaks to her from the heart and Elizabeth comes to know better the man, as king as and father, and indeed herself. As political pressures come to bear, making her a pawn in a power play for the kingship, his presence in her heart helps her to endure the horrors ahead and devote her life to serving England as wife to Henry Tudor (Henry VII).

In the absence of letters or personal documents from Elizabeth of York herself, Sandra Worth's first person narrative creates an insightful portrait of her as a woman and mother during turbulent times as the Middle Ages come to a close and a new era is born when Elizabeth becomes the first Tudor queen. Sandra Worth makes the connections between all the royal figures throughout these shifts of power so that readers feel the intrigue and danger among the uneasy alliances. THE KING'S DAUGHTER gives a chilling insight into the heart of the monarchy where family alliances provide solace but also create a threat to one's very existence as grabs for position within the family destroy. A brother is not just a brother but also a man who stands in the way of access to power. Within this context, the contrast between Elizabeth and her mother, and later Elizabeth of York and Lady Margaret Beaufort (mother to Henry VII) highlight the precarious position of women in this world as well. Sandra Worth provides an intriguing look not only into the limited role of women during this era but also a look into which they wield power of their own with determination in the choices royal women make, albeit in ways perhaps less obvious to the casual observer.

THE KING'S DAUGHTER brings several key characters to life so that historical figures sometimes presented as isolated characters in history books are now seen in their relationships to one another, thus giving this period a new vibrancy and depth. THE KING'S DAUGHTER focuses on Elizabeth as a woman in her roles as daughter, lover, wife and mother. Sandra Worth views this period through family dynamics first and foremost, juxtaposing the sometimes brutal machinations of power of those surrounding Elizabeth to her longings and devotion to family. Living her life in one sort of captivity or another most of her life, some more obvious, such as her time of escape to to sanctuary, than others, such as her being under the almost absolute control of her mother-in-law, Elizabeth of York was a quiet woman with a rich inner life. Elizabeth thought, read and internalized omens and the great works of medieval literature from Boethius, the Tristan tale to Sir Thomas Malory's Arthurian tales. Although the dating of Boethius is off a couple of centuries (an editing typo hopefully but an important correction not to miss), Sandra Worth does an exceptional job not only in her selection of relevant medieval works, but also in her use of them in Elizabeth's thoughts to give a depth to her character and to the period itself. As the new world emerges, slight hints of that change enter in references to Erasmus and a chilling reference to Machiavelli's THE PRINCE. Through literature, the reader comes to know Elizabeth's values and her intimate thoughts on love and kingship. Though sometimes Elizabeth appears frustratingly submissive, Sandra Worth's contrast to the careful and covetous plotting of others shows growing determination within her to make a difference, a determination that in the end makes her true to the name "Elizabeth the Good" often bestowed upon her. As the novel progresses, Elizabeth of York moves from being a woman mostly ruled by others to a woman looking outward, not only as a mother trying to look out for her children, but also a woman determined to serve her people. Sandra Worth leaves readers with a haunting, disturbing image of the future Henry VIII. THE KING'S DAUGHTER will appeal to a wide variety of historical fiction readers, not only for the presentation of a world in the process of change but also Sandra Worth's ability to capture the the inner lives of her characters.

Who was Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, wife of King Henry VII, and mother of King Henry VIII?

Loved by her father, Elizabeth leads an early life of warmth and happiness, reveling in those special family moments despite her father's weighty role as King Edward IV of England. The machinations of her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, provide a sharp contrast as Elizabeth's worldview is shaped by the differences and it's easy to see why she's later known as Elizabeth the Good. However, England is in a time of turmoil and Elizabeth will see her father's reign end and experience the reigns of both Richard III as and her eventual husband, Henry VII. Step inside Elizabeth's world and see THE KING'S DAUGHTER, the first Tudor Queen....

Sandra Worth brings historical characters to vivid life in THE KING'S DAUGHTER. The lush details and clear narrative voice of Elizabeth create a tale that draws the reader into a time long past. It's a tribute to the author that she still made me cry at the death of Arthur despite knowing the historical facts of the time period. That's the trademark of a good author, one who can still make you feel emotions even when you know what is to come.

The role of women at the end of the Medieval era and the advent of the Tudor period was a precarious one. Elizabeth's transition from a child to a young woman coincides well with the change in the historical time frame. Sandra Worth provides excellent characterization of the dangers women face during these tumultuous and ever changing times as Bess Woodville, Lady Margaret Beaufort, and Elizabeth are all merely coping in the best ways they know how. Survival is paramount to all three, but only Elizabeth strives to reach above the pettiness and air of death that permeates the time period. Her willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for the overall good of others provides an interesting comparison to the philosophy espoused by Henry VII and subsequently taught to Henry VIII.

Sandra Worth provides a very solid case for her perspectives on the various historical figures Elizabeth encounters. One could argue other interpretations but the context is certainly fitting for how the events played out. THE KING'S DAUGHTER is highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This novel simply has too much telling and not enough showing. The story of the Tudor dynasty has always been interesting to me, but while the subject matter was intriguing, I felt that this novel was somewhat lacking. It could have been so much longer that it was. Many events were skimmmed over in a few paragraphs, and much was told instead of shown. This increases as the story progresses into Elizabeth's later years. A year or two passes in a chapter, and while that is alright sometimes, it happened so much in this novel that I felt like I was simply reading an overview of the main events in her life. I wanted so many more details about the big events in her life.

The character that Worth created in Elizabeth of York was unique and felt genuine; I just didn't like the manner in which the plot was told instead of experienced along with the character. It was an enjoyable read, just not as engrossing as I felt it could have been. I did appreciate the timeline/family tree at the beginning of the novel to reference while reading the novel and the historical notes at the back. It is quite obvious that Worth did her research.