A Secret Alchemy: A Novel (P.S.) [Paperback]

Emma Darwin (Author)

Book Description

Series: P.S. | Publication Date: June 2, 2009

The cruel fate of the Princes in the Tower is one of the most fascinating—and most troubling—of all England's historical murder mysteries. But what was the truth behind the deaths of the young Edward V and his brother, Dickon, taken from their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, King Edward IV's beautiful widow, and their guardian, Anthony Woodville? And what about the man who would become King Richard III?

In a brilliant feat of historical daring, the acclaimed author of The Mathematics of Love reimagines the tragedy of the youngest victims of the Wars of the Roses. Through the voices of Elizabeth, Anthony, and Una—a historian who herself knows grief, betrayal, and secret love—Emma Darwin re-creates the lethal power struggles into which the boys were born, their heart-wrenching imprisonment, and the ultimate betrayal of their innocence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this historical novel, Darwin (The Mathematics of Love) looks at the 15th century War of the Roses through the Woodville siblings, Anthony and Elizabeth (wife to Sir John Gray and later Edward IV). Trading off narrative duties, their stories alternate with that of a (fictional) present-day historian, Una Pryor, who is studying the two while visiting the U.K. to clear up some family business. Reuniting with the family estate's handyman, her unrequited love Mark Fisher, Una follows the path Anthony took trying to restore his nephew Ned, the rightful king of England. Historical sections, filled with allusion and mythology, make breathtaking drama for those in the know, but anyone without a background in the War of the Roses will be lost (and Darwin's quicksand pacing doesn't help). Court intrigue dominates the action, but Darwin's at her most powerful exploring Anthony's faith or Elizabeth's understanding of women, love and marriage in her time. Though the modern-day framing story isn't compelling enough to hold its own, a satisfying end ties the threads together nicely. (June)
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Review

“There are many twists and turns in this tale, some of them real, some of them not; together they add up to a spellbinding whole.” (London Times on A SECRET ALCHEMY )

“A Secret Alchemy was ... absorbing, interesting, well-written, and utterly enjoyable.” (www.fyreflybooks.wordpress.com )

“Powerful and utterly convincing.” (Daily Mail (London) on A SECRET ALCHEMY )

“Emma Darwin follows up on the great success of her debut novel The Mathematics of Love with this engaging work of historical fiction…This is a work of great atmosphere and a story well told. (The Sunday Mail (Australia) on A SECRET ALCHEMY )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Original edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061714720
• ISBN-13: 978-0061714726
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,908,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Emma Darwin was brought up in London, with interludes in Manhattan and Brussels. Her childhood travelling often inspires the background of her fiction, as do other interests such as photography, horse riding and, of course, history. Emma's first novel, The Mathematics of Love, was nominated for, among others, the Commonwealth Writers and Goss First Novel awards, and so far has been translated into eight languages. It intertwines the stories of a veteran of Waterloo in 1819, and a disaffected teenager in 1976. "Hauntingly beautiful" - Washington Post Book World. "A book that works on every conceivable level" - The Times (London). Her new novel, A Secret Alchemy, re-imagines the world of the Princes in the Tower through the eyes and voices of their mother and uncle. "Breathtaking drama" - Publishers Weekly. "Sorcery... Spellbinding" - The Times (London). Emma is the great-great granddaughter of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma Wedgwood, but has no plans (at the moment) to write about them.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as clever as I had hoped, July 21, 2009

By 

Jennifer Rothwell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Secret Alchemy: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

Unfortunately, this novel was not to my taste.
I knew before reading this novel that the narrative was from three different prospectives--Elizabeth Wydeville, Anthony Wydeville, and modern-day historian Una Proyr--and I was looking forward to reading it. I enjoy novels with a narrative structure that expertly manages to weave the past and the present.
In my opinion, this novel did not succeed in this. I found the modern-day narrative to be far too distant from that of Elizabeth and Anthony. I found the connections between the two to be far too loosely attached, and thus found myself hurrying through the modern narrative to return back to the words of Elizabeth.
Only towards the end of the novel, when Una Proyr actually began to visit the places of Elizabeth and Anthony's story, did I feel the story begin to take shape. And yet unfortunately, by that point, I felt that it was too late.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, July 10, 2009

By 

Misfit (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Secret Alchemy: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

Una Pryor returns to England to settle her affairs, as well as the fate of her family's old home and printing business The Chantry, the cousins are torn whether to sell or to preserve it and it's long history. Interspersed with Una's story is that of Anthony and Elizabeth Woodville as they reflect back on their lives and the events that lead to what is now known as the Wars of The Roses and the disappearance of Elizabeth's two sons - the Princes in the Tower.

Darwin does a nice job of crafting the voices of both Elizabeth and Anthony as well as weaving Una's struggles with her grief over the death of her husband and a surprise meeting with a man from her past. It was quite refreshing to see the Woodvilles (especially Elizabeth) portrayed in a more realistic manner and not the black hearted villains you typically find them in novels on this period from today's latest and *cough* greatest authors. I have to say the two reviewers who posted just before me have done such a darn good job of putting this book into words that I really don't have much more to add. While I didn't find it the fastest paced book, I did enjoy it a great deal nonetheless. Four stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Losses Medieval and Modern, July 8, 2009

By 

Susan Higginbotham "boswellbaxter" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Secret Alchemy: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

A Secret Alchemy is narrated by two historical characters, Elizabeth Woodville and her brother Anthony, and by one fictitious one, Una Pryor, a historian who's returned to England from her home in Australia to sell her English property. During her stay in England, the recently widowed Una, who's working on a book about Anthony Woodville and his reading, visits the cousins with whom she was raised and encounters the man whom she loved as an adolescent.

Anthony's story begins with the last journey of his life: he is bound for Pontefract Castle, where he knows that the future Richard III has scheduled his execution. Elizabeth tells her story from the quiet confines of Bermondsey Abbey, to which she has retired from the court of Henry VII. Neither tells his or her life story from beginning to end; instead, they each focus on a few selected episodes, such as Elizabeth's courtship by Edward IV and Anthony's exile abroad. As a result, the cast of characters is relatively small: we meet Edward IV, Edward V, a few Woodvilles, Anthony's lover, and Elizabeth's long-time attendant and confidante. There's a cameo appearance by Thomas Malory and a couple of very brief ones by the future Richard III.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Anthony's and Elizabeth's stories, and had tears in my eyes after reading both (which doesn't happen very often, especially when I know the ending). Anthony's tale, especially the love story Darwin gives him (which I found very plausible) and his terrible grief when he realizes that his charge Edward V is at the mercy of Richard III, is very moving. Elizabeth, who's so often reduced to a caricature by historical novelists, is beautifully drawn here. She's strong-minded and courageous, yet vulnerable. There's even a touch of humor here and there, as when Elizabeth's earthy sister Margaret comments on the queen's morning sickness.

The contemporary story, Una's, was well done also. I didn't find it as compelling as the medieval ones, but Darwin did a nice job of working the historical strands and the contemporary strand into an integrated whole.

Darwin has researched her novel with care, and she provides an afterword putting the tales of Anthony and Elizabeth in their historical context.

I heartily recommend this novel.