It is April 1551. While the family of Lord Henry Grey are visiting their Devon estate, the Grey sisters are saved from drowning by a local medical apprentice, Richard Stocker. Little does Richard know that this single act will plunge him into a tide of religious and social upheaval that will change not only his own life but the course of British history. In gratitude for saving his daughters, Lord Henry agrees to employ Richard in his household. Lady Katherine has already fallen for her father’s handsome new employee, while Richard is in thrall to the intellect of her troubled but brilliant sister, Lady Jane, with whom he forms a close friendship. Following King Edward’s death, the teenaged Lady Jane is proclaimed Queen. Soon, however, she is deposed and put to the axe. The woman Richard has grown to love as a friend, confidante, and adviser is dead. Bereft, he abandons the intrigues and deceptions of court life, resolving to resume his medical apprenticeship. In the Shadow of Lady Jane is at once a gripping political thriller and a compelling love story.
In The Shadow of Lady Jane (Richard Stocker)
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Edward Charles is an economist.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lady Jane Grey and Christian Perfection,
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This review is from: In the Shadow of Lady Jane (Richard Stocker) (Paperback)
Let me first say, I enjoyed this book. Improbable as it was, I felt that Lady Jane Grey had a consistently pure voice in this novel. However, the ages of everyone else were a bit skewed- the hero, Richard Stocker is too good to be true, but a good narrator. As the story opens, he is sixteen. I suppose for the story to work he has to be impossibly young. It is pleasant to think that Lady Jane was idolized by a contemporary male. Historical fiction of this period may usually be narrated by a female and it is nice to have a male point of view.The story is a bit of a stretch, but I was able to suspend judgement and devour it. Stocker is appealing, and one can forgive him his self-promotion given the fact of a thoroughly quick rise in status in Tudor England. I guardedly recommend this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A different look at the story -- but seek out the sequel...,
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This review is from: In the Shadow of Lady Jane (Richard Stocker) (Paperback)
This is the sage of Lady Jane Grey, told by a household servant of the Grey family who falls victim to the charms of various members of the Grey family -- Henry Grey, ultimately the Duke of Suffolk, comes to treat him almost as a son, Lady Jane Grey introduces him to learning and Protestant theology, while the young Katherine Grey bewitches him romantically. (Those who are alarmed at the 16 year old hero falling for a girl of 11 or 12 should note that in the 15th and 16th centuries, girls were routinely married off at puberty. Henry VII, father of Henry VIII, was born when his mother was only 13. Shocking by our standards, perhaps, but...)While this novel is a solid effort at telling what has become a well-known story through different eyes -- those of an outsider, someone not born into the royal family or into the role of a courtier -- the author fares far better in his second outing, Daughters of the Doge. (It can be ordered via Amazon.co.uk.) In that book, Richard Stocker quits England, but not the machinations of the Tudor court, and finds himself in the Venice of the Renaissance, entangled (variously) with a daughter of a noble family placed in a convent against her will, a courtesan and the bookkeeper of a famous painter -- a young Muslim girl. Will he return to England? Pursue medical studies in Padua? Or settle in Venice? This is by far the stronger and more original book, and I would give in a solid four stars (if I could!)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating subject; average retelling,
By Rachel (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Shadow of Lady Jane (Richard Stocker) (Paperback)
I had high hopes for this novel, based on the subject matter as well as the glowing reviews. Unfortunately though, it is lacking in a number of important respects. "Shadow of Lady Jane" is not a bad novel - I've read far worse - but it is by no means a great one.The story is told from the perspective of Richard Stocker, the fictional Second Master of Horse to the Grey family. Richard, despite his youth, seems to be the ultimate alpha male hero: he rescues the Grey sisters from a flooding river, and later, defends their honour single-handedly against the nasty Dudley brothers; he manages to save a family from a fire; he even assists Edward VI to avert a riding mishap, leading to a friendly chat, and subsequently, becoming close to some of the King's companions. Richard is handsome and intelligent - capable of captivating young Catherine Grey, engaging in learned discourse on the New Faith with Lady Jane and her tutor John Aylmer, becoming at times even a confidant of their parents. I am not an expert on the social hierarchy among servants of noble households, but this seemed to me a bit of a stretch, if not rather preposterous. I also half expected to find that he could leap tall buildings with a single bound, and that he alone stood against the vampires, demons and forces of darkness (okay, I'm being facetious, but you get the idea). In short, Richard is almost implausibly gifted in all respects, and doesn't he know it - except in his first person narration, which is rather bland and colourless. As such, I could not warm to him, and his convenient insinuation of himself into the action just in time to witness the major historical events was quite irritating. It struck me as a bit of a wish-fulfilment exercise. Other issues I had with the novel included: overwriting, redundant dialogue, stilted description and telling rather than showing, partly due to the limitations of the first person narrative voice when using the POV of an imaginary character. The book might have succeeded more had it been told in the third person omniscient, from varying points of view. My major problem, however, was this - and this may well be my modern-day sensibilities creeping in, but I have to call it as I see it - I was seriously squicked by sixteen-year-old Richard's infatuation with eleven-year-old Catherine Grey, which even more disturbingly, is reciprocated. In the early part of the book, they actually engage in some (mild, thankfully) physical intimacy, with Catherine an enthusiastic participant, eager to persist with their incipient affair until her common sense reasserts itself, and she decides that it's really not a good idea if she wants to make a decent marriage. That does not stop them contemplating being lovers in the future, and being extremely familiar with each other, despite the difference in rank: at one point Catherine asks Richard, "Am I not woman enough for you?" Just wrong on so many levels! Intellectual precocity in children of this age, living in this era, I can buy - sexual precocity is another thing altogether. I am well aware that children in Tudor times grew up fast: they were treated and expected to behave as miniature adults, and noble children were frequently married off once they hit puberty; also such youthful dalliances were not unheard of (eg: Catherine Howard and Henry Manox, then Francis Dereham) although I believe they'd have been rare. Nonetheless, I really don't want to read about pre-teen kids even THINKING about getting it on, regardless of when the novel is set, unless it is absolutely necessary to the storyline. This wasn't the case here - I could not see why Richard had to be sexually attracted to Catherine and she to him; the story would not have suffered one bit had he been portrayed as more of an older brother figure. I found it so creepy that I almost put the book aside unfinished. Nonetheless, I have persevered with it. Happily, Lady Jane emerges as a well-rounded character, and the most vivid and interesting of the lot, and her unlikely friendship with Richard is touching (if stretching credulity). This novel is generally faithful to the history, and the writer does well in setting the scene, and bringing much of the period to life. For a first novel, it's okay. Unfortunately the choice of protagonist lets it down. I'd suggest borrowing this from the library, and then if you love it, buying it. However, Alison Weir's "Innocent Traitor" is a much more interesting and emotionally engaging fictional retelling of Lady Jane Grey's story.
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