Customer Reviews

The Queen's Handmaiden

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Told through the eye's of Eloise, Elizabeth's seamstress and confidante, this is a somewhat lukewarm telling of Elizabeth's road to be Queen. It begins with the death of her father, Henry VIII, and ends somewhere around her 30th year after she has cooled things off considerable with Robert Dudley.

During the turbulent years of the reign of "Bloody Mary", Eloise doubles as Elizabeth's spy by gathering information for Elizabeth while she is Mary's prisoner. Somehow a seamstress manages to keep Elizabeth informed of the goings on in the outside world. You have no idea how in the world she manages to do so. That is until one obscure sentance gives it away. It actually is an intriguing way it's done and it would've added so much more to the story if it had been examined more than just a blurb that could easily be missed.

There is a romance between Eloise and her contact, James Colby, although you'd never know it from the complete absence of any sort of passion between the two. Their clandestine meetings seem to be nothing more than gossip followed by a parting kiss.

Elizabeth is not portrayed as a the passionate, headstrong woman she was. Well, maybe the headstrong part! She was written as a self-centered brat who goes around slapping everyone. Even her elderly governess who she claims to love more than anyone.

There is no story development between Robert and Elizabeth, rather you as a reader are instructed that they were good friends who eventually may have become lovers. Their relationship is told rather than felt. In fact, it seems as though every important event that happened during that time is glossed over. The only thing really in depth is the depiction of Elizabeth's gown.

I just did not enjoy this novel much at all. It lacks passion and the ability to pull the reader into the story, at least this particular reader. The last 100 or so pages were so much better than the first 200 so that saved it from getting two stars! I can only recommend this novel is you're a die hard fan of anything having to do with Elizabeth. I give it a halfhearted three stars.

I'm not a fan of historical fiction or biography. My book group chose this book and I unenthusiastically agreed. Instead of wading through the book, I quickly became fascinated by the story created by Jennifer Ashley. I finished the book in less than 48 hours giving me plenty of time to explore a biography of Elizabeth I as a factual contrast. If I finish that book, I'll submit a review for that book also.

These days, when I see a novel set in Tudor England -- from 1485 to 1603 -- I automatically cringe. So very much historical fiction is set in these times that it was become painful for me to read it, as most authors tend only to do the most cursitory of research, and usually, they don't get it right.

Let's face it, the life of Queen Elizabeth I of England is pretty heady stuff and a great temptation for any novelist. No one had expected Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to become queen -- after all, she had a younger brother, Edward, and an elder sister, Mary, who would inherit before she did. And this princess had a less than ideal childhood -- alternately cherished then banished by her father as the whim too him, she was barely a toddler when her mother was victim to the executioner's sword. She was highly intellectual, with a natural flair for music and languages, and a wit that could run circles around most people.

Jennifer Ashley's The Queen's Handmaiden, takes a look at the early life of this remarkable woman through the eyes of one of her attendants. Eloise Rousell is the daughter of a gentlewoman and a roving player in a theatre troop -- not exactly a birthright that will ensure stability. Raised by her grandmother, Eloise quickly displays an unusual talent, and one that will help her make her fortune -- she is an expert seamstress, able to create gowns that are beautifully made and designed. Eloise is also clever, and has learned quickly to keep her mouth shut -- a trait that will be even more valuable in the treacherous Tudor court. When still a child, she's sent to live with her Aunt Kat Champernowne, who is none other than the Lady Elizabeth's governess.

Growing up as both a servant and a confidant of the princes, Eloise quickly turns into a quick-minded young woman. Through her eyes we see the dashing, if not too bright, Thomas Seymour, and his troubled marriage with Catherine Parr, and it is both of the girls first encounter with both love and treason. There is the short reign of her brother Edward VI, who is merely a king in name while two powerful families, the Seymours and the Dudleys, who each strive to be the real ruler of England. And then, there is Mary, Elizabeth's older sister who both wishes her sister dead, and England returned to the Roman Catholic faith...

Certainly we've seen this story before, written over so many times that it has pretty much become a cliché in the world of novels. How many plucky heroines who are nobodies can the reading world put up with? But Eloise Rousel is a bit different and Ashley isn't afraid to make her so, either. While her role in the novel is that of the narrator, she is strong enough to have her own voice, and not once does the author let her slide into insipid, mawkish mooning about either -- Eloise is quite aware of the dangers around her, and not even the attraction that she has towards a courtier, John Colby, is enough for her to loose her good common sense. Too, Ashley is wise enough to keep her heroine from the usual antics found in historical novels -- Eloise is not ravishing, or brilliant, or the sort who strikes men down with her beauty. Instead, she's just a person, and leaves the brilliance to Elizabeth.

What sets this book apart is that Ashley has managed to capture the essence of this monarch, and keeps it within what is known. She throws temper tantrums, isn't above slapping her servants in a fit of pique, and an absolute peacock in wanting admiration and near worship. But she was also very loyal to her friends, had a great deal of resiliency when it came to times of crisis, and would ultimately prove to be the right monarch for England when the time came. All of these traits were fairly well documented in the queen's time, and Ashley makes excellent use of her sources.

Finally it is the amount of research about the real people and events, the details of daily life and dress, that make this novel worth it. While it does get a bit heavy with the florid prose over clothing details, Ashley keeps the story moving briskly along at a near breakneck pace. Not once was I bored with the story, nor did my attention wander, which is to me the sign that an author has really paid attention to what she is doing.

My biggest complaint is that the romance between John Colby and Eloise never really seems to catch fire -- everything is at a very cool simmer and it comes across as more of a business arrangement than any sort of love affair. Still, that too can be documented with the times, and Ashley wisely stays away from having the reader trudge through pages of erotica to tell her story. Thank goodness; it's a very welcome break in the world of historical novels these days.

Overall, a solid four stars. It's not a great novel, but it is certainly a good one, and well worth the trouble to seek out if you enjoy historical settings. For me, it's definitely a keeper, and I suspect that I'll be giving it a reread several years down the road.

Recommended.

The story had no true purpose. It was flat. Ms. Ashley would have done better to concentrate more on developing her heroine and her clasdestine activities. Instead she floats all over, in effect, glossing over her heroine and her supporting activities. Even her portrayal of history was incorrect. Elizabeth didn't go to the tower until AFTER Queen Mary had married. Pick a time in the turbulent period and stick with it. Ms. Ashley doesn't have the talent to write a novel spanning over a decade. She needs to stick with fiction. History isn't her cup of tea.

As one of the most celebrated women in history, Elizabeth I of England is a much worn topic, of endless fascination to readers and authors alike. In this treatment, Ashley writes of Elizabeth's early years, the long road to the throne and the significant impediments along the way. Third in line for succession after her brother Ned, son of Jane Seymour, and sister, Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth, daughter of the infamous Anne Boleyn, is kept in a constant state of insecurity after the death of King Henry. Living for a time with Henry's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, the ambitious Thomas Seymour, Elizabeth learns early the danger of deception in service of an appetite for power, Seymour fixed on the princess after Catherine's death in childbirth. Unfortunately, Somerset, the king's Lord Protector, learns of his brother's machinations, Seymour's courting of Henry's flame-haired daughter abruptly curtailed by a sojourn in the tower, young Ned furious at the Lord Admiral's plotting.

As seamstress to Elizabeth, Eloise Rousell, born the same year as the princess, watches the treacherous plan unfold, helpless to intervene with a love-struck Elizabeth or to protect her gossiping Aunt Kat, governess to the headstrong girl. Both Kat and Eloise are loyal only to Elizabeth, but the governess has been remarkably intemperate in her ambitions for her charge, a harsh lesson Eloise takes to heart. As Aunt Kat's ward, Eloise shadows the woman's household, growing familiar with Elizabeth's daily routines and the precariousness of her position as heir to the throne. Silent as a cat, Eloise watches and sews, absorbing the dangerous lessons of power and politics, her former naiveté no longer helpful in a place filled with volatile secrets and intemperate schemes. The plotting never ends, Elizabeth prey to ever more treachery the nearer she gets to the throne. Time after time, while Eloise stitches, Elizabeth discovers herself prisoner to the whims of men, drawn to love but deeply distrustful of the motives of suitors, usually vindicated in her cynicism.

As her confidant, Eloise is in a unique position, invisible to royalty, a valuable conduit for Elizabeth's interests, moving silently from place to place. Through Eloise's narrative, Ashley reveals the many layers of intrigue that follow the Virgin Queen pre-coronation, from her infancy, perilous childhood, and Mary's Catholic reign, the English citizens chafing at the return of the True Religion, grown content in Henry's Reformed Church. As Elizabeth's seamstress, Eloise avoids none of the turmoil that surrounds her mistress, following Elizabeth from exile to Fleet's Prison to Mary's spy-riddled court, witness finally to events that change the course of history. Even if Eloise's character is but a clever fiction, the author skillfully recreates the grandeur, tension and persistent deceits of the royal household, the paucity of integrity and the ultimate loneliness of a queen forced to relinquish happiness for the good of her country. Adding an unexpected twist, a fact long rumored but never proven, the author injects another element to Eloise's mission, the queen's confidant armed with a dangerous secret and much to lose. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

Being someone who studied history (and read the "real" stories of the Tudors before they became trendy plots for novel writers), I've stayed away from the recent crop of Tudor fiction, with the one big exception of the Matthew Shardlake mysteries by CJ Sansom, which I devoured, and enjoyed primarily because the author has a strong background in Renaissance English history. This author struck me as being perhaps similar, since the bio on the back of the book said she had a degree in history. So I thought I'd give it a chance.

I'm glad - not thrilled - that I did, and I will certainly read more of her work if it comes out, but I won't wait up for midnight on the release dates of her books to order them as I did with the recent CJ Sansom one!

The history was good, but as other reviews have said, I was disappointed that the affair with Dudley was hurried through. If I would have been the author, I think I would have skipped the aspect of the affair once Elizabeth was Queen all together. There's more than enough intrigue in the plots around her as Princess, and glossing it over just doesn't do it justice. Perhaps she could have written a sequel focusing on that? I probably would have been excited for that, especially if the novel had ended at a place where it "felt" like it should. As it was, the book was almost over, and Elizabeth becomes Queen, and then there's like 20 pages covering three years. It just felt hurried and rushed, and left me disappointed.

Still, it's a good effort, and a worthwhile read.

This was a fast and easy read; nothing too taxing on the brain. Interesting to read about Queen Elizabeth I, although I didn't learn anything that I hadn't already known. But despite (any maybe because of) the simplicity of the story, it read like a dressed up version of a basic timeline of Elizabeth's life. Not a lot of character depth; just a story of friendship and love simply placed over the non-fiction details of Elizabeth's life and the events in it.
In general, a pleasant read. Kept me interested, but not riveted.

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Ashley's Regency series featuring Captain Gabriel Lacy written under the nom de plume of Ashley Gardner. I love the characters she created in that series as well as the setting and period and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book which has a tentative title of 'A Death in Norfolk' which is the seventh in the series, due out in the fall 2011.

This novel is set during the reign of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I and has a charming heroine at its center. Eloise Rousell is Kat Ashley's niece and is taken under her aunt's wing after her mother remarries. Eloise is the same age as Elizabeth and the girls grow to become very close.

The events in Elizabeth's life are painted in broad strokes as is the history of the Tudor period. Eloise's movements from one place to another so she can narrate from a first person perspective seem slightly far fetched. Though I found the way Ashley connected the fictional Eloise to the historical record clever and amusing.

I enjoyed the relationships between Eloise, Kat and Elizabeth but beyond them I didn't find myself particularly engrossed in this story. It's a nice story and I liked it, I think it would be a good place for a young reader to start reading about the Tudor period and it's a decent refresher if you've been away from the Tudors for a while.

I don't feel this novel is the author's best work, for that I would recommend The Hanover Square Affair and the rest of the novels in the Captain Gabriel Lacy series. For the best on Elizabeth I, I would recommend Susan Kay's Legacy: The Acclaimed Novel of Elizabeth, England's Most Passionate Queen -- and the Three Men Who Loved Her. I also recently read His Last Letter: Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester by Jeane Westin which I enjoyed very much.

I was not impressed with this book but it wasn't completely awful, though I'm glad I only checked it out from the library. This is a rather lukewarm telling of Elizabeth's rise to be Queen of England.

The story is told from the eyes of Eloise Rousell who is sent to her aunt, Kat Ashley, when her new stepfather wanted her out of the way. She is an expert seamstress and quickly becomes close with the Princess Elizabeth. Eloise stays with Elizabeth throughout her time in Catherine Parr's household and the mess caused by Thomas Seymour, and throughout her time as her sister Mary's prisoner. Eloise becomes a close friend and confidante to the Princess and takes many risks to help some of the plots to rescue Elizabeth and put her on the throne. She also meets her future husband while involved in these plots. After Elizabeth's triumphant coronation, Eloise remains a close friend and when Kat Ashley dies, she steps into the place of Elizabeth's closest confidant.

The whole story just fell flat for me. I thought the whole thing could have been written much better. There really wasn't anything that interesting in it that made me want to keep turning pages and find out what happened to the characters. Eloise did not seem very well rounded to me; there just was nothing interesting about her, nothing that made her stand out. In fact all the characters, perhaps with the exception of Elizabeth, seemed dull and lifeless most of the time; there was nothing about any of them that made them remotely interesting. Throughout the story Eloise is able to take part in the plots and remains unsuspected because she is "a mere seamstress." It would seem that those in power would eventually figure out who was working as a go between even if it was just a seamstress, but Eloise constantly says that she can take part because she'd never be suspected. She is eventually arrested but released a few months later. And for her being a seamstress there really is not that much about her craft in the story, which would have been fairly interesting to read about. There is also nothing mentioned about how she manages to get messages between Elizabeth and conspirators until something slips in a chance sentence much later in the story. Eloise's method of communication is rather brilliant and it would have been interesting to see it explained in more detail.

I also had some issues with the way the story flowed. There were some instances where things are moving along and then we find out something pretty important has happened but we were never told about it and Eloise pops in with something like, "Oh, let me tell you how this came about." The most glaring example of this was her own marriage to James Colby. Eloise is called to meet with her mother and stepfather and is told she is to be given in marriage to a much older man. Eloise says she can't do that because she is already married! The author then has Eloise tell the reader:

"I must retrace my steps and explain how it happened that when my stepfather was ready to bind me into an unwelcome match, I was already legally sworn to a more welcome one."

Yes, there had been a friendship between Eloise and James Colby leading up to this point and I could already tell that they would end up married before the end of the story, but there was no hint that they had married. Eloise kept it secret because she didn't want to disappoint Elizabeth and I suppose the author decided to keep it secret from the reader as well to make it seem like Eloise was indeed keeping it quiet. While I found the scene amusing as she stood up to her stepfather, I just don't like the way episodes of this sort popped up in a few places throughout the story. It just doesn't help with the flow of the story and it seems like the author got to a place where she needed to change something in the past to fit with what was happening at that moment.

The only other small issue I had with the story was the ending and it really isn't a huge problem, just something that caused a raised eyebrow. The story pretty much ends after Kat Ashley dies and we have a final scene where Eloise is watching Elizabeth across the room, thinking about what a glorious Queen she is, and then we find out that Eloise puts herself in Kat's old place as sole confidant to Elizabeth:

"Across the great hall, her eyes met mine, and she gave the barest twitch of lips. We would do it, she and I, she the ruler, and I her conscience."

Like I said, its not a big issue but from most things that I have read about Elizabeth, once her trusted Kat Ashley died, she took no one else into her confidences the way she had with Kat. I have come across references to this in several different spots and here we have Eloise setting herself up as Elizabeth's right-hand man. Like I said, not a huge issue, but it didn't sit quite right with me, though I understand the author had to close the story in a nice, tidy way and so it appeared that Eloise would "live happily ever after."

For me this was a very mediocre novel, so much so that there really wasn't that much to discuss in a review besides the dullness of the characters and the uninteresting story. It was not a BAD novel, just not a good one. My perception could be a bit biased as I have read so much about this period of time that most anything I read might seem a bit dull as I already know the whole story so well. I gave this one 3 stars because while I didn't really enjoy it, I could read it again if I had nothing else around; it certainly wasn't a wall-banger for me. I would suggest this one to those that don't know Elizabeth's story too well or just want some light reading.

Rereading passages several times did not alleviate the confusion. The frustration was lessened midway through the story by giving the reader and emotional and intense look into British royalty. ~Affaire de Coeur