35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Marriage makes prisoners of us all.", December 30, 2008
This review is from: The Virgin Queen's Daughter (Hardcover)
The author untangles the threads of history to pursue a rumor that swirled around the early years of Elizabeth Tudor, before she is crowned Queen of England. After the death of Henry VIII, the dowager queen, Katherine Parr, marries Thomas Seymour, an ambitious man and notorious roué. During the months that Elizabeth lives with her stepmother, Parr, Seymour attempts to seduce the naïve young royal. Whether he is successful in that seduction is the crux of this novel, which is based on the possibility that indeed Elizabeth did bear an illegitimate child that would now pose a significant threat to Elizabeth's throne.
When country-bred Elinor de Lacey travels with her parents to London so that her scientifically-curious father might consult with a learned friend, five-year-old Nell catches a glimpse of Elizabeth in the Tower, where she has been held for a time during the rule of Mary Tudor. After an opportunity to speak with Elizabeth for a few brief moments, Nell's imagination is captured by the beautiful princess and she initiates a secret longing to come to Elizabeth's court when she is older.
Years later, after her beloved father's death, Nell receives an invitation to serve in Queen Elizabeth's court, much to the dismay of her mother, Lady Calverley. Nell has always viewed her mother as distant and unaffectionate, so she is thrilled to be called by Elizabeth, ignoring the dire warnings she receives. Elinor is not prepared for the treachery she encounters, the natural intrigues and suspicions that fuel gossip and dangerous rumors. At first the queen is charming, impressing on Nell the importance of guarding her honor against scheming courtiers like Sir Gabriel Wyatt, who makes no secret of his desire to marry for fortune.
All too soon, the queen is casting a wary eye on her new charge; and Wyatt has increased his attentions, which Nell does her best to discourage. When her old nurse appears suddenly and whispers a terrible secret, Nell is caught in a trap of her own making, the center of everyone's curiosity, watched closely by Elizabeth and her man, Sir Francis Walsingham. By this stage in her reign, Elizabeth has acquiesced to the necessity of ruthlessness to protect her throne; the once innocent royal has sharpened her teeth on treachery and the betrayal of others. Consequently, Elizabeth is quick to question Nell's desire to come to court and the nature of the girl's relationship with the wily Sir Gabriel Wyatt.
Although the author makes certain leaps of faith to support her story, there is significant material to feed the rumors that accompany the Virgin Queen and the possible errors of her youth. The lovely, flame-haired Nell looks much like her queen, planting a seed of doubt that sends Elinor from the imaginings of her youth into a far more dangerous world where even life may be forfeit for ambition. Longing, after all, only to return to her mother and a simple life, Nell must face the frightening consequences of an uncertain fate, struggling against those who would protect the queen at all costs. It is a painful, expensive lesson, the price of the future: "It is wicked to dredge up the past. Let it stay buried." Luan Gaines/2008.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sons have the power to battle the world, but a girl, no matter how learned she is or how brave - the world can be cruel to women, April 12, 2009
This review is from: The Virgin Queen's Daughter (Hardcover)
In 1554, Lady Elinor de Lacey pays her first visit to London. She is five years-old. Elinor, (Nell), and her beloved nurse, Hepzibah Jones, accompany the child's parents, John, Baron of Calverley, and his wife Thomasin, to the capital city for the express purpose of filling up chests with books and scientific equipment for the Baron to bring home to Lincolnshire. A brilliant and learned man, he studied with Dr. John Dee in Cambridge. Dr. Dee is a noted mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, and, much later in the story, consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. De Lacey plans to spend 3 weeks studying with the scientist. The family lodges with the Lieutenant of London's Tower and his family.
The Baron believes his extraordinarily precocious daughter should be able to study and learn in an equal fashion as men and boys of the period. The Christian world, at this time, doubts that women have souls - "Let woman first prove they have souls; both the Church and the State deny it." So, obviously, women were not considered to be worthy or capable of learning. There are a few exceptions, Elizabeth I is one. As a child, Lady Elizabeth, the future queen, was given an impressive education. Elizabeth, like Elinor, excelled at her studies. Famous scholars, such as William Grindal and Roger Ascham, tutored her, and from an early age it was clear that she was remarkably gifted. Roger Ascham will also become one of Elinor's teachers.
Nell is another gifted female. Later in their lives, Dee would say, '"Elinor is the fiercest woman I have ever seen. There is something exceptional about her. Something I have wondered about all these many years. Some are destiny's children. I cannot say why it is so. Mistress Nell is one of them."
Now, however, Nell is only five and when she catches a glimpse of the fair, young Lady Elizabeth imprisoned in the Tower, walking in the Lieutenant's gardens, she is entranced and determined to free her. The mischievous child finds an old key and manages to scrabble over the gate partitioning the official residence from the garden. There the child meets the Princess and gives her the "magic key" so she can escape. For a few brief moments, they chat and Elizabeth tells Nell she will never forget her or her loyalty.
Frequent flashbacks take the reader to the period of Elizabeth's traumatic infancy and youth. The hurts and upheavals she experiences will strongly affect how she lives and rules as Queen of England. Most know the history of Henry VIII's six wives and their terrible fates, but one marriage in particular has a major impact on Elizabeth. When her mother, the King's 2nd wife, Anne Boleyn, failed to produce a male heir, Henry lopped-off her pretty head based on trumped-up charges of adultery, incest and treason. Elizabeth's birth was one of the King's biggest disappointments, and from childhood she knew this. The toddler, at age 3, and her half-sister, Mary, were declared illegitimate after Jane Seymour, wife number three, gave birth to a son, Edward.
Henry dies in 1547, when Elizabeth is 13 years old. Edward VI succeeds his father. Henry had reinstated his daughters in the line of succession before his death. Mary is to follow Edward, and Elizabeth is to follow Mary. Elizabeth is now second in line to the throne. Nine year-old Edward is too young to rule, so his uncle, Edward Seymour, becomes Protector of England. Dowager Queen Catherine soon marries Thomas Seymour of Sudley, also Edward VI's uncle and the brother of the Lord Protector. For Catherine, this is a true love match. Elizabeth, who has come to really care for her final stepmother, (and visa versa), is invited to live with the newlyweds in their house at Chelsea. This interval with the Seymours "should have been a time of happiness and security for Elizabeth." Quite the contrary, however, as she "experiences an emotional crisis that historians believe affected her for the rest of her life." The charismatic, ambitious Seymour, at age 40, possesses "a powerful sex appeal" and is a master at wooing and bedding the ladies. Historical witnesses verified that he frequently "fondled and touched" the 14-year-old girl. He was seen entering her bedroom in his nightgown, tickling her and slapping her on the buttocks beneath her own nightclothes. "There is a report of Seymour slashing and ripping Elizabeth's gown in the gardens of the house." After Catherine Parr discovers the pair in a compromising embrace, she sends Elizabeth away. Once more the young woman is abandoned and betrayed, her honor compromised by a man old enough to be her father.
When Katherine Parr dies of childbirth fever, Thomas renews his attentions towards Elizabeth. She is a beautiful teenager and Seymour wants to be King. He is intent on marrying her. When Catherine Ashly, governess and close friend to Elizabeth is interrogated, along with Thomas Parry, a household attendant, Seymour's behavior comes to light. Elizabeth, living at Hatfield House, refuses to comment, except to swear she is a virgin. She is to swear this throughout her life, and is known as the "Virgin Queen." Seymour was arrested and beheaded for plotting to marry a princess of royal blood and overthrow the government. Did Elizabeth remain a virgin all her life? Given the number of men who seriously wooed her, especially Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, it is doubtful. For many years, Dudley hoped, with good reason, that the Queen would marry him. He was widely believed to be her lover.
For centuries rumors have circulated that Elizabeth bore Thomas Seymour a child during the period right after Catherine Parr sent her away. This event would not have been impossible to conceal. England was in political turmoil. Those at the royal court paid little attention to Elizabeth, whose face was not known in the countryside. She could have been sequestered with Cat Ashley and a few other intimates. The midwife who attended her wouldn't have known who the young noblewomen was, especially if she were brought to the house blindfolded. It is a possibility Ella March Chase explores in a most believable fashion. She postulates that Elizabeth bears a daughter who is supposedly smothered at birth. The baby is secretly adopted by Thomasin de Lacey, a lady-in-waiting to Katherine Parr, who has just lost her own newborn. The girl child is named Elinor de Lacey. Her nurse, Hepzibah Jones, "Eppie," was Catherine Parr's midwife. Nell's mother, and her nurse have every reason to keep this secret. Their lives and Nell's depends it.
When Baron de Lacey dies, Nell secretly contacts Queen Elizabeth and wins a place at court. As a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, the lovely, red-head learns just how dangerous life at court can be, with the courtiers' ambitious scheming, and political intriguing. She begins to understand why her mother obsessively wanted to keep her in Lincolnshire. Nell's appearance and character, so similar to Elizabeth's, draws the curiosity of those who surround the Queen. Elizabeth becomes increasingly suspicious of Nell's origins and sends spies to all corners of her kingdom to gather information. Nell realizes her life is in serious jeopardy when she learns the truth of her birth. She wants nothing more than to return to Calverley, but there is no way out for her now. Her life means nothing. Protecting Queen Elizabeth, her reputation, and her reign is everything. The story builds in suspense and the author delivers a gripping and compelling ending. She also includes a romance between Nell and a courtier, loyal to Robert Dudley. Their relationship helps to bring the story to an extraordinarily surprising ending.
Ms. Chase brings Elizabethan England to life. Many historical characters figure in the storyline. Her research into 16th century England, is impeccable. I am very interested in this period and am impressed by her knowledge.
Above all, this is a story of two brilliant women trying to survive, on their terms, in the traditional world of men. They both share a love of knowledge and the truth, and rebel against a woman's subordinate role. Elizabeth and Elinor are both strong heroines.
I highly recommend "The Virgin Queen's Daughter," for historical fiction fans who are interested in a different take on Tudor England.
Jana Perskie
Queen's Bastard: A Novel
The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle)
The Life of Elizabeth I
I, Elizabeth: A Novel
Queen of This Realm
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Move over Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory!, February 8, 2009
This review is from: The Virgin Queen's Daughter (Hardcover)
This is Ella March Chase's first novel? Wow! What a debut for this wonderful new author! I absolutely and completely enjoyed The Virgin Queen's Daughter. The novel was based on a well-known myth about Queen Elizabeth giving birth to an illegitimate child. The myth can be traced to a story that has come down through the ages of a midwife that was blindfolded and taken to a great estate to attend a "fair lady" who was giving birth. Was this Elizabeth? I seriously doubt it.
When Elizabeth was queen she was stricken with small pox and came very near to death. During this ordeal she swore that she had never had relations with any man and was indeed a virgin. This is a historical fact. Considering the religious mind of the times and how close Queen Elizabeth came to death, it is practically impossible to believe that she could be lying. This has always been enough proof to me that the virgin queen was in fact what she claimed.
The Virgin Queen's Daughter was beautifully-written. I actually enjoyed this novel more than Alison Weir's The Lady Elizabeth. Weir's book is based on the same myth, except that book claims the child was Thomas Seymour's. Ms Chase's book doesn't ever reveal who Elinor de Lacey's father was, but the ending leaves the impression that it was Robert Dudley.
I have read many books about Queen Elizabeth, and I have to say that this book captured the essence of who Elizabeth Tudor really was, or at least who history indicates she was. Elizabeth's wit, personality, and the ever-present threat to Elizabeth's claim to the throne are all vividly written to bring the Tudor court to life before your very eyes.
The book features many well-known historical figures: Katherine Ashley, Isabella Markham, Robert Dudley, William Pickering, Francis Walsingham, William Cecil, Lettice Knollys, Mary Grey and many others. I do wonder why William Cecil did not play a more prominent role in this book considering the role he played during Elizabeth's reign. Regardless, this was a wonderful read! Five stars! I look forward to reading another novel by this author!
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