Customer Reviews

A Woman of Passion

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I was given this book for my birthday in may of 2000, and when I read the back cover, I wasn't too excited about the story at all. I ended up staking A Woman of Passion at the end of my TO BE READ pile. What does the author mean by having her heroine as a lady marrying three - no four times? Personally I thought it was an odd story, and usually when I read romance, I would only like it to be one hero/man in the stories. Well this New Years, I finally got down to reading A WOMAN OF PASSION... and you know what? It was not bad at all! Let me start by helping you out and clear some facts first:

The Hero is: William Cavendish and George Talbot (Her man in her later years...)

The one and only Heroine is: Bess Hardwick

The whole story is set it London, England and is between the years of 1533 - 1567

Here's a brief summary of the plot. A Woman of Passion is actually based on the true story of Bess Hardwick, who married four different men in her lifetime. She started off life as a commoner and was given an opportunity to serve in a noble family and a chance to marry someone of high-class. She fell in love with the king's financial adviser, William Cavendish, but at that time he already had a wife. William was strongly attracted to Bess, but knew that a relationship between them was wrong. So Bess was in a way forced to marry Robert Barlow, a young man whom Bess worked with during her childhood. Shortly after their marriage, Robert becomes deathly ill, passes away and leaves Bess widowed. At the same time, Cavendish's wife passes away, and this gave an opening for Bess and Cavendish to marry. During her happy years married to Cavendish (I don't remember how long, though it was quite a while), Bess was introduced to Queen Elizabeth, and a strong friendship was developed. After fun, solid years of marriage between Bess and Cavendish, stress as a financial adviser for the king led Cavendish to his death. Bess feeling very alone, continued to mourn for her deceased second husband, whom she loved a great deal. Queen Elizabeth could not stand seeing her friend in such a state, bade her to marry Sir William St. Loe. Eventually when St. Loe passed away, deep in her heart, Bess still mourned for Cavendish. It was the help of a long time 'friend', George Talbot- the Earl of Shrewsbury, that brought happiness back into Bess' life.

I got to admit, at first I thought the story would be boring and disturbing, but it was not as bad as I first beleived. I look forward to reading more books by Virginia Henley.

So good, that I am thinking of getting the hardcover edition too to add to my keeper shelf.

I am new to Henley and so far, of the few books I've read, this is my favorite one of hers. She reminds me of another author I like--Bertrice Small. Both have the knack of writing vivid, lusty historicals with heroines I envy to be and heroes I'd envy to know.

The fact that this is based on a real person's life is why I loved it so much. And her believable rendition of Elizabeth I and all the other notable people of the time made for a juicy read. The sex scenes sizzle but aren't kinky or gross 9compared to alot of the other stuff out there these days, it's nice to read a sensual erotic romance that has not degenereated into porn, but has remained romantic through and through. Sexy stuff, and despite what her critics say, Henley one of the few authors who's purple prose is fun to read, not annoying. And her sexual banter between the characters is as always great fun to read. Ribald and very much in keeping with the Elizabethan setting. The sexual tension between Bess and Shrew is well developed, and the ending (in the book at least) is a happy one.

In real life, for those who care, the real Bess had 8 children and lost 2, her first marriage took place when she was 13 and may well have been consumated, her third husband was twice a widower and had kids of his own and was no virgin as implied, Shrew was a cheater who conducted an affair with a chambermaid that Bess was an eyewitness to, and she and he lived most of their lives in separate residences till his death, which left Bess the richest woman in England, second only to the queen. Mary Queen of Scots was kept prisoner in many of Shrewsbury's holdings, and it was alledged that Shrew and Mary had a fling. Angry and spiteful, Bess went on a jealous slandering campaign, upset the Queen many times, and even plotted to have her grand daughter Arabella marry Charles the Stuart heir to England's throne. She meddled in all her children's lives, rebuild her beloved Hardwick, and left behind a legacy of generations of peers to the realm, as well as some of the most beautiful and famous homes and lands in England. If you thought she was conniving, manipulative, ambitious, selfserving and greedy in the novel (especially toward the end with Shrew) it's nothing compared to how the real woman was. A genuine product of her tumoltuous times, Bess was no worse than the men of age, and was outstanding among the women. She had her good points which the author highlighted (or embellished for literary effect) and was one of the most exciting women of her day. A heroine well worthy of this fascinating novel.

An Alexis carrington of the 16th Century--devilishly fun to read. this book's a guilty pleasure and in Henley's compitent hands, a true keeper!

NOW GO READ IT!

This was my second Virginia Henley book and I loved it. The story covers many years of Elizabeth Hardwick during which she experiences all things during the Tudor rule of England. Many historical facts are included in the reading. Elizabeth vows to overcome her poverty as a child, and to one day own her own household. From that vow on Elizabeth experiences the lavish, colorful, and privilege of the Tudor court. She experiences love and loss. This book made me laugh and cry, several times. A must read for any history fan or Virginia Henley fan.

This book is by far the worst of Henley's. Don't get me wrong, I love a good common-girl-rises-up-and-takes-the-nobility-by-the-... story, but this one fails. It only illustrates how mercenary (and apparently, rather promiscuous) Bess was. And Henley conveniently omits the later years of Bess' life, when she became the ... of England. It's common knowlegde that when she could not keep George Talbot from straying, she ruined innocent people's lives. Granted, Mary Queen of Scots was no nun, but Bess took advantage of her vunerability and ruined her further. This woman does not deserve to be remembered in the romantic way Henley portrayers her. She gives all women who have and do aspire to be more than they are a bad name.

In a word -WOW!!! Ms. Henley really out did herself. I was hesitant to purchase a novel catagorized as a "Fictionalized Biography" particularly when the heroine, Bess Hardwick, marries no less than four men! But Viginia Henley really pulls it off. This story is not your typical romance because it breaks the stereotype that the heroine can only have one true love.The most compelling of all is the fact that Bess Hardwick was a real person who lived during Elizabeth I's reign. She became the wealthiest women in England second only to the queen herself. Buy it in hardcover because your going to want to read it over and over.

Though still a young teenager, poverty-stricken Bess Hardwick attains a position in the household of Lady Margaret Zouche. Ultimately, she gets to go the King Henry's court and meets Princess Elizabeth.

However, due to family pressure and English inheritance laws, she is forced to wed the ailing Robert Barlow before she is sixteen. Because of his health, they never consummate the marriage. A year later, he dies. When Rogue Cavendish's wife dies, he marries Bess. They have a passionate love affair. However, when Henry dies and Queen Mary attains the throne, unbearable pressure is placed on Rogue. He soon dies from a heart attack. Bess next accepts a proposal from the kind but elderly William St. Loe. Four and a half years later, he dies. Throughout all this time, Bess has been attracted to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, but knows that there chance for a lifetime together is remote.

With her newest novel, Virginia Henley proves that readers know a good thing as evident by her numerous best selling novels and awards. A WOMAN OF PASSION is more than just an Elizabethan romance. Instead it is biographical fiction that brings an era and a brave person to life. This well-written fictionalized account of the real life and events of Bess Hardwick, an influential figure during the Elizabethan era may be Ms. Henley's best work to date, which is saying a lot because her resume of erotic historical romances include some of the all time best works.

Harriet Klausner

I was just looking for something to read on a plane and found this gem of a book. Henley's portrayal of Bess of Hardwick is lively and engaging, the kind of book that you can read over and over again (which I do!). Bess' triumphs over multiple trials, her gradual rise in Tudor society to the rank of Countess of Shrewsbury -- not too bad for a farm gal -- is a fun read for anyone with any interest in Tudor England. Is this accurate? Who cares! Few books bring a smile to my face like this one.

For those who dislike the book b/c of historical inaccuracies, it should be noted it is called fiction for a reason. With that said Henley does a wonderful job of turning a real life person, Bess Hardwick, who was in actuality manipulative, greedy, and for want of a better phrase "not pretty" into an ambitious, passionate beauty.

The deaths of her 1st and 2nd husbands are real tear jerkers. But, after that Bess seems to become more jaded with her life. It seems she thinks, "what do I do now that I have everything?"
From that point, she seems to be driven by an "empty ambition", in other words, she does what she does just to have something to do, it's like putting a cherries at the top of a well-made sundae. It's really disturbing that she doesn't really show any overt passion/love for her children. She sees them as a means to an end: To promote her legacy/dynasty.

Her 4th husband Talbot is first introduced early in the book and is more intriguing, at that point, than her 2nd husband Cavendish,whose relationship with Bess is discussed for most of the book. When Talbot is introduced, I kept wanting Cavendish to go away but, he kept disappearing after very brief appearances that spanned years apart. Unfortunately, when Talbot is brought back in the story at last I was not as excited as I was when he appeared earlier in the book. After Cavendish (and over the years), Talbot seem insignificant when he comes back into the story. And, I can't really see Bess loving him and sharing the "passion" she had with Cavendish.

I think the book should have been more about George than Cavendish. In this case, "saving the best for last" didn't work out well because the reader is burnt out after being on an emotional roller coaster!

A Woman of Passion had potential, but the author killed it. The main thing about this book that made me dislike it so much is that fact that it is so glaringly historically inacurate. In the book, Elizabeth Hardwick is a compassionate, sincere, clever beautiful woman, when in reality she was a cunning, scheming, hateful mean witch. Also, Frances Suffolk is portrayed as a likeable, comic lady of nobility, when every account in history states that she was wicked, abusive, and at times downright evil. There are other glaring inaccuracies as well. The book is badly written, badly researched, and badly portrayed. Bess Hardwick's story is romanticized and [bent] in this novel. You can tell that it was written for the sex scenes, because those are the only parts that are really descriptive. The only good point about this book is that it is mildly entertaining, and it passes the time. Don't bother with this one if you know history, and prefer actual literarture to inaccurate, badly written, unrealistic romance.

Bess Hardwick is determined to make all her life's dreams come true. This book gives such a deep and rich detailing of Bess's life and loves. It goes well beyond the typical "meet, love, disagree, and reunite" themes that so many romance novels have.

It follows her through her childhood to her four marriages and gives each one depth. You'll love the steam that she shares with Sir Cavendish, and feel true sympathy for her and Robert Barlow, her first husband who she marries to save her family. Poor Robert sure gets an A effort at least. You'll love this book and how entailed it is. You will feel so in touch with Bess that you;ll be sad when the book ends. It is truly one of the best historical romances Ive read.