The Virgin s Lover
CDN$ 7.90
Uncoventional Elizabeth makes me sad - I would like to say that sometimes I do like Phillipa Gregory s books. I really do. But the way she portrayed Elizabeth in this novel was immensely disappointing to me. I thought her portrayal in The Queens Fool was leading to a good, non-conventional portrayal of Elizabeth. And then I read this book. The Elizabeth in the Virgin s Lover is not all that smart. She is not self-sufficient. There is nothing in her character to suggest that she could rule a country on her own when the world was run by men. She is a weak, desperate woman who can t do anything if Robin Dudley isn t with her every minute of the day. And Robin! Why does he have to be so power hungry? There is very little inkling in his character that he loves Elizabeth deeply, or even really cares about her beyond sex! All he cares about is being King! Realistically I know that Robin must have had some aspirations to be king, but as a hopeless romantic I d desperately wanted this novel to a more supportive version of the famous Elizabeth/Dudley romance. Instead it just made me feel sad and hopeless that their much celebrated relationship was anything more than a political ploy by an overly ambitious man.
Well Written but Watered Down - This is the third Philippa Gregory novel that I have read. While I found it entertaining, it seemed watered down. I see Elizabeth I as a strong, larger than life character. It seems that Gregory sees her as a weak female who couldn t make decisions for herself. She was portrayed more as a men s puppet than a queen in her own right. I much preferred Philippa Gregory s The Other Boleyn Girl.
Don t Compare This To Actual History! - Although new to this author I ve read a few of her earlier works and truly enjoyed her take on historical figures and the stories she created around them. With that said I feel that Ms. Gregory s latest effort ",The Virgin s Lover", although entertaining was a tad of a let down. Perhaps due to the fact that it s a story about Queen Elizabeth and there are so many preconceived ideas about this amazing woman that creating a story for her cheats the reader. The story revolves around the love triangle of the young queen Elizabeth, Robert Dudley, and Dudley s wife Amy. There was always a connection between Elizabeth and Robert that neither could admit to or act on. Despite this their relationship grows, changes and although Elizabeth loves Robert she draws the line at allowing him to rule as King. She d rather he rule as Queen s Consort. On the otherside of this coin is Robert and his wife Amy. Amy is a Catholic and although she practices in secret a divorce from Robert is not in the cards. Elizabeth feeling torn turns to her trusted advisor William Cecil looking for help. Cecil has no love for Dudley and he knows that it would be bad policy if he was made King. But he is more concerned with the fact that the Dudley family historically has participated in treasonous activities and that Roberts love for Elizabeth may not be the best thing for the young queen. After all an ambitious man will do almost anything to see that he gets what he want s. When love, a countries best interests, and a secret meet...nothing good can come from it. What will Elizabeth do when faced with this situation and William Cecil s plans to put it to rest? Historically speaking it s difficult to put twists and turns on events that truly happened. The creativity then come from the concept of ",what if...", and I feel that this is where Ms. Gregory started her plotting. This is a fantistical love triangle that truly existed. Robert Dudley was the Queens favorite and this is historically understood. Perhaps this is why this story fell flat. No matter how hard you try...you just can t re-write history. Ms. Gregory though does an amazing job of bringing to life, the court, the time period, and her characters Robert and Elizabeth. The reader will truly feel the angst of this love triangle. Come to this read with an open mind and the reader should do just fine. Forget what you were taught and just enjoy this work of fiction as it stands.