Phillipa Gregory’s The Virgin’s Lover

[Rareviewer1]

I love historical novels, and the Tudors and Stuarts are a particularly rich period for the novelist, producing larger than life figures who changed the entire face of England.
Queen Elizabeth I, and her rumored affair with Robert Dudley, is definitely one of the topics that a writer of historical novels can delight in. Moreover, Phillipa Gregory writes well. She creates characters who are vivid and complex. Her pictures of the English Court are so vivid that they leap off the page, and come to life in colorful detail.

And yet, ultimately, this novel disappoints, because Gregory portrays Elizabeth, one of its main characters, as such an utter wuss! She can’t make up get mind Togo to war. She can’t make up her mind to leave Dudley, even though she can see that he’s trying to usurp her throne.

A reader is left to wonder - what can either Cecil, her Secretary of State, or Dudley see in her?

And so, the story seems to rest on a weak foundation, and is, ultimately, not as successful as many of Gregory’s other books.

On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 6. I wouldn’t say that reading it was a waste of my time. Gregory handles language too well for that. What I would say is that I’ve spent better time in England in Phillipa Gregory’s company before I read this book.

[lolgreenninja]

I completely agree!

As an avid fan of Phillipa Gregory's writing style, which handles historical settings with a modern zest, I was eager to read The Virgin's Lover, and overall was very pleased with the book. As usual, Gregory creates a world that sucks you in, with drama, thrill, angst and humour in equal measures. I was particularly a fan of the way that she presented Cecil and all his rationalized cunning, and her creation of Amy Dudley's character, creating empathy for her and showcasing the tough situation that she was in.

However, I do think that The Virgin's Lover could have been better, as it is built upon pure historical speculation and perhaps shows a strangely motivated Queen Elizabeth. Although I like the book, I would recommend her books with focus on Catherine of Aragon and Mary I, as it shows greater emotional depth and truly builds up characters that the reader will love.