|
ELIZABETH AND THE PRINCE OF SPAIN (Good Queen Bess 3)
|
| List Price: | £7.99 |
| Price: | £5.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery on orders over £5. Details |
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk
29 new or used available from £0.01
Average customer review:
Product Description
Philip of Spain, unwilling bridegroom of Queen Mary, has been warned about the Queen's half-sister, the young Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn. According to all reports, she is a heretic, a rebel and a potential enemy with 'a spirit full of enchantment'. But Philip is not deterred, and Elizabeth must advance warily towards her destiny, running the gauntlet between Bloody Mary's jealousy and morbid outbursts of hate, and Philip's uneasy ardour...
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #102721 in Books
- Published on: 2008-01-28
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
'More Tudor gusto and verve than David Starkey' VICKI WOODS, The Telegraph 'One of Britain's most accomplished historical novelists. Her love and respect for the past shines through every page' SARAH DUNANT 'Margaret Irwin's books have an unsurpassed colour and gusto' THE TIMES
Customer Reviews
Elizabethan psychological study
This novel is my favourite by Margaret Irwin, as it explores the psychological battle between Elizabeth and Philip II of Spain before she became Elizabeth I.
Mary Tudor has married Philip II and is hopeful of bearing him an heir so that England may remain Roman Catholic after her death. Philip is an indifferent husband and it is clear that he married Mary purely for his own, and his own country's ends, and not for love. Elizabeth is in the background and Philip observes the sisterly rivarly between her and Mary very closely, but protects Elizabeth from Mary's jealousy. Elizabeth fascinates him and there is a strong sexual attraction to her. What if Mary died and Elizabeth were free to marry him? The possibilities are endless and how powerful Spain would be. She would, of course, have to convert to Catholicism and forsake her heretic ways, but she is young and could bear him children.
What ensues between these two characters is a very elaborate chess game, with two highly intelligent people plotting every move with precision. Philip is a cold, emotionless man (apart from his political ambitions) whereas Elizabeth is fire itself. The novel also brilliantly shows how dangerous Tudor England was for a royal woman who was considered a very real danger to her sister's rule.
A perfect nove, and one that will be re-read this autumn. Superb!
