The Virgin's Lover
Author(s): Philippa Gregory
A sumptuous historical novel set in the court of Elizabeth I, from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl. Now I can be the queen that my mother intended me to be . . . the queen I was born to be. 1558. After years of waiting, Princess Elizabeth accedes to the throne of England. But the country is divided, the restoration of the Protestant faith ignites opposition from the church and beyond, and court remains a treacherous place. Many believe that Elizabeth must marry if she is to survive. For Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's ascension is a glorious new dawn, and he quickly positions himself as the young queen's favourite. Dudley is a man of powerful lineage; his father had been a kingmaker at the court of Henry VIII. But Dudley has many enemies, amongst them William Cecil, the queen's most trusted advisor. As powerful families vie for stakes in the emerging kingdom, Elizabeth must secure her own future.
Product Information
Praise for THE QUEEN'S FOOL:
'Philippa Gregory [who] is a mesmerizing storyteller.' -- SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'An atmospheric read for anyone who loves to wallow in Tudor intrigue.' -- DAILY TELEGRAPH
'After serving up the highly delicious The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory has concocted yet another treat from the Tudor court... I loved The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool is even better... The pleasure to be found in this kind of historical fiction is a chair-by-the-fireside-on-a-cold-winter's-night kind of pleasure... it is the kind of pleasure only a born storyteller can offer.' -- INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
'A rich brew of passion and intrigue.' -- DAILY MAIL
'Potent historical romance!a thrilling plot.' -- MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Fascinating! engrossing! memerising! riveting! compelling! A pacey narrative that is just begging to be read in one sitting.' -- SUNDAY EXPRESS
Further acclaim for THE QUEEN'S FOOL:
'A splendid tale of passionate liaisons. Gregory exuberantly depicts the struggle between Mary and Elizabeth' -- WOMAN & HOME
'A hugely satisfying plot-twist-a-page story.' -- TIME OUT
'Burns with passion.' -- INDEPENDENT
'A gripping page-turner; this follow-up to The Other Boleyn Girl confirms Gregory as our best writer of historical fiction.' -- CHOICE
Praise for THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL:
'It is a credit to Gregory that she is able to sustain interest in an epic-length tale when the ending is one of the most well-known moments in English history. The very believable dialogue and detail take you all the way into the claustrophobic privy chambers of the royal palaces... Gregory has launched herself into a popular period and produced something with that most underrated of virtues: readability.' -- THE TIMES
'This is an intelligent variation on a familiar tale [with] witty use of metaphor' -- TLS
'This compulsively readable novel is a wonderful account of the Tudor court... This is the finest historical novel of this year' -- DAILY MAIL
Philippa Gregory is an established witer and broadcaster for radio and television. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. She lives in the north of England with her family.
General Fields
- :
- : HarperCollins Publishers
- : HarperCollins GB
- : 0.322
- : April 2005
- : books
Special Fields
- : very good
- : 823/.914
- : English
- : Paperback
- : Philippa Gregory