Readers see the queen through her own eyes and those of her cousin, Lettice Knollys, wife of Elizabethan heartthrob Robert Dudley, aka the earl of Leicester. Unlike most contemporary depictions of the Virgin Queen, this one is actually a virgin she’s married to England, whose interests she pursues with shrewdness, courage, and wisdom borne of surviving the deaths of her family. Personal and political conflicts among such larger-than-life historical figures as Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, and Will Shakespeare intertwine in George’s meticulously envisioned portrait of Elizabeth I during the last 25 years of her reign.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.” – Alison Weir It conveys a vivid and authentic sense of Elizabeth Tudor and her world. Extensively researched with the highest integrity, and deeply engaging, it sets a new benchmark for the genre. “This is one of the best historical novels I have read in ages, a stunning tour de force. Her Elizabeth in autumn is unforgettable.” “This is Margaret George’s best book yet and a true masterpiece. This magnificent, stay-up-all-night page-turner is George’s finest and one that is sure to delight readers of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Hilary Mantel. Intimate portraits of the personalities who made the Elizabethan age great-Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dudley, Raleigh, Drake-fill these pages, giving us an unforgettable glimpse of a queen who ruled as much from the heart as from the head, and considered herself married to her people. Their rivalry, and its ensuing drama, soon involves everyone close to Elizabeth, from the famed courtiers who enriched the crown to the legendary poets and playwrights who paid homage to it with their works. This is a story of two women of fierce intellect and desire, one trying to protect her country, and throne, the other trying to regain power and position for her family. Elizabeth’s rival for the love of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and mother to the Earl of Essex, the mercurial nobleman who challenged Elizabeth’s throne, Lettice has been intertwined with Elizabeth since childhood.
In this novel, her flame-haired, look-alike cousin, Lettice Knollys, thinks she knows all too well. England’s greatest monarch has baffled and intrigued the world for centuries. One of today’s premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma-the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies. New York Times best-selling Margaret George captures history’s most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart.
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