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The Virgin's Lover

By Philippa Gregory

(43)

| eBook | 9780743275347

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Book Description


In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will pull her husband back to the very cent Continue


In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will pull her husband back to the very center of the glamorous Tudor court, where he was born to be. Amy had hoped that the merciless ambitions of the Dudley family had died on Tower Green when Robert's father was beheaded and his sons shamed; but the peal of bells she hears is his summons once more to power, intrigue, and a passionate love affair with the young queen. Can Amy's steadfast faith in him, her constant love, and the home she wants to make for them in the heart of the English countryside compete with the allure of the new queen?

Elizabeth's excited triumph is short-lived. She has inherited a bankrupt country, riven by enmity, where treason is normal and foreign war a certainty. Her faithful advisor William Cecil warns her that she will survive only if she marries a strong prince to govern the rebellious country, but the one man Elizabeth desires is her childhood friend, the irresistible, ambitious Robert Dudley.

Robert revels in the opportunities of the new reign. The son of an aristocratic family brought up in palaces as the equal of his royal playmates, Robert knows he can reclaim his destiny at Elizabeth's side. Elizabeth cannot resist his courtship, and as the young couple slowly falls in love, Robert starts to think the impossible: can he set aside his wife and marry the young queen?

Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover answers the question about an unsolved crime that has fascinated detectives and historians for centuries. Philippa Gregory uses documents and evidence from the Tudor era and, with almost magical insight into the desires of Robert Dudley and his lovers, paints a picture of a country on the brink of greatness, a young woman grasping at her power, a young man whose ambition is greater than his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them.

Critics

  • The Best Reviews: Philippa Gregory, The Virgin's Lover

    "A wonderful work of historical fiction" In 1858 much of England rejoices that Catholic Mary Tudor has died ending her of terror. In her place is her half- sister the Protestant Elizabeth. Though many are euphoric that Mary is with her maker, most qu ... (read full critics)

    thebestreviews published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

  • The Virgin's Lover By Philippa Gregory

    The power of the throne wields an exacting price for all within the sphere of its influence courtiers, counselors, bishops alike in Philippa Gregory's robust historical novel, The Virgin's Lover. When Elizabeth I becomes queen, Robert Dudley convince ... (read full critics)

    bookpage published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

5 Reviews

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    If you want to establish the time line of Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels they would go: The Constant Princess (Katherine of Aragon); The Other Boleyn Girl (Anne Boleyn); The Boleyn Inheritance (Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard); The Queens Fool (Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I); The Virgin’s Lover (E ... (continue)

    If you want to establish the time line of Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels they would go: The Constant Princess (Katherine of Aragon); The Other Boleyn Girl (Anne Boleyn); The Boleyn Inheritance (Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard); The Queens Fool (Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I); The Virgin’s Lover (Elizabeth I) and The Other Queen (Mary Queen of Scots).

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    wgeddert said on Jul 24, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • I have to say that I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory but I found this book to be very disappointing. It took me a long time to get into the book and even once I was semi-engrossed in it I wasn't as captivated as usual. I found the story not be as passionate as I feel it could have been. However, i ... (continue)

    I have to say that I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory but I found this book to be very disappointing. It took me a long time to get into the book and even once I was semi-engrossed in it I wasn't as captivated as usual. I found the story not be as passionate as I feel it could have been. However, it was an interesting portrayal of the love triangle between Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and Amy Dudley.

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    Valentine said on Jun 18, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • I have not read any of Philippa Gregory's novels for about five years or more and I had forgotten how good a writer she is.She brings alive the story, based on fact, of Amy and Robert Dudley and the effect on their lives that Robert's obsession with his rightful place in society along with his passi ... (continue)

    I have not read any of Philippa Gregory's novels for about five years or more and I had forgotten how good a writer she is.She brings alive the story, based on fact, of Amy and Robert Dudley and the effect on their lives that Robert's obsession with his rightful place in society along with his passion/love for Elizabeth I has.It is very easy to forget that this is a work of fiction as the author's extensive research brings history alive on the printed page.

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    Lindyloumac said on Dec 5, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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