Customer Reviews: Read 39 more reviews...
 An Elizabethan Tug of War August 19, 2008
I love Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels and am only sorry that I have now concluded reading all of them. This one has some problems that disappointed me - Elizabeth is a giggling, easily-led dope, and not the shrewd manipulator and politician that we know her to be from historical record. I suspect Dudley and Cecil are fairly accurately represented, however, and I was very interested in the viewpoint of Amy Dudley, the innocent wife cast aside in favor of power and the title of King.
This was an interesting read, and one that kept me turning the pages, but it was not up to the standard of the other Tudor books. I preferred Boleyn Inheritance and The Constant Princess for intrigue. I hope for better things in the future.
A woman who happens to be a queen July 28, 2008
When i finished with The Queen's Fool, i've hated Elizabeth for her laughing at her sister's misfortune. Philippa has deliberately darken the character of Elizabeth in that book. But in this one, Elizabeth is no more than a woman who happens to be a queen. I would like to believe her love to Robert is real, so it makes the saddest love story of monarchs.
Honestly i did not fully finish the book. There's still about a 100 pages left, but i just couldn't stand to see Amy killed, worse, i don't want to see how Robert MUST break up with Elizabeth.
In terms of plots, the story is not as attractive as The Queen's Fool and The Constant Princess.
Brilliant but not as good as the others July 24, 2008
I only discovered Philippa Gregory a month ago and I am already a big fan. Having read 'The Other Boleyan Girl' and 'The Queen's Fool' and thoroughly enjoyed them I was quite excited to read 'The Virgin's Lover' and I am pleased to say that although not as good as it's predessesors it is still a very worthwhile read.
Previous reviewers have summarised the story so I won't repeat what's already been said but let me just state that this book is excellently written and definitely deserves to be on the bestseller list.
Perhaps other reviews have been a bit mixed about this book. I think this is because this book is bound to suffer from comparisions to it's predessors. Arguably it isn't as addictive but it is still good although at times it is a bit slow-paced especially Cecil's parts, which seemed like more of a history lesson than a historical novel. It is at best brilliant, at worst mediocre. I don't think this has anything to do with the author's ability to write but more that she chose a relatively short time period (two years in fact)so there's an absence of material to write about. However on a seriously critical note the ending is somewhat abrupt and unexpected leaving the reader feeling agitated and wondering why the final part of the story is rushed by so hastily. It is mainly for this reason that I give this novel 4* instead of 5.
The only reason I can give for the mixed reviews is that perhaps people don't like the way Gregory changed her style with this novel. In her previous books she writes in the first person a technique that I myself felt worked incredibly well helping to draw us straight into the action and really making us empathise with the character. However in this book the author writes from the point of view of four characters: Elizabeth, Robert, Amy and Cecil. This approach works well in that it does show us the bigger picture and gives us a more objective view of events but on the other hand it suffers in that it lacks the personal style we have come to associate with Gregory's books. That was the only slightly debatable problem with this novel and is more of a personal preference than a serious fault. Perhaps four characters was a bit too adventurous. Three would have been sufficient.
What I liked about this book in particular is that the characters appear very human and are therefore easier to relate to. What also is very interesting is that it is very difficult to discern from reading what side Gregory was on. The characters are in many ways not very likable; whether this was Gregory's intention or not remains ambiguous. Despite Gregory's attempts to portray Amy as a pious, strong woman desperately clinging to her faith and her straying husband during a time of great political and religious upheaval I still couldn't help but find her a weak, whining and aboveall irritating character. I always sighed with agitation when I came to reading Amy's parts. Undoubtedly she is critical to the story but I felt there wasn't enough story to keep one interested especially when you compare her with the glamour of court. I liked the portrayal of Elizabeth. Too many history books depict Elizabeth as this fierce woman. It was refreshing to see a more human and vulnerable side to her although I found her inability to perform her role as Queen without the presence of Robert rather irritating as the story progressed. As for Robert: well what can I say? Of all the characters Robert is the best progressed from The Queen's Fool. In fact he was probably my favourite character in the book. He had great presence (some very good one-liners might I add and the romance scenes are excellently executed) and even towards the end when his true intentions are revealed one cannot help but feel sorry for him. I think that's what made this book truly great: characters that irritate and annoy you but yet you wanted them to happy.
Overall I would highly recommend this novel though it is advised to read 'The Other Boleyan Girl' and 'The Queen's Fool' beforehand as it does put the story into perspective.
 Dissapointed May 3, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having read a few of pg's books i was expecting this to be in the same league as The other boleyn girl and boleyn inheritance ect.. but sadly it wasn't, i found i was bored half way through and couldn't wait to finish it!
The Author is a Born Storyteller February 13, 2008
Born in Kenya in 1954, Philippa Gregory moved to England with her family at the age of two and was educated in Bristol. Philippa now lives in the north of England with her husband and two children. She has written a number of highly acclaimed historical novels and her latest ones revolve around the rich tapestry provided by the Tudor period. I have not read all of the authors books but Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth were among the ones I have read and I found those two fascinating.
In the novel The Virgin's Lover the church bells have rung out across the land to let the people of England know that Elizabeth is queen. The people are happy to hear the news. There has been much unrest in the country since the death of Henry VIII. But one woman is not so pleased to hear the bells, Amy Dudley the wife of Sir Robert knows that once the queen is settled on her throne, Sir Robert will be called back to the intrigues of the Tudor Court. Amy's hopes that the Dudley families ambitions had died with the death of Robert's father, had ended. The bells were once more summoning her husband to the power struggles of the court.
Elizabeth has inherited a land in turmoil, close to rebellion and her chief advisor warns that she can only rule if she marries a strong prince, but the only man that Elizabeth is interested in is her childhood friend.
Robert Dudley is sure that he can make a name for himself and discover is destiny at the side of the queen and as their love for one another grows, Dudley begins to think that the impossible could happen . . .
|
