The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel

By the time I was half-way through this, I was sure I had read & reviewed this already, I figured a few of the incidents were really familiar.

So, whether I've already read this or not, I'll review it (again).

This is the fictionalized account of Elizabeth I's childhood & ascension to the throne.

Alison Weir, wow what an imagination that women has, especially in light of the fact that she also writes non-fiction about the Tudors. What I believe is that she should instead write Romance novels, because this read like one.

The book begins w/ Elizabeth as a 2-yr old embroidering... Oh yes! Then at three doing some other amazing feat (it might have been another language)..... But whatever it was, can you say "Savant"?

Later when she is first introduced to Katherine Parr's household and gets sight of Seymour in an illicit embrace w/ Katherine, she gets so wet & excited herself she begins her menses! Seriously?

So if you can ignore the b.s. and ridiculous sappy romantic parts, you might like this book. But I will tell you, it is nothing you haven't read already.

I finished this book, because I was sick in bed and didn't want to get up and go look for another.

Written by a historian, and a wonderful glimpse into the youth of Elizabeth I.

Weir is a historian and a great biographer. Her fiction is fabulously readable and spot-on accurate historically.

A very readable novel that yet again shows how the events and personalities of Tudor England lend themselves so well to dramatic fictional reconstructions. I was a bit annoyed by Elizabeth's pregnancy here, though had been pre-warned in the historical note at the end that this was a decision of Weir the novelist as opposed to Weir the historian.

I have read several of Alison Weir's non-fiction work, and also her first novel, Innocent Traitor. I thought Innocent Traitor was OK, and hoped that her second would be better. Unfortunately, I feel it was worse. I found it quite difficult to read through to the end. The characters are quite wooden, and I didn't find the dialogue believable, particularly at the beginning. Elizabeth as a toddler certainly doesn't act or sound like a toddler! I know she is supposed to be intelligent, but I just couldn't find it believable. The dialogue could also have been a little bit more historically accurate at times (less modern colloquial terms). There are also inaccuracies, which I found disappointing for a historian - Anne Boleyn's necklace was a 'B', not an 'A'. She also did not have a sixth finger; if she had, there is no way that she would have been allowed to (let alone popular at!) the French and English courts. And, sometimes, she is perhaps too accurate - name-dropping titles of books that Elizabeth is reading. Maybe this was to 'set the scene' a litte, but I found it irritating, and felt like the author was showing off her historical knowledge of the period, rather than developing the description or story further. I've not read any other books that do this. Personally, I feel that the subject, for a second novel, was a poor choice, especially as popular Tudor fiction author Philippa Gregory has had one published recently. (And does it better too, in my opinion!) Overall this is quite a clunky, wooden and slow read, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it. I will be avoiding any of Weir's future fiction works.

Historian Alison Weir makes some bold assumptions in the fictional account of the life of Elizabeth I. She indicates in her notes at the end of the book, that while their is no absolute verifiable evidence that Elizabeth became pregnant by Thomas Seymour, there were enough historically recorded rumors to all for the possibility. She takes these possibilities to write a different story of the young 'Virgin Queen'. The story takes us up only to the day she becomes Queen upon the death of her half-sister Mary. It begins with a precocious not quite 3 year old and takes up through all the emotional peaks and valleys--- the death of her mother, the ensuing musical chairs list of step-mothers, her imprisonment in the Tower, her house arrest, the on again/off again availability of tutors to help her keep her very keen mind engaged, her numerous illnesses, the plots in which she (or her servants) may or may not have been involved, the constant moving from one house to another, her early teenage crush on Tom Seymour, the death of her brother Edward, her feigned re-conversion to Catholocism to please her sister Mary--- that Elizabeth endured before assuming the throne at the age of 25.I highly recommend this for fans of the era, although I'm not sure if I'd say this is the best place to start if you've never read anything else about Elizabeth. There certainly are no lack of other volumes on the subject.

Enjoyable read about the early life of Elizabeth I by historian turned novelist Alison Weir. Weir is a fantastic historian and the attention to detail shines through in the book. This is nicely balanced with lively dialogue and a sense of drama.

Very highly recommended! A most wonderful story of the Lady Elizabeth where you are drawn right into the midst of everything from the first page. A real page turner, wonderfully written, and extremely hard to put down. Exciting from first to last page.

I must admit that when I first looked at this book that I had to read for my book club, I was nonplussed. Ugh...it looked long, boring, and stuffy. Then...Weir's magic wrapped me and kept my interest for the next 472 pages. Well-paced, well-written, very satisfying, suspenseful...a masterful job of breathing life into an historical person. Now I can't wait to read/find more about Elizabeth, the Queen.

This book was a disappointment to me. the historical fiction market is flooded with books on Queen Elizabeth but I was curious to read a book by an author that until recently has focused on scholarly work over fiction. I thought that she might try a different angle or provide different insights, I was wrong. Having previously read works by Gregory I would have to recommend them over this work. The book lacks excitement and the dialog does not seem natural in many scenes. There are a few historical inaccuracies which I generally am willing to overlook since it is fiction. These do not add to the plot so seem more of careless mistakes rather than artistic expression. One example is having Anne's necklace being the wrong letter, there is no need for this alteration. Not a bad read but there are better stories on the market for those interested in this topic.

When I read Alison Weir's first novel, Innocent Traitor, I was underwhelmed but hoped she might improve in the future. I'm glad to say her sophomore effort was much better. I wouldn't call The Lady Elizabeth the best novel in the universe, or even the best Tudor novel in the universe, but unlike in Innocent Traitor, Ms. Weir does seem to realize she is writing a fictional story, and she doesn't spend quite so much time cramming all the characters' motives down the reader's throat. Elizabeth's bumpy early life is fascinating in any case; you could hardly accuse this book of being boring.Recommended for Tudor junkies only; I don't think the average citizen would find this worthwhile.

Alison Weir is a superb writer of non-fiction, specialising in biographies of prominent women - like Katherine Swynford and Eleanor of Aquitane - and weaving the facts into a compelling historical narrative. In the last few years she has turned her hand to historical fiction, also telling the stories of historically significant women including, in this book, Elizabeth I. Weir's historical knowledge shines throughout the book as it traces Elizabeth's life up to the point she becomes Queen. Like her non-fiction, it is an easy, pacey read, with all personalities and motivations of the key players clearly set out. One gripe, though is Weir's tendency when writing fiction to occasionally trespass into the language of romantic historical bodice- rippers. That style is more to the fore in the early part of this book, perhaps as Weir is seeking to describe the thoughts of Elizabeth as a young girl. Though this is a good read, I'd recommend Weir's non-fiction account of Elizabeth (Elizabeth the Queen) over this novel. Eloquently written, it reads as easily as fiction but without the flowery language that pops up in the novel.

Simply splendid. I have read all of Weir's historical, scholarly accounts of the royals and I love those. This is different, more alive, more vibrant. She takes some liberties but carefully explains them in the epilogue. It's hard to imagine that the world needed yet another fictionalized biography of the young Elizabeth, but after racing through this one, I am forced to conclude that it did. Recommended for Tudor geeks like me.

This book covers Elizabeth's life from early childhood until she becomes queen. It's mostly a good and believable account, although the affair with Thomas Seymour was given far too much prominence.I didn't enjoy the early part of the book, because the young Elizabeth was portrayed as impossibly precocious - it's hard to believe that any three-year old would behave in the way Elizabeth did in the book. But it became more believable later.The most interesting parts for me were the Protestant/Catholic split, the succession issues, and the political intrigue.

I enjoyed this for the most part. Weir does a good job of blending the known historical details and using the rumors of what "might have been" to her advantage in creating drama in this novel. However, the novel, after getting off to a strong start, slows to a plodding pace in the middle and has trouble regaining its early promise. Perhaps more ruthless editing (50 less pages?) might have helped.

Taking fiction and some fact, Alison Weir weaves an interesting story about Queen Elizabeths life before she became Queen. Including a pregnancy that miscarried and an occasional nocturnal presence that may or may not have been her mother's ghost (the author mentions introducing a paranormal element, it didn't really come across as strong enough to be labelled as paranormal but I'm sure some readers would disagree)Yes, there are times when things stretch belief but I found it an interesting read, though it did lag in places. I found myself wanting to find out more about some of the various characters involved which isn't a bad thing when you're reading historical fiction.

Listened to the NLS version. Long book. I like how it started with Elizabeth as a child, and showed her intelligence. I enjoyed how the author took a few liberties by having Elizabeth miscarry a baby at a young age. It was an interesting way to provide a motive for Elizabeth's feelings on marriage. Very good book on the Tudor period that also fleshes out some of the other characters: Henry, Edward, Mary, etc.

Since this is the first book I have ever read by Alison Weir, I cannot compare this with her non-fiction work.I have to say this novel is, in my opinion, a great success and I sincerely hope Alison Weir will write more works of fiction. The style is easy to follow, even though she does try to stay true to the times and often uses very old fashioned words. It adds to the atmosphere.I think this book is well written and she makes the historical figures come to life. I simply couldn't put this book down after about 50 pages.At the end of the book she explains which liberties she has taken and therefore you also know which parts of the book are based on historical facts as we know them. Very educational and enjoyable to read. If you are at all interested in Elizabeth I it's a must read.

The fact that she became Queen of England is just amazing. Her father, King Henry VIII, didn't always love her but he did allow her to be educated. Just like successful people today, she surrounded herself with loyal friends and she never stopped learning.

I really enjoyed this book. As with all of Alison Weir's books, it keeps to historical fact, with just enough license to make a great story. Ms. Weir always lets us know what parts she has taken liberty with, and I appreciate that, as well as the story that ensues.

I found this to be a much better read than I had expected. I initially was afraid that Weir's background as a historian would result in an emphasis on the historical at the expense of the literary elements you'd expect from a novel but there was a really nice balance. I actually preferred this to some of the Philippa Gregory books I've read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I had a hard time putting it down. In my opinion, the novel was well paced, not dragging events out but not rushing through them either. I highly recommend this book for any fans of the era.

I really enjoyed this book. There isn't too much out there about Elizabeth as a child from her point of view, so I thought it was really interesting.

Elizabeth from early childhood to ascension to the throne. A novel with a ring of truth

This is an engaging historical fiction novel. I was once again highly impressed by Alison Weir. She is a great writer and I couldn't put it down. This novel is focused on Queen Elizabeth I's childhood from birth till when she becomes queen. I loved this book but the reason why I did not give this 5 stars was because the author sometimes strayed way too far from the historical truth when it came to certain things such as Elizabeth's relationship with the Admiral. Ms. Weir sensationalized their relationship by having young Elizabeth become impregnated. This, according to all my research on Elizabeth and the Tudor time period, is completely and utterly false. She was never pregnant and most likely never had intercourse. She, at the most, engaged in "heavy petting". She was probably most likely molested by her stepfather but she was not raped. I think their relationships was sensational enough without needing the author to embellish it into romance novel like.But besides that, this is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the time period or historical fiction novels. Just bear in mind that this is a work of fiction.

I listened to this one on audio. Highly dramatized (by the author, I mean, not by the reader) and biased account of Elizabeth I's life from the death of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to her accession to the throne. Much of the story is, of course, familiar, but Weir elaborates on the relationships between Elizabeth and her halfsister Mary, and between her and her brother Edward. Here's where the bias comes in: it's obvious that Weir loves Elizabeth and detests Mary. Mary is depicted as a fond sister in the early years but suddenly becomes a jealous, paranoid witch when Elizabeth hits puberty. One of Mary's obsessions is convincing herself that Henry VIII was not Elizabeth's father; you don't need a DNA sample to prove THAT paternity, just take a look at their portraits (as several characters in the book keep pointing out to her). Elizabeth is, on the other hand, bright, beautiful, and precocious. It's a little hard to feel sorry for her when she has sex with her stepmother's husband, Thomas Seymour; she may be only 14 in the book, but Weir makes it clear that she has been forewarned many times. (The sex scene is particularly nauseating . . . maybe it WAS the reader in this case.) Weir spins a tale of improbably consequences (enough said about that). Overall, a little too romance-novelish for my taste, but it certainly beats most of Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The book is about Elizabeth I's early life from the time of her mother Anne Boleyn's death to the time she becomes Queen of England. I did not know anything about Elizabeth's life and it was so interesting reading about all she survived in order to become Queen. I thought the book was very well written. I would have really liked the book to keep going so that I could more about Elizabeth's life as she reigned. I will definitely be looking into Alison Weir's other novel and into more fiction and non-fiction works about Elizabeth I. 4 stars.

I wanted so much to love this book -- the story had great potential. However, there was just too much left unexplained. I didn't quite understand the father's reluctance in keeping the truth from his daughter while being open with the housekeeper and uniting with others from his past. I didn't quite understand the daughter's relationship with her lovers -- either one. I agree that there just didn't seem to be enough of a connection between her and the furniture repairer for a lasting relationship. And, at times, I felt the switch back and forth between the letters to Mrs. Roosevelt and the present were too much of a jump.I thought the ending was the best. Family memories are never quite what the reality was and every family member has a slightly different version. And every immigrant has a story to tell. I don't want this to be a totally negative review as there was much to offer. The book had a wonderful premise; I just wish it would have connected with me a bit more.

I think I can honestly say with hand on heart that this is the best historical fiction that I have read yet. Particularly about the Tudor's. As a teenager I read most of Jean Plaidy's historical novels and more recently I read one of Philippa Gregory's but this book certainly grabbed me. Although it is listed under fiction, a lot of the book is based on historical facts, but as the author herself admits there is artistic license in there too which makes the novel what it is.We meet Elizabeth just before she learns of her mother's death at the tender age of three. The first part is devoted to the time under Henry's reign. Where she meets various stepmothers, is taken under the wing of her older stepsister Mary who feels she should offer spiritual guidance to her sibling. Elizabeth's first stepmother Jane Seymour gives birth to a son who will become a future king. Elizabeth is very fond of her stepbrother and does not see him as often as she would like but eventually takes lessons with him and his tutors. On Henry's death Prince Edward is made King and we move into the second part of the book. Here we really see in full play the scheming and manipulation that went on behind the scenes. The King is still a child and is therefore advised by Lord Hertford who has set himself up as Head of the Council that makes the decisions. Once Mary is named Queen, Elizabeth's life takes a turn for the worse. Under Mary's catholic rule, the heretics (Protestants) face death and Elizabeth has to tread very delicately to save her own head. Queen Mary is manipulated by her advisers and her husband Philip of Spain and she turns against her sister almost against her own better judgement.This book kept me on my toes and is such a page turner that I found it extremely difficult to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone studying the Tudors, or wants a good book to get their teeth into or those who enjoy historical fiction.

I read Alison's first venture in to fiction Innocent Traitor when it first came out and it is one of my favorite books. Naturally I was ecstatic when I learned of her new book and rushed out to get it. Although I enjoyed this book I have to say it was a small let down after her previous work. While Innocent Traitor was written in a 1st person diary type account across various women's point of views Elizabeth is a done in an outside perspective. The story is still engaging and a must read for any fan of the Tudor empire.In contrast to most books I find on Elizabeth this starts at the death of her mother Anne Boleyn and ends at the death of her sister Mary as she becomes Queen. I found this aspect of the book to be quite original as most people tend to focus only on her reign. Elizabeth was one of the greatest leaders of England and I can see why peoples focus tends to be that time span, but the journey her life took before she made it to the throne is just as important as it shaped the ruler that she would become. I think Alison does a very good job at presenting captivating story while staying true to historical fact.