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In one of the most highly anticipated historical fiction novels of the year, author Margaret George takes on the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth I. Known for her “doorstopper” size books, Elizabeth I is no different coming in at just under 700 page and begins just before England’s confrontation with the Spanish Armada in 1588. While most novels about Elizabeth either try to cram her entire reign into one book or focus on the earlier years (and all the drama involving her sister Mary and Robert Dudley), few, if any, take an in depth look at her later years.
Told in first person, George manages a pretty good job of getting inside of Elizabeth’s head. We learn of her fears and insecurities, of the admiration and love she has for some of her long serving councilors, and of the heaviness of the burden she carries. At first, the first person narrative irritated me as it fell victim to many of its problems: telling instead of showing and the tendency for characters to have ridiculous conversations telling each other things they would already know in order to get necessary information in front of the reader. But after a while, the narrative style shifted slightly (although still first person) and these weren’t as a big of a problem and I found myself enjoying it more.
Part of the story is told by one of the great thorns in Elizabeth’s side: her cousin Lettice Knollys. That Lettice and Elizabeth don’t like each other is an understatement. By employing Lettice as a narrator we are able to get a slightly different view of Elizabeth, but more importantly, it provides a way of expanding the storyline past what Elizabeth knew or could have observed. But by using two women there is still a fair amount of “telling” that has to be done as they are not always in the thick of the action and have to wait for messengers or for the men themselves to return home and tell them what has happened. Lettice also provides some interaction with some of the other prominent figures of the day, including William Shakespeare.
I’ve read a few books that cover Elizabeth’s entire life or reign and the problems that plagued her following the defeat of the Armada are usually glossed over pretty quickly. Even her problems with the handsome young Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, are shortchanged and all I really knew about him was that he was the son of Lettice Knollys and that he tried to raise a rebellion against Elizabeth and was executed for it. It appears there was a lot more to it than that and several times I found myself shaking my head at his audacity and courage – and at Elizabeth’s continued acceptance of it.
At times, Elizabeth I made for compelling reading (especially the last few hundred pages) but often it felt weighed down by the level of detail. By that I don’t mean the kind of historical or period details that help make a novel “historical”, but more the number of everyday details of Elizabeth’s life that made it feel like I was reading her diary or something. Still, there are some poignant moments especially concerning her mother and Elizabeth’s feelings of family and abandonment and how those helped shape not only her life, but the woman and queen she would become.
In case the FTC asks: The publisher sent me a copy for review as part of the Pump up Your Books virtual book tour.
Thanks for taking the time to review Elizabeth I. I look forward to your interview with Margaret tomorrow.
May 12, 2011 10:07 AM
Thanks for reviewing "Elizabeth I." I am so pleased to be your guest on your blog---such an extensive one, and so informative. I am glad you liked the book, and especially that you didn't find it covering the same old territory. Her life was so long and had so many phases that some parts are more frequented than others. I seemed to have the last part to myself!
Margaret George
May 12, 2011 12:43 PM