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Based on fact but infused with Gregory's own take on history, this is an inspiring and sumptuous novel with Elizabeth I at centre stage. It's full of romance, scheming, intrigue and passion with Robert Dudley a key player in Elizabeth's game of lust despite the fact that of course he was married to someone who, like Elizabeth was no pushover. The characters are well drawn and the storyline spot on.
Comparison: Rose Tremain, Tracy Chevalier, C C Humphreys.
Similar this month: Jude Morgan, Janet Gleeson.
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Synopsis
The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
Elizabeth I has acceded to the throne of England, a position she has waited and schemed for all her life. She is surrounded by advisers, all convinced that a young woman cannot form political judgements. Elizabeth feels that she can rely on just one man: her oldest friend, Robert Dudley. It is soon plain that he is more than merely a friend.
In a house in the countryside waits a very different woman, Amy Robsart – Robert’s wife. She has no taste for life at court and longs for the day when her husband will return home. She has loved him since she was a girl, but now they are adults she hardly sees him.
Meanwhile, the pressure grows for Elizabeth to marry, for it is unthinkable that a queen should rule on her own. Elizabeth’s preference is clear, but he is unavailable. But what if the unthinkable were to happen…
Philippa Gregory blends passion, personalities and politics in this stunning novel of the Tudor court and a country divided.
Reviews
Praise for The Virgin's Lover: 'A book to lose yourself in!a simmering mixture of intrigue, lust and betrayal at the court of Elizabeth I, it breathes new life into the suspected love affair between the young queen and Robert Dudley
Daily Mail
'Convincing and entertaining'
Daily Telegraph
'An enjoyable read, and Gregory's energetic writing carries one along'
Sunday Telegraph
'Gregory's success lies in restoring humanity to her historical figures'
Daily Mail
'Gregory is one of the best chroniclers of the ups and downs of the turbulent Tudors!This superbly plotted drama unfolds like an exquisitely embroidered Tudor ruff'
Sainsbury
's Magazine'
About the Author
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Philippa Gregory was our Guest Editor in October 2011 - click here - to see the books that inspired her writing.
Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl which was made into a tv drama, and a major film. Now, six novels later, she is looking at the family that preceded the Tudors: the magnificent Plantaganets, a family of complex rivalries, loves, and hatreds.
She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire where she keeps horses, hens and ducks. Visitors to this site, Philippa Gregory.com become addicted to the updates of historical research and the progress of ducklings.
Her other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells in the primary schools of this very dry and poor African country, and thousands of school children have been able to learn market gardening in the school gardens watered by the wells. The charity also provides wells for womens’ collective gardens and for The Gambia’s only agricultural college at Njawara.
A past student of Sussex university, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh university, her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She also reviews for the Washington Post, the LA Times, and for UK newspapers, and is a regular broadcaster on television, radio, and webcasts from this website, Philippa Gregory.com.
Photograph © copyright Sven Arnstein
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Categories
Historical Fiction
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