The Virgin's Lover (Boleyn)
by Philippa Gregory
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Book Reviews of The Virgin's Lover (Boleyn)
Book Review: I Had to Keep Checking this was not Harlequin Romance
Summary: 2 Stars
A story about Queen Elizabeth's early days on the throne. This version focuses on the romantic relationship she allegedly had with Sir Robert Dudley. He was a married man when she became Queen, but his lust for power drove him to try and manipulate her to grant him a divorce so that he could be King and fulfill a family destiny. We see the envy and hatred he inspired in others and the despair of his wife - both of which lead to his downfall.
Although well-written and researched, the author makes Elizabeth into a flighty, lust-driven girl instead of what history has shown us to have been a very calculating and powerful Queen. the sections on Lady Amy Dudley are so whiny you almost hope she WILL die and release Robert - which is not what the author probably wanted.
Book Review: I got through it....
Summary: 2 Stars
This book was not horrible. (When a review starts out with that it is not a good sign) I found it to be sided against Elizabeth or at least I found it to contradict a lot of what I have previously heard about Elizabeth. This book represented her as a woman completely dependant on men. Overall, I found myself mostly bored, but half interested in what was going on. I felt like there was way too much back story for what the book was supposed to be about (Amy Dudley's murder). By the time the climax happens the book is almost over and I found I liked the ending mostly because I was happy to finally be finished. I did learn some interesting things from this book, but overall I would have to say that I do not recommend it. I was hoping for more, but this book did not deliver.Book Review: Disappointing!
Summary: 2 Stars
I hate to say this, but I did NOT like this book. I suppose it's a must read if one is interested in following the whole Boleyn story, but this book is not as good as the other works of Gregory's I have read. I wouldn't call it a waste of time, but it's taken me forever to get through a simple 400 page book. I kept trying to chalk it off to the story itself not being as riveting as the other books, but for whatever reason, I didn't like it.
The only thing I liked was when Gregory flipped from the passion of Elizabeth and Lord Dudley to the dismal life of the cheated on wife, Amy, in some kind of parallel universe.
I'd recommend this book only for those who wish for the continuity of the Boleyn saga. But then, so many books, so little time......
Book Review: Summary on Back Ruins Book!
Summary: 2 Stars
Taken from the back cover of the paper back: As the young couple falls in love, a question hangs in the air: can he really set aside his wife and marry the queen? When Amy is found dead, Elizabeth and Dudley are suddenly plunged into a struggle for survival.
Nice summary, however, Amy Dudley doesn't die until page 410 (of 438). You will read 94% of the book with Amy alive, knowing that she will die. Whoever wrote the summary on the back is an idiot because it definitely ruined the book for me. I would have read it completely different if I had not known Amy would die - and that fact could have been an actual surprise. I also would not have been waiting for it for 410 pages!
Overall a good book, I just feel like I wasted my time.
Book Review: An Elizabethan Tug of War
Summary: 4 Stars
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.