Release Date: 02/06/16
Publisher: Michael Joseph
SYNOPSIS:
Tap. Tap. Tap on the window.
Something, someone wanting to be heard. Waiting to be free.
Tudor England. The word treason is on everyone's lips. Arbella Stuart, niece to Mary, Queen of Scots and presumed successor to Elizabeth I, has spent her youth behind the towering windows of Hardwick Hall. As presumed successor to the throne, her isolation should mean protection - but those close to the crown are never safe.
Aemilia Lanyer - writer and poet - enjoys an independence denied to Arbella. Their paths should never cross. But when Arbella enlists Aemilia's help in a bid for freedom, she risks more than her own future. Ensnared in another woman's desperate schemes, Aemilia must tread carefully or share her terrible fate . . .
The Girl in the Glass Tower brilliantly explores what it means to be born a woman in a man's world, where destiny is strictly controlled and the smallest choices may save - or destroy - us.
REVIEW:
History is written by the victors as they say and whilst virtually forgotten today, in the time in which she lived, Arbella Stuart was considered a possible heir to Elizabeth 1st's throne.
Whilst we know now how that turned out for her, the history into which she's embroilled is a rich tapestry of double dealing, back room manipulations and of course political machinations/alliances that the principle character was mainly sheltered from by her grandmother.
Its a book that is well written, gives readers the chance to look into the life of a noble who was a virtual prisoner and allows us to see how her short life and character were effected by everyone around her. Whilst this in itself is tragic, what Elizabeth does well is allow the reader the chance to glimpse not only the face that she presented but her secret thoughts that she kept in a diary, told through the part of a second protagonist. Back this up with great prose, solid dialogue and a plot that allows you to live iwthin a turbulent time all round makes this an emotional read, which, when the reader turns the final page, leaves them wondering whether the rich were as privaledged as we, the modern generation believed them to be. Cracking.
Release Date: 16/06/15
Publisher: Michael Joseph
THE QUEEN'S GODDAUGHTER.
HER MOST TRUSTED MAID.
ADULTERESS.
ENEMY OF THE STATE.
WHO IS THE REAL PENELOPE DEVEREUX?
Penelope Devereux is a legendary beauty in the court of Elizabeth I, with a smile that would light up the shadows of hell. But it's not just her looks which have won her favour with the Queen wing; her canny instinct for being in the right place at the right time, and her skilled political manoeuvrings under the guise of diplomacy, have rendered her a formidable adversary to anyone who stands in her path.
Including Elizabeth.
For Penelope must secure the future of the Devereux dynasty at whatever cost. Even treason. And the Queen, a woman she holds responsible for the death of her father, the exile of her mother and her failure to marry the one man she ever truly loved, is just one more pawn in a deadly game. Walking the knife-edge of court, whilst ensuring that her reckless brother Essex remains the only star in the Queen's firmament - and out of the Tower - Penelope must plan for the inevitable succession of an ailing monarch.
But her secret letters of friendship to a foreign King - one who has a strong claim to the English throne - could see her illustrious family in the gutter and her own head on the block. It would only take a single mistake, a slip of the tongue, an intercepted message for Penelope to become the architect of her downfall.
In a world where sister is turned against brother, husband against wife, courtier against queen, the rules of the game are forever changing.
REVIEW:
History has a habit of recording the successes of the rich and powerful but most of the time, that’s just a war between the men that one has triumphed in. It’s very seldom that we hear stories of the females from our past and also rare that they warrant a mention in historical documents, so it’s why I love to sit down with authors like Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Freemantle.
Each has the ability to breathe life into those who have gone before and add flesh alongside bones to their story to help it come across to the modern reader.
This book by Elizabeth is one that I thoroughly enjoyed, I loved the political double dealings, the moves and countermoves and above all else the principle character that just made this book a pure joy. She’s fully rounded, you can see her motivations as well as emotions at work and for me that’s the sign of a good author. Yes it is a little slow to begin with but it really is worth perceiving with in order to get a story from a woman I didn’t really know anything about. Magic.
Release Date: 22/05/14
Publisher: Michael Joseph
SYNOPSIS:
Sisters of Treason is a powerful and moving story of passion and peril in Tudor England, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel. Mary Tudor clings fearfully to the English throne. Seeing the threat posed by her cousin, Lady Jane Grey, the Queen orders her execution. But what of Lady Jane's young sisters - Katherine and Mary? Cursed with royal blood, they must endure the perils of a Tudor court, closely observed by its paranoid Queen. Entranced by the drama, intrigue and romance of court life, young Lady Katherine's desire for love leads her to make ill-advised and dangerous liaisons. Burdened with a crooked back, her younger sister, Lady Mary - the 'mouse' - is seen as no threat and becomes privy to the Queen's most intimate secrets. Yet Mary, who yearns to escape court dramas, knows her closeness to the Queen could be her undoing. For the Queen is childless and in ill-health. If she should die, her fearsome sister Elizabeth will inherit the crown. Then Katherine and Mary will find court a maze of treachery and danger - where possessing royal blood is the gravest crime of all...Praise for Elizabeth Fremantle: "A great read. Sisters of Treason totally transports the reader to the Tudor court, with all its tensions and games". (Katherine Webb, author of The Legacy). "A major new voice in historical fiction". (The Bookseller). "Rich and enticing". (Stylist). "Electric". (Good Housekeeping). "Wildly entertaining". (Huffington Post). Elizabeth Fremantle holds a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck. As a fashion editor she has contributed to many publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair and The Sunday Times. Sisters of Treason is her second novel, following on from Queen's Gambit.
REVIEW:
Historical Fiction taking the readers on the journey through the lives of the Grey Sisters through the turbulent times of the Tudor’s. Wonderfully written with solid prose and of course following the tragic course of events from a failed try at the throne, all round gives the reader a story that was not only hard to put down but one that wrenches at the heart strings.
All round it’s a book that was a pure joy to read, taking the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions and along with cracking dialogue goes to show why the author is one to savour with a nice glass of wine.
