The virgins lover (The Virgin's Lover - Philippa Gregory)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	The Virgin's Lover - Philippa Gregory
Date:	10/09/08 (156 review reads)
Rating:

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I am a very interested in the Tudor and Elizabethan periods of history and have read widely, both fiction and non-fiction on the subject. I recently read the other Boleyn girl by Phillipa Gregory and really loved it, so the Virgins lover by the same author was a natural choice as part of my holiday reading this summer.

The plot
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As this novel is about events that have already happened I don't think I can be accused of spoiling the plot! The novel contains 496 pages but only covers the first two years of Elizabeth 1's reign. It is well documented that Elizabeth was very fond of Lord Robert Dudley, just how fond nobody will ever really know. However the book has Elizabeth and Robert as lovers and secretly betrothed to be married. Lord Dudley was of course already married to Amy Robsart and the story switches between the glamour and intrigue of the court where Dudley spent most of his time, and the misery of Dudley's wife Amy living elsewhere. Amy is portrayed as a catholic and therefore a divorce is out of the question. In reality there is little known about Amy and as being a catholic would have been a dangerous admission at the time it is not surprising that her religious persuasion is not well know.

The love triangle between Amy, her husband and the queen ended with the suspicious death of Amy. This is a true Elizabethan mystery with several theories as to what really happened. Phillipa Gregory puts forward an interesting theory and there is a separate authors note at the end of the book giving evidence to back up her theory. I'm not going to tell you what that theory is!


The book also looks closely at William Cecil and his relationship with the queen and Robert Dudley. His little known private life is also written about in some detail. During the early part of Elizabeth's reign she was forced to defend her throne against the threat of a French invastion. The politics of the time is described well and helps put the story into its political context.

My opinion
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I really enjoyed reading the other Boleyn girl so was expecting great things from this novel. However I felt very disappointed by it and wouldn't recommend it for the following reasons-

Elizabeth 1's is portrayed as a weak woman, ruled by men. She is shown as unable to rule without Dudley constantly by her side, allowing him to manipulate her to his own ends. Historical evidence contradicts this view. I would have preferred a feistier queen!

Robert Dudley is shown to be a very unpleasant, vain man whose main ambition is to become king of England. Whilst this may in part be true I believe he did love Elizabeth and certainly stood by her throughout his entire life.

We know little about the character of Amy Dudley so Phillipa Gregory is able to shape her character in any way she likes. I found myself having little sympathy for the pathetic woman portrayed. I was intrigued by the theory put forward for her death however and am determined to take another look at the historical evidence that exists.

If you are interested in reading the book for yourself then it is available from Amazon for £4.63.

Summary: Historical novel