This is now the second of Laura Anderson's books that I've read, and I really like them. She has a whole series in which she rewrites history, imagining what had happened if Henry VIII had a son that had lived, and focusing on him (William), his sister Elizabeth, and their close friends Dominic and Minuette. In this novel, William has been dead for several years so Elizabeth is queen, and she has born a princess, Anne, through her marriage to King Phillip of Spain.
Anne is now 18-years-old and her closest friends are the children of Dominic and Minuette, particularly the eerily wise Pippa. But this novel focuses more on Pippa's older sister Lucette, a very smart and beautiful young woman who may or may not be William's illegitimate daughter. Trying to quash a plot against the throne that may involve the LeClerc family - old friends of Dominic and Minuette, who are French Catholic - Elizabeth sends Lucette to France for a friendly visit, hoping she can bring down a spy. Lucette remembers the LeClerc boys from her childhood - Nicolas and Julien. But they are boys no longer, and she is no longer the 10-year-old girl who had a huge crush on the dashing Nicolas.
There lots of intrigue and a very thorough and well-researched re-imagining of history. If you like Philippa Gregory you will like Laura Anderson. I highly recommend it.
The Virgin's Daughter
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment