Young Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, is not yet three years old when she is startled to discover that her title has been changed from Princess Elizabeth to Lady Elizabeth, unaware that this is due to her now bastard status. Soon afterwards she learns that her mother committed treason and has been executed. As she journeys into adulthood, she deals with the introduction of three new stepmothers, the deaths of two and finally the loss of her adored father, the King. After the passing of Queen Jane Seymour as a result of childbirth, Elizabeth becomes determined to remain unmarried. She scarcely escapes unscathed from her flirtatious guardian, Sir Thomas Seymour and learns to guard herself against the whims of her heart. As a young girl she welcomes opportunities to reside at Court and be entertained, in adulthood she becomes wary of the jealousies and perils lurking there and would rather stay away. Her once dear older sister, Mary, is eventually a dangerous force to be guarded against. The Lady Elizabeth, is a well told account of the early life of Queen Elizabeth I, a woman who overcame tremendous challenges to become one of the most successful and cherished rulers of England.

I enjoyed this one very much. It starts at the end of her mother's life and continues until she becomes queen. Very well researched and historically believable, and also well-narrated (although the voice of young Elizabeth is a bit disconcerting at first).

I enjoyed this for the most part. Weir does a good job of blending the known historical details and using the rumors of what "might have been" to her advantage in creating drama in this novel. However, the novel, after getting off to a strong start, slows to a plodding pace in the middle and has trouble regaining its early promise. Perhaps more ruthless editing (50 less pages?) might have helped.

I've read a lot of Weir's true history, and she has a writing style there that I have loved.
Not so much this one.
Every time we saw into someone elses thoughts, I kept being surprised at returning to Elizabeth and finding a third person narrator. I'm not sure why though.

Very intense! I liked the creative choices Weir made in this book. I would also recommend Weir's biography of Elizabeth I. It was interesting to compare her interpretation of events from an historian's prespective and from a novelist's perspective.

I quite enjoyed reading this book, although at times it was more difficult to stick with it. Once I got to the last 25 or so percent I could not put the book down. A very interesting way to tell her story and the story of the English monarchy.

4.5

What a fascinating early life Elizabeth had, and what murky waters she had to negotiate to make it to the throne! I had an inkling, but Weir really brought it home.

I found myself wondering whether Weir meant this to be a YA book, given her flat-out frightening treatment of sex. You all know me, I think kids should read whatever they can, but I'm glad I didn't read this book as a ten-year-old, and I might hesitate to give it to girls under, say, sixteen. I understand that it's hard for a realistic historical piece to be sex-positive, but the abusive stepfather was a bit...vivid.

I didn't enjoy the parts focusing on Thomas Seymour as I couldn't see what people saw in him. Then I didn't like where she took the story afterwards. Once that was all the way, I found myself enjoying the story again.