George, Margaret

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Historical fiction devotees and anyone who enjoys the entertainment of a grandly dysfunctional family will quickly devour this first volume of a duology and eagerly await its sequel.

George's writing is of an older, more formal style; neither cinematic nor intimately personal. Her story arc is leisurely to the point of plodding, her focus much more on the accurate history of her subjects than the fiction that breathes life into them. This is a book that would be treasured by history buffs but may try the patience of casual readers. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/10.]

George has fictionalized Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots, with breathtakingly detailed success, so why not Elizabeth? This re-creation of the queen and her era is told from the perspective of her lookalike cousin Lettice Knollys, who's also in love with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester...