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Title: Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain
Subtitle: Elizabeth I Trilogy
Author: Margaret Irwin
Narrator: Carole Boyd
Format: Unabridged
Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
Language: English
Release date: 11-10-16
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Publisher's Summary:
Philip, Prince of Spain, the unwilling bridegroom of Queen Mary, has been warned about the Queen's half sister, the young Elizabeth. According to all reports, she is a heretic, a rebel and a potential enemy and has 'a spirit full of enchantment'. An alluring description and one that immediately intrigues rather than deters the foreign prince.
Accused of treachery by Mary and under threat of death, Elizabeth's life hangs in the balance. Only Philip, idolised by his ageing wife and able to sway her decisions, holds the power to save the courageous young princess. And so Elizabeth must advance warily towards her destiny, running the gauntlet between Bloody Mary's jealousy and Philip's uneasy ardour....
Critic Reviews:
"More Tudor gusto and verve than David Starkey." (Vicki Woods, The Telegraph)
"Margaret Irwin's books have an unsurpassed colour and gusto." (The Times)
Members Reviews:
Impeccably researched, compelling portrait of the politics of the time
Let the reader beware: you won't find any bodice-ripping here. This book, the last in Margaret Irwin's trilogy telling the story of the young Elizabeth I up to her accession to the throne, was published in 1953. For those accustomed to the faster pace and more scandalous nature of today's historical fiction, this book will seem old-fashioned. But if you come to it with an open mind and allow the story to unravel, I believe any reader could come to enjoy it as much as I did.
The "Prince of Spain" in the title of the book is Philip, King Consort to Elizabeth's sister, Mary I. His character, so often misunderstood, comes to life here. Emotionally recalcitrant, dutiful, zealous, and mediocre in intellect, he finds himself drawn like a flame to the brilliant and troublesome Elizabeth. His lust from the first is mixed with hate (he imagines having her burnt or drowned in their first meeting, in a wonderfully eerie passage), which foreshadows the later bitter rivalry the two will engage in, culminating in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The lack of sex scenes only increases the tension in their dynamic.
Although the Elizabeth/Philip relationship is the focal point, other wonderful characterizations abound. Standouts include Emperor Charles V, a Robert Dudley besotted with Elizabeth, and the Papal legate Mary summons to restore the Catholic faith in England, Reginald Pole. The last is particularly well-drawn. Pole is the last of the Plantagenets, a great-nephew to Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VIII had his mother butchered by an axeman. Although very intelligent and gifted, Pole spends his life floundering in his incredible privilege, lacking the vigor and character required to effectively use his talents.
This is not a book that is easy to read. It is detailed, rich in subtleties and requires re-readings to fully appreciate it. I wasn't sure about it on my first read, but now it has become one of my favorite books on the Tudor period. Highly recommended.
I loved the writing style of this book and the complex
I loved the writing style of this book and the complex, provocative, flirtatious, and dangerous relationship between Princess Elizabeth (Henry the VIII's daughter) and Prince Phillip who was her sister Mary's husband. Elizabeth had to keep Phillip interested enough in her that he would be her protector, as she feared her sister who was then queen.