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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing...happened., 26 May 2007
I'm an avid reader of Philippa Gregory's books, and I really enjoyed 'The Other Boleyn Girl' and 'The Boleyn Inheritance' - this book, however, misses the high mark set by Gregory's other works.
The two problems I had with this book are pretty simple:
1) The characters. Amy Dudley, despite her difficult position, failed to get my sympathy - she was interesting, but she was also deeply annoying, since all she seemed to do throughout the whole book was whine about one thing or another. I had even less empathy with Robert Dudley, who was completely unlikeable and not charismatic enough to hold my attention. Elizabeth was good at times and bad at others, but she too was aggravating through much of the book - she showed her spirit, but there were times when her inability to see Dudley's bad side was incredibly infuriating. The brilliant and cunning Elizabeth of 'The Queen's Fool' has mysteriously vanished without a trace.
2) The plot. Gregory's other books have had excellent plots with a fair bit of moving around, but the problem with 'The Virgin's Lover' is that nothing actually HAPPENS in it. Yes, Elizabeth is in love with Dudley. Yes, Amy is in love with Dudley as well. And yes, Dudley is lusting after Elizabeth. Good. Now, can we get back to the politics and court backbiting, please?
If you see this book somewhere for 50p, then go ahead and buy it - you might enjoy it more than me, as the other reviews here attest. But I wouldn't advise you to waste your money on paying the full price for it - go and read 'The Boleyn Inheritance', instead.
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but not necessarily historically correct, 29 Dec 2004
I have to admit that I do like Philippa Gregory's novels, her style of writing and that she tries to give a new perspective of events and personalities. Of course as a novelist she is freer than a historican to paint a picture of those personalities involved. Her way of seeing Queen Elizabeth I. and the two leading men of her reign (Cecil & Lord Robert Dudley) was going to be controversial:The Queen and Lord Robert being lovers in the actualy sense of the word, The Queen promised to marry Lord Robert and The Queen and her first minister plotting and putting into effect the death of Dudley's first wife in order to put a moral obstacle to marriage to Robert and honouring her promise. The Book made me laugh with regards to the title: The VIRGIN's lover... if they were lovers as the author claims than the title is quite wrong or can one say it makes The Queen a professional virgin? The theories on the death of Lady Amy Dudley are numerous; none has really escaped of being pointed at as the guilty part. The theory that The Queen and Cecil really plotted the death in order to bar Robert from marrying the Queen was quite new to me. It is interesting and I believe mainly based on the assumption that the throne always meant more to Elizabeth than marriage or love. When her throne became endangered than rid herself of this danger, even if she had to go against her own emotions. Well, why not as a base for a novel. However, I have to admit I am not convinced. But nevertheless I find this book highly entertaining being written with great flow and understanding. 4 stars well deserved.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Compare To Other Efforts!, 25 Oct 2005
Although new to this author I've read a few of her earlier works and truly enjoyed her take on historical figures and the stories she created around them. With that said I feel that Ms. Gregory's latest effort "The Virgin's Lover" although entertaining was a tad of a let down. Perhaps due to the fact that it's a story about Queen Elizabeth and there are so many preconceived ideas about this amazing woman that creating a story for her cheats the reader. The story revolves around the love triangle of the young queen Elizabeth, Robert Dudley, and Dudley's wife Amy. There was always a connection between Elizabeth and Robert that neither could admit to or act on. Despite this their relationship grows, changes and although Elizabeth loves Robert she draws the line at allowing him to rule as King. She'd rather he rule as Queen's Consort. On the otherside of this coin is Robert and his wife Amy. Amy is a Catholic and although she practices in secret a divorce from Robert is not in the cards. Elizabeth feeling torn turns to her trusted advisor William Cecil looking for help. Cecil has no love for Dudley and he knows that it would be bad policy if he was made King. But he is more concerned with the fact that the Dudley family historically has participated in treasonous activities and that Roberts love for Elizabeth may not be the best thing for the young queen. After all an ambitious man will do almost anything to see that he gets what he want's. When love, a countries best interests, and a secret meet...nothing good can come from it. What will Elizabeth do when faced with this situation and William Cecil's plans to put it to rest? Historically speaking it's difficult to put twists and turns on events that truly happened. The creativity then come from the concept of "what if..." and I feel that this is where Ms. Gregory started her plotting. This is a fantistical love triangle that truly existed. Robert Dudley was the Queens favorite and this is historically understood. Perhaps this is why this story fell flat. No matter how hard you try...you just can't re-write history. Ms. Gregory though does an amazing job of bringing to life, the court, the time period, and her characters Robert and Elizabeth. The reader will truly feel the angst of this love triangle. Come to this read with an open mind and the reader should do just fine. Forget what you were taught and just enjoy this work of fiction as it stands.
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