Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Atlantic Monthly Press (2018), 448 pages
Description
In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents' country estate, where she learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. When King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne Frances is only too happy to stay at home. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism see witchcraft in many of the old customs -- punishable by death. Yet when her ambitious uncle forces Frances to return to the royal palace, having bought her a position as a lady in the bedchamber of the young Princess Elizabeth, she becomes a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King's precocious young daughter and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But Wintour has a secret that, when revealed, places Frances in conflict with her royal charge and in fear for her own family.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member arthistorychick
The King’s Witch by Tracy Borman
Book #1: Frances Gorges Trilogy
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Frances Gorges, though born to a title, land, and money, would much rather spend her time tucked away at her family’s estate than waste her time, title, and money at court. In fact, if Frances
The court of King James is no place for the bold, daring, or the inquisitive. In fact, the only people safe in the court of King James are those who believe precisely as the King does and flaunt those beliefs openly. Any beliefs and/or practices even a hair outside those of the King are considered heretical, and King James isn’t afraid to kill to “protect” himself and his court. Unfortunately, Frances Gorges is among those most reviled by the King, and thanks to her power-hungry uncle, she has landed herself in the heart of the lion’s den with only her own wits to protect her.
Thanks to years of study, both independently and with a kind mentor, Frances has learned the skills necessary to serve her community as a healer. Plants, herbs, tinctures, lotions, and concoctions are her strength, with healing and good intentions being her only motivation. In her small town, Frances is largely free to practice her skills and help her neighbors; at the court of King James, her skills will get her killed for witchcraft. With no intention of dying, Frances does all she can to hide her abilities, but when the Queen herself comes calling, it’s hard to deny what and who she is in the face of royalty.
What and who Frances Gorges is, is precisely what lands her in trouble and in the thick of a plot she never wanted any part of. As her life spins wildly out of control, Frances often finds herself at the mercy of others and their whims. Through cunning, intelligence, stark bravery, and a commitment to her young, royal ward, Frances manages to navigate life at court through the most dangerous of times. Through physical hardship, torture, blackmail, emotional manipulation, and even the tiniest bit of happiness, Frances lives her life and serves as she has been called forth to do. The end result is nothing like she would have ever predicted!
The Bottom Line: Though this book is a slow starter, I’m exceedingly glad I stuck with it and plowed through the slow parts. Frances Gorges is a terribly interesting character who seems to defy Fate at every turn. Her life at court isn’t at all what she wants, but she finds a way to forge ahead even in the direst of circumstances. Once the plot really picks up, it begins to roll quite nicely through a series of awful, treacherous, and treasonous events that leave Frances absolutely reeling. In so many ways, she is a woman caught up in her time and place, unable to escape a future wrought for her by scheming, cold, and uncaring men. With that in mind, one of my favorite aspects of this read is Frances’s ability to hold her head high and remain largely true to herself, her family, and her abilities as a healer. With the exception of the slow start and some excessive detail (which can easily be skimmed over!) I found this read satisfying. While it doesn’t necessarily have an HEA, it does have a proper ending that answered all the questions and dealt with all the characters, some more satisfactorily than others. In all, a fine piece of historical fiction.
Book #1: Frances Gorges Trilogy
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Frances Gorges, though born to a title, land, and money, would much rather spend her time tucked away at her family’s estate than waste her time, title, and money at court. In fact, if Frances
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were to have her way, she would never leave her family estate. Unfortunately, given her time and place, Frances’s life is more often controlled by powerful men rather than by her own choices. The court of King James is no place for the bold, daring, or the inquisitive. In fact, the only people safe in the court of King James are those who believe precisely as the King does and flaunt those beliefs openly. Any beliefs and/or practices even a hair outside those of the King are considered heretical, and King James isn’t afraid to kill to “protect” himself and his court. Unfortunately, Frances Gorges is among those most reviled by the King, and thanks to her power-hungry uncle, she has landed herself in the heart of the lion’s den with only her own wits to protect her.
Thanks to years of study, both independently and with a kind mentor, Frances has learned the skills necessary to serve her community as a healer. Plants, herbs, tinctures, lotions, and concoctions are her strength, with healing and good intentions being her only motivation. In her small town, Frances is largely free to practice her skills and help her neighbors; at the court of King James, her skills will get her killed for witchcraft. With no intention of dying, Frances does all she can to hide her abilities, but when the Queen herself comes calling, it’s hard to deny what and who she is in the face of royalty.
What and who Frances Gorges is, is precisely what lands her in trouble and in the thick of a plot she never wanted any part of. As her life spins wildly out of control, Frances often finds herself at the mercy of others and their whims. Through cunning, intelligence, stark bravery, and a commitment to her young, royal ward, Frances manages to navigate life at court through the most dangerous of times. Through physical hardship, torture, blackmail, emotional manipulation, and even the tiniest bit of happiness, Frances lives her life and serves as she has been called forth to do. The end result is nothing like she would have ever predicted!
The Bottom Line: Though this book is a slow starter, I’m exceedingly glad I stuck with it and plowed through the slow parts. Frances Gorges is a terribly interesting character who seems to defy Fate at every turn. Her life at court isn’t at all what she wants, but she finds a way to forge ahead even in the direst of circumstances. Once the plot really picks up, it begins to roll quite nicely through a series of awful, treacherous, and treasonous events that leave Frances absolutely reeling. In so many ways, she is a woman caught up in her time and place, unable to escape a future wrought for her by scheming, cold, and uncaring men. With that in mind, one of my favorite aspects of this read is Frances’s ability to hold her head high and remain largely true to herself, her family, and her abilities as a healer. With the exception of the slow start and some excessive detail (which can easily be skimmed over!) I found this read satisfying. While it doesn’t necessarily have an HEA, it does have a proper ending that answered all the questions and dealt with all the characters, some more satisfactorily than others. In all, a fine piece of historical fiction.
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LibraryThing member eyes.2c
Exciting and fearful times!
The cut and thrust of politics and religion during Tudor times and on into the early 1600's reign of King James of Scotland, leaves the gap between trust and mistrust frighteningly narrow. The removal of women healers as witches from villages and elsewhere during this
The story of Lady Frances Gorges, daughter to the Marchioness of Northampton and Sir Thomas Gorges, a talented healer taken by her outrageous dukely uncle to the new court of James I, after Elizabeth 1's death is harrowing. It thrusts the reader immediately into the dangers of that world. James issues proclamations against healers, spurred on by the insidious Privy Seal, Lord Cecil.
With Frances, I cringed with fear as she tried to negotiate the rocky ,dangerous shores of a decadent court. Papists who'd once reached accommodation with Elizabeth were back to the days of Queen Mary. James' fear of witchcraft and Catholicism cuts a swathe through his subjects.
Frances becomes fearful for her life and the lives of her loved ones as plots are hatched. And then there's the young courtier who befriended her, Tom Wintour. A man she comes to admire. A man who has his own beliefs and follows them.
Borman's descriptive prose drew me into the dangers of the time, and into the grist of Frances' life, as dangerous subterfuges make her safety even more uncertain.
A NetGalley ARC
The cut and thrust of politics and religion during Tudor times and on into the early 1600's reign of King James of Scotland, leaves the gap between trust and mistrust frighteningly narrow. The removal of women healers as witches from villages and elsewhere during this
Show More
time was harrowing. Purges throughout history in the name of religion, powered by fanatics have dogged humanity. The King's Witch touches on the dichotomy between James 1's personal life and his actions towards the general populace, spurred on by his fears of witchcraft and papists. A well researched, historical novel that pulls the reader instantly into the action.The story of Lady Frances Gorges, daughter to the Marchioness of Northampton and Sir Thomas Gorges, a talented healer taken by her outrageous dukely uncle to the new court of James I, after Elizabeth 1's death is harrowing. It thrusts the reader immediately into the dangers of that world. James issues proclamations against healers, spurred on by the insidious Privy Seal, Lord Cecil.
With Frances, I cringed with fear as she tried to negotiate the rocky ,dangerous shores of a decadent court. Papists who'd once reached accommodation with Elizabeth were back to the days of Queen Mary. James' fear of witchcraft and Catholicism cuts a swathe through his subjects.
Frances becomes fearful for her life and the lives of her loved ones as plots are hatched. And then there's the young courtier who befriended her, Tom Wintour. A man she comes to admire. A man who has his own beliefs and follows them.
Borman's descriptive prose drew me into the dangers of the time, and into the grist of Frances' life, as dangerous subterfuges make her safety even more uncertain.
A NetGalley ARC
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LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth the First died, with Frances Gorges by her side, easing her death with her herbal knowledge. Frances was then allowed to ‘escape’ from court for a year, spending her time at the family estate, tending the garden and making up remedies. Then her highly placed uncle
The book is well written; I felt a great deal of sympathy for Frances. The court was a dangerous place, and the author skillfully creates the claustrophobic air that would have existed. I loved the attention to detail. This book is the first of a projected trilogy, so there is no conclusion to Frances’s story, but a chapter in her life is definitely over. I have no idea what happened to the real Frances, so an air of suspense still exists. Four stars.
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forces her to return to court, to be the Lady of the Bedchamber to Princess Elizabeth, daughter of the new King James. This is a tense position to be in; James is a witch hunter and the women with the arts of healing and herbs are pretty much considered to all be witches. James is also very anti-Catholic, and pretty much only listens to his young, male favorites. Frances has no desire to play the court games of currying favor; she takes her job of being companion and maid to the princess seriously and the only courtier she trusts is Thomas Wintour, who may not be what she thinks he is... .it’s a time of unrest in general and her own position and life are put in danger when she heals Queen Anne of a fever, bringing her to the attention of Robert Cecil, the Lord of the Privy Seal. She accidentally becomes involved with the Gunpowder Plot, a plot to unseat James that most of us Yanks only know about as a yearly event in the UK to blow off fireworks on Guy Fawkes Day. The book is well written; I felt a great deal of sympathy for Frances. The court was a dangerous place, and the author skillfully creates the claustrophobic air that would have existed. I loved the attention to detail. This book is the first of a projected trilogy, so there is no conclusion to Frances’s story, but a chapter in her life is definitely over. I have no idea what happened to the real Frances, so an air of suspense still exists. Four stars.
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LibraryThing member thiscatsabroad
Ridiculously wordy and too ambitious in theme. This book should have been divided into 2 novels: one dealing with the plight of women & witch-hunting, & the other, the Gunpowder Plot. I found myself skimming huges swathes of overly descriptive prose. It felt like it hadn´t been edited at
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all. Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I've read some of Tracy Borman's nonfiction, so I wanted to give this fictional trilogy a try. Lady France Gorges was a real person, but little is actually known about her life, leaving plenty of room for a novelist. Frances is imagined as a talented herbalist, which places her life in danger after
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the death of Queen Elizabeth I. The new king, James I, is determined to root out witchcraft and Frances soon finds herself labeled a witch. She escapes death by luck, but shortly afterwards she discovers the man she's become fond of is part of a treasonous plot against the king. The schemes and sense of danger help to propel the plot forward and made for highly enjoyable reading. This novel is a must-read for historical fiction fans. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018
Physical description
448 p.; 9.1 inches
ISBN
0802127886 / 9780802127884
Local notes
FB Historical novel based on the life of Frances Gorges, a real woman accused of witchcraft in 1604