Elizabeth, captive princess

by Margaret Irwin

Hardcover, 1993

Status

Available

Call number

813

Publication

Book-of-the-Month-Club (1993), 246 pages

Description

Sibling rivalry has never been more turbulent and perilous than between the daughters of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary Tudor has just won possession of the throne, but her younger half-sister, the beautiful and vivacious Princess Elizabeth, holds the hearts of the people. Knowing this, Mary banishes her sibling to a country retreat, determined to keep her as far away from court life as possible. But Mary's health is fading fast and her power beginning to crumble. The people of England are crying out for a new monarch and it seems, at last, they may have their wish and crown their beloved Bess as Queen. In these treacherous times, when all about her lies secrecy and deception, Elizabeth must rely on her faith and courage if she is to rise to fulfil her destiny.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member celticlady53

This is the second in a trilogy written by Margaret Irwin about Elizabeth Tudor.In the beginning of this book King Edward dies and Lady Jane Grey is deposed after only nine days on the throne. Most of this story takes place during her sister Mary Tudor's reign as Queen of England.

Mary is doing what

she can to get rid of the Protestant faith that was the religion of Henry VIII and that Elizabeth grew up with. Mary becomes unpopular when Mary decides she is going to marry

Prince Philip of Spain. The country does not want Spain in control of England. There is an uprising and afterwards Elizabeth is brought to court and questioned, as Mary believes she was behind the uprising. She is imprisoned in the Tower, but after a time Mary was convinced to let Elizabeth go as there was not a lot of evidence against her. She is moved to Woodstock where she spends a year under house arrest. This is where the book pretty much ends. I liked this book but i think I preferred Young Bess over this one, although I definitely want to read the last in the trilogy. I am a fan of any books Elizabethan in nature so I was not too disappointed in this telling of the girl who became Queen of England from 1558 to 1603.

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LibraryThing member EllasGran

The middle book in a Trilogy about Queen Elizabeth I when she was a princess. This book begins with Edward VI’s death, as Elizabeth is summoned to his side with the story moving through Jane Grey’s short reign and subsequent imprisonment and execution, and then Elizabeth's own captivity.
Though

I know the history well enough to follow the characters and story, I would recommend beginning with the first book in the Trilogy, Young Bess.

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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC

Although this isn't the best novelisation of Queen Elizabeth I that I have read, I still enjoyed this book which focused on her life between the reign of her younger brother, Edward VI, and her sister, Mary Tutor. Even though it was obvious that "Elizabeth, Captive Princess" was well researched, at

times I found the plot dragged a bit.

However, Ms Irwin brought Elizabeth alive and provided an interesting perspective of her in her younger life. She was highly intelligent, charming, headstrong and courageous. Mary, on the other hand, was short-sighted (both literally and figuratively), jealous and convinced her decisions were absolutely right. It is no wonder Elizabeth Tutor's reign is often referred to as the Golden Age.

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