Author: Karen Harper
Published: January 2010, Putnam Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3/5
As a lover of history I often find myself wondering what life was like in the past. When it comes to Elizabeth I of England I have spent hours fantasizing what the important relationships she had in life were like. For the past 12 years of my life I have read numerous historical fiction novels based on Elizabeth I and the world she knew. One of the most vital relationships Elizabeth had was with her governess Kat Ashley.
In Karen Harper's novel, The Queen's Governess, the author explores the dynamics of Kat and her royal charge as Elizabeth grows from child to queen. Told from the point of view of Kat, Harper weaved together the tale of woman whose life is bound to the red-headed daughter of Anne Boleyn.
While this novel showcased good voice and characterization there were times I felt distracted from the moment of "now" while reading. On several occasions Harper has Kat go off into a tangent of "what this meant for the future". At these times I felt as if Harper did not trust her readers enough to piece together the "human truth" of her novel. Nevertheless, this novel will be an enjoyable read for Tudor England fans.
(#4 of the 100 Book Challenge)
I have been fascinated by Tudor history since childhood and have read many novels based on the life and reign of Elizabeth I as well as biographical accounts. I found Karen Harper's The Queen's Governess (first historical inaccuracy by the way; governesses were a Victorian concept in the main), I am sorry to say, abysmal. Historically inaccurate and poorly written I was increasingly frustrated by the way huge periods of English history were abbreviated to a paragraph's length, the titular irregularities (for example, Queen Elizabeth is proclaimed in it as queen of England, Ireland and Scotland when in fact at that time, the monarch of England would have claimed France as one of its kingdoms not Scotland,King Edward VI is referred to as His Royal Highness and Mary Tudor is at one point referred to as Queen Mary during the reign of her brother) and the dreadful dialogue for example, the protagonist and her husband in an intimate situation bizarrely discussing in the most formal language, the political climate of the day. I tried to tell myself this book was so bad it's good (I don't like to leave any book unfinished) but I am afraid it's just bad and very bad at that.
ReplyDeleteRating: 1/5
DeleteOnly because at some points I was laughing at how dreadfully written this book is. How on Earth was it ever published?