The Lady Elizabeth - Elizabeth I by Alison Weir Paperback

About the Book

Following the tremendous success of her first novel, "Innocent Traitor," which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and "New York Times"-bestselling author Weir turns her storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor.

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - "A gripping fictional portrait" (Salon) of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would become England's most intriguing and powerful queen, from the renowned author hailed as "the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing" (The Boston Globe)

"Engrossing . . . [Alison] Weir marries conjecture with what is known about the life of Elizabeth I from childhood to coronation, and it makes for ripping good reading."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Even as a very young child, Elizabeth Tudor is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as "Lady Princess" and now call her "the Lady Elizabeth." She soon learns why, as her sister, Mary, tells her of the tragic fate that has befallen Elizabeth's mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that both girls have been declared illegitimate. The death of their father ten years later puts the orphaned Elizabeth in even greater peril: Like her mother two decades earlier, she is imprisoned in the Tower of London--and she fears she will meet her mother's grisly end.

Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, "Bloody" Queen Mary, cement Elizabeth's resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen--a woman far ahead of her time, an independent spirit who must use cunning and wits for her very survival.

Review Quotes

Praise for Alison Weir's Innocent Traitor

"Engrossing . . . suspenseful . . . enormously entertaining."
-The Washington Post Book World

"Splendid . . . In giving narrative voice to her subjects Alison Weir brings us into emotional contact with them in a way that an unadorned historical account does not."
-Boston Sunday Globe

"Every bit as good as anything [Philippa] Gregory has ever done . . . [Weir] makes a familiar story vibrant and fresh."
-The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Completely absorbing . . . a brilliantly vivid and psychologically astute novel."
-Booklist (starred review)

"Poignant and harrowing . . . a gripping finale."
-The Seattle Times

"A sensitive and fast-paced tale . . . Weir conveys the age's political intrigues, religious fanaticism and sexism."
-USA Today

"Characters breathe as though they were alive last week-not five centuries ago. . . . A chilling epitaph on a period of history that continues to fascinate and bewitch us today."
-San Antonio Express-News

About the Author

Alison Weir is the New York Times bestselling author of the novel Innocent Traitor, and several historical biographies, including Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Life of Elizabeth, and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She lives in Surrey, England with her husband and two children.