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The Queen’s Spy

Clare Marchant

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1584: Elizabeth I rules England. But a dangerous plot is brewing in court, and Mary Queen of Scots...

Historical Fiction Tudor

Deborah (162 KP) rated Queen of Silks in Books

Dec 21, 2018

Overall I found this to be a well written novel with evidently a good deal of research into the silk industry. However, the depiction of real historical events became closely woven (no pun intended!) into the plot, but this for me was a weakness.

In some places the chronology just wasn't right. In other places the internal logic was weak. For example, over the instance of the execution of Hastings, in novels which cover this event the author needs to come up with their own explanation of this as the truth is covered over by time and Tudor propoganda. Bennett makes little or no explanation for the event and has 'Dickon' acting remarkably out of character in this one scene - and I mean that following her depiction in the book and not from my personal opinion. Additionally, for someone who has had a liaison with Dickon over a period of years, Isabel, the protagonist, shows remarkably little understanding of his character and I found her at times irritating and unsympathetic.

I also felt that in the wrapping up of the story, Elizabeth of York is shown to act in a ruthless way which doesn't match at all with what we know of her in her time as the first Tudor queen. Again, failures of internal and external logic for me.

To conclude, a well-written book, and I am not adverse by reading more from this author, but for me the historical event aspect didn't hang together well enough and was at times frustrating. I think it would have been a better novel if it left the larger political landscape well alone.