Lucy Worsley, Eliza Rose, Bloomsbury/Allen & Unwin, May 2016, 354pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781408869437
Beautifully written in 44 short chapters, Eliza Rose is suitable for 12 to 16 year old readers. A captivating story from start to finish, the novel is told from the point of view of Elizabeth Camperdowne, the main character. Although Eliza is a fictional character the story is clothed in historical facts about the time and place, making this a fascinating insight into the court of King Henry the Eighth.
It is England in the year 1535 and Eliza has just woken up on the morning of her twelfth birthday – the day that will begin her adult life. This day she will be betrothed through a proxy marriage to a husband she will not see until she reaches puberty. As the heiress to a noble and ancient family she must marry into money and position to save Stoneton Castle, her family home, from ruin.
After two years of training in how to become a courtier and snare the richest and highest ranking husband, she is sent to Hampton Court with her cousin Katherine Howard. The royal court is a place of glamour, luxury and opulence but also terrible danger as Eliza is to discover as a Maid of Honour. She feels trapped and unhappy and there seems to be no escape as the King holds the power of life and death in his hands. When her father advises Eliza to take the opportunity of becoming the King’s mistress she is shocked and hurt, but she knows her duty as her family is in a desperate financial situation and the riches the King would provide can save their estate.
Lucy Worsley has constructed an engaging story with the element of mystery about Elizabeth’s future making an intriguing counterpoint to her cousin’s fateful execution. Joe Berger’s black and white sketches and silhouetted illustrations throughout complement the text perfectly and help to recreate the atmosphere of Tudor England.
The epilogue provides the reader with more interesting facts and speculations. Lucy Worsley, as author and chief curator at historic royal palaces including the Tower of London and Hampton Court, is well equipped with details that make this an interesting and convincing story.
Reviewed by Grace Nolan