Book description
'Entrancing, compelling, and beautifully written…This is the historical
novel as literary fiction - and damned good literary fiction at that.'
Alison Weir
Jeanne, a young French exile orphaned by the wars of religion on the
continent, is brought to London as a young girl disguised as a boy.
Growing up, the disguise has not been shed and she finds a living as a
clerk, ending up in the household of Robert Cecil. As she witnesses the
intrigues and plots swirling round the court of Elizabeth I in the last
days of Gloriana's reign, she finds herself sucked into the orbit of the
dashing and ambitious young favourite, the Earl of Essex. The queen
draws near to the end of her life, with no heir to follow, and the
stakes are high.
As Essex hurtles towards self-destruction, Jeanne finds her loyalties,
her disguise and her emotions under threat - in a political climate
where the least mistake can attract dire penalties.
This is a beautifully written and evocative novel, rich with the
details of life and politics of Elizabeth I's court. Jeanne's struggle
for survival and love is interwoven with her passionate pull towards the
gardens she documents, a lovely and seductive backdrop to the novel.
Sarah Gristwood is the author of 'Arbella' (Transworld £20 hardback Feb.
2003, £9. 99 paperback Feb. 2004) and 'Elizabeth and Leicester'
(Transworld £20 hardback Feb. 2007, £8. 99 paperback Feb. 2008). This is
her first novel.
