Review: The Virgin's Daughters by Jeane Westin
The Virgin’s Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I
by Jeane Westin
Queen Elizabeth, last of the Tudors, never married and gave birth to children. Her family became her ladies-in-waiting, whom she referred to as her “daughters” and often controlled their lives as a mother would. Without the Queen’s permission, they could not marry, and for two young ladies this became a terrible burden.
Lady Katherine Grey is the unofficial heir presumptive to the English throne, of royal blood through her mother, who was a niece of Henry VIII. Plots to make her the official heir constantly form around her, but all Katherine wants is a quiet life in the country. After witnessing the brutal execution of her sister, Lady Jane Grey, the throne repels Katherine. As a youthful Queen Elizabeth flirts with Lord Dudley, Katherine falls in love with the handsome Earl of Hertford, but their love seems as doomed as Dudley’s aspirations to become King of England. Later, towards the end of Elizabeth’s reign, another lady-in-waiting¸ Mary Rogers, seeks to marry the man she loves, but the Queen’s lifelong spinsterhood has hardened her heart and it is unlikely she’ll grant permission for any of her ladies to wed.
While the narrative focuses on the thoughts of the two ladies-in-waiting, Katherine and Mary, it is Queen Elizabeth who ultimately stars in the narrative. The conflict between the desires of her heart and her desire to keep her power is a constant tension in the court. It’s horrible to see what this struggle does to the Queen as the years go by, as she grows bitter and isolated. It’s even worse to see how the lack of a husband influences her treatment of the women under her; one of the reasons Katherine cannot marry is that any children of hers would be potential threats to Elizabeth’s throne. But even though you are rooting for Katherine and Mary, you never quite lose your sympathy for Elizabeth.
If you like historical romances go out and grab this book! It’s a great read, and very engaging. Even though I’ve read novels about Elizabeth’s court before, Westin’s The Virgin’s Daughters was different enough that I felt exposed to a new side of the pomp and majesty of Tudor England.
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