ELIZABETH, CAPTIVE PRINCESS

A sequel to Young Bess, this takes place in the brief span of Elizabeth's mortal danger between the death of her young brother, Edward the king, and her half sister Mary's marriage to Philip, and the reception of Elizabeth at court. Those were tense months, when the succession was in doubt, when the tragic Lady Jane wore the crown unwillingly- and lost her life, when courtiers traded loyalties, plotted and paid the price, when the people of England acclaimed the captive princess -- and won for her Mary's hate and suspicion. But chiefly it is Elizabeth's story, a story of a girl wise beyond her years, witty and cruel and passionate, winning the devotion and worship of the people associated with her, denying- for herself- the possibility of emotional fulfillment. The scene with Dudley in the Tower may have doubtful historic accuracy, but it serves to dramatize the young Elizabeth's mastery of her own heart, laying the foundations for her role as the virgin queen. Margaret Irwin has established sound claim to well documented and scholarly historical fiction-biography. These portraits of Elizabeth lend her a glamor, a romantic quality, more usually associated with her rival, Mary of Scotland...