Elizabeth I is the story of two red-haired women at the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century. One is Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, avowed virgin and monarch during what would come to be known as a golden age for Great Britain. Elizabeth’s story begins in 1588 with the first Spanish Armada. Throughout the book, her reign is plagued by threats both internal and external – scheming courtiers, Irish rebels, and the ever-present Spanish menace over all. The other woman is Elizabeth’s “lookalike cousin” and rival Lettice Knollys. Lettice, having made no vow to remain a virgin, had seduced and married Elizabeth’s romantic interest, Robert Dudley. For that crime she was banished from court – although Dudley was eventually forgiven – and has been spending the rest of her life plotting to get back in the Queen’s good graces. Lettice’s best hope for regaining her family’s power and influence lies with her son Robert, Earl of Essex, who becomes one of Elizabeth’s favorite courtiers. But Essex is a deeply flawed man – entitled, petulant, and ultimately dangerous – and Elizabeth’s consistent overlooking of his flaws will ultimately threaten her crown.

I had never read any Margaret George before, because I thought that she was fluffy. (I was lumping her in with Philippa Gregory and assuming that George wrote historical fiction in the style of The Other Boleyn Girl.) Clearly, I was wrong. Elizabeth I was absorbing and engaging, meticulously researched, and extremely well-written. Not fluffy at all! (Not that there’s anything wrong with fluff; it can be just what the doctor ordered at times. I just don’t like fluff in my historical fiction for some reason. Chalk it up to personal preference.) The characters become real – Elizabeth, for instance, is maddening in her insistence upon giving Essex chance after chance to live up to his potential, refusing to believe that this “wayward child” cannot be molded into a responsible man. Even after he directly threatens her person, Elizabeth refuses to believe that the courtier she loves like a son could be a threat to her. Her gradual dawning realization that Essex is a danger to the realm is almost painful to watch, and the moment when she finally gives up her hopes for him is poignant. Lettice, meanwhile, is even more conflicted over Essex. She sees the dangerous games he is playing, even as he tries to hide them from her, but she cannot turn her back on her son.

I loved every word of this honking big tome. In Elizabeth I, Margaret George proves that there is such a thing as a fastidiously detailed page-turner in the historical fiction genre. I’m a convert and will be reading everything she has written before this and everything she writes from now on. Highly recommended.

Elizabeth I, by Margaret George (not an affiliate link)

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