Fiction

摘要

DEBUT With this first novel in a projected trilogy, historian Borman (The Private Lives of the Tudors; Thomas Cromwell) depicts the life of Lady Frances Gorges, a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, and, according to the author, a noted healer. As Frances gets dangerously close to being targeted as a witch by the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil, she finds a friend in newly crowned King James's daughter, the precocious Princess Elizabeth, for whom she serves as the new lady of the bedchamber. Frances is also deeply drawn to Tom Wintour, a courtier whose gentle manner soon earns her trust. But Tom has secrets that could endanger her and those she holds most dear. The incredibly detailed and vivid narrative trans- ports readers to a time when women were seen as no more than a commodity to be traded, and conspiracy loomed in every corner. VERDICT This engaging page-turner is enhanced by flawless prose and an absorbing plot, making it a perfect choice for fans of historical fiction and post-Tudor England. [See Prepub Alert, 1/18/18.]