The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

I greatly enjoyed this book. 

One of the fun things about historical fiction is the “what ifs” the author can play with.  What if Elizabeth really did get pregnant by Thomas Seymour is an excellent, and intriguing, example.  You don’t have to actually believe it to get a kick out of the possibilities.

However, there were a couple of minor annoyances, the main one being the persistence of “Astley” as the surname of Elizabeth’s governess.  It should be Kat Ashley, not Kat Astley.  And, yet, it is Astley throughout the book.  There is no justifiable excuse for sloppy editing.

The other riff came near the end, in 1558.  Through de Feria, Elizabeth congratulates Philip on his succession to the Spanish throne.  In truth, Philip became King of Spain in 1556 when his father, Emperor Charles V, retired to a monastery.  That just irked me.  I don’t see where it falls under the exigencies of story or artistic license.

Despite these minor irritations, I found The Lady Elizabeth to be highly entertaining and I highly recommend it.

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars