To Shield the Queen

De: Fiona Buckley

Narrado por: Nadia May

Rumor has linked Queen Elizabeth I to her master of the horse, Robin Dudley. As gossip would have it, only his ailing wife, Amy, prevents marriage between Dudley and the Queen. To quell the idle tongues at court, the Queen dispatches Ursula Blanchard to tend to the sick woman's needs. But not even Ursula can prevent the "accident" that takes Amy's life. Did she fall or was she pushed? Was Ursula a pawn of Dudley and the Queen?

Suddenly Ursula finds herself at the center of the scandal, trying to protect Elizabeth while not losing her heart to a Frenchman who may be flirting with sedition against her Queen. As she sets out to find the truth, alone in a glittering court that conceals a wellspring of blood and lies, she can trust neither her lover nor her monarch.

©1997 Fiona Buckley (P)1998 Blackstone Audio Inc

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Narrator Nadia May is excellent as she takes on the royal entourage, but she is extra charming portraying Ursula as a clever, witty, sharp-tongued woman who has an eye for the gentlemen! The characters sparkle as May imbues them with the language and speaking manner of a significant and distinctive historical period." (AudioFile)

Entertaining

I enjoyed this book although some of the main character's reasons for doing /
thinking we're a bit obtuse and....illogical / hard to believe.

To Shield the Queen

What a facinating story. I love the time period and the history. The narrator's voice made it even more compelling. Can't wait for more from Fiona Bucklley.

Will definitely listen to the rest of this series

Great story against an authentic historical backdrop. Loved the characters and narration was excellent! Highly recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Though some of the problems Mistress Ursula Blanchard encounters seem to easily resolved, her personality is of such a sort that I found I didn't much mind. She's a very likeable character.

Also, the narrator was quite good, though I admit it took me a little while to get used to the sound of her voice. She has a good rhythm and cadence, but her voice is pitched higher than I expected. She's quite good at accents, though.

A thoroughly enjoyable listen. But be warned: you'll be sadly disappointed if you expect to listen to the whole series. Audible has only this one (the first book), and the third and fourth books. There are, in fact, eight books in all.

Elizabethan Lite

Nadia May is the best. Her narration is superb. It adds so much to the text. It's not that I didn't enjoy the book, I did as you can see by my rating. I am rating it for what it is, a light historical mystery with a romantic subplot. But I wonder if I would have been as taken if I had read it. Ursula Blanchard is an interesting character, as are those around her. I especially like her servants. But she is naive to say the least. Her support of Elizabeth and the protestants isn't based on any strong religious conviction but rather on a description she had heard of a burning under the reign of Queen Mary. While things weren't lovely under Mary, Mary certainly didn't start the torturing and killing based on religion. Henry the VIII's reign was rampant with burnings, beheading, and hangings. The dissolution of the monasteries was violent. Ursula's lack of serious contemplation about this issue made her a weak character for me. The description of the recorded plotting and intrigue at Elizabeth's court is superficial.

That said, the book was enjoyable and I will listen to at least one more. I admit the lack of brutal killings and graphic violence was a relief after other books set in the same or close time periods. I love Sansom's Matthew Shardlake books but the killings and murders can be gruesome.