The Lady Elizabeth

A Novel

By: Alison Weir

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, acclaimed historian and New York Times best-selling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England's most intriguing and powerful queen.

Before she is three, Elizabeth learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her all her life. What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy.

The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier, she is imprisoned in the Tower of London - and fears she will also meet her mother's grisly end.

Power-driven politics, private scandal, and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, "Bloody" Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth's resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen.

Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time - whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness.

©2008 Allison Weir (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Splendid....In giving narrative voice to her subjects Alison Weir brings us into emotional contact with them in a way that an unadorned historical account does not." ( Boston Sunday Globe)
"A chilling epitaph on a period of history that continues to fascinate and bewitch us today." ( San Antonio Express-News)

Didn't Want it to End

These books are so filling and meaty that I don't want them to end. Trying to find the next read is like being hungry for something and nothing is satisfying except another book by Alison Weir about Henry and his gang!

LOVED THIS BOOK

I loved this book and the others I have read by Alison Weir!! I love her attention to research and keeping her stories factually based, giving one a true insight to life among these royals all those years ago. Will definitely finish the series!

Good listen

I loved listening to this. I love this time period. I first listened to an innocent traitor and was excited to find out she wrote another novel.

Champions Adjust

What a tough life! For starters, the Lady Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She never knew her mother, wasn't told about her life or why she died. Elizabeth was on her own except for her governess, most of her life. This amazing story tells about her life, the hardships she endured because of her birth parents, position in the English dynasty, life after both her father Henry VIII's death, then her brother's, and the unjust harshness of her sister Mary I in the name of religion. She had to become an expert negotiator to survive, as she made her way thru life and court. One can imagine her being a chess player, figuring out her next move, just to survive. Alison Weir has a winner here.

Rosalyn Landor did a superb job. Her British accent lent credibility to the story.

After reading this book, I really admire her!

Entertaining

As this is historical fiction be aware that certain aspects of Elizabeth's life here are exaggerated or a truly fictionalized. It is interesting, I appreciated the author's note at the end that highlighted some of those instances.

The narrator is the same who reads this author's Six Tudor Wives Series and I love her narration.

A wonderful read

This is a tender, insightful, vivid and well-paced novel of the beginnings of a great queen.

Great book !!!

Flowed well…. And it was easy to find “stopping” places when listening without losing track of the whole story … which is important when listening to a 20 hour book!!!

Smashing!

Having read a great deal aboutTudor England, I was certain I would be bored with the repetition. I found myself happily surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The narration is wonderful and the history accurate for the most part. The sections Weir fictionalized for the sake of the story were believable and rang true to the actual historical reports. Whether you read about this period of history or not, I think you'll find this portrait of Elizabeth I before she becomes Queen, a compelling and fun listen about a smart, wily, and human woman. Cudos to the narrator! Just listening to her voice was a pleasure.

Some Books You Can’t Put Down...

And this is one of them.

I must say that I love Alison Weir’s accounting oh British history and The Lady Elizabeth is written in a fascinating way.
This book, even though a novel, is based mainly on true facts and it helped me understand-and even feel sorry, may I say- [for] the reasons that made Queen Elizabeth I act the way she did throughout her life. Undoubtedly a remarkable woman it must not have been easy to overcome all the things that consistently marked -and imperiled- her even as a child and well into adulthood so that she could become the sovereign that she was.
If you like this theme you Must read (listen) to The Lady Elizabeth.
(I must confess that I will listen to it again)

Rosalyn Landor does a great job narrating the story, she has a pleasant voice and perfectly outlines each passage and character.

This was a most enjoyable experience that I didn’t want to end.
#historicnovel #heartwrenching #fabulousnarrator #nowiunderstandwhy #cantstoplistening #britishmonarchy #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

I've discovered a new favorite author! 😊

This is the second book by Allison Weir that I've read and it's just as amazing as the first, Innocent Traitor. And now I'm hooked!

Not only is Weir a wonderful storyteller, she is an historian who captures another time and place with meticulous attention to historical fact. She also allows herself some creative license. And she explains how she does this after the book ends, so we can understand the actual history of what took place in the novel.

The narration couldn't have been better. So I will also be looking out for other books narrated by Rosalyn Landor.

Now on to the next one . . . Maybe The Six Wives of Henry VIII??