Sisters of treason

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Publication Date
©2014.
Language
English

Description

From the author of Queen’s Gambit, which People magazine called, “A must-read for Philippa Gregory fans,” a gripping historical novel about two sisters who tread as dangerously close to the crown as their tragic sister, Lady Jane Grey, executed after just nine days on the throne.Early in Mary Tudor’s turbulent reign, Lady Catherine and Lady Mary Grey are reeling after the brutal execution of their elder seventeen-year-old sister, Lady Jane Grey, and the succession is by no means stable. In Sisters of Treason, Elizabeth Freemantle brings these young women to life in a spellbinding Tudor tale of love and politics. Neither sister is well suited to a dangerous life at court. Flirtatious Lady Catherine, thought to be the true heir, cannot control her compulsion to love and be loved. Her sister, clever Lady Mary, has a crooked spine and a tiny stature in an age when physical perfection equates to goodness—and both girls have inherited the Tudor blood that is more curse than blessing. For either girl to marry without royal permission would be a potentially fatal political act. It is the royal portrait painter, Levina Teerlinc, who helps the girls survive these troubled times. She becomes their mentor and confidante, but when the Queen’s sister, the hot-headed Elizabeth, inherits the crown, life at court becomes increasingly treacherous for the surviving Grey sisters. Ultimately each young woman must decide how far she will go to defy her Queen, risk her life, and find the safety and love she longs for. From “a brilliant new player in the court of royal fiction,” (People) Sisters of Treason brings to vivid life the perilous and romantic lives of two little known young women who played a major role in the complex politics of their day.

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ISBN
9781476703091

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Published Reviews

Library Journal Review

Most historical fiction fans are familiar with the story of Lady Jane Grey, the -Tudor pawn who spent nine days on the English throne before being usurped by Mary I, but few know what became of her two sisters, -Catherine and Mary, in the tumult of royal succession after Edward VI's death. -Fremantle (Queen's Gambit) offers her own interpretation. After Mary Tudor executes Jane, the Grey family falls out of favor, but the sisters' Tudor blood means the monarchy must keep them close. Catherine, impetuous and beautiful, is constantly falling in love regardless of the consequences. Born with a crooked spine, younger sister Mary is treated in turns as a favorite pet or a pariah. Levina Teerlinc, a Bruges-born court artist famous for her miniature portraits, promises herself to watch out for these girls in the dangerous dance of court intrigue. Told from the perspectives of these three women, the novel presents a picture of court life full of secret affairs, treasonous plots, and very real dangers. VERDICT Tudor fiction fans will enjoy Fremantle's fresh take, marked by solid writing and absorbing detail, on a rather well-told tale.-Anna Nelson Karras, Naples Regional Lib., FL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

In her second novel set in 16th-century Tudor England, Fremantle (Queens Gambit, 2013) imagines the lives of three historically obscure women: Katherine and Mary Grey, who have claims to the throne, and Levina Teerlinc, the court painter who looks out for them.Living a tenuous life at court following their elder sister Janes brief reign as queen and her subsequent imprisonment and execution, Katherine and Mary know that one misstep could lead them to a similar fate. After all, Tudor blood courses through their veins, and Queen Mary uses public executions to ensure her rule and her goals, including the reinstatement of Catholicism. The current sovereign suffers through several false pregnancies, but she fails to ensure a line of succession by producing a male heira matter that concerns the girls mother, Frances, as well as her friend Levina. Katherine is beautiful, flirtatious and compulsive. Mary is less worrisome. Uncomfortable with her tiny stature and physical imperfections, most people ignore her, but Queen Mary sometimes treats her as she would a pet or a doll. When Elizabeth I ascends to the throne, Frances is relieved. She hopes the new queen will be more tolerant toward her family and retreats to her country estate. Levina does her best to fulfill her promise to look after Katherine and Mary at court, as first one sister and then the other follows her heart without Elizabeths approval and pays the price. Told in alternating sections, the siblings describe their lives and the religious upheaval, political intrigue (including an attempt to wed Katherine to the Spanish court following Queen Marys death) and societal attitudes that influence their actions; but its Levinas presence that binds the narrative. For those unfamiliar with this era in British history, the final pages include a brief explanation of the Tudor succession, a cast of characters and suggestions for further reading.Fremantle presents an inventive, finely detailed, if lengthy, story. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Library Journal Reviews

Most historical fiction fans are familiar with the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Tudor pawn who spent nine days on the English throne before being usurped by Mary I, but few know what became of her two sisters, Catherine and Mary, in the tumult of royal succession after Edward VI's death. Fremantle (Queen's Gambit) offers her own interpretation. After Mary Tudor executes Jane, the Grey family falls out of favor, but the sisters' Tudor blood means the monarchy must keep them close. Catherine, impetuous and beautiful, is constantly falling in love regardless of the consequences. Born with a crooked spine, younger sister Mary is treated in turns as a favorite pet or a pariah. Levina Teerlinc, a Bruges-born court artist famous for her miniature portraits, promises herself to watch out for these girls in the dangerous dance of court intrigue. Told from the perspectives of these three women, the novel presents a picture of court life full of secret affairs, treasonous plots, and very real dangers. VERDICT Tudor fiction fans will enjoy Fremantle's fresh take, marked by solid writing and absorbing detail, on a rather well-told tale.—Anna Nelson Karras, Naples Regional Lib., FL

[Page 85]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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