If You Like….
I noticed in Friday’s Weekly Reading Round-Up that a number of people seem to be reading In a Treacherous Court
So, if you like tales of court intrigue, you’ll probably like….
— Karleen Koen’s Dark Angels
— Susan Holloway Scott’s The Duchess
— Victoria Holt’s My Enemy, the Queen
— and pretty much anything by Holt’s alter ego, Jean Plaidy, who left no queen unchronicled. My old favorites include Queen in Waiting
— Diane Haeger’s Courtesan
— Judith Merkle Riley’s The Master of All Desires
— Rosalind Laker’s To Dance With Kings
— Tracy Grant’s Vienna Waltz
— and how could I possibly leave out the book that launched a thousand Tudor take-offs? Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl
Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg. And, then, on top of it, there’s the non-fiction universe of court intrigue, including works by:
— Antonia Fraser (my heroine!), of whose books my absolute favorites are Mary, Queen of Scots
— Alison Weir, who, like Jean Plaidy, is on the No Tudor Left Behind program;
— Flora Fraser, daughter of Antonia, who did a wonderful job with Caroline of Brunswick (The Unruly Queen
— and Leslie Carrol, who writes about Notorious Royal Marriages
Where do you find your court intrigue? I know I’ve left out a ridiculous number of novels and non-fiction!
There’s some great novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine (Amazon has a nice selection of them). One of the better ones is The Duchess of Aquitaine by Margaret Ball. Picked it up at my little local indepedent bookstore – one of the many great finds from its shelves
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I have not read a single offering on your list but my alibi is that 5+ years ago I wasn’t reading fiction of any kind. If you like any of the above you would probably like Becoming Queen Victoria by Kate Williams which reads like a novel but is, in fact, the improbable rise of Victoria to become queen. I’ve also promised myself to read anything by Phillipa Gregory because everyone praises her works.
Fabulous topic today! I’d add one of my favorites, Katherine by Anya Seton. (The epic love story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt.)
You mentioned Teresa Grant last week in connection with her two-book contract for more books about Melanie & Charles (Suzanne and Malcolm). Her blog post today reveals her other, even more exciting, news (which no doubt you’ve known for months – well done on keeping her secret)!!
Kate Emerson has a great series about Tudor England. Her fourth novel comes out next month.
I did love Weir’s “The Lady Elizabeth.” Fascinating.
*snickering at “No Tudor Left Behind”*
Can we get federal funding for that?
Clearly I hadn’t had my second cup of coffee when I postd this morning — I forgot Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor.
I’ve only read it to shreds and I think I’m on my third copy.
Agh, Joanne, I can’t believe I also forgot about “Forever Amber”! And I was just talking about it with a friend the other day.
I adore Patricia Finney’s novels set in Elizabeth I’s court. They are Firedrake’s Eye, Unicorn’s Blood, and Gloriana’s Torch.
Oooh just thought of another one – Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. A look at Henry VIII’s court through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, covering 1500 – 1535. Fabulous, and even better, there is a sequel in the works.
you can never go wrong with Victoria Holt 🙂
How about Karen Harper’s Elizabeth series? I haven’t finished them all yet. I just noticed on another web page that she has written so many other period books that look delicious.
P.S. Lauren, just back from the Rock Legends cruise and was disappointed to find none of your books on the shelf — not even the “leave a book for others” section. Your books are too good to part with — however, next year I’m going to leave a Pink Carnation book for someone else to discover and I encourage others to do the same!
note: I should have noted the “shelf” located in the ship’s library.
Court Duel, by Sherwood Smith. Yes, it’s YA, but it’s incredible. Read it. Now.