REVIEW: Maid of the King’s Court by Lucy Worsley
In the vibrant, volatile court of Henry VIII, can even the most willful young woman direct her own fate and follow her heart in a world ruled by powerful men?
Clever, headstrong Elizabeth Rose Camperdowne knows her duty. As the sole heiress to an old but impoverished noble family, Eliza must marry a man of wealth and title — it’s the only fate for a girl of her standing. But when a surprising turn of events lands her in the royal court as a maid of honor to Anne of Cleves, Eliza is drawn into the dizzying, dangerous orbit of Henry the Eighth and struggles to distinguish friend from foe. Is her glamorous flirt of a cousin, Katherine Howard, an ally in this deceptive place, or is she Eliza’s worst enemy? And then there’s Ned Barsby, the king’s handsome page, who is entirely unsuitable for Eliza but impossible to ignore. British historian Lucy Worsley provides a vivid, romantic glimpse of the treachery, tragedy, and thrills of life in the Tudor court.
Dear Ms. Worsley,
Let me say that I adore watching your historical presentations including one about life at the Tudor court. I saw this book when I was looking for something historical but different from the usual Regency era story.
Elizabeth Rose (usually called Eliza) Camperdowne is an only child who has been meticulously raised to Do Her Duty for her family. An Uncle did something scandalous and foolish that caused them to be fined enough to almost break them and now they live a scruffy, down-at-the-heels life. But boy aren’t they proud. Eliza is betrothed before her family learns that the intended bridegroom is secretly married. And, so much for that.
She’s packed off to a country house carelessly run by the Dowager Duchess of Northumberland where young girls are trained for positions at court where they hope to snag rich and powerful husbands or catch the eye of the king. There Eliza enters the charmed circle of her cousin Katherine Howard who is alternately mean and kind to Eliza. Katherine is also very kind to a musician Francis Manham. Eventually the two teens are sent to court as Maids of Honor to the new Queen, Anne of Cleves, where Eliza meets and befriends a bastard, Ned, who is a page of the king.
Even before the king’s fourth marriage fails, several people are encouraged to seek to become the King’s mistress because that way lies wealth. But Katherine goes for broke – not only riches but a crown. As Queen, Katherine has her moments of pettiness but keeps Eliza close, along with Francis Manham. As Eliza watches, Katherine’s behavior brings danger closer to them all.
I like this book and yet I have questions. I know your knowledge of Tudor England is vast and the story is supposed to be about showing a different side of Katherine Howard – a real woman. I don’t understand why so many names and place names were changed or why so many actual people in Katherine’s life were eliminated as there’s no mention of Thomas Culpepper or Jane Boleyn. Perhaps dropping characters is to make understanding easier for those who don’t know this history but why change historical names?
Eliza is a bit of a mixed bag for me though I did try and remember that she’s a teen for most of the story. She’s proud of her ancient lineage and willing to try and recoup the family fortunes by making a good marriage and later by cozying up to the king. She is portrayed as being a stronger character than another more passive maid of honor. Lots of men notice her but she squanders her opportunities for attracting a wealthy husband by spending time with Ned and fails to take much advantage of being related to the Queen. She just sort of drifts through a lot of this section until she finally makes an effort to attract the King’s notice only to find she’s been pipped to the post by Katherine. She’s also absent from events such as noticing that her cousin has captured the king’s attention.
For a book that is actually supposed to show a different side to Katherine than the usual descriptions of her as empty headed or a party-girl and the motivations of why she acted as she did after marriage, we see surprisingly little of this. It’s not until the night before her execution that she frankly lays it out for Eliza about Doing Her Duty for the family and somehow getting a son to present to the King.
I’m also not buying Eliza’s “romance” with Ned which appears almost entirely one sided. Sure Eliza feels comfortable with Ned but he puts a lot more into their relationship. Then an improbable HEA gets tacked on just as Eliza is about to allow the King his pleasure because, yeah, her family still needs money. I guess I’m supposed to feel delighted that Eliza gets to marry for love but I still have a nagging feeling that her pride is going to keep rearing its head and, as an adult, I keep thinking that her family still needs that money.
Now, I did enjoy the abundant 16th century Tudor life details and descriptions of the castles, homes, palaces, and the grasping cesspit of court. Anne of Cleves is shown some love as a woman dumped into a court and country she didn’t understand. I guess that a lot of the sordid and dirty details of life then were glossed over because this is a young-adult novel but I still don’t get why names and some details were changed nor do I think that we really get “the other side” of Katherine. C
~Jayne
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Another Lucy Worsley fan here. I much prefer watching her shows than reading the books, so I’ll pass. I just stumbled across a Prime (?) show she did about Jane Austen. Must investigate.
@Darlynne: I very much enjoyed “The Courtiers” so maybe I need to just stick to her non-fiction books.
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/review-the-courtiers-by-lucy-worsley/