The Virgin's Lover

by Philippa Gregory | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0007147317 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Koalabare of Fetcham, Surrey United Kingdom on 5/2/2005
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8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Koalabare from Fetcham, Surrey United Kingdom on Monday, May 2, 2005
Amy Robsart loves her husband Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester; Robert loves Amy, but his grand passion is for Elizabeth, Queen of England. Elizabeth is in love with Robert, but also with the throne and her power as Queen...

*SPOILER BELOW!*

The latest in the Tudor sequence of novels by Gregory that incorporates characters from 'The Other Boleyn Girl' and 'The Queen's Fool'. Elizabeth is portrayed as an amoral woman jealous of her relationships and fearful for her life and power; Dudley as a selfish, intelligent yet ultimately foolish man and Amy as an innocent who loved too deeply to save herself from hurt. None of them made me sympathetic, even to Amy - I liked her most when she got angry! Still, this was a fascinating suggestion of what might have taken place during the first years of Elizabeth's reign, and provides a plausible explanation for the mysterious death of Amy Robsart, which is still a matter of speculation.

May be offering this up as a bookray...watch this space!

Journal Entry 2 by Koalabare from Fetcham, Surrey United Kingdom on Saturday, January 28, 2006
This is now a bookray!

Usual requests apply - please journal when you've received and sent the book on, and also when you've read - I want to see what others think of it!

And please don't keep the book longer than a month or so as others want to read it too. I'm happy to swap people round as far as possible if Real Life gets in the way and you want to come back to read it later.

Hope you all enjoy it!

Participants:

1. Sissyrun (US)
2. Jamesmum (US)
3. eicuthbertson (Canada)
4. Hetku77 (Finland)
5. Kleptokitty (Portugal)
6. Conto (Portugal)

Posted to Sissyrun 30th January 06

Journal Entry 3 by Sissyrun from Modesto, California USA on Saturday, February 4, 2006
Received in today's mail and I've begun to read it. Wracking my brain remembering where The Queen's Fool left off...

Journal Entry 4 by Sissyrun from Modesto, California USA on Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Finished today. I think I enjoyed this one less than her previous two books. It is 100 pages too long.... she should have left out all the drama between Elizabeth and Robert. Do you love me? I love you. Will you always love me? I will never leave you.... blah, blah, blah. Robert sure was silvered tongue, wasn't he? I wished for more character development like she did with Hannah Green in the Queen's Fool.
Interesting period in time, especially where religion is concerned.
Thanks for the bookray, Koalabare. Next in line has been PM'd.

Journal Entry 5 by Sissyrun from Modesto, California USA on Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Mailed today to jamesmum.
Happy trails....

Journal Entry 6 by jamesmum from Richmond, British Columbia Canada on Saturday, February 25, 2006
Got it! This arrived while I was out of town, but is now on the top of my TBR pile. Thanks for sharing it!

SPOILER ALERT:
- Another intriguing novel of historical fiction from Philippa Gregory. I read "The Other Boleyn Girl" about a year ago, and enjoyed having an opportunity to read more of her work. Honestly, with all the scheming and plotting that went on in Tudor England, it's amazing that anything else ever got done. While Italy was nurturing the Renaissance, English live seemed to be revolving around the monarch and his/her court - who was in favour, who needed to be shunned, who would be next. In retrospect, it all seems such a trivial way to expend so much energy.

I'm now off to search for "The Queen's Fool", which I believe is the novel that fits between "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Virgin's Lover". Thanks for sharing this book, KoalaBare!

3/20/06: Mailed to eicuthbertson via air mail today.

Journal Entry 7 by eicuthbertson from Burnaby, British Columbia Canada on Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Just received. Thanks!

Journal Entry 8 by eicuthbertson from Burnaby, British Columbia Canada on Saturday, April 1, 2006
Well, I didn't enjoy this as well as I did "The Queen's Fool", but I thought the ending all too possible.

None of the characters in "The Virgin's Lover" are very likeable, but I thought Gregory portrayed the sense of urgency & uncertainty in Elizabeth I's first years as queen well. From these, all manner of plots arose.

Journal Entry 9 by eicuthbertson from Burnaby, British Columbia Canada on Saturday, April 1, 2006
This book is now ready for the mail. It's off to hetkuu77 in Finland tomorrow.

Journal Entry 10 by winghetku77wing from Nokia, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Saturday, April 22, 2006
22.4. I came home last night from my trip to Budapest and the book had arrived sometime last week. Thank you, eicuthbertson!

23.7. I finished the book last night - sorry about the delay, but I've for example moved twice in 3 months... "The Other Boleyn Girl" was the first one of Gregory's books I've read and I liked her story telling style. In general I like historical fiction very much. In this book I had harder time to get into the story as I think it was mostly told from male perspective (either Robert's or William's). It also made me ponder how difficult life was in Tudor England with all the plotting and scheming - you didn't know who you could trust, you weren't able to reveal your real feelings or to fulfill your true ambitions. And people are complaining how hard life is now! Other than the story didn't raise anything else to ponder, but the story was fairly good and entertaining.

15.8. Sent to Kleptokitty.

Journal Entry 11 by Kleptokitty on Thursday, August 31, 2006
Apologies for taking a few days to journal the arrival of this Ring. It was sitting on my doorstep as a nice welcome when I arrived back in the UK, and gave me something to get stuck into straight away.

However, I didn't end up enjoying it nearly as much as previous historical novels I've read by Philippa Gregory. Though this might be partially to do with my current lack of concentration, it's at least in part because I couldn't really empathise with the characters.

Despite that, it was still a good, engrossing read which I enjoyed. Thanks for the opportunity!

I've just PMed the next reader so it will be on it's way again shortly.

1.9.06
Posted on to Conto in Portugal.

Journal Entry 12 by conto from Lisboa (city), Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Monday, September 18, 2006
This one's waiting for me on my return from hollydays!
Thanks a lot, Kleptokitty.

I'll need some time before getting my hands on it, as I received some other books meanwhile and there's no one else waiting for this one, but will journal as soon as I read it.

Journal Entry 13 by conto from Lisboa (city), Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Saturday, October 7, 2006
And it's done with!
As the previous readers, I liked "The Other Boleyn Girl" better than this one, but still found in it what I most like in her books: the characters are credible, they aren't all very good or very bad persons, they have good and bad in each one of them, they behave as real people do and that makes them more real, more plausible! And I also liked the ending.
But I found there was a bit too much of Elizabeth and Robert's love drama, as well...
All in all it was a good read and I already started to hunt down The Queen's Fool.
Thanks a lot Koalabare, for this opprtunity!

Meanwhile, and before trying to find new BC readers for this one, I'll lend it to a non BC friend who was eager to read it as well.
_______________________________________

And it came back home, where it'll be waiting for some new readers...

Released 17 yrs ago (3/11/2007 UTC) at controlled release in Lisboa, -- Por correio / mão própria -- Portugal

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Going to another Gregory's fan: kittycatss.
Hope you enjoy it and... keep it traveling!
:-)

Journal Entry 15 by kittycatss from Ovar, Aveiro Portugal on Saturday, March 31, 2007
Já chegou à uns dias mas esqueci-me de fazer a JE, desculpem!!!!

I totally forgot to make the JE! This is the first time this happens to me! SORRY!

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