Maid of the King’s Court
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4.6 • 9 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this YA debut, Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces in London (which manages the Tower of London and other sites) delivers a story that's both delightfully playful and rich in historical detail. It's 1535 England, Henry the VIII is king, and Eliza Camperdowne has just been betrothed on her 12th birthday, in order to safeguard her family's future. When the engagement devolves into scandal, Eliza is sent to a finishing school of sorts to "learn how people behave in good society." Later, she becomes a maid of honor in the king's court, where she is to wait on Queen Anne herself, but she winds up outlasting Anne and Henry's subsequent wives as well. Worsley's accessible prose, headstrong heroine, and sense of romance may remind readers of Shannon Hale's work. Eliza's wit and many courtly adventures make her an engaging companion as she transforms from a na ve girl who describes the king as having "exchanged" Anne Boleyn for a new wife to one intimately involved in the machinations of the court. Ages 12 up.
