Tea at Trianon: The Tudor Secret

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Tudor Secret

Everyone has a secret. Like an oyster with its grain of sand, we bury it deep within, coating it with opalescent layers, as if that could heal our mortal wound. Some of us devote our entire lives to keeping our secret hidden, safe from those who might pry it from us, hoarding it like the pearl, only to discover that it escapes us when we least expect it....
~from The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner

As I perused the opening lines of The Tudor Secret (above) chills ran down my spine; I knew then and there that whatever I had planned for the next twenty-four hours was going to be in major competition with reading. C.W. Gortner's newly released historical novel about sixteenth century espionage is a thriller, a mystery, and a startlingly vibrant portrait of the Tudor princesses. Young Elizabeth Tudor, who is an old friend to most readers of historical fiction, is at the center of the drama, as is her wont. She is the Bess we know and love and yet Mr. Gortner in his artistry makes her as enigmatic as never before. I appreciated the balanced portrayal of Princess Mary, bearing the heartache of being unloved for so long, yet every inch a granddaughter of the great Isabella.

According to the author's website:

Summer 1553: A time of danger and deceit. Brendan Prescott, an orphan, is reared in the household of the powerful Dudley family. Brought to court, he finds himself sent on an illicit mission to the King's brilliant but enigmatic sister, Princess Elizabeth. But Brendan is soon compelled to work as a double agent by Elizabeth's protector, William Cecil--who promises in exchange to help him unravel the secret of his own mysterious past. A dark plot swirls around Elizabeth's quest to unravel the truth about the ominous disappearance of her seriously ill brother, King Edward VI. With Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting at his side, Brendan plunges into a ruthless gambit of half-truths, lies, and murder. Filled with the intrigue and pageantry of Tudor England, THE TUDOR SECRET is the first book in the Elizabeth I Spymaster series.

Robert Dudley and his entire family are shown as being wretches, always at odds with each other, thinking they can win by lies and brute force. Meanwhile, Brendan, a young man of hidden origins, uses his quick wits to learn the ways of espionage, mentored by Master Cecil, the best in the game. The reader is given a glimpse into the secret world by which thrones were gained and lost. Brendan overcomes his initial fears to take whatever risks he must to save the princesses from betrayal and death. With spies and counterspies canceling each other out, The Tudor Secret makes it clear that neither force nor gold can buy a faithful heart, rather genuine loyalty is inspired and retained by indefinable qualities, qualities which Elizabeth Tudor possessed. Such a gift is at the mysterious center of The Tudor Secret. As the first in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles, the book offers us much to look forward to in the future.

Some insights on The Tudor Secret from a Tudor historian, HERE.

Book Trailer, HERE.

Q&A with Mr. Gortner, HERE and HERE.

(*NOTE: The Tudor Secret was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.) Share