Elizabeth I by Margaret George

Since I found George's recent Helen of Troy slow, I thought I should report that her Elizabeth I is wonderful. The novel begins with the build-up to the first Armada and ends with Elizabeth's death. It is written in Elizabeth's own voice. I imagine it took courage to write in the first-person voice of one of the most inscrutable figures of early modern history.

I found the humility and weariness that shone through in Elizabeth's narration completely authentic and believable. It seems to me (the husband and I had a discussion of this after watching The Tudors), that Elizabeth's strength lay in her realistic assessment of her own power. In this she seems to have been the opposite of her megalomaniac father.

Which brings me to another thing I appreciated about this book -- that Elizabeth thought about her mother and father from time to time without making a huge deal out of it. At one point she thanks her mother for having the courage to seek a high-profile position in the world, and she often wishes she could discuss state affairs with her father. She doesn't agonize excessively over her parents' tortured history. That's believable to me. It's a remarkable story to us, but Elizabeth had lived with it all her life.

If you love historical fiction, give this book a shot. I got it as a Kindle ebook from my local library.

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'Helen of Troy' is a bit of a snooze (spoilers)

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I was thrilled when I saw Margaret George's new novel Helen of Troy at the bookstore. Her the Autobiography of Henry VIII was possibly the first work of historical fiction I ever read (unless the Mists of Avalon counts).

The book is great on Helen's girlhood, with a strong sense of the traditions that govern young adulthood in the ancient world. The race for unmarried girls Helen holds to celebrate the end of her childhood, the ritual hospitality offered to suitors -- I was so into all that.

As soon as she marries it turns dull. She and Menelaus consummate their marriage and she isn't into it, because she forgot to pray to Aphrodite on her wedding eve (surely there could have been a little bit cooler reason than a brain blip?). One of her maids randomly tries to poison her. Bleh.

It's gotten a little bit better since Paris turned up, so I've got my fingers crossed. Pin It

A favorite passage from Margaret George's Helen of Troy

This passage, where Zeus in swan form attacks Clytemnestra and caresses Helen with his beak, gave me chills:

"Stop it," I whispered, my lips almost touching the hard beak.
The beak opened and grasped my cheek. There were little ridges inside it, tiny points, and I could feel them pinching my flesh. He held the skin gently, swaying his head a bit, as if he were caressing - or kissing. Then he let go and pulled back to look at me again. He ruffled his feathers, making them rise up and unseat me, so that I slid off. He stood for a moment, regarding me. Then he arched his neck once more and patted my hair with his head. He then turned and reentered the water, floating serenely away to join his companions.

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