An epic, homourous and quite unique historical novel which looks at Central Europe in the 16th century – a territory plagued by ceaseless battles for supremacy between the Protestant political elite and the ruling Catholic Habsburg Monarchy, as well as the ongoing battle between the sexes.

Turner was the subject of the anonymous play The Widow, and features in Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s The World Tossed at Tennis. When the poisoning of the poet Sir Thomas Overbury occurs, and the following trial is prosecuted, the loyalty of the women is paramount. Of course, this characterisation does not come from the extant documents, but isn't that one of the advantages of historical fiction? The trial is steeped in accusations, coercion, talk of witchcraft, magic, and the plotting of powerful families to destroy each other.The inner lives of these two women are fleshed out way beyond what we get in the historical record, allowed more in this novel than the villainous lot they are so often accorded. I didn‘t find the language used any more flowery than that I found in other books of this genre, which is a complaint I have often heard being levelled at this novel. Anne is bright, witty, and sees nothing wrong in wanting to tweak the circumstances in her life to gain happiness for herself and her family, and Frankie has the nerve to want an annulment, a groundbreaking act for a woman.

A good view on what women had to do and put up with to get ahead from aspects of the lower and upper classes. Beautifully written, an enticing tale of female friendship and love set in the court of King James I. With the marriage of their talents, Anne and Frankie enter this extravagant, savage hunting ground, seeking a little happiness for themselves. Marion’s life appears perfectly fine but she is controlled and bullied by her husband, her only respite a once a week trip to the local swimming pool. Lucy Jago highlights a real life 17th century historical scandal set in the reign of James I of England, a blend of fact and fiction that addresses the misogyny of the time in this feminist retelling of the surprisingly strong friendship that sprang between the beautiful Countess of Essex, Frances 'Frankie' Howard and the physician's wife, Mistress Anne Turner, a gifted fashion stylist struggling to find a platform to market her talents in London society.Not that I’m proud of the treatment of marginalised women in Lancashire, but just putting the record straight). Anne sets about dressing Frankie powerfully to enhance her presence in court and to encourage the Earl of Essex to notice her and hopefully give her a much desired heir. the former makes pittance to provide for her children while the latter rubs shoulders with those in political power.

Unlike ‚Hamnet‘, which is also a slow burn and which I absolutely loved, this book wasn‘t able to compensate for the slowness with stronger writing or characterization. In Kumerdej’s wonderful saga, history and fiction intertwine in wavelike fashion, producing a colourful portrait of the Renaissance; permeated by humanist attempts to resurrect antiquity through art, new scientific findings, and spirited philosophical and theological debates. The court of King James 1st is a seething mass of political intrigue as some of the greatest families in the land jostle for influence with their new Scottish king.A desperate plan to change their fortunes is hatched--but navigating the Jacobean court is a dangerous game and one misstep could cost them everything. This tragic story of self-punishment explores the idea that man and nature, if they are to survive, together and separately, must forever remain in conflict. jago’s two protagonists, seamstress and apothecary anne and countess frankie inhabit two very different realms of london. The storyline demonstrates how both women try to be independent mistresses of their own destiny within a male dominated society determined to use any methods to keep them in their ordained place. For me, it is the characters of Frankie and Anne that captivated, the differences in their status made little impact on the strength of their feelings for each other.