Courting Her Highness: The Story of Queen Anne

by Jean Plaidy

Book Overview

A private battle rages at court for the affections of a childless queen, who must soon name her successor--and thus determine the future of the British Empire. It is the beginning of the eighteenth... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307719510
• Release Date: July 2011
• Publisher: Crown
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.9" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

WHAT GOES AROUND...COMES AROUND...

This is a spellbinding work of historical fiction. A continuation of the Start saga, Jean Plaidy weaves an absorbing account of the reign of Queen Anne. Rich with historical detail, it captures the imagination of the reader until the very last page is turned. When King William died, his sister-in-law, Anne, became Queen of England. Anne, however, was easily manipulated by her childhood friend, Sarah Churchill, now the Duchess of Marlborough. Power hungry, Sarah had her own agenda, and she manipulated the Queen to her own advantage. Viewed as the power behind the throne, Sarah was courted by many who sought her favor or intercession with the Queen. Sarah, however, was brash, insensitive to others, and overly confident, faults that were to cloud her judgment. She also forgot her position and presumed too much when speaking to the Queen. It was as if the roles were reversed. When she ensconced her poor relation, Abigail Hill, in a position in the Queen's household, Sarah never suspected that quiet, shy Abigail could destroy all for which Sarah had connived. This is a wholly absorbing and enjoyable work of fiction, replete with plots, intrigues, and political machinations.

Ladies Jousting for Favor

(I keep having to remember to add that "u." Though this was an US edition I read, it must have been before publishers went wild with Americanizing British spellings.) I stayed up last night to finish this book, originally published in 1966, and like its predecessors, I enjoyed it thoroughly. As the title proclaims, it's about Queen Anne's rival favorites, Sarah Churchill and Abigail Hill. The novel opens with the first meeting between Sarah Churchill and her impoverished relations, the Hills, and ends with the death of the elderly Sarah decades later. This book proceeds at a leisurely pace, allowing Plaidy to examine the characters of Sarah and Abigail in depth. Arrogant and insensitive, Sarah is largely unsympathetic, but Plaidy avoids turning her into a caricature, chiefly because of the genuine love depicted between her and her much more likable husband, John ("Marl" as she calls him). The scene where Sarah finds that her late husband has stored up her tresses of hair, famously cut off by Sarah during a fit of temper, is touching, as are the other scenes where Sarah must bear the losses that come to her just as they come to lesser mortals. Abigail, deceptively meek and mild, is also well portrayed, especially in the latter part of the book, where she must deal with unfulfilled yearnings despite having achieved her ambition. Queen Anne herself is an interesting character, her placid, almost insipid manner hiding a stubborn nature and a willingness to be pushed only so far. With a few exceptions, the men in this novel are relegated to the background, though John Churchill and Robert Harley, Abigail's dissolute ally turned enemy, play prominent roles. The focus, though, is definitely on the "petticoat politics" of Queen Anne's reign--and this novel is an absorbing look at them.

WHAT GOES AROUND...COMES AROUND...

This is a spellbinding work of historical fiction. A continuation of the Start saga, Jean Plaidy weaves an absorbing account of the reign of Queen Anne. Rich with historical detail, it captures the imagination of the reader until the very last page is turned.When King William died, his sister-in-law, Anne, became Queen of England. Anne, however, was easily manipulated by her childhood friend, Sarah Churchill, now the Duchess of Marlborough. Power hungry, Sarah had her own agenda, and she manipulated the Queen to her own advantage. Viewed as the power behind the throne, Sarah was courted by many who sought her favor or intercession with the Queen.Sarah, however, was brash, insensitive to others, and overly confident, faults that were to cloud her judgment. She also forgot her position and presumed too much when speaking to the Queen. It was as if the roles were reversed. When she ensconced her poor relation, Abigail Hill, in a position in the Queen's household, Sarah never suspected that quiet, shy Abigail could destroy all for which Sarah had connived.This is a wholly absorbing and enjoyable work of fiction, replete with plots, intrigues, and political machinations.