Summary:
Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that
her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake.
Defying the rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her
cousin’s side. Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along
with her father, is sent to the Tower of London.
While Joanna is in the Tower, the ruthless Bishop of Winchester forces her to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may possess the ability to end the Reformation.
With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must decide who she can trust so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story set in Tudor England melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.
While Joanna is in the Tower, the ruthless Bishop of Winchester forces her to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may possess the ability to end the Reformation.
With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must decide who she can trust so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story set in Tudor England melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.
Review:
One day at the library, I was discussing with a
well-read patron my need for a new historical fiction writer, as I had
exhausted many of the works of my favorites. She suggested Nancy Bilyeau, an
author whose name I had heard mentioned in various historical fiction circles.
I searched within the libraries catalog and was pleasantly surprised we carried
the very book the patron had stated was the one that got her hooked on the
author. I immediately went to the stacks, pulled the book, and began to devour
it on my lunch break, and might I say: Who
knew the lives of nuns and monks could be so exciting?
After reading, “The Crown”, Nancy Bilyeau’s
first installment in the Joanna Stafford series, my assessment of the
men and women of the cloth has gone from one of meek and mild-mannered devotees
to that of cunning and intelligent sleuths doing all they can to protect their
home, faith, and way of life. The story begins with Joanna Stafford, a young
and naïve member of the fallen royal Stafford house recently turned novice
Dominican nun, wandering unaccompanied through London’s Cheapside. King Henry
VIII has announced that there is to be a traitor burned at the stake, and
Joanna is desperately searching for its location to confirm her worst fear—that
the intended burn victim was to be her beloved cousin Margaret.
Margaret, like many
devout Catholics at the time, was angered and enraged by King Henry’s
nonchalant casting off of the old ways in favor of the new religious separation
from Rome. This separation was brought about by Henry’s anger over not being
granted an official divorce by the Pope, allowing him to marry his Boleyn
mistress. All who opposed him by standing up for their religious beliefs were
labeled traitors and effectively dealt with as such. Margaret was no exception.
Accused of leading an uprising, or rather not talking her husband out of a
revolt, she is sentenced to death by burning. Catching wind of King Henry’s
intentions for her cousin, Joanna sneaks out of Dartford Priory to try to
convince those in charge that her cousin should be spared. That is when her
trouble begins.
After attempting
to be near her cousin in her finals moments of life, Joanna is accused of
trying to help Margaret escape, and finds herself locked in the Tower of
London. While held captive, she has a chance run in with treacherous and
deceitful Bishop Gardiner, who bribes her to join his search for the infamously
cursed Athelstan Crown. This sets Joanna off on a path of mystery and intrigue,
leading her to not only question the church, but her own faith as well. With a
new obstacle around every corner, Joanna finds herself in some not-so-nun-like
situations, relying on her wit and instincts to pull her through, while all
along attempting to preserve her commitment to not only her family, but the
fold as well. With the amount of excitement and deceit that unfolds along her
path, it is easy for the reader to forget they are reading about nuns, monks and
priests.
As a
self-proclaimed historical fiction junkie, I must say I am rather impressed
with Nancy Bilyeau’s novel, “The Crown”. While it is not a easy to devour as a
Philippa Gregory novel, (I am a little bias, as Ms. Gregory is my favorite
author of all time) it is closely comparable and is chalked full of good, down
and dirty Tudor suspense, stratagem, and huggermugger. I would highly suggest
this as a good place to venture once you have exhausted the entire Gregory
catalog. I give this book 4 stars overall and 5 stars for the mysterious plot line.
I look forward to reading another of her works soon!
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