Under the Rose

by Frederic Stewart Isham

A blend of history and fantasy set in and around the court of Charles V ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and the Spanish Empire from 1516, the story follows a jester with a secret and a princess seeking true love.

Genres: France, Romance, Fiction

427 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

Frederic Stewart Isham (1866-1922) was an American author and playwright, whose plays were once popular on Broadway and were made into films. His works include: History of the Detroit Light Guard (1896), The Strollers (1902), Under the Rose (1903), Black Friday (1904), Half a Chance (1909), The Social Bucaneer (1910), The Treasure (1910), A Man and His Money (1912), The Passing of Bill (1912), Aladdin from Broadway (1913), Nothing but the Truth (1914), This Way Out (1917), Three Live Ghosts (1918) and The Nut Cracker (1920).

Reviews

[Tweety · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars, would have been four but the first half dragged a bit, then again, I'm in a weird book mood and don't know what I want to read. The second half moved quickly and the language wasn't as flowery. There's a few twists and big reveals, some I wasn't expecting, so that made this one I'll keep on my shelf.

[Lea Beall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isham weaves a tale of intrigue, gossip, love, faith, persecution, loyalty and betrayal in the days of illuminated books, devout faith, troubadours, dungeons, sword play and kings. Plot development familiarizes the reader with the characters as if the reader is meeting them himself and wondering what the next event will reveal about the person's virtues and flaws. Mysterious intrigue in the courts of kings from the perspective of a jester. Incredible descriptions of the country side, ladies' clothes, jester's costumes, royal attire, and architecture and interior design. Lovely and intriguing. Amazing interludes of conversation, quips and deep felt devotional faith or lack of it. Villains are wily and successful in their evil intents. Heroes are strong, determined, resourceful and NOT only male, a pleasant surprise. This is a realistic plot of intrigue, believable and endearing, not predictable. Historical facts intertwine with true kings and emperors who converse as real players in the story.

[Tirzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does anyone else go for the old, worn spines when browsing bookshelves? This is how I found Under the Rose while visiting a library. It being the only one in the library system, I gather it is an out of print book. I am not sure why. It is a historical fiction tale of adventure and romance, similar to a Howard Pyle story. Some parts were hard to follow - whether that was my dulled summer vacation brain, I am not sure - so that made for ardurous reading sometimes. I was surprised with the plot twists as it was written in early 20th century; plot twists are pretty ubiquitous these days, but for then, I am sure readers were surprised.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A turn-of-the-century medieval fantasy, set among the courts of Francis I of France and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, in which a fool, a princess, a jestress, and an imposter conspire and compete for love and honor.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. It has quite advanced vocabulary for a romance novel.