The Serpent Garden

by Judith Merkle Riley

The book opens in Tudor England, where Henry VIII and his Machiavellian counselor Cardinal Wolsey are scheming to put an English heir on the French throne. They are arranging to marry Henry's pretty, frivolous younger sister, Mary, to the aging king of France, and they are succeeding thanks in no small measure to a breathtaking miniature of Mary that has been delivered secretly into the king's hands. Everyone wants to know the identity of the painter who created this small miracle, and speculation is rampant. Because women are not allowed in the painters' guild, no one suspects that the artist is a woman, Susanna Dallet, who has been bitterly disappointed by her cad of a husband, who left her widowed and penniless with only her nearly divine talent for portrait painting to sustain herself. Susanna catches the eye and not-quite-benign protection of the manipulative, scheming, brilliant Wolsey - who is utterly captivated by her wit, her independence, and her uncanny gift for capturing character with the delicate strokes of her tiny brush. Placed in the entourage of the princess-bride as she travels stormy seas to the royal wedding, Susanna unknowingly carries with her to France the key to a secret that will embroil her in the diabolical plots swirling through the French court. But high in the rigging of the princess's silk-bannered ship sits the angel of art, who not only snatches Susanna from danger but rewards her courage and feisty resourcefulness with the love of an intelligent - and devastatingly attractive - hero.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Historical Romance, Mystery

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Judith Astria Merkle was born on January 14, 1942 in Brunswick, Maine and grew up in Livermore, California, U.S.A. Her great-grandfather was a Swiss emigrant, who moved to the United States in 1860. Her uncle-abue was the famous player of baseball Fred Merkle. Her father, Theodore Charles Merkle was contralador of the Project Pluto and her brother Ralph C. Merkle is technological professor in a Computer science School.

Judith Astria Merkle holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and teaches in the Department of Government at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. Married with Mr. Riley, she wrote as Judith Merkle Riley six historical and romance novels.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a tremendous find. I can't believe I'd never even heard of Judith Merkle Riley until two days ago--her books fit right into my favourite niche, historical drama rich in detail and earthiness but absolutely winging with fantasy and cosmic in narrative scale. I was a little skeptical at first of how she weighted the story between the historical story and the theological drama playing out in the background, mostly because I enjoyed the details of Susanna's artistry and journey so much and wanted to spend all my time with Susanna and I found the whole Holy Grail quest/demonic shenanigans tiresome as a device, but the author used them really cleverly and the way it all came together in the end made me laugh out loud. And I wouldn't sacrifice Hadriel and his cherubs for ANYTHING.

Oh, heck, I gave it four stars at first but I've talked myself into giving it five stars. Can't wait to read the rest of her back catalogue.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another long tale of a woman (another young widow of a detestable, quite evil and completely neglectful husband)who makes her own way forward during the late Middle Ages. This one leaves England for the continent and plies her trade of producing exquisite painted miniatures. Most for the wealthy and noble classes. She's innovative and quite bright and begins by selling them with the understanding they were the work of her late husband.

Enjoyable read with all categories of information and context of those times and the art of painting portraits in particular detailed well. But the under characters and the length had periods of drag, IMHO. Possibly I was searching for another Margaret (this same author's trilogy character). Margaret was quite unique. This stand alone is much more in the chick lit. category, IMHO. Religion here too, but without the living saints. This one is much more dominated by a demon from the other side.

[Kate Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all the books out there about the Tudors, there isn't much about this epoch: Henry VIII's sister Mary's brief marriage to the King of France. Judith Merkle Riley picks this as a backdrop for the story of Susannah, daughter and widow of painters, and consummate artist herself. Her skill at painting portrait miniatures leads her to a post with the scheming Cardinal Wolsey, who sends her overseas to the French court with Princess Mary. Susannah unwittingly becomes the target of a band of religious fanatics, but she has protection too in the form of Hadriel, the scatter-brained Angel of Art. Historical figures like Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, and Charles Brandon all make appearances, as do a host of delightful side characters like a snobbish demon, a lovestruck teenage boy, and the brash diplomat who ultimately wins Susannah's heart. Most fascinating of all is Susannah's work: the descriptions of her various portraits, the materials she uses, the passion she holds for art make this book worth reading all on its own.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

OH BOY HAVE I GOT A TREAT FOR YOU GUYS TODAY.

There is a good book in The Serpent Garden! It's just... much shorter than the Serpent Garden actually is. In this book, Susanna Dallet is a miniaturist in the early reign of Henry VIII. A miniature she does of the king's sister Mary catches the eye of Cardinal Wolsey, and she ends up in his service. After several delightful chapters of doing everyday painter's work, Susanna accompanies Princess Mary when she goes to France to marry the king for reasons that are somewhat unclear but absolutely Wolsey's. Susanna then becomes entangled in the difficulties surrounding the king's death, his nephew's accession, and Mary's remarriage and return to England. There's a romantic subplot in here too but Susanna isn't really paying any attention to it at all, so we shall disregard it. It's a nice historical novel, with woman befriending and supporting each other, a lively and interesting narrator, and a peek into the world of painters in the early sixteenth century.

AND THEN THERE'S THE REST OF THE BOOK.

The rest of the book is an absolutely incomprehensible plotline concerning the angel of art (!), a demon (!!) that the Priory of Sion (!!!) has accidentally (?) summoned for... reasons? Maybe to help them kill the Bourbon kings of France? I think they want to put the Merovingians on the throne but that's pointed out in the book as being a stupid idea and anyway I couldn't really follow them. There's also an evil astrologer (I think?) who's chasing Susanna because Susanna's dead asshole of a husband stole a third of a book from him which Susanna is using for paintings. Oh, and at one point Susanna pretends to be dead of the plague. And her boyfriend does a lot of weird "I hate her I love her I hate her I love her" nonsense in the background that... I don't understand either? I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS PART OF THE BOOK, GUYS.

So, while I don't think this is necessarily a good book, I do think that you should read it both for the nice historical novel section of the book and for the ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT WTF angels and demons half of the story because it's hilariously awful. There is a stillbirth in the early portion of the book which is more or less shrugged off and I think sexual violence is threatened at some point? I really don't remember because HILARIOUSLY BATSHIT, GUYS. HILARIOUSLY.

[S.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poor book has been sitting on the shelf for years. I decided to change its fate.

The words charming don't usually come to mind when I read a book, but there was something charming, strange and giddy about this story detailing the trials and tribulations of a clever, talented 16th century widow who turns to miniature portrait painting to make her way in life after her despicable painter husband is murdered.

The writing style demands attention. At times the third-person narrative breaks in mid-paragraph. The POV shifts from first person to third-person omniscient narrative in the same chapter. Consumers with limited attention span should back away from this book. Readers who like something to chew on will enjoy the story.

The book mixes in happy angels, demons, cherubs, scheming nobles, murders and above all the intrepid paintrix Susanna and her unlikely hero.

Quite a fun read. I was quite upset to learn the author died after writing a mere six books. I will seek out her five other works.

Recommended.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is rare that a book is so terrible that I can't even finish reading it. Well... welcome to that book! Argh!

[Lea Bookjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

French & English reviews

Un livre que je ne pensais pas aimer pourtant et que j'ai pourtant dévoré avec grand plaisir =D
Pour être honnête, je m'attendais à une romance médiévale et en réalité c'est plutôt un roman historique avec une touche de romance et un petit-arrière goût de Good Omens, Bad Omens =D
Le livre était très bien écrit, j'ai adoré les multiples points de vue qui apportaient une touche de comique à l'histoire, j'ai trouvé le contexte historique et les explications sur la peinture passionnants (l'arrivée au pouvoir de François Ier est rarement abordé dans des livres de fiction et là <3 Et puis toutes les descriptions de peinture et de technique ... <3), j'ai beaucoup aimé les touches de fantasy (Hadriel et les anges étaient hilarants =D) et surtout j'ai ADORE Susanna (elle est tellement pragmatique et en même temps, artistique et romantique et un peu folle =D J'ai beaucoup aimé sa façon de mentir sans sourciller pour s'en sortir et pour tirer profit des plus mauvaises situations =D) !!
Un seul regret peut-être, la romance n'était pas folle mais les deux amoureux étaient mignons donc ...
Bref, un roman historique que je conseille chaleureusement aux fans d'histoire, de Neil Gaiman et de Terry Pratchett =D


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A book that I didn't think I would like and yet I devoured it with great pleasure =D
To be honest, I was expecting a medieval romance and in reality it is more of a historical novel with a touch of romance and a little aftertaste of Good Omens, Bad Omens =D
The book was very well written, I loved the multiple points of view that brought a touch of humor to the story, I found the historical context and the explanations on painting fascinating (the beginning of the reign of François Ier is rarely discussed in fiction books and there <3 And then all the descriptions of painting and technique ... <3), I really liked the touch of fantasy (Hadriel and the angels were hilarious =D) and especially I LOVE Susanna (she is so pragmatic and at the same time, artistic and romantic and a little crazy D I really liked the way she lied without blinking to get by and to take advantage of worst situations =D) !!
One regret perhaps, the romance was not awesome but the two lovers were cute so ...
In short, a historical novel that I warmly recommend to fans of history, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett =D

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I bought this book for my Kindle.

Thoughts: I am setting this aside 25% of the way in. I appreciate the writing style and the humorous tone to Susanna's portions of the book. However, there are long chapters in this book that deal with random aristocracy characters and how they summoned a demon to take down the royalty in the country. There are a ton of characters in these chapters and it is hard to follow both all the characters and what is driving the story forward.

The portions from Susanna's POV are entertaining; I enjoyed watching her start to make a living for herself selling her paintings (even if she does have to pass them off as her dead husband's). I enjoyed the humor and irony in these portions. Unfortunately, for me, these portions didn't makeup for the long chapters dealing with the other parts of the story. Additionally, this book oddly flips between first and third person...sometimes even mid chapter. This was jarring and made it tough to read.

I would say this book takes some patience to read, which is something I am in short supply of right now. So, out of frustration and just pure boredom, I am setting this aside. It's not an awful book so far, but it is also a bit of a mess format and story-wise. I don't recommend picking this up unless you have the time and patience to struggle through some odd writing and some less interesting (and more confusing) story/character elements.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this wasn't for me. Susanna's parts of the story were good but the other half of the story was confusing, full of too many characters, and boring. I didn't have the patience to make it through this. I may pick it up at some point in the future and I also may checkout some other books by Riley since I did enjoy her writing style in general.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best historical fantasies I have read in ages.

It's got a sort of Good Omens feel to it with angels and demons popping up in 16th century England and France.

[Katia Shank · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️: I wanted to DNF this book so badly, but I convinced myself not to. I was not a fan of the writing style/pacing, and the whole demon/angel subplot felt awkward until the end when it came together. Maybe I just didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I would’ve preferred a more classic historical fiction novel about a female painter.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Especially enjoyed the details about painting miniatures, the artist POV, and the absolutely delightful characters! I found Hadriel and Belphagor, rival angels, absolutely delicious--they reminded me of Good Omens.

Evidently, from other reviews, JMR is satirizing Dan Brown's Angels & Demons in this, but I haven't read that book (and don't plan to) so can't speak to that. I imagine I missed some of Riley's humor due to that lack, but found this book to be lovely and humorously light-hearted in spite of that.

I do SO wish she would write more books! I have highly enjoyed all of them and have been glomming them the last two weeks.

Cover Art: Very stiff and naively drawn. The pose is nice. BUT If I were the illustrator, I think I'd have chosen to either show photos of the actual artworks mentioned in the chapter divisions, OR painted in period-style with a close-up of Susanna's short pink fingers painting one of her miniatures and showing the exquisite detail, cross-hatching, and glowing colors. Put some of her tools and brushes in the background. Show maybe with a bit of her arm and sleeve to give that period feel. (But overall, for a non-artist reader, there is nothing wrong with this cover art--it does fit the plot.) But for a book about an artist it could have been done so much better! I kept picturing what it should be in my mind.

[Gaile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Oracle Glass so much I decided to read another book by the same author. After finishing it, I am somewhat at a loss as this one is not even three fourths as good as the first. Taking place at the time of Henry VIII's youngest sister, Mary marrying the old King Of France, the heroine is a newly made widow trying to make a living by painting. That is something women did not do at the time but as Susanna has even more skill at it than her deceased husband, she is able to pass off the first of her work as his. Enter a evil character called Crouch who may as well be out of a Dickenesian novel
and brings along with him a released demon. Then we have an angel and several cherubs as well as the Archangels who enter at the end of the story. We also have a secret society trying to find a secret book the Templars have hidden. Now we are reading a fairy tale. I found all this nonsense with the demons and Crouch highly amusing rather than horrible. The secret book involves Christ having evaded Crucifixion which is heresy at this time in history. All unknowing Susannah has part of this book which she is using for her paintings not even understanding the ancient writing on the expensive vellum. Although there is romance in this book, there is too little for me to really think of it as a romance. I think the author would have done a better job to have concentrated on Susanna, her romance and her struggle to make a living and left out all the demons and angels which seem to me to overcrowd the book and distract from the main character. Rather than being a book of suspense and horror, to me this was merely comical hence the three stars rating.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Left penniless after the murder of her lecherous, spendthrift husband, Susanna Dallet is forced to rely on her natural wit and artistic talent to provide for her household. Like her biblical namesake, Susannah is beautiful, virtuous, and slandered. Most of the men around her believe she has a secret lover who is the real painter because it is obvious that no woman could be so talented. Those who do recognize her ability, such as the sinister Cardinal-to-be Wolsey, regard her as a freak but do not hesitate to exploit her. As she is drawn into the court of Henry VIII, she sails to France as part of his sister’s wedding entourage and unwittingly becomes the target of a secret society that sees conspiracies everywhere. The best part of the book, which numbers both a demon and angel among its characters, is its sly wit, which becomes positively delicious if you are one of those who has never been able to take Dan Brown seriously.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really REALLY want to give this 3.5 stars, mostly because I have been in a reading fever the last few days not wanting to put this book down. However, there were too many things about the book that annoyed me to really give it the 4, especially considering how I've been rating GGK and such lately. I absolutely LOVE historical romance, and the setting of this was fascinating--painters, courtiers, and priests in and on the fringes of Henry VIII-era Tudor England and France. I liked the main character Susanna well enough, but her love interest was both dreamy and annoyingly dimwitted and whiny, and the subplot with the real live angels and demons was... trying my patience. She should stayed with the secret societies and gone no further. This is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy reading the book--and I'm willing to give this author another try. Interesting if you're curious about painting and art from that era, it looks like the author has done her research.

[Rachel Weingarten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merkle Riley's books can be hit or miss, but what generally works are her concepts and her incredible eye to historical detail- this has both. Her magic realism can be a bit off putting at times, but the idea of taking uncredited paintings and weaving together a tale of a strong woman's history- just brilliant.

[Whitaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really great book shows us how everything is great and worth to die for

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most delightful historical romances I've ever read. I re-read this book every couple of years, it's a cozy comfort read and never fails to cheer me up.

The novel has all the typical ingredients of a Riley novels: a headstrong, independent heroine (but still someone who is somewhat believable for her time; pious and mindful of 'propriety' and women's role, even when she rebels against it), a nice but thick-headed love interest who falls for her independent spirit (and bickers with her along the way), a nice older woman serving as a helper/mentor, God and supernatural beings, evil conspirators, royals being dramatic and spoiled, corrupt and uncorrupted priests, England and France (and lots of funny comments on how weird each culture finds the other), a wacky plot that somehow finds a satisfying solution.

The setting feels lived in and the characters are (mostly) products of their time. The plot evolves around a young widow who is secretly a skilled painter, and most of my enjoyment of this novel comes from the descriptions of Susanna being engulfed in her artistic pursuits. Susanna is a typical non-nonsense, good-hearted Riley protagonist akin to Margaret of Ashbury, and a lot of jokes in the book is her comments on the vanity and illogical actions of men. Such as the big royal plot where the conspirators have no idea how pregnancy and babies work.

One of the funniest parts is the book's rebuffal of the conspiracy theory made famous in Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. This novel is written years before, but it's hilarious to read after having witnessed the DaVinci Code hype. As Susanna states, the theory is ridiculous and fall apart if you think of it for two seconds. Which none of the many evil conspirators in the plot ever paused to do.

The romance is a bit cringe, with Susanna's love interest being quite unlikable in the first half and obtaining forgiveness way too easily. The ending is a little abrupt. Using descriptions of real-life paintings (I assume) is an interesting way of moving the plot forward.

The humor is as always a big draw, and especially Susanna's friendly guardian angel was a fun and upbeat addition to the story.

[Gail Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Art is Deception

This is my favorite of all Riley’s books, perhaps because the heroine is an artist like myself. Susana Dallet is left the widow of a painter at a time when artist Guilds didn’t allow women to paint no matter how talented they were. Since her husband was murdered by the husband of another woman with whom he was committing adultry, he was no loss.
He also departed the world leaving Susana broke and with no means of supporting herself. On the advice of the widow downstairs, she finishes a commission taken by her husband. The widow downstairs tells her that she has supported herself for several years by selling her dead husbands paintings of a naked Adam and Eve. However she is running out of them, so she suggests Susana paint more Adam and Eves adding miniature by HER husband and they split the money. So Susana becomes two dead painters.
Her work draws the attention of Cardinal Worsley and hr recruits her to travel with King Henry VIII’s sister when she travels to France to marry it’s aging king.
This book is full of ironic humor, fun and adventure without straying from the mores existing at the time. There are plots, subplots, conspiracies and even one involving a conflict between the angel Hadrial (arts and history) and a demon prince who is out to fulfill the last command put on him before he was imprisoned.
Everything ends well.

[CaliNativeBalboa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it's slow going, "The Serpent Garden" is worth the effort. A dense novel, it's packed with historical and artistic references, an engaging heroine and fascinating locations. It's gentle narrative can lull the reader to sleep (not a bad thing as I read every night to unwind) but it's fun and interesting especially if you're like me, a sucker for the era of Henry the VIII and English and French history.
"The Serpent's Tale" follows the fortunes and misfortunes of Susanna Dallet, a young wife of a philandering portrait painter who only married her for her father's expertise as a painter. When her sleazeball husband ends up dead, Susanna decides to use her considerable miniature painting skill to make a living under his name. After she attracts the attention of scheming Cardinal Wolsey, she joins Henry's sister, Mary Tudor, recently married to the aging Louis XII of France.
Angels, demons, sinister stalkers and a learned young admirer further complicate Susanna's quest for independence and artistic excellence. A superior novel that combines romance, history and intrigue!

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this paperback book quite some time ago, but hadn't read it because I have found books on my kindle to be much more convenient to read. Until the coronavirus came along, I was doing a large percentage of my leisure reading on a treadmill or exercise bike or during lunch or breakfast. All of those situations involve keeping a print book open without using hands and that can be a challenge.

With my reading opportunities changed, I decided I should get to any print book I hadn't read and remembered this one. Like two books by this author I had previously read, this one is quite entertaining. It takes historical situations and adds sorcery and the supernatural along with interesting fictional characters and a great deal of humor. The mix is a great deal of fun. This one revolves around the marriage of Henry VIII's sister Mary to the French king Louis XII. The main character, who is fictional, is a widow who paints miniatures and is sent to France along with ladies in waiting and other English members of the bridal party.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not quite like any other book I've ever encountered. It has a bit of the DaVinci Code, but better written. It has a bit of the Canterbury Tales, but longer, and more modern. It has a bit of history and a bit of humor. And best of all, it has Susanna.

Susanna's voice will stick in my mind for a long time. She's clever and ambitious, but she's also good-hearted and caring. She's well-meaning, but not afraid to be a little deceptive to get by in a man's world. She's wonderful.

This book spins a complex web of conspiracies - secret organizations, political machinations, demons, angels, imps - which occasionally spun out into unexpected directions. But, on the whole, the book was so fresh and interesting that I simply couldn't put it down.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok - couldn't finish it. The novel has 2 main storylines that might have been more interesting on their own (or at least if they were more intertwined). Ultimately about halfway through, I realized I didn't find the main character interesting anymore - she was an ultimately ordinary person with a great talent and that was all. Hearing so many times that people are awed by a character's talent gets grating when it doesn't advance the story or change things, and the main character herself was not particularly proactive after the beginning of the story. This led things to slow down and ultimately become less interesting. Stopped after chapter 22 (and a supposed big reveal that left me yawning).

[Malavika Kesavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I was surprised how much the supernatural elements added to this novel (when I first read the description I was a little confused), but it added to the sort of mysticism that people likely had back then. I was impressed the author did an amazing job. One of the few historical books I’ve read with strong female character who (I thought) wasn’t really anachronistic. The author did an amazing job of immersing a reader into a world. Definitely a nice vein of humor that ran throughout the whole book. On the downside, it was still suprisingly hard to read how women were treated (and in some cases continue to be treated) during the era, how little power they truly had. Well worth a read!

[Jinjre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book for everyone. Things you need to know to truly understand the plot:

1. Every day life in Tudor London
2. The rights (or lack thereof) of women in Tudor London
3. Politics in France in the early reign of Henry VIII

If you have a passing knowledge of these three items, the book is very engaging and compelling, the characters true to their era and believable. If you lack this knowledge, it is likely that you will not be able to connect or empathize with the plight of the various characters.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This is one of the strangest books I have ever read. I really enjoyed the premise and Riley's style of writing. An incredibly atmospheric read filled with intrigue, adventure, conspiracies, murder, the supernatural, fine art, and a dash of romance. It is quite dark in some parts of the story regarding the occult and demons, so this is definitely not your average historical fiction novel or a cozy read. However in saying that, this is a treasure trove for readers that enjoy strong descriptive settings and great character development.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

To preface this, I absolutely adored A Vision of Light, but I found The Serpent Garden underwhelming. Riley's eccentric incorporation of Christian demons and angels was too odd for me, despite my love of Tudor fiction. I nearly enjoyed the parts from the painter Suzanna's perspective, but Hadriel, Crouch and the rest ruined the flow. It was probably meant to be a fun and playful inclusion, but I thought it was kind of weird and resulted in an unsatisfactory ending.

[Amandasantana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Susanna, Nan, Mistress Hull and Hadriel!
Tudors including Henry 7 & 8
The Princess Mary’s marriage to Louis XII and her subsequent marriage to Charles Brandon.
Priory of Sion
Archangels and deamons
Grand conspiracy
All through the eyes of a lady artist
The narrative got bogged down a bit at times but I loved the misattributions of her portraits, because, of course, her work would have been forgotten

Delightful!

[Gunnar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I completely enjoyed "A Vision of Light" and "In Pursuit of the Green Lion", but Riley's other books didn't grab me. While this and her other books are well written, they were just too dark and did not have the humor that I find necessary to make a story... human. This one strikes me the same as most of her other books. I have found that they tend to appeal to women more than men.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book! An unexpected pleasure, for sure. A woman painter, angels, romance, the French court, and a witty writer to tie it all together in a delightful story. Reading this reminded me of A.S. Byatt, one of my favorite authors. I can't put my finger exactly on why, except that it was a deeply pleasurable experience.

[Susan Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, But Not Great

I've always loved the Margaret of Ashbury trilogy, so was disappointed that this book simply doesn't have the wickedly memorable characterizations, the depth, or the fine control of the first two of those. Great information on the production of miniatures, though, as well as of the fraught politics of the 16th century.