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Frances Gorges Trilogy #1
The King's Witch
In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents' country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. She is happy to stay at home when King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism sees witchcraft in many of the old customs--punishable by death.
But when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to the royal palace, she is a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King's precocious young daughter, and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But is he all that he seems?
Acclaimed as a brilliant historian, Tracy Borman proves with this thrilling debut novel that she is also a born storyteller.
But when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to the royal palace, she is a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King's precocious young daughter, and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But is he all that he seems?
Acclaimed as a brilliant historian, Tracy Borman proves with this thrilling debut novel that she is also a born storyteller.
442 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2018
570 people are currently reading
5966 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Borman
23 books844 followersTracy Borman, PhD, FRHistS, FSA is a historian and author from Scothern, United Kingdom. She is most widely known as the author of Elizabeth's Women.
Borman was born and brought up in the village of Scothern, England near Lincoln. She was educated at Scothern Primary School (now Ellison Boulters School), William Farr School, Welton, and Yarborough School, Lincoln. She taught history at the University of Hull, where she was awarded a Ph.D in 1997. Elizabeth's Women was serialized and became a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in September 2009. Tracy Borman appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, also in September 2009
Borman was born and brought up in the village of Scothern, England near Lincoln. She was educated at Scothern Primary School (now Ellison Boulters School), William Farr School, Welton, and Yarborough School, Lincoln. She taught history at the University of Hull, where she was awarded a Ph.D in 1997. Elizabeth's Women was serialized and became a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in September 2009. Tracy Borman appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, also in September 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
August 20, 2019
Tracy Borman is already an accomplished historian. The challenge with her first novel was to prove that she can also be a good writer of fiction. In my opinion, she did a wonderful job on that account.
Frances Gorges is a young noble women living in 1603 England. She is allowed by her loving parents to grow as an independent woman and to cultivate her skills as a healer. She was taught the wonders of herbs by the pastor of her hometown, Longford and she used her talents to help the ones that were in need.
Her family was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and she aided the old Queen to die peacefully. However, when the new king, James I (VI), comes to the throne he does not share the same warm feelings for the Gorges family and does not appreciate Frances skills. You see, the kind was obsessed with religion and witch hunting. Back in those days, a woman healer could easily be considered a witch under the right circumstances. In order to be safe, Frances retreats from the court to her family’s castle but she is forced to come back by her uncle who secures her a spot as the 8 years old princess’ maid of honour. From the moment she steps into the court she is closely supervised by The Lord Privy Seal, a terrible man, who wants to use her in order to secure his position with the king.
Life at court is not pleasant. The king, contrary to his religious fervor, prefers hunting and young boys to the court responsibilities and the company of his Royal family. He hates the Catholics and does not do anything to protect the. He is obsessed with treason and thinks there are plots at every corner. And he is right. The novel is woven around the Gunpowder plot made by closet Catholics aiming to kill the Protestant king and crown his daughter as Queen and secure her support for their religion. Among all the court intrigues and plotting there is also a beautiful love story between Frances and one of the traitors, Thomas Wintour.
I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. I did not know much about the time period or the Gunpowder plot and it gave me the perfect opportunity to learn more. I could see that the author knows history well but she did not exaggerate with the details in the detriment of the plot. I believe the two were very well balanced and the pacing was appropriate. Obviously, as it is written around real events the suspense is not as exciting as a purely fictional account. As I checked the details of the plot on Wikipedia I already knew how everything was going to unravel so there wasn’t a lot of tension in the end. I recommend the reader to check the facts after they finish the story to better enjoy the 2nd part of the novel. The love story was tender and not overwhelming, a nice addition to the plot.
All in all, an enjoyable and informative historical fiction from an author I want to read more of her books.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Frances Gorges is a young noble women living in 1603 England. She is allowed by her loving parents to grow as an independent woman and to cultivate her skills as a healer. She was taught the wonders of herbs by the pastor of her hometown, Longford and she used her talents to help the ones that were in need.
Her family was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and she aided the old Queen to die peacefully. However, when the new king, James I (VI), comes to the throne he does not share the same warm feelings for the Gorges family and does not appreciate Frances skills. You see, the kind was obsessed with religion and witch hunting. Back in those days, a woman healer could easily be considered a witch under the right circumstances. In order to be safe, Frances retreats from the court to her family’s castle but she is forced to come back by her uncle who secures her a spot as the 8 years old princess’ maid of honour. From the moment she steps into the court she is closely supervised by The Lord Privy Seal, a terrible man, who wants to use her in order to secure his position with the king.
Life at court is not pleasant. The king, contrary to his religious fervor, prefers hunting and young boys to the court responsibilities and the company of his Royal family. He hates the Catholics and does not do anything to protect the. He is obsessed with treason and thinks there are plots at every corner. And he is right. The novel is woven around the Gunpowder plot made by closet Catholics aiming to kill the Protestant king and crown his daughter as Queen and secure her support for their religion. Among all the court intrigues and plotting there is also a beautiful love story between Frances and one of the traitors, Thomas Wintour.
I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. I did not know much about the time period or the Gunpowder plot and it gave me the perfect opportunity to learn more. I could see that the author knows history well but she did not exaggerate with the details in the detriment of the plot. I believe the two were very well balanced and the pacing was appropriate. Obviously, as it is written around real events the suspense is not as exciting as a purely fictional account. As I checked the details of the plot on Wikipedia I already knew how everything was going to unravel so there wasn’t a lot of tension in the end. I recommend the reader to check the facts after they finish the story to better enjoy the 2nd part of the novel. The love story was tender and not overwhelming, a nice addition to the plot.
All in all, an enjoyable and informative historical fiction from an author I want to read more of her books.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 22, 2018
Tracy Borman has written several books covering the Tudor period and I especially enjoyed her book on Thomas Cromwell. This time Tracy Borman enters the 17th century and through historical fiction offers those who haven't read her "Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction" an interesting insight into 17th century witch hunt. For me this read was quite interesting and fun as Borman did a great job incorporating hundreds of facts into an easy read for readers not inclined to start on non-fiction but who would like to learn something more about James I and the times when expertise on herbs might mean and actually meant death to women. True, this is a light read and there is fiction but I was nicely surprised how much history there is in this book.
October 25, 2018
Thankfully, despite the title there isn’t a witch in sight. Obscure historical figure Lady Frances Gorges winds up, against her will, within the lascivious and dangerous court of King James during the early 1600’s. Imperiously Protestant and paranoid, King James is determined to rid his court of witches. He persecutes, tortures and kills healers and other women with sadistic relish. An unpopular king, his court is teeming with intrigue, treachery, conspiracy and sedition. Most of the action involves the political maneuvering within the court and the Gunpowder Plot. This is a vibrant historical novel that utilizes Lady Frances’s obscurity to enliven actual events.
June 16, 2021
Tracy Borman's book is a pleasure to read. It glows brightly with historical characters and events at the Royal court of the late Tudors and Early Stuarts as the centre-piece to a story that touches witchcraft, religion, power, alliances, treachery and love.
Set in the year 1603 at the death of Elizabeth I and the accession of James I (also King James VI of Scotland) we see through the eyes of our main character, Frances Gorges, the changes that take place immediately the new king establishes his court in London.
The coming together of the two crowns [though not yet the two countries, which takes place in 1707] is shown with the continued struggle between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism as James is threatened by plots early on in his reign: the Bye and Main plots that help create a nervousness in the king for him and his family's safety.
Alongside the belief that English kings had Divine Right - the right to rule as God's appointed representative on Earth and showing why the schism with Rome created earlier by Henry VIII was so divisive - James's his relations with members at Court and those families who served Elizabeth are strained.
Enter Frances and her family as close servants of Elizabeth working to safely keep position but to maintain space, especially for Frances whose power hungry uncle wishes to find her a husband who will advance his own standing.
From this point Frances' journey takes her to the heart of court, and as a skilled herbalist, she is drawn into the machinations of this hotbed of politics, rivalries and suspicion. This includes a real and dangerous possible association to witchcraft owing to her healing skills that will shape her life thereafter.
From here we see Frances entwined into the close quarters of James's court and she has to watch herself as others spy and plot around and possibly against her. Her new friendships and connections bring her joy but also a focus from unwanted and powerful men who pit their two sides, including Frances, against each other to a explosive and final conclusion.
For readers who enjoy well-researched historical fiction by binding real characters and events with a plot and story that adds depth, colour and some dramatic licence to less well-known people and circumstances, you will enjoy The King's Witch.
Set in the year 1603 at the death of Elizabeth I and the accession of James I (also King James VI of Scotland) we see through the eyes of our main character, Frances Gorges, the changes that take place immediately the new king establishes his court in London.
The coming together of the two crowns [though not yet the two countries, which takes place in 1707] is shown with the continued struggle between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism as James is threatened by plots early on in his reign: the Bye and Main plots that help create a nervousness in the king for him and his family's safety.
Alongside the belief that English kings had Divine Right - the right to rule as God's appointed representative on Earth and showing why the schism with Rome created earlier by Henry VIII was so divisive - James's his relations with members at Court and those families who served Elizabeth are strained.
Enter Frances and her family as close servants of Elizabeth working to safely keep position but to maintain space, especially for Frances whose power hungry uncle wishes to find her a husband who will advance his own standing.
From this point Frances' journey takes her to the heart of court, and as a skilled herbalist, she is drawn into the machinations of this hotbed of politics, rivalries and suspicion. This includes a real and dangerous possible association to witchcraft owing to her healing skills that will shape her life thereafter.
From here we see Frances entwined into the close quarters of James's court and she has to watch herself as others spy and plot around and possibly against her. Her new friendships and connections bring her joy but also a focus from unwanted and powerful men who pit their two sides, including Frances, against each other to a explosive and final conclusion.
For readers who enjoy well-researched historical fiction by binding real characters and events with a plot and story that adds depth, colour and some dramatic licence to less well-known people and circumstances, you will enjoy The King's Witch.
July 3, 2018
I agree with this statement 100% - “Acclaimed as a brilliant historian, Tracy Borman proves with this thrilling debut novel that she is also a born storyteller.”
Brief history: King James VI of Scotland, after the death of Elizabeth I, becomes also King James I of England and Ireland, becoming the first monarch to be called the King of Great Britain.
This story begins with his reign of England in 1603 as the first monarch of the House of Stuart. His reign is marked with witch-hunting and prosecuting Catholics, and the latter leads to the Gunpowder Plot – conspiracy to assassinate him.
Frances Gorges, fictional character, of noble birth, at the English court helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth. Her journey, as an herbalist tending to sick, begins with encouragement of Revered Samuels. “His skill at healing was renowned…” He teaches her about the herbs and its healing powers. Her eagerness to learn about herbs comes very naturally and takes her on an extraordinary journey, attending to sick already at the age of eleven.
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth and Reverend Samuels, new King James chooses a new priest, Reverend Pritchard. His first sermon already marks a change in attitude, hellfire preaching against the art of healing “to foster suspicion and fear among his flock.”
As King James “declares a war on witches,” chief minister, Robert Cecil, “drafts a new Act against witchcraft.”
After a year break from the court, Frances is forced by her uncle to return to the court. She prefers free spirited fields of flowers over congested city life and to be confided to specific quarters. However, what surprises her at the new court is the new Queen, Danish princess. Frances now feels curious to see her new sovereign to rule England. With the new royals, there is also a new encounter. His name is Tom Wintour.
Meanwhile Lord Cecil is committed to the cause of witch-hunting, also by employing William Shakespeare to create a play reflecting current political situation.
Soon Frances learns that the King is not only after witchcraft, but also after Catholics, prosecuting them and banishing Catholic priests from the kingdom.
The love nuance is so heart-touching. This intriguing fictional heroine of strong character is pursued by a historical figure Tom – educated, smart, of strong character who stands up for what he believes in. This heart-warming love intertwined with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 ends Book I. And for those who know the fate of Tom Wintour, you can guess how this book ends.
I applaud authors who revive such historical figures as Thomas Wintour. Not a well-known name to most of us resurfaces in history in present time in this stunning story.
The author perfectly balances history with conveying messages. It is rich in historical details, but not to a point to overwhelm a reader. The author takes time to convey a message, but not for too long in order not to lose the reader’s interest. This is one of those books that I like to take my time to read it and immerse myself in the pages of history with characters full of depth.
Beautifully written as it is custom to the land of Shakespeare, the combination of language, the subject of natural healing using herbs and the passion of the heroine for the art of healing brings a spellbinding story rich in historical period.
@Facebook/BestHistoricalFiction
Brief history: King James VI of Scotland, after the death of Elizabeth I, becomes also King James I of England and Ireland, becoming the first monarch to be called the King of Great Britain.
This story begins with his reign of England in 1603 as the first monarch of the House of Stuart. His reign is marked with witch-hunting and prosecuting Catholics, and the latter leads to the Gunpowder Plot – conspiracy to assassinate him.
Frances Gorges, fictional character, of noble birth, at the English court helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth. Her journey, as an herbalist tending to sick, begins with encouragement of Revered Samuels. “His skill at healing was renowned…” He teaches her about the herbs and its healing powers. Her eagerness to learn about herbs comes very naturally and takes her on an extraordinary journey, attending to sick already at the age of eleven.
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth and Reverend Samuels, new King James chooses a new priest, Reverend Pritchard. His first sermon already marks a change in attitude, hellfire preaching against the art of healing “to foster suspicion and fear among his flock.”
As King James “declares a war on witches,” chief minister, Robert Cecil, “drafts a new Act against witchcraft.”
After a year break from the court, Frances is forced by her uncle to return to the court. She prefers free spirited fields of flowers over congested city life and to be confided to specific quarters. However, what surprises her at the new court is the new Queen, Danish princess. Frances now feels curious to see her new sovereign to rule England. With the new royals, there is also a new encounter. His name is Tom Wintour.
Meanwhile Lord Cecil is committed to the cause of witch-hunting, also by employing William Shakespeare to create a play reflecting current political situation.
Soon Frances learns that the King is not only after witchcraft, but also after Catholics, prosecuting them and banishing Catholic priests from the kingdom.
The love nuance is so heart-touching. This intriguing fictional heroine of strong character is pursued by a historical figure Tom – educated, smart, of strong character who stands up for what he believes in. This heart-warming love intertwined with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 ends Book I. And for those who know the fate of Tom Wintour, you can guess how this book ends.
I applaud authors who revive such historical figures as Thomas Wintour. Not a well-known name to most of us resurfaces in history in present time in this stunning story.
The author perfectly balances history with conveying messages. It is rich in historical details, but not to a point to overwhelm a reader. The author takes time to convey a message, but not for too long in order not to lose the reader’s interest. This is one of those books that I like to take my time to read it and immerse myself in the pages of history with characters full of depth.
Beautifully written as it is custom to the land of Shakespeare, the combination of language, the subject of natural healing using herbs and the passion of the heroine for the art of healing brings a spellbinding story rich in historical period.
@Facebook/BestHistoricalFiction
May 31, 2018
Netgalley #31
Many thanks to Tracy Borman, Atlantic Monthly Press, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
This was not the best historical fiction I've ever read, but it certainly wasn't the worst. What may have improved my opinion would have been an included author's note to explain who and what was based on fact and what was fiction. Those pages are imperative to me. I know the Gorges family did exist, but I know nothing about them. I still feel like I don't because I don't trust what I read. The profile of Robert Cecil seemed spot on though. He was ruthless. And King James I was known as an avid witch hunter. So I know those parts are based on fact. Otherwise I have chosen to take everything else as complete fiction.
Many thanks to Tracy Borman, Atlantic Monthly Press, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
This was not the best historical fiction I've ever read, but it certainly wasn't the worst. What may have improved my opinion would have been an included author's note to explain who and what was based on fact and what was fiction. Those pages are imperative to me. I know the Gorges family did exist, but I know nothing about them. I still feel like I don't because I don't trust what I read. The profile of Robert Cecil seemed spot on though. He was ruthless. And King James I was known as an avid witch hunter. So I know those parts are based on fact. Otherwise I have chosen to take everything else as complete fiction.
October 17, 2022
The King's Witch is an entertaining and well written look at King James I's court, and his family relations, immediately after Queen Elizabeth I's death. I liked the vivid description of the anxieties and loyalties, or lack thereof, of a person navigating the new King's court, an environment marked by extreme and conflicting ideologies and behaviours. And also what happens when you get on the wrong side of those ideologies.
I felt the story was well constructed and believable and was happy that as a non-fiction writer Borman was able to spin a good fictional yarn. I didn't give it 5 stars for two reasons. Firstly, there a few predictable plot devices that annoyed me. Secondly, Princess Elizabeth is eight years old, and I know kids grew up quick in the past, but I had trouble believing the kid in the story was acting anything like an eight year old. But I had the same complaint of Elizabeth (different Elizabeth) in Alison Weir's The Lady Elizabeth, so maybe it's a personal pet peeve.
I felt the story was well constructed and believable and was happy that as a non-fiction writer Borman was able to spin a good fictional yarn. I didn't give it 5 stars for two reasons. Firstly, there a few predictable plot devices that annoyed me. Secondly, Princess Elizabeth is eight years old, and I know kids grew up quick in the past, but I had trouble believing the kid in the story was acting anything like an eight year old. But I had the same complaint of Elizabeth (different Elizabeth) in Alison Weir's The Lady Elizabeth, so maybe it's a personal pet peeve.
July 16, 2018
4.25 stars for this lovely book. I enjoy a piece of historical fiction that can shine a new light, and a different view upon a well known historical person while also creating an engaging story around those of lesser fame.
I feel as though I must keep this brief to avoid spoilers, but I will say that this presents an excellent contrast to some of the books you may read about the Jacobean court. Written with sympathy of the queen, Anne of Denmark, our protagonist and lead character is Frances Gorges, an herbalist (not a good time to be a woman interested in the garden) from an old noble family.
Very delighted by this author and I’m looking forward to her promised sequel as we continue to follow the life of the very likable Lady Frances.
I feel as though I must keep this brief to avoid spoilers, but I will say that this presents an excellent contrast to some of the books you may read about the Jacobean court. Written with sympathy of the queen, Anne of Denmark, our protagonist and lead character is Frances Gorges, an herbalist (not a good time to be a woman interested in the garden) from an old noble family.
Very delighted by this author and I’m looking forward to her promised sequel as we continue to follow the life of the very likable Lady Frances.
July 4, 2018
How I loved this! A stunning account of life at the court of James I in the years immediately following the death of Elizabeth I. She was a hard act to follow and this James I definitely struggles. Lady Frances Gorges is a fascinating, little-known figure and I loved how Tracy Borman interprets her story, mixing fact with the possible, making her both likeable and complex. There is far more to this novel than the witch angle suggested by the title. This will be one of my favourite historical novels of the year for sure. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
October 26, 2018
Just a note that the second star is only for the historical elements, because the history behind this novel is actually quite interesting. And how many times have I said that after finishing another lackluster historical fiction book? Far too many. This is a problem, historical fiction fans! We deserve better than this! I realize that they all can't be written by Mantel, but it is certainly problematic when these reads all start sounding the same. An interesting history placed in the right hands could have yielded a tremendous read, but instead we are given only scraps...bits and pieces of other historical fiction books all patched together and presented as something new. Disagree? I urge you to pick up any book under the label of historical fiction published in the last 10 years and you will find the following:
1. A simpering heroine who can't make decisions or seems to make the same mistakes over and over again. How many times did Frances recognize that what she was about to do was a bad idea, yet did it anyway? So frustrating!
2. An EVIL! male character who is always doing the following: 'smiling sardonically,' 'a grin playing upon his mouth/twitching of some kind,' 'spittle coming from his mouth and landing upon the heroine,' and finally 'any sort of wrist grabbing of the heroine followed by the surprise that he had an uncharacteristically tight grip.' Like, I don't know what Cecil had against Frances in the first place, but he was portrayed as one dimensional and boring. I almost half expected him to start twirling his mustache mischievously.
3. Precocious children/snuffling infants. Seriously, why are newborns always described as snuffling and mewling? Philippa Gregory started this one, I think.
4. Romantic encounter! And mark me, it is always described as 'pain giving way to pleasure.' Vomits.
5. Our 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, century heroines with a delightfully 21st century way of thinking. Stop with the anachronistic storytelling, please. Were all women happy with the matches made for them? Probably not. Were they all determined to live a life as an independent woman? No, because this concept didn't really exist for women, unless they were widowed.
So, if you'd like to read a rehash of every historical fiction novel ever, The King's Witch is for you. I'm just sitting here waiting for a better way of historical fiction to be told. Maybe it's time to put my own pen to paper.
By the way, anyone know of any decent retellings of the Gunpowder Plot? Fascinating stuff.
Oh, and
1. A simpering heroine who can't make decisions or seems to make the same mistakes over and over again. How many times did Frances recognize that what she was about to do was a bad idea, yet did it anyway? So frustrating!
2. An EVIL! male character who is always doing the following: 'smiling sardonically,' 'a grin playing upon his mouth/twitching of some kind,' 'spittle coming from his mouth and landing upon the heroine,' and finally 'any sort of wrist grabbing of the heroine followed by the surprise that he had an uncharacteristically tight grip.' Like, I don't know what Cecil had against Frances in the first place, but he was portrayed as one dimensional and boring. I almost half expected him to start twirling his mustache mischievously.
3. Precocious children/snuffling infants. Seriously, why are newborns always described as snuffling and mewling? Philippa Gregory started this one, I think.
4. Romantic encounter! And mark me, it is always described as 'pain giving way to pleasure.' Vomits.
5. Our 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, century heroines with a delightfully 21st century way of thinking. Stop with the anachronistic storytelling, please. Were all women happy with the matches made for them? Probably not. Were they all determined to live a life as an independent woman? No, because this concept didn't really exist for women, unless they were widowed.
So, if you'd like to read a rehash of every historical fiction novel ever, The King's Witch is for you. I'm just sitting here waiting for a better way of historical fiction to be told. Maybe it's time to put my own pen to paper.
By the way, anyone know of any decent retellings of the Gunpowder Plot? Fascinating stuff.
Oh, and
September 16, 2019
Tracey Borman draws her inspiration for this book from Frances Gorges, who was one of eight children of Helena Snakenborg and her second husband Thomas Gorges, her mother being the favoured attendant to Elizabeth I until her death in 1603. The narrative follows Frances, who is a member of the court of James I and Queen Anne and is also a healer and herbalist, a skill that risks the condemnation of practicing witchcraft. Frances struggles as a young woman who is able to elevate her male relatives status through an advantageous marriage but she is also in constant danger of the men who are only to happy to be be employed by the king to uncover witches. Her allies include Queen Anne as she is the companion of her daughter Princess Elizabeth during which time Frances falls in love with Thomas Wintour and their relationship leads her to become entangled in a Paptist plot against the King.
Full of danger and intrigue, The Kings’s Witch is written with thorough historical research and describes all the debauchery and danger of the court of James I with such aplomb it rivals the novels of Phillipa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick. Highly recommended.
Full of danger and intrigue, The Kings’s Witch is written with thorough historical research and describes all the debauchery and danger of the court of James I with such aplomb it rivals the novels of Phillipa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick. Highly recommended.
October 30, 2019
This had the makings of a great novel, but the writing was repetitive (eyes constantly "blazed", Frances always "padded" Cecil and King James always "sneered", etc) and felt empty. The heroine had no personality and the "villains" were badly-written caricatures. I'm sure Borman's writing will only grow stronger in time, but this one just fell as flat as it's heroine for me.
June 26, 2018
3.5 stars
I am glad I stuck with this book after its very slow start. It finally picked up and told a very interesting story about Frances Gorges, a young Lady in Queen Elizabeth's service and skilled in healing and herbs. After the Queen's death, she is employed as an attendant to the new King James' 8 year old daughter, Elizabeth.
The Lord of the Privacy Seal, Cecil, has taken a dislike to Frances for some reason that I am unclear about. He employs spies and harasses her beyond common sense. Does he have nothing better to do than to pick on the princess's maid? She gets into severe trouble and miraculously survives. Her herbal skills save the princess life and, thus, her own.
She gets involved in the Guy Fawkes Plot which I did not even realize was that until I was 3/4 the way through. I knew it was a plot but who knew it was that one? After all, there were many against the King who loathed Catholics and did away with many of the freedoms they had under Queen Elizabeth's rule.
The author presumes the reader knows more about the history of James I than I do and is not particularly good about giving helpful background. I had questions. I had no idea that James was supposedly homosexual. It was just laid out there. I had no preparation that it was the famous plot. I had no idea that palace entertainment included people coupling in front of everyone. What was the matter with James' son, Charles? I wish there had been more historical information and not presume the reader was an expert of the times. I realized I knew a lot about the Tudors and next to nothing about the Stuarts.
I did some research on Princess Elizabeth and think she lived an interesting life. I'd like to read more about her and after a rocky start, I will come back to discover what happens to Frances. This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I am looking forward to the next one.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I am glad I stuck with this book after its very slow start. It finally picked up and told a very interesting story about Frances Gorges, a young Lady in Queen Elizabeth's service and skilled in healing and herbs. After the Queen's death, she is employed as an attendant to the new King James' 8 year old daughter, Elizabeth.
The Lord of the Privacy Seal, Cecil, has taken a dislike to Frances for some reason that I am unclear about. He employs spies and harasses her beyond common sense. Does he have nothing better to do than to pick on the princess's maid? She gets into severe trouble and miraculously survives. Her herbal skills save the princess life and, thus, her own.
She gets involved in the Guy Fawkes Plot which I did not even realize was that until I was 3/4 the way through. I knew it was a plot but who knew it was that one? After all, there were many against the King who loathed Catholics and did away with many of the freedoms they had under Queen Elizabeth's rule.
The author presumes the reader knows more about the history of James I than I do and is not particularly good about giving helpful background. I had questions. I had no idea that James was supposedly homosexual. It was just laid out there. I had no preparation that it was the famous plot. I had no idea that palace entertainment included people coupling in front of everyone. What was the matter with James' son, Charles? I wish there had been more historical information and not presume the reader was an expert of the times. I realized I knew a lot about the Tudors and next to nothing about the Stuarts.
I did some research on Princess Elizabeth and think she lived an interesting life. I'd like to read more about her and after a rocky start, I will come back to discover what happens to Frances. This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I am looking forward to the next one.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
April 9, 2021
4.5 stelle
Amate i romanzi storici? Amate Alison Weir? Siete affascinati dalla storia inglese? Allora questo romanzo fa per voi!
“La strega del Re” segna l’esordio italiano di Tracy Borman, già autrice di numeri e apprezzati romanzi storici (che noi vogliamo leggere. E sì, questo è un messaggio per la Casa Editrice!).
Primo volume di una trilogia che vede protagonista Frances Gorges, giovane donna alla Corte di Giacomo I Stuart.
Frances viene mal vista per via della sua capacità di guaritrice, in un’epoca in cui ogni pretesto era buono per essere tacciati di stregoneria. Ma non è questo, al di là di ciò che il titolo potrebbe far credere, il punto focale del romanzo.
La storia che Borman ci racconta ci porterà a conoscere Frances, personaggio realmente esistito, ma, soprattutto, i primi anni di regno di Giacomo I, successore di Elisabetta I, e primo Re a unire in un unico Regno Inghilterra e Scozia.
Assieme a Frances vivremo la vita di corte, gli abiti sfarzosi, le sale maestose, gli arazzi raffinati e gli intrighi, i pettegolezzi e i complotti.
Questo primo romanzo della serie ci porta a conoscere la protagonista e il suo coinvolgimento nella Congiura delle Polveri, il complotto col quale un gruppo di Papisti si proponeva di uccidere Re Giacomo I e il suo primogenito, per poi far salire al trono la piccola Elisabetta, di cui Frances era dama di compagnia.
La scrittura di Tracy Borman affascina e conquista sin dalle prime righe e anche in quei momenti in cui le descrizioni paiono un po’ ridondanti, non si può fare a meno di continuare a leggere, vinti dalla curiosità di scoprire cosa accadrà nella vita di Frances!
#lamiafascetta A Frances servono delle pantofole
La recensione completa, come sempre, nel blog
Amate i romanzi storici? Amate Alison Weir? Siete affascinati dalla storia inglese? Allora questo romanzo fa per voi!
“La strega del Re” segna l’esordio italiano di Tracy Borman, già autrice di numeri e apprezzati romanzi storici (che noi vogliamo leggere. E sì, questo è un messaggio per la Casa Editrice!).
Primo volume di una trilogia che vede protagonista Frances Gorges, giovane donna alla Corte di Giacomo I Stuart.
Frances viene mal vista per via della sua capacità di guaritrice, in un’epoca in cui ogni pretesto era buono per essere tacciati di stregoneria. Ma non è questo, al di là di ciò che il titolo potrebbe far credere, il punto focale del romanzo.
La storia che Borman ci racconta ci porterà a conoscere Frances, personaggio realmente esistito, ma, soprattutto, i primi anni di regno di Giacomo I, successore di Elisabetta I, e primo Re a unire in un unico Regno Inghilterra e Scozia.
Assieme a Frances vivremo la vita di corte, gli abiti sfarzosi, le sale maestose, gli arazzi raffinati e gli intrighi, i pettegolezzi e i complotti.
Questo primo romanzo della serie ci porta a conoscere la protagonista e il suo coinvolgimento nella Congiura delle Polveri, il complotto col quale un gruppo di Papisti si proponeva di uccidere Re Giacomo I e il suo primogenito, per poi far salire al trono la piccola Elisabetta, di cui Frances era dama di compagnia.
La scrittura di Tracy Borman affascina e conquista sin dalle prime righe e anche in quei momenti in cui le descrizioni paiono un po’ ridondanti, non si può fare a meno di continuare a leggere, vinti dalla curiosità di scoprire cosa accadrà nella vita di Frances!
#lamiafascetta A Frances servono delle pantofole
La recensione completa, come sempre, nel blog
August 30, 2019
Probably closer to 2.5 stars
The blurb is quite misleading and I found it difficult to remain interested.
Good writing, however. I just found the plot full and monotonous
The blurb is quite misleading and I found it difficult to remain interested.
Good writing, however. I just found the plot full and monotonous
August 6, 2018
thanks to netgalley and publishers for a free copy in return for a honest view
interesting historical novel starting at the end of Elizabeth I reign and the start of Charles stuart as Charles I with moving around the court and friction between new monarchs and catholics and a witchcraft, the author manages to weave in the gunpowder plot too in this novel but only as a backdrop
interesting historical novel starting at the end of Elizabeth I reign and the start of Charles stuart as Charles I with moving around the court and friction between new monarchs and catholics and a witchcraft, the author manages to weave in the gunpowder plot too in this novel but only as a backdrop
December 20, 2020
Dnf'd at 343 pages. I just can't take it anymore. Ainsworth never claimed he was trying to be accurate to the history, so his use of conspiracy theories, completely botching the Jesuits, messing up the timeline, etc., was less annoying to me. His book Guy Fawkes was so ludicrously bad, that it was entertaining. This book is just irritating. The author claims to be following timelines and facts accurately, only adding in things where we don't know much. Yet I found so many historical inaccuracies for easy to find facts about the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 that if I'd turned it into a drinking game, I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning several times over. Her author notes don't explain nearly enough concerning where creative liberties were taken, where fact ends, and fiction begins. She's a historian. I expected better from her.
The prose is repetitive, dull, and boring. Take a shot every time a breath catches, released a breath she didn't know she was holding, eyes flared, sardonic smile, a man leers at her or ogles her, man is portrayed as infantile idiot, sadist, controlling, and one dimensional, and once again I'd be dead before I made it a quarter of a way through this book. Not like other girls commentary from the lead Frances doesn't endear me to her. Anachronistic language and 21st century ideas in her head don't endear her to me.
The lack of clear context for why any of this is happening annoys me. You can't assume everyone knows a ton about this era. Why is Cecil so obsessed with getting Frances killed? I don't know. Why is Cecil, one of the greatest spy masters of that era, an idiot? I don't know. King James I and VI was a sadist, and not a nice man. This book makes him the devil incarnate. No attempts to humanize these characters or show viewpoints that are anything other than Frances's are made. No persecution is shown beyond the witch hunts. So I'm supposed to side with Catholics because I'm told it's bad, not because the book shows how bad it was. No real politics or religions is discussed in a meaningful way.
Father Garnet was destroyed in this book. He didn't even go to the government about the Gunpowder Plot even though part of him wanted to because it was revealed to him under the seal of confession. He was trying to stop it by reasoning with Catesby or at least getting word to Rome to ask for guidance, and could only do so in so general a sense that he was told they need more details, details he couldn't give. This book has him openly discuss things revealed to him under the seal of confession to Frances the first time he meets her without batting an eyelash at the thought of breaking the seal of confession.
Sir Everard Digby does not deserve the smear campaign this book puts on him. His letters and poetry from the Tower of London speak for themselves. He wasn't a double agent working for Cecil. He truly believed he had done what needed to be done for the religious freedom of Catholics.
Shakespeare's Macbeth was performed on November 7th, 1606, not in the summer of 1604.
I will not be finishing this book, nor reading the other books in this trilogy. I didn't care about any of the characters. I don't trust her books to have characters or nuance. I'm also not sure I'll be reading her non-fiction.
Also, the love square in Ainsworth's novel was more entertaining and had more chemistry in it than whatever sorry excuse for a "romance" between Frances and Thomas Wintour was contained in this book.
The prose is repetitive, dull, and boring. Take a shot every time a breath catches, released a breath she didn't know she was holding, eyes flared, sardonic smile, a man leers at her or ogles her, man is portrayed as infantile idiot, sadist, controlling, and one dimensional, and once again I'd be dead before I made it a quarter of a way through this book. Not like other girls commentary from the lead Frances doesn't endear me to her. Anachronistic language and 21st century ideas in her head don't endear her to me.
The lack of clear context for why any of this is happening annoys me. You can't assume everyone knows a ton about this era. Why is Cecil so obsessed with getting Frances killed? I don't know. Why is Cecil, one of the greatest spy masters of that era, an idiot? I don't know. King James I and VI was a sadist, and not a nice man. This book makes him the devil incarnate. No attempts to humanize these characters or show viewpoints that are anything other than Frances's are made. No persecution is shown beyond the witch hunts. So I'm supposed to side with Catholics because I'm told it's bad, not because the book shows how bad it was. No real politics or religions is discussed in a meaningful way.
Father Garnet was destroyed in this book. He didn't even go to the government about the Gunpowder Plot even though part of him wanted to because it was revealed to him under the seal of confession. He was trying to stop it by reasoning with Catesby or at least getting word to Rome to ask for guidance, and could only do so in so general a sense that he was told they need more details, details he couldn't give. This book has him openly discuss things revealed to him under the seal of confession to Frances the first time he meets her without batting an eyelash at the thought of breaking the seal of confession.
Sir Everard Digby does not deserve the smear campaign this book puts on him. His letters and poetry from the Tower of London speak for themselves. He wasn't a double agent working for Cecil. He truly believed he had done what needed to be done for the religious freedom of Catholics.
Shakespeare's Macbeth was performed on November 7th, 1606, not in the summer of 1604.
I will not be finishing this book, nor reading the other books in this trilogy. I didn't care about any of the characters. I don't trust her books to have characters or nuance. I'm also not sure I'll be reading her non-fiction.
Also, the love square in Ainsworth's novel was more entertaining and had more chemistry in it than whatever sorry excuse for a "romance" between Frances and Thomas Wintour was contained in this book.
October 1, 2018
Love my BBC podcasts! Thanks to listening to a HistoryExtra podcast I caught a great interview witu the author and that peaked my interest in this book. Fear not men, this is not a girly-girl book. This is a wonderful book by a Historian whose previous works were all non-fiction and all dealt with the Tudor dynasty. She decided to turn her attention to fiction and write about James 1 the first of the Stuart kings. Here we meet all the anger, jealousy, and deception of court life under King James who comes from Scotland and desires to rid England of its Papist (Catholic) past, along with stamping out all whom he describes as witches (basically herbalists and other women who allegedly put curses upon his family and kingdom.) We see all of this through the eyes of Frances Gorges, whose parents are minor royalty, and who is chosen by her uncle to come to the court to enhance the families chaces of success and advancement and who ends up as the lady of the bedchamber for 8-year old Princess Elizabeth.
This is really a wonderful historical story that deals with the advent of Protestantism in England, the operation of the court of James 1, as well as letting us know that James was pretty much a homosexual! (never knew that). And then we get to the gist of the story - this is about the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament and kill James and his two sons in order to put Princess Elizabeth on the throne. These are not delights of fiction, instead the author weaves her tale while using historical characters and events. A few parts are a bit sluggish but on the whole this is a fast reading and interesting book on the events of the first few years under the rule of James 1 and all the intrigue that leads up to the failed Gunpowder Plot.
This is really a wonderful historical story that deals with the advent of Protestantism in England, the operation of the court of James 1, as well as letting us know that James was pretty much a homosexual! (never knew that). And then we get to the gist of the story - this is about the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament and kill James and his two sons in order to put Princess Elizabeth on the throne. These are not delights of fiction, instead the author weaves her tale while using historical characters and events. A few parts are a bit sluggish but on the whole this is a fast reading and interesting book on the events of the first few years under the rule of James 1 and all the intrigue that leads up to the failed Gunpowder Plot.
May 28, 2019
I think this has quickly become a new favourite of mine. It combines my love for historical fiction, the monarchy and witchery all into one book. It has political intrigue, a strong female character who is a victim of the patriarchal court but manages to come out on top, the actual Gunpowder Plot (!), and beautiful imagery/writing style. Tracy Borman is magical as both a fiction writer and historian. I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series - just a bummer I have to wait so long for the paperback to come out!
I definitely think the audiobook for this added to my overall reading experience. The narrator was so lively, emotional and clear.
I will have a full review of this up on my blog soon, so make sure to follow me @ www.bookishbyron.wordpress.com
Honestly, though, amazing. I couldn't recommend it enough. So. Good.
I definitely think the audiobook for this added to my overall reading experience. The narrator was so lively, emotional and clear.
I will have a full review of this up on my blog soon, so make sure to follow me @ www.bookishbyron.wordpress.com
Honestly, though, amazing. I couldn't recommend it enough. So. Good.
April 12, 2021
Non mi riprenderò facilmente dalla lettura di questo libro... Tracy Borman mi ha stregata, è riuscita a trasportarmi anima e corpo nel suo mondo.
"La Strega del Re" è un perfetto affresco storico del regno di Giacomo I d'Inghilterra e una preziosa testimonianza della sua sanguinosa e irragionevole lotta alla stregoneria.
La Borman ha fatto un lavoro di documentazione incredibile. Ogni personaggio di cui racconta è realmente esistito e ogni evento storico è ricostruito fin nei minimi dettagli. Anche i luoghi vengono riportati fedelmente e con estrema minuzia. Ma il punto di forza dell'autrice è proprio la sua capacità descrittiva: attraverso l'uso delle parole riesce a ricreare una perfetta atmosfera capace di avvolgere il lettore e trasportarlo nella storia. I profumi delle erbe e dei fiori, la sensazione del vento tra i capelli durante le cavalcate, i colori e la morbidezza dei tessuti, la pietra dura e fredda dei palazzi... Riesce davvero a rendere tutto così reale e tangibile! E soprattutto riesce a trasmettere ogni singola emozione dei suoi personaggi. Seguire Frances nella sua storia è stata per me una dura prova... In più di un'occasione mi è successo di sentire il cuore accelerare e il terrore invadermi dalla testa ai piedi. Ho pianto molto, sono sincera.
"La Strega del Re" è un libro doloroso e che suscita tanta tanta rabbia ma è un libro necessario per comprendere appieno un periodo molto buio della storia europea, un periodo fatto di intrighi politici, persecuzioni religiose e congiure ma anche e soprattutto di torture e altri orrori legati alla caccia alle streghe.
"La Strega del Re" è un perfetto affresco storico del regno di Giacomo I d'Inghilterra e una preziosa testimonianza della sua sanguinosa e irragionevole lotta alla stregoneria.
La Borman ha fatto un lavoro di documentazione incredibile. Ogni personaggio di cui racconta è realmente esistito e ogni evento storico è ricostruito fin nei minimi dettagli. Anche i luoghi vengono riportati fedelmente e con estrema minuzia. Ma il punto di forza dell'autrice è proprio la sua capacità descrittiva: attraverso l'uso delle parole riesce a ricreare una perfetta atmosfera capace di avvolgere il lettore e trasportarlo nella storia. I profumi delle erbe e dei fiori, la sensazione del vento tra i capelli durante le cavalcate, i colori e la morbidezza dei tessuti, la pietra dura e fredda dei palazzi... Riesce davvero a rendere tutto così reale e tangibile! E soprattutto riesce a trasmettere ogni singola emozione dei suoi personaggi. Seguire Frances nella sua storia è stata per me una dura prova... In più di un'occasione mi è successo di sentire il cuore accelerare e il terrore invadermi dalla testa ai piedi. Ho pianto molto, sono sincera.
"La Strega del Re" è un libro doloroso e che suscita tanta tanta rabbia ma è un libro necessario per comprendere appieno un periodo molto buio della storia europea, un periodo fatto di intrighi politici, persecuzioni religiose e congiure ma anche e soprattutto di torture e altri orrori legati alla caccia alle streghe.
February 23, 2018
5 stars
Frances Gorges is a young woman of gentle birth who, along with her mother, attended Queen Elizabeth I at the time of her death in 1603. Tending to her with herbs and potions, she made the Queen’s passing a little easier.
King James I (and VI of Scotland), is on his way to London to take over the reins of the country. Interestingly enough, he was the first to be called King of Great Britain. He is noted for his intolerance of those he calls “witches” (and Catholics). So too is the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. And the new Reverend Pritchard at Frances’ local church first sermon is on the dangers of witchcraft in their very community. Not a very auspicious beginning to say the least.
Frances’ healing talents were fostered by the now deceased Reverend Samuels, whose replacement is Pritchard. Frances has a natural ability and instinct for healing. But, it has now put her into danger from the new King and clergy.
Following the death of the Queen, Frances is able to stay at the family’s country estate, away from the intrigue of the court. But after a year of this bliss, he “uncle” drags her to London and back to court. She is beset by fear and makes friends only rarely. She makes friends with the King’s daughter. She is both a lively and likeable child.
Another person she meets is the real historical figure of Tom Wintour. Those familiar with that era of history will recognize his name as one of the co-conspirators in the infamous Gunpowder Plot. This was an attempt to assassinate King James I by a group of Catholics. Frances is unsure about Tom. As her affection for Tom grows, Frances is not sure if she should trust him altogether or not?
This is a very well written and plotted novel. I’ve read a number of Ms. Borman’s other books, and I believe this is the first time she has turned her hand to an (almost) complete work of fiction. The novel reads linearly, that is to say in a straight line. One event follows another. The characters are likeable and completely believable. The addition of a mild love interest for Frances is a nice addition to the story.
I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkably well written and enchanting book for me to read and enjoy.
Frances Gorges is a young woman of gentle birth who, along with her mother, attended Queen Elizabeth I at the time of her death in 1603. Tending to her with herbs and potions, she made the Queen’s passing a little easier.
King James I (and VI of Scotland), is on his way to London to take over the reins of the country. Interestingly enough, he was the first to be called King of Great Britain. He is noted for his intolerance of those he calls “witches” (and Catholics). So too is the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. And the new Reverend Pritchard at Frances’ local church first sermon is on the dangers of witchcraft in their very community. Not a very auspicious beginning to say the least.
Frances’ healing talents were fostered by the now deceased Reverend Samuels, whose replacement is Pritchard. Frances has a natural ability and instinct for healing. But, it has now put her into danger from the new King and clergy.
Following the death of the Queen, Frances is able to stay at the family’s country estate, away from the intrigue of the court. But after a year of this bliss, he “uncle” drags her to London and back to court. She is beset by fear and makes friends only rarely. She makes friends with the King’s daughter. She is both a lively and likeable child.
Another person she meets is the real historical figure of Tom Wintour. Those familiar with that era of history will recognize his name as one of the co-conspirators in the infamous Gunpowder Plot. This was an attempt to assassinate King James I by a group of Catholics. Frances is unsure about Tom. As her affection for Tom grows, Frances is not sure if she should trust him altogether or not?
This is a very well written and plotted novel. I’ve read a number of Ms. Borman’s other books, and I believe this is the first time she has turned her hand to an (almost) complete work of fiction. The novel reads linearly, that is to say in a straight line. One event follows another. The characters are likeable and completely believable. The addition of a mild love interest for Frances is a nice addition to the story.
I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkably well written and enchanting book for me to read and enjoy.
July 17, 2018
Exciting and fearful times!
The cut and thrust of politics and religion during Tudor times and on into the early 1600's reign of King James of Scotland, leaves the gap between trust and mistrust frighteningly narrow. The removal of women healers as witches from villages and elsewhere during this time was harrowing. Purges throughout history in the name of religion, powered by fanatics have dogged humanity. The King's Witch touches on the dichotomy between James 1's personal life and his actions towards the general populace, spurred on by his fears of witchcraft and papists. A well researched, historical novel that pulls the reader instantly into the action.
The story of Lady Frances Gorges, daughter to the Marchioness of Northampton and Sir Thomas Gorges, a talented healer taken by her outrageous dukely uncle to the new court of James I, after Elizabeth 1's death is harrowing. It thrusts the reader immediately into the dangers of that world. James issues proclamations against healers, spurred on by the insidious Privy Seal, Lord Cecil.
With Frances, I cringed with fear as she tried to negotiate the rocky ,dangerous shores of a decadent court. Papists who'd once reached accommodation with Elizabeth were back to the days of Queen Mary. James' fear of witchcraft and Catholicism cuts a swathe through his subjects.
Frances becomes fearful for her life and the lives of her loved ones as plots are hatched. And then there's the young courtier who befriended her, Tom Wintour. A man she comes to admire. A man who has his own beliefs and follows them.
Borman's descriptive prose drew me into the dangers of the time, and into the grist of Frances' life, as dangerous subterfuges make her safety even more uncertain.
A NetGalley ARC
The cut and thrust of politics and religion during Tudor times and on into the early 1600's reign of King James of Scotland, leaves the gap between trust and mistrust frighteningly narrow. The removal of women healers as witches from villages and elsewhere during this time was harrowing. Purges throughout history in the name of religion, powered by fanatics have dogged humanity. The King's Witch touches on the dichotomy between James 1's personal life and his actions towards the general populace, spurred on by his fears of witchcraft and papists. A well researched, historical novel that pulls the reader instantly into the action.
The story of Lady Frances Gorges, daughter to the Marchioness of Northampton and Sir Thomas Gorges, a talented healer taken by her outrageous dukely uncle to the new court of James I, after Elizabeth 1's death is harrowing. It thrusts the reader immediately into the dangers of that world. James issues proclamations against healers, spurred on by the insidious Privy Seal, Lord Cecil.
With Frances, I cringed with fear as she tried to negotiate the rocky ,dangerous shores of a decadent court. Papists who'd once reached accommodation with Elizabeth were back to the days of Queen Mary. James' fear of witchcraft and Catholicism cuts a swathe through his subjects.
Frances becomes fearful for her life and the lives of her loved ones as plots are hatched. And then there's the young courtier who befriended her, Tom Wintour. A man she comes to admire. A man who has his own beliefs and follows them.
Borman's descriptive prose drew me into the dangers of the time, and into the grist of Frances' life, as dangerous subterfuges make her safety even more uncertain.
A NetGalley ARC
December 15, 2019
Check out this review and more on my blog!
I received an eARC of The King’s Witch from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In recent years there’s been a spate of historians taking to historical fiction – like Lucy Worsley with Eliza Rose and Janina Ramirez with Riddle of the Runes, and Alison Weir has been writing fiction alongside her non-fiction for years – so when I saw Tudor and Stuart historian Tracy Borman had written her debut novel about a suspected witch, I couldn’t resist requesting a copy from NetGalley.
The novel follows an incredibly turbulent period of Britain’s history, following the death of the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, and James VI of Scotland’s ascension to the English throne as James I. James was obsessed with witches and many women, and men (but mostly women), died because of his obsession, and many more died because of his persecution of the Catholics. In fact he treated the Catholics so badly that, only two years into his reign, they tried to blow him up.
Into this turbulent environment walks Frances Gorges. A lover of the countryside and her family’s home there, she’s taken to the Stuart court by her uncle in the hopes that she’ll make a good match where he’s secured a job for her as a companion to the young Princess Elizabeth. Unfortunately for Frances, her affinity for herbs and healing sees her come under suspicion for witchcraft, and a budding romance with another courtier puts her in danger of being accused of something else entirely.
Sadly I didn’t love this one, but I also can’t say it’s a bad book. If you haven’t read a lot of historical fiction, or haven’t read a lot set during this period of history, I think The King’s Witch would be a great starting point. Tracy Borman is a historian and she really knows her stuff; there are little details she adds about England at the period, and particularly about some of our most famous historical buildings such as Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London, that have you learning without it being obvious that she’s teaching you, and this book is a very easy read.
My issue with this book is that, for me, it isn’t anything new. Of course Frances is the most beloved and beautiful and learned and most studious child in her family, and of course she has a jealous sister who we barely see which begs the question why she was there at all other than to make Frances look good, and her uncle is a bit too moustache-twirly to be taken seriously. I found Frances a little too passive which is a real shame because I think there is a lack of quiet heroines in fiction, but Frances wasn’t quiet so much as waited for the men around her to tell her what to do. This is particularly odd when her internal narrative so often called out how unfair it was that women had to do what men said all the time – and yet that’s what she spent the majority of this novel doing.
I mean this woman gets caught up in one of the most famous regicidal plots in history by accident. There’s so much more that could have been done with this novel, but instead it felt like two novels mashed together. The first half followed Frances’s battle with a witchcraft accusation – and to Borman’s credit, I really appreciated that she included a ‘witch-pricking’ scene which just proves how horrific and degrading a process it was once a woman was accused of witchcraft – and the second half followed her falling into the Gunpowder Plot.
The strange thing is these two halves of the plot could have fit together more than they did; because King James hated witches and Catholics in equal measure, Catholicism itself became associated with witchcraft so it would have made sense for Frances to also be a secret Catholic. Instead she grows to care about the Catholic plot because all the men involved tell her she should care and she thinks, ‘fair enough, yeah okay’ and I just didn’t believe her.
Worse still, I kind of lost a little respect for her? Don’t get me wrong the woman suffers a harrowing ordeal and she has just as much of a reason to hate the king as everyone else he’s wronged, but it didn’t take much to win her over to the Catholics’ side and I’d’ve preferred the novel if she’d already been on their side to begin with. Instead we have a novel about the Gunpowder Plot where we never actually see its organisers organising it, and it seems a shame we were left out of that side of things.
Frances’s romance with one of the conspirators also could have been fleshed out more. They seemed to fall in love incredibly quickly, and whenever they declared their love for one another all I could think was, ‘why, though?’ because for the majority of the novel Frances has no idea what he’s up to. It’s difficult to decipher how much they actually knew each other at all.
(I also wasn’t a fan of the sex scene – why so many historical fiction sex scenes completely forego foreplay and include lines about ‘pain giving way to pleasure’ I’ll never know.)
I do really appreciate that Borman included Anne of Denmark, James’s wife, a lot in this novel, as I feel she’s someone who’s often forgotten and I’d love to know more about her. I can’t imagine it was easy being married to a man like James VI, especially as he was rumoured to prefer the company of men and often flaunted his favourites in front of the queen. The Anne Borman wrote was incredibly dignified, and I always looked forward to scenes she was in.
My only other thought, upon finishing this novel, is that I can’t help wondering if historians are letting women from history down when all they write about is the royal court. Considering the majority of women accused of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries were ordinary, working class women, I can’t deny that it’s frustrating to see yet another witch novel set at the royal court. Frances was able to escape the fate of many accused witches thanks to her connections at court, but what about all the ordinary women who had no such benefactor?
Of course a lot of historians specialise in royal history, in fact both Borman and Lucy Worsley are Joint Chief Curators of Historic Royal Palaces, but the historians who turn their hand to historical fiction are also the writers who have the means for researching the ordinary people from history at their disposal.
All that aside (I feel like I’m being very mean, and I actually like Tracy Borman a lot – I’ve seen her speak a couple of times and she’s incredibly knowledgable and genuinely lovely!) while it is clear this is Borman’s debut novel, she certainly has the potential to get better and better. I won’t be picking up the next book in this trilogy, sadly I don’t care enough about Frances to find out what happens to her next, but I’d be interested in seeing what else Borman may write in future.
I received an eARC of The King’s Witch from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In recent years there’s been a spate of historians taking to historical fiction – like Lucy Worsley with Eliza Rose and Janina Ramirez with Riddle of the Runes, and Alison Weir has been writing fiction alongside her non-fiction for years – so when I saw Tudor and Stuart historian Tracy Borman had written her debut novel about a suspected witch, I couldn’t resist requesting a copy from NetGalley.
The novel follows an incredibly turbulent period of Britain’s history, following the death of the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, and James VI of Scotland’s ascension to the English throne as James I. James was obsessed with witches and many women, and men (but mostly women), died because of his obsession, and many more died because of his persecution of the Catholics. In fact he treated the Catholics so badly that, only two years into his reign, they tried to blow him up.
Into this turbulent environment walks Frances Gorges. A lover of the countryside and her family’s home there, she’s taken to the Stuart court by her uncle in the hopes that she’ll make a good match where he’s secured a job for her as a companion to the young Princess Elizabeth. Unfortunately for Frances, her affinity for herbs and healing sees her come under suspicion for witchcraft, and a budding romance with another courtier puts her in danger of being accused of something else entirely.
Sadly I didn’t love this one, but I also can’t say it’s a bad book. If you haven’t read a lot of historical fiction, or haven’t read a lot set during this period of history, I think The King’s Witch would be a great starting point. Tracy Borman is a historian and she really knows her stuff; there are little details she adds about England at the period, and particularly about some of our most famous historical buildings such as Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London, that have you learning without it being obvious that she’s teaching you, and this book is a very easy read.
My issue with this book is that, for me, it isn’t anything new. Of course Frances is the most beloved and beautiful and learned and most studious child in her family, and of course she has a jealous sister who we barely see which begs the question why she was there at all other than to make Frances look good, and her uncle is a bit too moustache-twirly to be taken seriously. I found Frances a little too passive which is a real shame because I think there is a lack of quiet heroines in fiction, but Frances wasn’t quiet so much as waited for the men around her to tell her what to do. This is particularly odd when her internal narrative so often called out how unfair it was that women had to do what men said all the time – and yet that’s what she spent the majority of this novel doing.
I mean this woman gets caught up in one of the most famous regicidal plots in history by accident. There’s so much more that could have been done with this novel, but instead it felt like two novels mashed together. The first half followed Frances’s battle with a witchcraft accusation – and to Borman’s credit, I really appreciated that she included a ‘witch-pricking’ scene which just proves how horrific and degrading a process it was once a woman was accused of witchcraft – and the second half followed her falling into the Gunpowder Plot.
The strange thing is these two halves of the plot could have fit together more than they did; because King James hated witches and Catholics in equal measure, Catholicism itself became associated with witchcraft so it would have made sense for Frances to also be a secret Catholic. Instead she grows to care about the Catholic plot because all the men involved tell her she should care and she thinks, ‘fair enough, yeah okay’ and I just didn’t believe her.
Worse still, I kind of lost a little respect for her? Don’t get me wrong the woman suffers a harrowing ordeal and she has just as much of a reason to hate the king as everyone else he’s wronged, but it didn’t take much to win her over to the Catholics’ side and I’d’ve preferred the novel if she’d already been on their side to begin with. Instead we have a novel about the Gunpowder Plot where we never actually see its organisers organising it, and it seems a shame we were left out of that side of things.
Frances’s romance with one of the conspirators also could have been fleshed out more. They seemed to fall in love incredibly quickly, and whenever they declared their love for one another all I could think was, ‘why, though?’ because for the majority of the novel Frances has no idea what he’s up to. It’s difficult to decipher how much they actually knew each other at all.
(I also wasn’t a fan of the sex scene – why so many historical fiction sex scenes completely forego foreplay and include lines about ‘pain giving way to pleasure’ I’ll never know.)
I do really appreciate that Borman included Anne of Denmark, James’s wife, a lot in this novel, as I feel she’s someone who’s often forgotten and I’d love to know more about her. I can’t imagine it was easy being married to a man like James VI, especially as he was rumoured to prefer the company of men and often flaunted his favourites in front of the queen. The Anne Borman wrote was incredibly dignified, and I always looked forward to scenes she was in.
My only other thought, upon finishing this novel, is that I can’t help wondering if historians are letting women from history down when all they write about is the royal court. Considering the majority of women accused of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries were ordinary, working class women, I can’t deny that it’s frustrating to see yet another witch novel set at the royal court. Frances was able to escape the fate of many accused witches thanks to her connections at court, but what about all the ordinary women who had no such benefactor?
Of course a lot of historians specialise in royal history, in fact both Borman and Lucy Worsley are Joint Chief Curators of Historic Royal Palaces, but the historians who turn their hand to historical fiction are also the writers who have the means for researching the ordinary people from history at their disposal.
All that aside (I feel like I’m being very mean, and I actually like Tracy Borman a lot – I’ve seen her speak a couple of times and she’s incredibly knowledgable and genuinely lovely!) while it is clear this is Borman’s debut novel, she certainly has the potential to get better and better. I won’t be picking up the next book in this trilogy, sadly I don’t care enough about Frances to find out what happens to her next, but I’d be interested in seeing what else Borman may write in future.
December 6, 2022
Tracy Borman is an absolute first-rate historian who can now add fiction to her list of amazing books. "The King's Witch" begins with the troubling period immediately following the death of Queen Elizabeth I with the new reign of King James of Scotland. King James had many troubling issues in his life and reign with one being his obsessive fear of demons and witches infecting everyday life. This book follows a portion of the life of Frances Gorgees, who serves as an attendant to the daughter of King James and his Queen, Anne. Frances becomes unwittingly involved in many tribulations from witchcraft to involvement with conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot.
Book could have been about 75 to 100 pages shorter as was often a little too repetitive. Thank you to Atlantic Monthly and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Book could have been about 75 to 100 pages shorter as was often a little too repetitive. Thank you to Atlantic Monthly and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 12, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Delving into the early months of the reign of James VI and I, this story elaborates on the witch trials and the gunpowder treason, two of the most talked about events of James's reign.
The author's note at the end shines more light on fact Vs fiction. I was quite impressed by how much of the book is based on facts. It shows how well researched it is and I'm keen to pick up the next part in this series.
The author's note at the end shines more light on fact Vs fiction. I was quite impressed by how much of the book is based on facts. It shows how well researched it is and I'm keen to pick up the next part in this series.
November 24, 2018
Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Set in 1603 England, in the time of restoration after the death of Queen Elizabeth and the beginning of the rule of King James, a cruel, fear-ridden and impetuous man. In this time the court, under the direction of King James, saw Catholics as the enemy and witches as a very real and terrible danger. Here we meet Frances Gorges, a young lady for whom this time presents great peril, seeing as she has all the traits of a witch; unmarried, outspoken and a great aptitude in healing. Frances can only hope to stay far from court in the safe confines of her family's estate where she can spend her time gathering plants in the adjacent forest and help the lives of the villagers. Unfortunately for Frances she has no say when she is unwillingly whisked away by her distantly-related Uncle, the scheming and uncaring head of family who sees in Frances his own advancement at court, leaving Frances in the exact position she was trying to avoid.
This novel was written by a historian and you can tell, for better and for worse. The history surrounding this book was by far my favorite part. Reading about this tumultuous time was both suspenseful and fascinating. This historically accurate novel was also able to paint a painful portrait of women in court at the time which created a real sense of claustrophobia and lack of agency that isn't always associated with those of high social standing. I liked reading about Frances as a vehicle for describing women of this era. I also quite enjoyed the romance-aspect of the book, despite not lingering on it overly-long, I thought it was charming and looked forward to the parts where it was included.
The writing itself isn't particularly descriptive which occasionally left me feeling like the physical setting was foggy, not quite being able to make out the details. I think this lack of description also came in to play with character building. Despite really enjoying Frances as an example for women of her time I didn't really feel a connection with her. Perhaps this is just the other side of the same coin. As someone who loves atmospheric novels I felt that this one could have used a wee bit more description to fully illustrate the setting. I think Tracy Borman did a great job drawing me into the history and was able to keep my attention the whole time so I do plan on continuing with the series when the next book comes out.
‘Ah, but such great ladies have always found ways to trick their husbands into believing that they are compliant, when all the while it is they who wield all the power.’
Set in 1603 England, in the time of restoration after the death of Queen Elizabeth and the beginning of the rule of King James, a cruel, fear-ridden and impetuous man. In this time the court, under the direction of King James, saw Catholics as the enemy and witches as a very real and terrible danger. Here we meet Frances Gorges, a young lady for whom this time presents great peril, seeing as she has all the traits of a witch; unmarried, outspoken and a great aptitude in healing. Frances can only hope to stay far from court in the safe confines of her family's estate where she can spend her time gathering plants in the adjacent forest and help the lives of the villagers. Unfortunately for Frances she has no say when she is unwillingly whisked away by her distantly-related Uncle, the scheming and uncaring head of family who sees in Frances his own advancement at court, leaving Frances in the exact position she was trying to avoid.
This novel was written by a historian and you can tell, for better and for worse. The history surrounding this book was by far my favorite part. Reading about this tumultuous time was both suspenseful and fascinating. This historically accurate novel was also able to paint a painful portrait of women in court at the time which created a real sense of claustrophobia and lack of agency that isn't always associated with those of high social standing. I liked reading about Frances as a vehicle for describing women of this era. I also quite enjoyed the romance-aspect of the book, despite not lingering on it overly-long, I thought it was charming and looked forward to the parts where it was included.
The writing itself isn't particularly descriptive which occasionally left me feeling like the physical setting was foggy, not quite being able to make out the details. I think this lack of description also came in to play with character building. Despite really enjoying Frances as an example for women of her time I didn't really feel a connection with her. Perhaps this is just the other side of the same coin. As someone who loves atmospheric novels I felt that this one could have used a wee bit more description to fully illustrate the setting. I think Tracy Borman did a great job drawing me into the history and was able to keep my attention the whole time so I do plan on continuing with the series when the next book comes out.
June 26, 2018
3.5 stars
I am glad I stuck with this book after its very slow start. It finally picked up and told a very interesting story about Frances Gorges, a young Lady in Queen Elizabeth's service and skilled in healing and herbs. After the Queen's death, she is employed as an attendant to the new King James' 8 year old daughter, Elizabeth.
The Lord of the Privacy Seal, Cecil, has taken a dislike to Frances for some reason that I am unclear about. He employs spies and harasses her beyond common sense. Does he have nothing better to do than to pick on the princess's maid? She gets into severe trouble and miraculously survives. Her herbal skills save the princess life and, thus, her own.
She gets involved in the Guy Fawkes Plot which I did not even realize was that until I was 3/4 the way through. I knew it was a plot but who knew it was that one? After all, there were many against the King who loathed Catholics and did away with many of the freedoms they had under Queen Elizabeth's rule.
The author presumes the reader knows more about the history of James I than I do and is not particularly good about giving helpful background. I had questions. I had no idea that James was supposedly homosexual. It was just laid out there. I had no preparation that it was the famous plot. I had no idea that palace entertainment included people coupling in front of everyone. What was the matter with James' son, Charles? I wish there had been more historical information and not presume the reader was an expert of the times. I realized I knew a lot about the Tudors and next to nothing about the Stuarts.
I did some research on Princess Elizabeth and think she lived an interesting life. I'd like to read more about her and after a rocky start, I will come back to discover what happens to Frances. This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I am looking forward to the next one.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I am glad I stuck with this book after its very slow start. It finally picked up and told a very interesting story about Frances Gorges, a young Lady in Queen Elizabeth's service and skilled in healing and herbs. After the Queen's death, she is employed as an attendant to the new King James' 8 year old daughter, Elizabeth.
The Lord of the Privacy Seal, Cecil, has taken a dislike to Frances for some reason that I am unclear about. He employs spies and harasses her beyond common sense. Does he have nothing better to do than to pick on the princess's maid? She gets into severe trouble and miraculously survives. Her herbal skills save the princess life and, thus, her own.
She gets involved in the Guy Fawkes Plot which I did not even realize was that until I was 3/4 the way through. I knew it was a plot but who knew it was that one? After all, there were many against the King who loathed Catholics and did away with many of the freedoms they had under Queen Elizabeth's rule.
The author presumes the reader knows more about the history of James I than I do and is not particularly good about giving helpful background. I had questions. I had no idea that James was supposedly homosexual. It was just laid out there. I had no preparation that it was the famous plot. I had no idea that palace entertainment included people coupling in front of everyone. What was the matter with James' son, Charles? I wish there had been more historical information and not presume the reader was an expert of the times. I realized I knew a lot about the Tudors and next to nothing about the Stuarts.
I did some research on Princess Elizabeth and think she lived an interesting life. I'd like to read more about her and after a rocky start, I will come back to discover what happens to Frances. This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I am looking forward to the next one.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
August 26, 2018
This novel has quite an interesting premise. I'm personally a big fan of historical fiction that examines well-known time periods or figures through the eyes of women, whether they are women who are also well-known, or those who represent people likely to have existed on the periphery of a situation.
The writing itself was very competent, but something about it failed to draw me in. At times, I found the narration too flowery ("purple prose', as it is often called). I quite enjoy literary fiction and lingering descriptions, but this book felt a little trapped in between popular history and literary fiction -- not quite mastering either form. There were plenty of opportunities for drama and conflict that seemed to have been overlooked. That said, it's a good novel and some passages are outstanding, with others less engaging due to their somewhat meandering nature.
I appreciated the spiritual and political themes through the exploration of so-called witchcraft. A huge amount of research would have been undertaken by the author and editors - something we absolutely should respect.
The writing itself was very competent, but something about it failed to draw me in. At times, I found the narration too flowery ("purple prose', as it is often called). I quite enjoy literary fiction and lingering descriptions, but this book felt a little trapped in between popular history and literary fiction -- not quite mastering either form. There were plenty of opportunities for drama and conflict that seemed to have been overlooked. That said, it's a good novel and some passages are outstanding, with others less engaging due to their somewhat meandering nature.
I appreciated the spiritual and political themes through the exploration of so-called witchcraft. A huge amount of research would have been undertaken by the author and editors - something we absolutely should respect.
July 9, 2018
Frances Gorges and her mother attended Elizabeth I in her dying days, asked for by the queen because Frances knew how to use herbs for healing. When James I takes the English throne, she has to hide her knowledge because James wants to burn witches. Borman's credentials as an historian shine through in this brilliantly written novel as we're drawn into a tale of courtly intrigue, traitors and the Gunpowder Plot.
February 21, 2018
An enthralling peek behind the curtain at the time of James of Scotland who succeeded Queen Elizabeth. We see not only James, but his entire family through the eyes of a member of the aristocracy close to the throne who discovers there are far more secrets being kept than she ever imagined. An engrossing read!
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