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The Elizabethan Trilogy #2
The Succession: A Novel Of Elizabeth And James
The tortuous relationship between Elizabeth I of England and James VI of Scotland runs its course here. Using extant letters and documents, Garrett evokes the passionate and dissembling temperament of the queen and the duplicity of her secretary, Robert Cecil. "Garrett draws us into the total reality of Elizabethan life....Once you enter into its spirit, you will be unable to stop reading" (Washington Post).
552 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1991
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About the author
George Garrett
107 books13 followers(For the British short story writer, playwright, and political activist see George Garrett)
George Palmer Garrett was an American poet and novelist. He was the Poet Laureate of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. His novels include The Finished Man, Double Vision, and the Elizabethan Trilogy, composed of Death of the Fox, The Succession, and Entered from the Sun. He worked as a book reviewer and screenwriter, and taught at Cambridge University and, for many years, at the University of Virginia. He is the subject of critical books by R. H. W. Dillard, Casey Clabough, and Irving Malin.
George Palmer Garrett was an American poet and novelist. He was the Poet Laureate of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. His novels include The Finished Man, Double Vision, and the Elizabethan Trilogy, composed of Death of the Fox, The Succession, and Entered from the Sun. He worked as a book reviewer and screenwriter, and taught at Cambridge University and, for many years, at the University of Virginia. He is the subject of critical books by R. H. W. Dillard, Casey Clabough, and Irving Malin.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 11, 2016
George Garrett's book of historical immersion The Succession strikes deep on three fronts. First, it is a book so rich and textured, so rife with Elizabethan ideas that the reader never suspects that it was written by a mere twentieth century author. Second, it is above all a psychological novel, about a queen holding on to power even into the grave, about a Scottish king who disdains his own kingship and has predicated his life, personality, and maturity on attaining the English throne, and about a nation held in suspense where the only legitimate political occupation is speculation on the Succession. Third, the book is about every single writing technique taught, noted, or suspected.
Since Garrett's trilogy is so well reviewed elsewhere, this reader will only comment on the writerly properties of the book. Garrett writes from several points of view (including arguably, Christmas' POV) and has several characters known only by their professions. He chooses English low and high, and creates unique voice for all of his cast – for instance, the Messenger is obsessed with place and route and has a lyric character voice, Robert Cecil with machinations off stage – and is cold and calculating, the Queen (the only woman) with death, symbol, love lost – and we are told what is in her ambiguous and brittle heart. Garrett narrates from within the characters in 3rd person close and from outside with a 3rd person nameless narrator interrogating the character (for the Player section). Garrett reads James and Elizabeth's letters to us, reads us indictments and everything but playbills. Garrett plays loose with time, moving back and forth casually (for instance, after and then before the Queen's death). His dating system is confusing and unexplained (two year-dates head each chapter). Garrett loves epigrams and cultural quotes, so each chapter gets its own. The book really has no ending, unless you count James dancing in triumph in his bed clothes, a hundred pages before the end. Garrett uses sentence fragments, short terse authorial language, and language so clotted with image and sense perception that the book should be measured in clauses per sentence rather than pages. There are dozens of motifs, but possibly only one theme – deviousness and scheming are requirements of the age, to survive the gibbet much less to prosper.
Since Garrett's trilogy is so well reviewed elsewhere, this reader will only comment on the writerly properties of the book. Garrett writes from several points of view (including arguably, Christmas' POV) and has several characters known only by their professions. He chooses English low and high, and creates unique voice for all of his cast – for instance, the Messenger is obsessed with place and route and has a lyric character voice, Robert Cecil with machinations off stage – and is cold and calculating, the Queen (the only woman) with death, symbol, love lost – and we are told what is in her ambiguous and brittle heart. Garrett narrates from within the characters in 3rd person close and from outside with a 3rd person nameless narrator interrogating the character (for the Player section). Garrett reads James and Elizabeth's letters to us, reads us indictments and everything but playbills. Garrett plays loose with time, moving back and forth casually (for instance, after and then before the Queen's death). His dating system is confusing and unexplained (two year-dates head each chapter). Garrett loves epigrams and cultural quotes, so each chapter gets its own. The book really has no ending, unless you count James dancing in triumph in his bed clothes, a hundred pages before the end. Garrett uses sentence fragments, short terse authorial language, and language so clotted with image and sense perception that the book should be measured in clauses per sentence rather than pages. There are dozens of motifs, but possibly only one theme – deviousness and scheming are requirements of the age, to survive the gibbet much less to prosper.
March 11, 2015
Great book about Elizabethan England, told from multiple points of view. About much more than the succession of James after the death of Elizabeth, the book showcases Garrett's encyclopedic knowledge of the era, as well as his brilliant prose skills. Right up there with his other historical novels, Entered From the Sun and Death of the Fox. I loved it.
September 21, 2017
Some nice set pieces, but disjointed and way too long. Some of it, especially the messenger chapters, read more like an atlas of sixteenth century England, i.e., a succession of meaningless place names.
March 2, 2023
George Garrett is one of the best writers you’ve never heard of. Maybe it’s fair to say he’s a writer’s writer, but I do believe he deserves more recognition.
The Succession is one of a trilogy centered on England’s Elizabethan age. The Succession tells the story, told from multiple viewpoints, of the end of Elizabeth’s reign, before James became king.
Garrett’s writing can be lyrical, his knowledge of the time period so deep that you become completely immersed in this bygone world and it’s inhabitants, and he brings to life characters from the peasant to the king maker, never treating one as less valuable than the other.
It took me a long time to read this because it’s so full of detail that I needed pauses to absorb all of it, and also, I did at one point out it down completely to read other things. I do think Garrett demands more from his readers than most writers do, but his readers are rewarded for their diligence.
Where the book really shines is the chapters narrated by the Messenger, a nameless man who wanders the landscape delivering messages and news to those whose lives are dedicated to the behind the scenes machinations of Queen Elizabeth’s court.
Years ago I attended a writers conference where he was one of the teachers. He was not my teacher but I looked forward to having lunch with him every day. Intelligent, funny, full of great stories, kind and generous with his time, I still feel lucky to have known him.
The Succession is one of a trilogy centered on England’s Elizabethan age. The Succession tells the story, told from multiple viewpoints, of the end of Elizabeth’s reign, before James became king.
Garrett’s writing can be lyrical, his knowledge of the time period so deep that you become completely immersed in this bygone world and it’s inhabitants, and he brings to life characters from the peasant to the king maker, never treating one as less valuable than the other.
It took me a long time to read this because it’s so full of detail that I needed pauses to absorb all of it, and also, I did at one point out it down completely to read other things. I do think Garrett demands more from his readers than most writers do, but his readers are rewarded for their diligence.
Where the book really shines is the chapters narrated by the Messenger, a nameless man who wanders the landscape delivering messages and news to those whose lives are dedicated to the behind the scenes machinations of Queen Elizabeth’s court.
Years ago I attended a writers conference where he was one of the teachers. He was not my teacher but I looked forward to having lunch with him every day. Intelligent, funny, full of great stories, kind and generous with his time, I still feel lucky to have known him.
June 19, 2014
This book was very disappointing. The time period (the succession of Mary Queen of Scots and her son James) is terrifically interesting, but Garrett waters it down with oblique references, never really proclaiming who the "speaker" is for chapter after chapter, non-standard use of punctuation for conversations, thoughts, and narrative, and an ever changing PoV. He hardly ever uses complete sentences to the point that when I read a bit of it aloud, I felt like I was burping. Really. I even told someone who asked about it that reading it was like listening to someone burp the alphabet.
Every now and then, the thing was redeemed by artful language choices and elegant descriptions, and it was for these tidbits that I read all 538 pages.
Had Garrett (who's written rather a lot of books--I have NO intention of finding out if the others are better) given us some surrounding detail, some of the facts of the lives he was imagining, I might have enjoyed it. Instead, I spent some time reading Wiki pages (which didn't exist when this book was first published) trying to figure out who the various characters were and what on earth their objectives might be.
I gave this two stars instead of one because there WERE some nice turns of language and I did learn about the period because he got me curious so I looked it up.
Every now and then, the thing was redeemed by artful language choices and elegant descriptions, and it was for these tidbits that I read all 538 pages.
Had Garrett (who's written rather a lot of books--I have NO intention of finding out if the others are better) given us some surrounding detail, some of the facts of the lives he was imagining, I might have enjoyed it. Instead, I spent some time reading Wiki pages (which didn't exist when this book was first published) trying to figure out who the various characters were and what on earth their objectives might be.
I gave this two stars instead of one because there WERE some nice turns of language and I did learn about the period because he got me curious so I looked it up.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews