“The Queen’s Governess” by Karen Harper
Posted By Claire on January 7, 2010
I didn’t realise that I had been missing out on some great works of historical fiction until I read an advance copy Karen Harper’s latest book which is published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on 21st January. Now, I’m going to be buying her other Tudor books: “The Last Boleyn” and “The Queen Elizabeth I Mystery Series” (9 books)! It’s wonderful when you discover a new author isn’t it?
I have chosen “The Queen’s Governess” as The Anne Boleyn Files Book of the Month January 2010, which you may think is a bit odd when the book focuses on Kat Ashley, Elizabeth I’s governess, but there is a good reason, I promise!
The Ring
We all know about the famous locket ring which Elizabeth wore on her finger until it was taken off her hand at her death. When it was taken from her dead body, it was found that it wasn’t just a jewelled ring but that it had a locket clasp which opened to reveal two miniature portraits - one of Elizabeth I and the other of her mother, Anne Boleyn, who had been executed as an adulteress and traitor. What we don’t know is the story behind this ring. It is thought that Elizabeth commissioned the ring to be made in 1575, but what if this was just a repair or a change of portrait? What if there is an even more interesting story behind the locket ring?
The opening scene of “The Queen’s Governess” is the Tower of London on the 19th of May 1536. The central character, Kat Champernowne (later Ashley), is there to watch the execution of Anne Boleyn. It is a moving scene and is wonderful for any Anne Boleyn fan but it is made more perfect because of the interaction between Anne and Kat. Karen Harper writes:-
“I [Kat] dared to lift my hand to hold up the tiny treasure she had entrusted to me. Perhaps she could not see it; perhaps she would think I was waving farewell to her, but I did it anyway, then pulled my hand back down.”
In response, Anne nods to Kat. She knows that Kat has the treasure and will fulfill the promise she made to Anne when she visited her in the Tower, the promise to stay close to Elizabeth and to give her a very special ring.
Obviously Karen Harper has used artistic licence here as there is no evidence that the ring was commissioned by Anne Boleyn, but it’s a wonderful “what if”!
Kat Champernowne Ashley
After the opening scene in 1536, we travel back in time to 1516 to Kat Champernowne Ashley’s childhood in rural Devon. We then follow Kat’s journey from this poor and rural background to the court of King Henry VIII during the time of Anne Boleyn’s rise.
Just how did a girl from a poor family in Devon get to be a lady at court in London, not to mention being the governess of the future Queen of England? Well, as Karen Harper points out in her notes at the end (and in her article at The Elizabeth Files), Kat’s background is quite a mystery, so Harper explains it by having Thomas Cromwell meet Kat in Devon and act as a kind of sponsor for the girl. An interesting theory and it works well for the book.
The book travels from 1516 right up to 1560, seeing the reigns of Henry VIII (and the lives of his six wives and daughters), Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey and Mary I through Kat’s eyes, with a special focus on her relationship with Elizabeth and how Elizabeth handles everything that life flings at her, including being interrogated as a suspected traitor. Eventually, Elizabeth is crowned Queen of England, but Kat’s role does not get any easier as she tries to make Elizabeth see the damage that her love for Robert Dudley is having to her reputation
The reader can’t help but like Kat. She, like Elizabeth, has lost her mother, and in suspicious circumstances, and she is an innocent who has to learn quickly to cope with the intrigue at court. When she meets the charismatic but dangerous Thomas Seymour she learns just how dangerous life at court can be and when her friend and mistress Anne Boleyn falls from favour and is executed, Kat realises just how perilous a woman’s position is. She is haunted in her dreams by Anne Boleyn and she steadfastly keeps her promise to the dead queen, protecting Elizabeth the best way that she can and even coping with imprisonment in the Tower to protect her charge. As Kat says in the book: “Any woman, but especially a woman alone, was vulnerable in this world, and, God help me, I still wanted not only to survive but thrive.”
Believability
What makes the book so alive and so believable is that Harper draws on real evidence. Poems and letters in the book are all primary sources, words that these historical characters really did write. The book is vivid, believable and the characters are so alive. I can even forgive Harper giving Anne Boleyn six fingers because her book is so wonderful.
I won’t go on anymore because I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of the book. Obviously we all know the key events of the period but what is enjoyable is when you see them through the eyes of a character who was present and get her take on things.
The Test
So, does this book pass my historical fiction test? Of course it does!
1. Is it “unputdownable”? - Yes. You’ll read it cover to cover in a weekend and then order more Karen Harper books!
2. Does it make you want to research the characters more? - Yes. Kat Ashley has always been an interesting character to me, even before I realised that her background was such a mystery. The notes at the end, where Harper asks “Who was Kat Champernowne Ashley?” and explains the three theories regarding her background, are extremely interesting and I will definitely be looking into Kat.
3. Is it believable? - Yes. As I have already said, the characters of the book really come alive and I love the relationships and interactions, the intrigue and the tragedy that Kat sees. As Harper’s publisher says: “Kat is also an eye-witness and victim to the fate of the women in this historical era”.
Harper’s publisher describes “The Queen’s Governess” as being “filled with power struggles, intrigue, murder, betrayal, lust, loyalty and love - all the ingredients for a thrilling mystery and a superb historical novel” and that is 100% true. Sound like your kind of book?
Availability
“The Queen’s Governess” by Karen Harper is released in the USA on the 21st January 2010 in hardback. Click here to pre-order or buy it now. Do remember that Amazon US ship worldwide.
You can browse through Karen Harper’s other books, including “The Last Boleyn” and “The Queen Elizabeth I Mystery Series” in our special Elizabeth Files Amazon US Store or Elizabeth Files Amazon UK Store - see the fiction section.
Sounds wonderful- the trouble with living in New Zealand is it takes so much longer to get books here!!! Any other kiwis on this site?