Virgin to Victoria
By Trisha Hughes
Virgin to Victoria is a powerful retelling of the history of the British monarchy, beginning with Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I, as she comes to the throne. Charting Elizabeth's incredible journey, Virgin to Victoria travels in time through the confusion of the Stuart dynasty, the devastation of a Civil War led by Oliver Cromwell, horrific battles for the throne and the turbulent Hanover dynasty with its intricate family squabbles. Despite her amazing legacy, Elizabeth failed England in one vital area. She never married, nor did she leave an heir to the Tudor family. In making this one fateful decision, the Virgin Queen left the path open for a take-over and life would never be the same. Victoria did not ask to be Queen. It was thrust upon her by a series of events that removed all others who stood in line for the throne. She assumed it reluctantly and, at first, incompetently. Parliament was sure that the 18-year-old could be relied upon to leave the job of running the country to the professionals. Couldn't she?
The Queen is dead. Long Live the Queen.
The Year is 1558 and Mary Tudor’s eventful, but bloody, five-year reign is finally over. England now warily looks to Elizabeth for guidance and mercy.
What happened next — no one could have predicted. This is the story of Elizabeth Tudor and the Kings, and Queens that came after her.
Virgin to Victoria by Trisha Hughes is a remarkable historical encyclopaedia that brings back to life a colourful collection of Kings, Queens, nobles, politicians and peasants. From the grandeur of Elizabeth I’s Tudor Court, to the young and innocent niece of William IV, this book casts new eyes on some of England’s most memorable monarchs.
Hughes’ book is tremendously ambitious, but she has pulled it off wonderfully. Virgin to Victoria is filled with fascinating facts, and also exciting conspiracy theories. This is not a dry, dusty book whose historical characters are one dimensional. Hughes has brought these men and women, of times gone by, back to life with her quick wit and beautiful prose.
Hughes looks at the events of this period with fresh eyes, and her writing is clear and conscientious. The stories she tells are fabulously descriptive, more than occasionally hilarious, as well as at times profoundly moving. But not only is this a wonderful look at the key players in this period of British history, what I liked about it the most was that it is also an immensely readable tale.
Between the pages of this book, you will read stories about the English monarchy, marriages, love, births, affairs, illegitimacy, power struggles, rebellion, war, dictatorship, religion, greed, laughter, hope, plagues, fire, and death. In fact, some of the stories you would expect to find in works of historical fiction not historical fact, for surely these stories cannot be true? This is no straight-laced retelling. This is England’s monarchy like you have never read about it before. Be prepared, the skeletons are well and truly out of the closet!
Virgin to Victoria is the gripping story of England’s history. Fabulously executed and a real treat for anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating era.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Trisha Hughes
I was born in a little outback town called Blackall in Central Queensland, Australia. From there my parents moved to the Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley where I grew up to be a tiny, self-reliant little girl.
My first book, ‘Daughters of Nazareth’ is my story, written eighteen years ago, fuelled on by the discovery of a family I never knew I had. It’s full of family secrets, tremendous heartache but proves the human spirit’s amazing ability to triumph over adversity. Nineteen years ago, after just one phone call, my life changed abruptly. With that change came a passion for writing and I have been writing ever since.
I love writing crime novels but my passion is with the history of the British Monarchy. The first in my‘V2V’ trilogy is ‘Vikings to Virgin – The Hazards of being King’ published in 2017. The second in the series is due for release on 28th April this year and is called ‘Virgin to Victoria – The Queen is Dead. Long live the Queen.’ The final book, ‘Victoria to Vikings – The Circle of Blood’ will be released early 2019.
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