Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The King's Mistress by Emma Campion - Available

The King's Mistress

A Novel

by Emma Campion
Donada Peters
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
History has not been kind to Alice Perrers, the notorious mistress of King Edward III. Scholars and contemporaries alike have deemed her a manipulative woman who used her great beauty and sensuality to take advantage of an aging and increasingly senile king. But who was the woman behind the scandal? A cold-hearted opportunist or someone fighting for her very survival?
Like most girls of her era Alice is taught obedience in all things. At the age of fourteen she marries the man her father chooses for her, dutifully accepting the cost of being torn from the family she holds so dear and losing the love of her mother forever. Despite these heartbreaks Alice finds that merchant Janyn Perrers is a good and loving husband and the two settle into a happy life together. Their bliss is short-lived, however, unraveled the dark day a messenger appears at Alice's door and notifies her of Janyn's sudden disappearance.
In the wake of this tragedy, Alice learns that her husband kept many dangerous secrets—secrets that result in a price on her own head and that of her beloved daughter. Her only chance to survive lies in the protection of King Edward and Queen Philippa, but she therefore must live at court as a virtual prisoner. When she is singled out by the king for more than just royal patronage, the stakes are raised. Disobeying Edward is not an option, not when her family is at risk, but the court is full of ambitious men and women, many of whom will stop at nothing to see her fall fron grace. The whispers and gossip abound, isolating Alice, who finds unexpected solace in her love for the king.
Emma Campion paints a colorful and thrilling portrait of the court of Edward III—with all of its extravagance, scandalous love affairs, political machinations, and murder—and the devastating results of being singled out by the royal family. At the center of the storm is Alice, surviving by her wits in this dangerous world where the choices are not always of her own making. Emma Campion's dazzling novel shows that there is always another side to the story.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 6, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780307735850
      • File size: 515468 KB
      • Duration: 17:53:53

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Campion's novel is an intriguing look into the story of Alice Salisbury, a mistress of King Edward III of England. While Salisbury has been described as a wicked woman who was greedy and conniving, Campion's elaborate novel strives to moderate this view. Donada Peters narrates with confidence in a crisp, articulate style. Her voice is regal and elegant but perhaps better suited for a story about an actual queen rather than the first-person narration of an extremely young lady-in-waiting who found herself a bewildered mistress to the king. Although Peters's narration is enjoyable, a less mature-sounding narrator would have enhanced Campion's desire to show Salisbury as young, na•ve, and historically misunderstood. A.R.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 17, 2010
      Alice Perrers scholar Campion debuts with a dynamic fictionalization of the life of Alice Salisbury, who, at 14, leaves family and best friend Geoffrey Chaucer behind to marry Janyn Perrers, a prominent merchant who has the patronage of Isabella, the Queen Mother. Alice accustoms herself to the royal lifestyle, grows close to her husband, and bears a daughter. Her happiness is destroyed when royal fortunes shift, Janyn disappears, and Alice is summoned to court by Queen Philippa. To secure her daughter's safety, Alice complies and is quickly drawn into the machinations and extravagance of Edward III's mid-14th-century court, where she captures the king's interest. Campion stays true to the facts of Alice's life as the mistress of Edward III, the mother of his son John, and a successful businesswoman. This is a detailed rendering of Edward III's court, one that provides an empathetic but realistic portrait of a colorful and, if Campion is to be believed, misunderstood woman.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading