London, 1609. When Lucy St.John, a beautiful highborn orphan at the court of King James, is seduced by the Earl of Suffolk, she never imagines the powerful enemy she creates in his beloved sister, the Countess of Rochester. Or that her own sister Barbara would betray her and force Lucy to leave the court in disgrace. Spirited, educated, and skilled in medicine and precious remedies, Lucy fights … fights her way back into society, and through an unexpected love match, becomes mistress of the Tower of London. Living inside the walls of the infamous prison, she defies plague, political intrigues and tragic executions to tend to aristocratic prisoners and criminals alike.
Now married into the immensely powerful Villiers family, Barbara unites with the king’s favorite, the Duke of Buckingham, to raise the fortunes of Lucy and her family to dizzying heights. But with great wealth comes treachery, leaving Lucy to fight for her survival—and her honor—in a world of deceit and debauchery.
Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed debut novel tells the true story of her ancestress Lucy through her family’s surviving diaries, letters, and court papers. Lucy’s personal friendships with historical figures such as Sir Walter Raleigh and the Stuart kings brings a unique perspective to the history of seventeenth century England.
“Elizabeth St John has brought the Stuart Court vividly to life. She weaves together the known facts of Lucy’s life with colourful scenes of fictional imagination, drawing on innocent romance and bleak deception to create a believable heroine and an intriguing plot.” Historic Novel Society Book Review
“The Lady of the Tower is a beautifully produced novel with a well-crafted story that will keep you both engaged and entertained. A joy to read. Thank you for sharing your world with us.” Writers Digest 24th Annual Book Awards
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A wonderful story that breaths life into a great period in history. Through her vivid narrative style, Ms. St. John recounts the adventures of her ancestor, Lucy St. John, drawing us into the intrigue that surrounded court life in early seventeenth century England. A definite page turner, with characters that touch our hearts, and at times, elicit righteous indignation for the heroine. A definite must read for anyone who loves the history of the period.
The best historical fiction imparts knowledge about the past while immersing the reader in an unforgettable story. Elizabeth St.John has achieved that beautifully with The Lady in the Tower. When I learned that author St.John was inspired to write the story of her ancestor Lucy St.John after discovering a 400-year-old family diary, I was intrigued. I soon discovered that Elizabeth St.John is a gifted storyteller who effortlessly weaves historical details with richly drawn characters, creating a world that comes alive on the page. Lucy St.John is a character I will carry in my heart for a long time. She faced betrayal and treachery with clear-eyed intelligence and courage. Though she was caught up in court intrigues and shifting political alliances within her own family, she managed to remain true to her values and find happiness even as England careened toward civil war. I highly recommend this excellent read, as well as St.John’s entire Lydiard Series.
A Jane Austen Novel of the 17th Century
Wow.
Character-driven, flawlessly researched, and pressed along by the period’s history, THE LADY OF THE TOWER was all I hoped it would be and more. St. John is a gifted writer, who in the same vein of Jane Austen in her own time, makes her statement on the aristocracy of early 17th century England.
With subtlety and elegance, Lucy Apsley’s story renders the portrayal of a young woman true to herself, her God, and all that is right and good. Lucy is at once both head-strong and full of propriety. Once finished with this book, I felt as though I knew this lady through and through.
Kudos to St. John for telling her own family history through her gift of historical fiction-writing. The oft-times tragic world of Stuart England is interwoven within the fabric of this work as intricately as some of the characters’ fine attire. Anyone criticizing the florid language or beautiful in-depth technique of St. John’s style is positively ignorant to the very best in historical fiction.
I look forward to reading the next in the series and I applaud this first and deeply moving story that obviously came straight from Elizabeth St. John’s heart.
Brook Allen
Author of the Antonius Trilogy
A work of historical fiction, although based on the life story of one of the author’s forebears, this is an interesting story that is probably quite realistic about the prospects of a younger daughter of a prominent family during the early years of the reign of James I.
I confess I almost stopped reading as early as the prologue, in which a man speaking as though he were present when the young Princess Elizabeth was taken into the Tower of London was still alive as its Keeper in 1617. I returned to the beginning and listened again, decided the way in which that section was phrased was ambiguous, and continued with the story.
The main character, Lucy, seems at times to be almost too virtuous to be quite believable, although she does have her moments where her flaws and human nature are revealed, in which she seems more relatable. For some readers, her tale will evoke deep sympathy, while others may feel she spends too much time engaging in self-pity and decrying her lot in life as the victim of the selfishness and vanity of various other people.
The most believable characters are the hateful ones: Lucy’s sister Barbara, Aunt Joan, and Frances Howard. These characters exemplify the worst of human nature, along with a certain young man who is fickle at best and heartless at worst. It is in disliking these characters that the reader feels the most empathy with Lucy.
I’ve a massive interest in the seventeenth century and have written nine books set in that period, so this one was always going to be on my list. The novel is based on documents and diaries from Elizabeth StJohn’s family. As such, it could have been another dry memoir or lacking in drive and drama. But this is a well-structured book full of detail and interest. Each chapter begins with extracts from herbal recipes; recipes which relate to the events to follow, and set the atmosphere of the period well. Lucy Apsley was apparently a skilled herbalist who used her knowledge to treat those incarcerated in the Tower of London. Lucy is fortunate in that she moves in court circles and so those she encounters in her life inhabit the larger stage of the court. Here we see the influence of Buckingham on the King, the burgeoning unrest in Parliament, and the young men at court who see breaking hearts as a right and as a game. When Lucy’s own heart is broken, we see her as a woman who doesn’t buckle to fortune but has a certain degree of pragmatism, so that the difficulties that surround her never quite manage to sink her spirit.
My favourite parts of the book are the descriptions of life in the Tower of London. Elizabeth StJohn describes it in such vivid detail; the fact that although it is a prison, those of the upper classes still entertain in lavish style. Those living in the tower must witness the last days of those who are to be executed, and this is well-used in the novel with Walter Raleigh’s fate. All in all, this is a fabulous book, and essential for anyone interested in the Stuart period. The novel is beautifully written and produced, and those who meet Lucy will certainly want to follow her through the next tumultuous years of the Civil War.