Title: Eliza Rose
Author: Lucy Worsley
Publication Date: April 17th 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Part of a Series?: No, Standalone!
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Genres: Historical, YA, Comtemporary
Blurb Description: Eliza Rose Camperdowne is young and headstrong, but she knows her duty well. As the only daughter of a noble family, she must one day marry a man who is very grand and very rich.
But Fate has other plans. When Eliza becomes a maid of honour, she's drawn into the thrilling, treacherous court of Henry the Eighth . . .
Is her glamorous cousin Katherine Howard a friend or a rival?
And can a girl choose her own destiny in a world ruled by men?
As soon as I read the synopsis of Lucy Worsley’s Eliza Rose, it sounded AMAZING.
Truth be told, I didn’t know who Lucy Worsley was, until a
kind Twitter soul whose name escapes my silly old mind enlightened me, and that
simply got me more excited. An actual glimpse into the 14th century
court life? BRING IT ON.
Unfortunately, as I sit now, all done and dusted with Eliza
Rose’s story, I find myself with no strong emotions or opinions about the book,
either good or bad. And, to be honest, I prefer being mad with a book over
feeling next to nothing.
Which is not to say that I don’t like and dislike things
about the book, but that my end result as I stare at that pretty cover is
zilch. More aptly, I’m Switzerland about
this book.
Eliza Rose is a coming of age (quite literally) and going
beyond “the age” story about a girl called Eliza whose family is almost in ruin
and the only thing that will save them is if she does her “duty”, marries rich
and GETS ALL THE MONEY. Somehow, she gets called in to a glorified maid to the
new queen of the British Empire and this is her story of life at court, growing
up and love.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT
ELIZA ROSE:
1.
The
Accuracy: Whatever said and done, this book maintained its historical and
social accuracy throughout, and that was wonderful. I hate that sometimes
historical books (like Ivory and Bone,
an Ice Ag Era book had words like tents) but
Eliza Rose maintained it beautifully.
2.
Eliza and
Her Friends: I absolutely loved how Eliza had this honest rapport with her
friends, and for about half the book loved this fearless girl with her fearless
thoughts and her daredevil attitude in the constraints of the 16th
century. WONDERFUL.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
ABOUT ELIZA ROSE:
1.
Eliza’s
Voice: In the book, Eliza grows from 12 to over 20. I get having a
child-like narration at twelve, I really do. I even have a journal from when I
was 12 and I know what I sound like *cringe* but as I grew up, my voice in
writing and telling stories got more mature, while even after she was older
than 20, her voice still sounded like the same twelve year old, and that REALLY
ANNOYED ME.
2.
The Drama
Problem: There was this point in the middle of the book when absolutely
nothing was happening except Eliza saying that court wasn’t at all the
glamourous thing she expected it to be, that ruined it all, and even ALL THE
DRAMA that happened later couldn’t pull me out of the funk of a middle that had
nothing to it.
3.
Lack of
Chemistry: Eliza and her love interest had ZERO CHEMISTRY to me. Every
supposed interaction of theirs was just mentioned in passing, and while I could
see what it was turning into, THERE WERE NO FEELINGS BEING FELT.
In summary, I’m Switzerland. No feelings at all. 3 stars.
What was the last historical fiction book you read? Any recommendation in YA? I don't come across much ACCURATE historical YA, and I would LOVE recommendations!
How much does chemistry way into your review rating? I've recently read books with little chemistry, and I can't give them more than a three stars.
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