Saturday, May 2, 2020

The Lady's Ambition

The Lady's Ambition is the third book in the Royal Court Series written by Anne Bailey. It is the first book of hers that I have read. The novel covers the life of Margaret Douglas beginning with her marriage and ending with her death in 1570. Margaret is the daughter of a queen and the niece of Henry VIII and enjoys a privileged life as Henry caters to her needs and desires.  When he dies, Margaret begins to press for her rise to the throne by building a genealogy that proves her case. This genealogy only brings her numerous stays in the Tower as Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth feel threatened by her legitimate claim to the throne. Having married beneath her status for love, she spent most of her time trying to gain land that she believed she was entitled to and the lands that her husband was entitled to. Ambition drove her actions but a life full of personal loss kept her from achieving any of her goals.

This book did not grab my attention.  I was bored while reading and couldn't wait for it to end.  If the author had concentrated on one or two of Margaret's attempts to gain the throne and showed us in detail how she maneuvered, it may have been more interesting reading. The Lady's Ambition falls flat. There certainly is no mystery in the plot and Margaret's life is not fictionalized much.  The reader only gets the bullet points of her life.

2 out of 5 stars.

No comments:

Post a Comment