Young Bess by Margaret Irwin

I am fascinated with Queen Elizabeth I of England, and always have been. Perhaps it is because I share her name and ENTJ personality type, but I think it's probably her uniqueness in history. The fact that she even made it to the throne with all of the intrigue and people who had claims equal to her own is amazing. Then to rule without a consort and bring England to a period of peace and prosperity shows her intelligence and strength of purpose.
Margaret Irwin's Young Bess introduces us to an Elizabeth rarely written about. Opening when she is twelve years old, readers meet an intelligent, strong-willed child who has been reunited with her father through the auspices of his Queen, Catherine Parr. Loving and admiring her father, Bess, like any other child has been hurt by his refusal to see her for several years, and is mistrustful of his words and actions. The constancy of her governess, Mrs. Ashley is all she has had until this marriage of her father and Catherine Parr, his sixth wife. Twice a widow, Catherine has no children of her own and the care of Bess and Edward, as well as making Mary an important member of court, brings her delight. On the death of the King Bess is pleased to be placed in the dowager Queen's household under the guardianship of Sir Thomas Seymour, whom the Queen had married less than six months after Henry's death.  Seymour uses Elizabeth's youth and proximity to play and flirt to the point that Bess must leave the household to protect her reputation.  Angry and also despondent, Bess is even more upset about the news of Catherine's death in childbirth a few months later. Catherine's death leaves Seymour even more time to pursue the young princess and intrigue against his brother, Edward, Lord Protector of young King Edward. Seymour's plots are soon discovered and his treason in plotting against the king causes him to lose his head.
Through all of these plots, rumors, deaths, and marriages, Young Bess keeps her own counsel. Mrs. Ashley and Catherine Parr taught her well to hold her opinions and stay out of plotting. Although she fully intends to become Queen one day, the teenage Elizabeth is smart enough to know that it will not come about through plotting against her younger brother or older sister Mary. The book ends with the pitiable death of little King Edward and the machinations of John Dudley, current Lord Protector attempting to put his own son on the thrown instead of Mary or Elizabeth. For those who do not know the outcome, you can read about it in Irwin's second book of her Good Queen Bess trilogy, Elizabeth: Captive Princess.
This portrait by an unknown artist was done when Elizabeth was in her early teens, the time period when this book takes place. I greatly enjoyed the strong, wily and intelligent young princess presented to us by Mrs. Irwin. I think Elizabeth would have to have been that way from a very young age to have ruled so well as an adult. It also shows positive aspects of both her parents' personas in her own, without her father's rages and her mother's lack of understanding consequences. King Edward, of whom very little is known, is portrayed as pious and cold, a boy who doesn't mind being sickly and having to stay indoors as he loves to read and study theology. Her sister Mary is portrayed as mercurial, as is often the case, and definitely never actually happy, contentment being the closest she comes to happiness. Young Bess gives a great perspective on an often ignored time in the life of Queen Elizabeth I, and I eagerly await the October publication of Elizabeth: Captive Princess.
Official FTC Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review, other than an uncorrected Advance Reader Copy from Sourcebooks.