THE MINX - HOW TO SUCCEED AND TRIUMPH OVER YOUR DETRACTORS IN 13TH CENTURY BRITAIN
It is the year 1307 and two young women are preparing for the adventures of their lives. One is to be married to a King, the other, her lady-in-waiting, intends to make the most of all of her assets; her beauty, her intelligence and an inflated sense of personal entitlement. This upwardly-mobile medieval heroine intends to stop at nothing to get what she wants, using her wits, her influence and by exploiting or thwarting the powerful men who seek either to charm her or destroy her. Lady Eleanora is a force to be reckoned with, dangerous, crafty and yet admirably resilient. Find out how she fares in the sometimes macabre reign of Queen Isabella and the husband she married for love, the tragic King Edward II.
Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MINX-JANET-CAMERON-ebook/dp/B07SXCCX9D/
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 April 2020
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This delightful retelling of the disastrous twenty year reign of Edward II deserves the highest praise. Ellie, The "Minx" of the title, is Lady-in-Waiting to the young Queen Isabella. Friends since their days at the court of King Philip of France, she accompanies the 12 year old princess to the wedding and remains with her throughout the next two decades. Only 14 herself at the outset, she is, nevertheless extremely worldly wise with a lust for life and for sexual pleasure that knows few bounds.
She sees, and records for our entertainment, all of the horrors of the period: hangings, burnings and be-headings are described in gory detail. This and the many sexual encounters she witnesses and partakes in make the book unsuitable for young readers.
But it is the political intrigues, especially Edward's lavish treatment of his favourites and contempt for the majority of the barons, that make this story so fascinating in every telling. The King's downfall, at the hands of the still young Queen and her lover, is inevitable and cruel in the extreme.
Cameron has a witty style and has created in Ellie a truly memorable character. She shows her contempt for the majority of the other players in this drama, except her lover and the young Prince Edward.
For me the outstanding achievement of this book is the way Ellie's relationship with the future Edward III is developed. Historian's have wondered how it was that a boy who witnessed the betrayal of his father by his mother and her lover, the son of the most incompetent of leaders, became a King who showed remarkable restraint in his dealings with his subjects.
Cameron provides a possible answer. The fictional woman the rest of the courtiers called “The Court Strumpet” and “Chief-Lady-in-Mating” provided the mentorship that neither parent nor any of the sycophants that surrounded them could.
When he has become King and is contemplating the best way to take his revenge on Mortimer for the death of his father, she advises him: “You're not only the King but a politician too. To be a good politician, you must be patient and wait for the best opportunity, for the right action at the right time.”
Some passages are reminiscent of Ben Elton's “Blackadder” television series. If you enjoyed those, you will be equally delighted with “The Minx”. But if you love British history, especially the turbulent but formative 14th century, I can unhesitatingly recommend this entertaining evocation of the period.
She sees, and records for our entertainment, all of the horrors of the period: hangings, burnings and be-headings are described in gory detail. This and the many sexual encounters she witnesses and partakes in make the book unsuitable for young readers.
But it is the political intrigues, especially Edward's lavish treatment of his favourites and contempt for the majority of the barons, that make this story so fascinating in every telling. The King's downfall, at the hands of the still young Queen and her lover, is inevitable and cruel in the extreme.
Cameron has a witty style and has created in Ellie a truly memorable character. She shows her contempt for the majority of the other players in this drama, except her lover and the young Prince Edward.
For me the outstanding achievement of this book is the way Ellie's relationship with the future Edward III is developed. Historian's have wondered how it was that a boy who witnessed the betrayal of his father by his mother and her lover, the son of the most incompetent of leaders, became a King who showed remarkable restraint in his dealings with his subjects.
Cameron provides a possible answer. The fictional woman the rest of the courtiers called “The Court Strumpet” and “Chief-Lady-in-Mating” provided the mentorship that neither parent nor any of the sycophants that surrounded them could.
When he has become King and is contemplating the best way to take his revenge on Mortimer for the death of his father, she advises him: “You're not only the King but a politician too. To be a good politician, you must be patient and wait for the best opportunity, for the right action at the right time.”
Some passages are reminiscent of Ben Elton's “Blackadder” television series. If you enjoyed those, you will be equally delighted with “The Minx”. But if you love British history, especially the turbulent but formative 14th century, I can unhesitatingly recommend this entertaining evocation of the period.
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