If there was one word to describe this book it would be a
roller coaster. The pace is fast and furious as it flicks from Lizzie; an
heiress trying to find her place in the world, to Margaret; Henry the VIII
sister; whose writings in the book of hours Lizzie is trying to decipher, and
Michael; the man Lizzie has fallen in love with. The book is written in two
parts and they couldn’t be more different in storyline. Part one is a sweet
love story between two young people. Michael has ambitions as an actor and
Lizzie wants to become a nanny. She has gone against her parent’s wishes to
study management and take over the families hunting estate. After meeting
Michael she puts all her efforts into furthering his career. Part two is about
love too, but it’s rather twisted side and be prepared for a few shocks.
Lisette; Lizzie’s daughter has now inherited the book of hours and is
deciphering Margaret’s granddaughters writings. Lizzie and Lisette are
descended from this queen and the thoughts in the book of hours have influenced
the descendants. For Lisette this leads to rather reckless behaviour. There is
a lot to like about this book and the characters are complex and not straight
forward. It is a story with some unusual and original plot twists. The writer
keeps the reader on their toes by a fast if at times confusing style. In part
two especially as the mother’s and daughter’s names are so similar, but I
understand why they had to be. One question mark remained for me; if a director
cast a father and daughter as a pair of lovers in a musical that featured a
nude scene too, would the audience not be gasping a collective breath of horror
and disgust?
