A remarkable historical story and true to its era.

If you think you are restricted as a women today, read this! You will soon discover the women in the past’s centuries who would embrace this life today.

The author gives a brilliant rounded picture back in the day, I loved her writing style.

This is a historical fiction that was too difficult to plunge into and give even half a chance. Unfortunately. I’d say that I didn’t have the patience to agonise through this one, and get to the end.

I really enjoyed this historical literary book and the writing style. This is a book for fans of historical fiction.

After many years, I finally tried to read this one. I didn't read long. I was very frustrated by this one, so I ended up putting it down. I am planning to try to read it in the future, but right now I am not in the right place.

Quite disappointing. I've enjoyed two of Elizabeth Fremantle's previous books Queen's Gambit and Sisters of Treason so was surprised by how much this book didn't grip me and was even boring. Nothing happened until 3/4 of the way through and even then I wasn't feeling it. The majority of the book was presumably a set-up of our main character but I found her flat and not well developed even after 300 pages... And the secondary character never became someone I cared about either. Shame.

An interesting fictionalized account of
one of Elizabeth 1st potential heirs. A difficult time to be a woman without the country divided between wanting you on the throne or dead.

Good book. Good author. Loved the characters and the plot. Look forward to reading more of her work.

This is the story of Arbella Stuart, potential heir to the British throne after Queen Elizabeth I, who was held prisoner by her grandmother under the guise of protecting her from those who'd want to harm her. Historical fiction is always a tricky subject, especially when it included real-life characters. Elizabeth Fremantle has managed to weave a tale of intrigue about Arbella's life through the words of her friend and court poetess Aemilia Lanyer. Well worth a read!

I loved this book!
I am a huge fan of the Tudor period and have read Sarah Gristwood's non fiction book on Arbella Stuart which Elizabeth Fremantle refers to in her author's note.
Arbella was born in 1575, a cousin of Elizabeth I and her successor James I. Neither monarch trusted her as she was a threat to their throne as others plotted to elevate her to queen.
Arbella is a fascinating character and I sympathised with her situation as she used food to gain control over her life as she was powerless in the other aspects which were prescribed by others.
The book uses the relationship with a female poet to explore the situation of women in the sixteenth century. I enjoyed seeing how the characters were brought to life through the dual narratives of Arbella and Ami as their lives interweave. Aemilia/Emilia Lanyer was a real person at the Tudor and Stuart court but there is no documented evidence of the two women being friends.
My dissertation at university was on witchcraft so I was interested to see how the social dynamics were described in relation to the suspicion and accusation of Ami. Faith plays a large role in the book as England was still developing the Church of England, and we see how the Catholic Gunpowder Plot could have changed history.
There is an overwhelming sadness in this book which is a combination of the excellent story telling and the heart breaking facts of Arbella's life. Reading about her tragic life, it is a harsh reminder that family politics can be tricky and that social status does not confer happiness.

This is an engaging, absorbing read. A historical fictional account on the life of Lady Arabella Stuart, who was brought up by her controlling grandmother after the death of her parents. It is beautifully written thriller, and had me hooked from the start. It weaves the stories of Arabella and the Elizabethan poet Aemilia Lanier, who finds Lady Arabella's memoir in the Tower of London after her unfortunate death.
A real page turner and a must read for fans of historical fiction, this will surely not disappoint. Fremantle has written a fabulous book about Elizabeth I cousin, who was once a potential succesor to the throne. I love historical fiction, but this is the first book about Arabella Stuart that i have read and throughly enjoyed. Will look out for more of Elizabeth Freemantle's work. Highly recommended.

ABSORBING & EDUCATIONAL TALE OF THE LADY WHO COULD HAVE CHANGED UK HISTORY:
A fictional account of the life of Lady Arbella Stuart, thought at one point to be a serious contender for the throne of England, as a successor to Elizabeth I. Yet surprisingly little has been written about her to bring her to the general public's attention.
The novel is based on surviving papers and, although a work of fiction, the lifestyle depicted in the novel is probably very close to reality.
The book makes for a fascinating read. I sympathised with Arbella's plight: a Court full of rumours and gossip, intrigue and plotting for position following the Succession, her life was never her own. Every movement she made would either lay her open to kidnap and capture, or alternatively leave her open to accusations of conspiracy.
From the novel (supported by historical records) we are presented with a young girl who really had no self interest in becoming Queen. But many within her Household did have ambitions for her which served their own selfish ends.
An absorbing story which makes the reader empathise with Arbella's plight amidst the turmoil of the politics in play in the race to succeed Elizabeth I.
I would recommend this book in particular to those who like historical fiction.

This is literary historical fiction styled into the form of a thriller. Fremantle writes a historical account about two real life women about whom little is known, to delineate the hardships and powerlessness that women faced, even if they are high born, it really is a man's world. Arbella Stuart is the potential heir to Queen Elizabeth's throne, imprisoned in a glass tower at Hardwick Hall by the ambitious and scheming Bess Hardwick, the Countess of Shrewsbury. Aemilia 'Ami' Lanyer is a poet and mistress of Henry Hunsdon, a cousin to the Queen. A pregnant Ami is married off to Alphonso Lanyer. The author weaves fictional connections between these two strong, independent and educated women that span the courts of Elizabeth I and James I, documenting the political intrigues, religious factions, the conspiracies and the plots, the culture and the rampant paranoia that pervades the historical period.

Alphonso dies, leaving Ami single and a widow, living with debts and in poverty and struggling to bring up her son, Henry. Ami is a woman with secrets that threaten to consume her, her neighbours eye her with suspicion, and there is much talk of witches. There are references that Ami is possibly Shakespeare's Dark Lady. She comes across papers and a partial fragmented memoir of Arbella, living a cloistered life, rendered powerless and open to the machinations of family and other groups, which leaves Ami feeling decidedly guilty. We learn of Arbella through the device of the memoir, the betrayals and her isolated, thwarted life. Arbella is condemned by her familial links to royalty, serving to seal her tragic personal history as her fate lies in the hands of others, she is free to make no decisions and all hopes for marriage and happiness are cruelly dashed. The only thing she has control over is her body.

Fremantle gives us in depth insights into this turbulent historical period with detailed descriptions. Her characters are complex, shaped by the prejudices and attitudes of the time. I was fascinated with portrayal and development of Arbella and Ami, women who have much in common as they attempt to throw off the chains that bind and whose lives get dangerously entangled. This is a great book to read if you are interested in little known Tudor and Stuart history. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

I always applaud the authors who weave a fiction tale using real historical figures, as to make the book a good one a lot of research has to be done and the writer has to be good at blending fiction with fact..I think Elizabeth Fremantle has done that well with this book. I am fairly well acquainted with the story of Bess of Hardwick, but much less well acquainted with the story of her granddaughter, Arbella Stuart, whose tragic life unfolds after her friend Aemila Lanyer (another historical figure who little is known about) finds Arbella's memoirs after her death. The two women's stories become intertwined through Ami's (Aemilia) reading of the memoirs whilst her own story is told. I enjoyed the book and it has made me want to find out more about the two pivotal figures in the novel, but at times (especially at the beginning) found it a bit confusing.

The Lady Arbella was the only child of Charles Stuart which made her, along with the Grey sisters, a possible contender for the English throne. Having been orphaned at a young age, Arbella is raised in comfort and privilege, with the very best education to prepare her to be queen, by her domineering maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Cavendish (better known as ‘Bess of Hardwick’). However her royal blood is more a curse than a gift for Arbella, as she is forced to live cloistered away from the world behind the towering glass windows of Hardwick Hall. If she ever wishes to break free she must learn to navigate a treacherous game of power, intrigue and danger.

History has largely forgotten poor Arbella and it would seem her contemporaries also wrote her off as cold, aloof and mad! So I think it is wonderful that Fremantle chose to showcase her in this book. Fremantle paints Arbella as a clever, strong-willed, but naïve woman, who actually has a lot of passion and love just no one to share it with. And there is little wonder she may have grown to be cold, aloof and mentally unstable, when she had no family or true friends to speak of other than her grandmother. Now while her grandmother may have cared for and protected Arbella, heartbreakingly it was more as an investment rather than she had any true love for her.

Again Fremantle has delivered a well-written and believable glimpse into the intrigue and danger of the Elizabethan and early Stuart period in English history. Through Arbella we see a life within a gilded cage – in fact, Fremantle brings it to life so well I was often left feeling claustrophobic and hopeless; as I’m sure poor Arbella did too. Cleverly Fremantle has balanced this feeling by having a second narrator Ami (based on a court poet and mistress), who looks back on her old friend Arbella’s life by lovingly reading through her papers; which were thoughtlessly discarded after her death. While Ami does have her own troubles and is racked with guilt over her friend’s sad end, I felt she does offer a more hopeful and healthier perspective.

Overall, I thought The Girl in the Glass Tower was another fascinating read, that really grabbed at my heartstrings and had me truly invested in the lives of Arbella and Ami. I can’t wait to read more by Elizabeth Fremantle.

Arbella Stuart is of the royal blood and potentially an heir to Elizabeth I. In order to keep her safe, Arbella is in the care of her grandmother Bess of Hardwick and kept far away from court and any Catholic sympathisers who may wish to influence her. Whilst young Arbella tries to rebel, her older self becomes resigned to her fate. Upon the death of Elizabeth Arbella is summoned to court as a cousin of the new king, however falling in love with a distant relative is seen as defiance. Arbella's tale is told by Amaelia Lanyer, a disgraced female poet who lived at court but now must make her way in the world as best she can.

Having read the terrific biography of Arbella Stuart by Sarah Gristwood, I was aware of the character, her connections to the throne and the miserable life she seems to have led. Whilst this book is a completely fictionalised account, it does show evidence of excellent research. I particularly liked the idea that Arbella identified with Katherine Grey and this is an explanation of how Arbells seemed to slip into madness and starve herself to death. The interesting character is Bess of Hardwick, a woman who married well and ended up as one of the richest people in England, she was powerful and complex before her time. Amaelia Lanyer is a character about whom little is known but she was a successful poet and some think she is the 'dark-eyed beauty' of Shakespearean fame. Steeped in knowledge of everyday life at court, in the houses of rich and poor alike, this is excellent historical fiction.

Sorry it has taken so long, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This book tells the story of Arbella, who has a legitimate claim to the throne on the death of Elizabeth 1. Although fiction, the broad story is based on fact. It's a sad tale of someone who is manipulated by everyone for their own ends. Her grandmother wants her to take the throne instead of James. Mary Queen of Scots and her supporters want her to become a catholic and take the throne. James wants to control her so that she can't plot against him. It is beautifully written giving a real feel for the power plays and workings of the court at the time.

The Girl in the Glass Tower weaves together the stories of two women, drawing on historical fact about each of their lives, although in reality, as the author admits in her afterword, there is no evidence to say they ever met in the way imagined. However, this is historical fiction after all and I really liked the way the author made connections between the situations of the two women.

Aemilia Lanyer (referred to as Ami in the novel) was an English female poet who became mistress to Henry Hunsdon, first cousin of Elizabeth I. When she fell pregnant, she was married off to Alphonso Lanyer. We encounter Ami in this novel following Alphonso’s death, left in poverty to bring up her son, Henry. Ami comes into possession of Arbella’s papers which include fragments of a memoir. [Although Arbella’s letters do still exist, the existence of a memoir is an invention of the author for the purposes of the novel.] Through reading Arbella’s words, Ami hopes to assuage the guilt she feels at having failed her friend. The reader will find out more about this towards the end of the book. Ami shares the same sense of expectation as the reader as she reads through the papers:

‘She can sense that her own story is about to intersect with Lady Arbella’s. The idea excites her, makes her wonder how she will be portrayed, whether she will recognize herself. Will she be there substantially, at the heart of the story, or as a ghoist in the margins?’

At the same time, Ami must struggle with the challenges of daily life as a widow without financial means. I found the depiction of Ami’s everyday life and her efforts to carve out a living really convincing and engaging. As a single woman, and one who is educated to boot, she attracts the suspicion of her neighbours at a time when accusations of witchcraft were rife.

Arbella’s journal reveals her life in a gilded cage, existing in an atmosphere of constant threat because of her royal blood and the ever present fear that she may be used as a figurehead for rebellion by competing political and religious factions. Unknown to Arbella, those who would use her for their own objectives may be closer than she imagines – ‘invisible malign forces’. Intelligent, educated and with a gift for writing, Arbella lacks control of her own destiny. Even a potential marriage would have political consequences so she must remain unmarried and unfulfilled. In the imagination of the author, Arbella seeks to exercise a degree of control over her life in the only way available to her.

As presented in the book, there are large gaps in Arbella’s journal covering periods of years. Ami seeks to fill those gaps and bring a resolution to Arbella’s story: ‘It is the story of a woman silenced and with her pen Ami will give her a voice.’

I’d come across references to Arbella Stuart when reading other historical fiction of the period but knew little about her so I very much enjoyed having some light shed on her sad and ultimately tragic life. Arbella Stuart joins the list of Tudor and Stuart women who suffered because of their position in the royal succession and the political machinations of others. I enjoyed this book and will certainly seek out other books by Elizabeth Fremantle.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley and publishers, Michael Joseph, in return for an honest review.

Through the voice of Arabella Stuart, we are transcended back to 16th century England to follow the intriguing life of an intelligent and educated royal figure who some have described as the best queen we never had; one that helped to quietly modernise women’s lives.
Being niece to the unmarried Elizabeth I, great-granddaughter of Henry VIII and niece to Mary Queen of Scots, she was from a very tender age viewed as the next true heir to the throne. The value placed upon her royal blood meant there were designs to plan her marriage from as early as the tender age of 9 years old. However the Scottish cousin James, was also in contention and much can transpire between childhood and adulthood.
Brought up by her stern and calculating grandmother, the reality of being such a royal heir, essentially meant a life of control and enduring confinement at Hardwick Hall; with vultures circulating to best use her in their ambitions, some seeing her as someone that could be converted into Catholicism.
Freemantle’s depiction is one of a complicated character. One who feeds her mind, but not necessarily her body. She is really quite alone, socially isolated and therefore little able to form meaningful relationships. Moreover a minor discretion in such times could turn fate and fortune into a perilous situation, so there were few to trust. She writes prolifically and has a love for poetry. Dalliances with court life are not a time of enjoyment for her either…
Another lesser known real character, Aemilia Lanyer, is also focused upon in this book. She was a professional poet, another influential woman, fictionally aligned to Arabella for this engaging account of events. And it works well. The writing is completely absorbing from start to finish. It is easy to connect to both characters, despite Arabella’s needing to portray an unfeeling persona. Freemantle brings a fascinating and influential woman to life in what was then very much a dangerous man’s world.

Interesting read, which encouraged me to go off and research the characters more closely. The book follows the life of little known Lady Arbella Stewart, cousin to James I and potential successor to Elizabeth I. And what a dreadful life she had! The writer highlights the way in which women of royal blood became pawns -in the fight for power and in religion. Elizabeth I had no heir, so all children of royal blood were potential successors to the throne and the reader follows the manipulation and power challenges that the situation creates. Even after James is crowned, Arbella's relations still conceive plans to put her onto the throne, hoping that she will then convert to Catholicism. This has a dreadful impact on her freedom and the life she is able to follow. The story really highlights the fact that even as a princess, women had no power or freedom of choice over any little thing. Arbella has no freedom whatsoever! I was fascinated by the description of Hardwick Hall, and Arbella's grandmother- a formidable and powerful woman, who was keen to seek the advantage at all times. The descriptions of the glass windows installed in the hall, at incredible expense during the early 1600s, were fantastic and made me keen to visit this NT property in the future.