The Fatal Crown, by Ellen Jones

The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I bought this book for almost nothing at one of those roving book sales where nearly all the literature is semi-awful, and that's why they're unloading it. Like many a teenager, I was guilty of judging a book by it's cover, and the cover made it seem like the sort of book I'd enjoy because they were dressed in what I, then, called "garb," because I spent too many summers at Renaissance Faires.

That said, the book sat on my shelves for years, unopened, because I couldn't imagine that it'd be a very good read. Come on, a book about someone called Maude?  No thanks.

However, during a string of illnesses that left me bereft of library books and without the fortitude to even watch television, I decided to go through and read all the books I'd been neglecting.

Much to my surprise, I found The Fatal Crown both fascinating and well written.  I enjoyed the rich detail and the depth of the characters.

Though as an historian, I found the basic premise of the book to be unlikely, as a work of historical fiction, I found it made the larger events of the time much more accessible than the average book regarding the era.

I liked it enjoyable and engaging, and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction without getting up in arms about how fictitiously the personal lives of the historic players have been treated.


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