The King's Mistress

Campion's novel is an intriguing look into the story of Alice Salisbury, a mistress of King Edward III of England. While Salisbury has been described as a wicked woman who was greedy and conniving, Campion's elaborate novel strives to moderate this view. Donada Peters narrates with confidence in a crisp, articulate style. Her voice is regal and elegant but perhaps better suited for a story about an actual queen rather than the first-person narration of an extremely young lady-in-waiting who found herself a bewildered mistress to the king. Although Peters's narration is enjoyable, a less mature-sounding narrator would have enhanced Campion's desire to show Salisbury as young, na•ve, and historically misunderstood. A.R.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

May 17, 2010
Alice Perrers scholar Campion debuts with a dynamic fictionalization of the life of Alice Salisbury, who, at 14, leaves family and best friend Geoffrey Chaucer behind to marry Janyn Perrers, a prominent merchant who has the patronage of Isabella, the Queen Mother. Alice accustoms herself to the royal lifestyle, grows close to her husband, and bears a daughter. Her happiness is destroyed when royal fortunes shift, Janyn disappears, and Alice is summoned to court by Queen Philippa. To secure her daughter's safety, Alice complies and is quickly drawn into the machinations and extravagance of Edward III's mid-14th-century court, where she captures the king's interest. Campion stays true to the facts of Alice's life as the mistress of Edward III, the mother of his son John, and a successful businesswoman. This is a detailed rendering of Edward III's court, one that provides an empathetic but realistic portrait of a colorful and, if Campion is to be believed, misunderstood woman.