The Lady of Misrule

November 1, 2015

Elizabeth Tilney, the narrator of Dunn's sixth Tudor-era novel (The Queen of Subtleties; The Confession of Katherine Howard), is eager to volunteer to keep Lady Jane Grey company in the Tower of London. Elizabeth's home life is complicated, and everyone knows it's only a matter of time before Jane is pardoned for her failed bid to take the throne. As Elizabeth gets to know both Jane and her husband, Guildford, she comes to terms with her past and prepares for the uncertain future facing all three of them. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Jane's plan for that future may be very different from what Elizabeth envisions. VERDICT Dunn is known for using modern-sounding dialog and slang in her Tudor fiction. Readers who have been put off by it before will find similar jarring moments here, though not as many as in previous novels. Elizabeth is likable, and the book is noteworthy for its unusually sympathetic portrait of Guildford Dudley. Yet a plot consisting mainly of the protagonists sitting around the Tower combined with an overly rushed ending may leave even the most devoted Tudor fan unsatisfied. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," LJ 9/1/15.]--Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL

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