I would call this average teenage
literature. It had some girly characters, dashing heroes who aren't
quite as good as the women, and a plot that just makes the grade. It
wasn't a bad book per say, but I just couldn't find it original.
Three Elizabeth's have come to court to
serve the new queen who has just married King Charles II. Each
Elizabeth is pretty different in her own right though. Beth is a
quiet timid girl who is very beautiful but has little hope of finding
a suitable match because she is poor and has a horrid mother. Eliza
is very independent with a father who wants to marry her off when
she'd rather be writing plays. And Zabby is just wanting to go after
scientific pursuit. She is more comfortable in a laboratory than the
ballroom of the Queen. But they become fast friends and even when
trouble strikes, they prove to be loyal to each other.
I think out of all the girls Eliza is
probably the best. She has a fierce spirit and isn't afraid to be
herself, and even manages to be pretty clever. Zabby was too wishy
washy for me. I understand being enamored with someone but it can
make her behave quite frightfully at times. Beth is nice, but a
little too quiet to be believed sincere. I found King Charles a bit
unbelievable too. And even more unfair in the book is that every man
in it seems to be a bad guy. Sure there are a few girls who are too,
but I don't think I can recall one decent guy in the whole book. And
I'm just not fond of a book when that happens.
The plot is ok but I do have to think
that this book might be set up for a series because it felt
unfinished. We have all this built up and things are just kind of
quickly rushed through at the end and a lot of things are left
unexplained or raise questions. If it's not a series, than I think
the author should have gone back and maybe answered those questions.
Of course I guess it's good that I want to know the answers, because
that means this book somewhat grabbed my attention. The writing was
geared towards a younger audience I think, but it read easily and
quickly. The language used didn't fit with the time for the most
part, but the author did use some period speech, although it should
be warned that there's “rough” language in this book as well.
Not the best book out there but it was
mildly entertaining. I would like to see a sequel, if such a thing
is in existence.
Ladies in Waiting
Copyright 2012
328 pages
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