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Lady in Waiting
Handsome and gifted, Walter Ralegh was a star even in a court of brilliant men ruled by one of the greatest monarchs of all time, Elizabeth I.Ralegh held position and power, and was loved by the Queen, but his dream was to conquer new lands for Elizabeth, to find El Dorado.Bess Throckmorton was one of the Queen's Maids of Honour.Shy and retiring, her dream was to capture the heart of the proud and restless Ralegh, in whose life it seemed she would always come second.But when Elizabeth dies and James I comes to power, Ralegh’s fortunes take a dramatic turn…Once a beloved courtier, he becomes a disgraced prisoner.And his dreams of reaching El Dorado seem to be forever out of reach.Will Bess lose Ralegh to his seemingly unattainable goal?Will Ralegh ever be free to re-take his position in court?Or is he doomed to stay forever out of favour with the new king….?Set against the dramatic backdrop of their times, Sir Walter Ralegh and Bess Throckmorton’s love was passionate and enduring.‘A sensitive, delightful novel that no woman could fail to enjoy' - THE DAILY TELEGRAPHRosemary Sutcliff CBE (14 December 1920 – 23 July 1992) was a British novelist best known for children's books, especially historical fiction and retellings of myths and legends. For her contribution as a children's writer Sutcliff was a runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1974. Although she was primarily a children's author, some of her novels were specifically written for adults. Her other adult works include ‘The Rider of the White Horse’, ‘Blood & Sand’ and ‘The Flowers of Adonis’.Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1956
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About the author
Rosemary Sutcliff
107 books677 followersRosemary Sutcliff, CBE (1920-1992) was a British novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed historical fiction. Although primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults. She once commented that she wrote "for children of all ages, from nine to ninety."
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.
Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.
Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.
Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.
Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 9, 2015
Generally I really like books by Rosemary Sutcliff, but this was not my favorite of hers. There was enough plot to keep one's interest, but at times it seemed to move very slowly. (Especially when Walter is imprisoned.)
Pluses to the book are that the main character/story line are atypical; that is, Bess is 'old' even by today's standards when she marries, and that is quite early in the book. At the end, she's an old lady. The following a life's story happens so rarely in books. (Perhaps because we humans are so short-sighted.)
A very sad thing happens at the end, sadder still than the fate of Walter. Ralegh forgets his second son. Usually character mistakes such as this are accounted for by Sutcliff, and this one baffled me.
Pluses to the book are that the main character/story line are atypical; that is, Bess is 'old' even by today's standards when she marries, and that is quite early in the book. At the end, she's an old lady. The following a life's story happens so rarely in books. (Perhaps because we humans are so short-sighted.)
A very sad thing happens at the end, sadder still than the fate of Walter. Ralegh forgets his second son. Usually character mistakes such as this are accounted for by Sutcliff, and this one baffled me.
December 27, 2015
And I thought The Lantern Bearers was bleak.
This is unmistakably Sutcliff, for all that it's outside of the range for which she's better known, and it showcases all her strengths: the nature description, its use to reflect atmosphere and mood, the way she captures people being people--imperfect, sometimes oblivious, sometimes lashing out--while still depicting them with tenderness and sympathy. And yet--I can't say I enjoyed that. Partly that was the bleakness (I can't be the only one who finds Ralegh's life all the bleaker for the fact that his dreams--the gold mines, the northwest passage--were not only unachieved, but unachieveable, that he spend his life fighting for phantoms, can I?), partly it was that it seemed just a trifle unfocused. It's hard to tell a story of an entire life, decades on decades, in a single, slim volume, and to accomplish it Sutcliff skips from scene to scene with very little transitional cartilage.
For all that I hate to assume that a character necessarily reflects the viewpoint of the author, I do find it a trifle sad that Bess--one of Sutcliff's very, very few female protagonists--is so very constrained, so very determined to view herself as happy even when the narrative makes it difficult to believe, so limited in her belief in what she herself deserved. I wonder if a belief in the inevitable narrowness of women's lives had something to do with Sutcliff's overall choice of protagonists. And I think I should perhaps move Blue Remembered Hills up in my queue.
This is unmistakably Sutcliff, for all that it's outside of the range for which she's better known, and it showcases all her strengths: the nature description, its use to reflect atmosphere and mood, the way she captures people being people--imperfect, sometimes oblivious, sometimes lashing out--while still depicting them with tenderness and sympathy. And yet--I can't say I enjoyed that. Partly that was the bleakness (I can't be the only one who finds Ralegh's life all the bleaker for the fact that his dreams--the gold mines, the northwest passage--were not only unachieved, but unachieveable, that he spend his life fighting for phantoms, can I?), partly it was that it seemed just a trifle unfocused. It's hard to tell a story of an entire life, decades on decades, in a single, slim volume, and to accomplish it Sutcliff skips from scene to scene with very little transitional cartilage.
For all that I hate to assume that a character necessarily reflects the viewpoint of the author, I do find it a trifle sad that Bess--one of Sutcliff's very, very few female protagonists--is so very constrained, so very determined to view herself as happy even when the narrative makes it difficult to believe, so limited in her belief in what she herself deserved. I wonder if a belief in the inevitable narrowness of women's lives had something to do with Sutcliff's overall choice of protagonists. And I think I should perhaps move Blue Remembered Hills up in my queue.
March 8, 2015
Not a romance, as the cover picture and text suggest, but historical fiction, or rather, fictionalized history. Raleigh (or Ralegh, as it's spelled here) is a man obsessed, ruled by his dream of exploration and discovery; Bess puts up with and enables his single-mindedness, because that is what she admires most in him.
The ending is not a happy one, but it's foreshadowed from the very beginning, and of course if you're up on your history you already know what happens. Sutcliff's language is, as usual, elegant and beautiful without being overdone, the setting - birds calling, trees rustling as the wind blows through - described in loving detail. I'm also impressed that she managed to deal with an era in which pretty much all men are named Robert and all women Elizabeth in such a way that I was never confused!
The ending is not a happy one, but it's foreshadowed from the very beginning, and of course if you're up on your history you already know what happens. Sutcliff's language is, as usual, elegant and beautiful without being overdone, the setting - birds calling, trees rustling as the wind blows through - described in loving detail. I'm also impressed that she managed to deal with an era in which pretty much all men are named Robert and all women Elizabeth in such a way that I was never confused!
November 17, 2008
A book by Sutcliff for older readers about Sir Walter Raleigh's wife. I think I first learned of Bess Throckmorton in Molly Costain Haycraft's Too Near the Throne.
March 17, 2016
Oh, dear, this was sad, sad, sad.
December 30, 2017
Interesting, worth the read.
May 24, 2017
It is a sad story....she loved him so much. He, on the other hand. Showed her no respect or love. He put his dream before her. He was not a role model for his sons.
May 13, 2015
I RECOMMEND THE BOOK.
I do not know why the blurb and the title described and suggested that this book was about Bess Raleigh. The book settled more on Bess' husband, Sir Walter Raleigh. The book was surprisingly easy to read despite the author's overly long sentences and too many punctuation marks to service those sentences. That it is perfectly all right to use more periods and fewer colons and semicolons wold be my message to the author and editor of the book.
Set in England under the reign of Elizabeth and later on that of James, the powerful European countries were on a race to settle and exploit the New World. While Bess and Walter loved each other, and none other during their marriage, they had different desires. Walter wanted a seafaring life, to explore the New World, to fight sea battles for his country, and to find El Dorado for his queen. Bess wanted a home complete with husband and children beside her.
Strangely, the Raleighs spent much of their lives together either in prison or house arrest. Walter was eventually beheaded for his supposedly many crimes against the Crown. Walter's successes were tied to Queen Elizabeth, but his doom was the doing of King James.
In appearance, Walter was a handsome man. He wore a pearl earring and was dashing in dress. Bess had no beauty to match Walter's handsomeness, but he found her very comely. At Court, in prison/house arrest, or in her home, Bess was loved and admired. Walter did not fare as well in society due to his arrogance and other infamous characteristics. But love Bess, he did, and she him.
Thank you, MS. Sutcliffe, for a good read.
I do not know why the blurb and the title described and suggested that this book was about Bess Raleigh. The book settled more on Bess' husband, Sir Walter Raleigh. The book was surprisingly easy to read despite the author's overly long sentences and too many punctuation marks to service those sentences. That it is perfectly all right to use more periods and fewer colons and semicolons wold be my message to the author and editor of the book.
Set in England under the reign of Elizabeth and later on that of James, the powerful European countries were on a race to settle and exploit the New World. While Bess and Walter loved each other, and none other during their marriage, they had different desires. Walter wanted a seafaring life, to explore the New World, to fight sea battles for his country, and to find El Dorado for his queen. Bess wanted a home complete with husband and children beside her.
Strangely, the Raleighs spent much of their lives together either in prison or house arrest. Walter was eventually beheaded for his supposedly many crimes against the Crown. Walter's successes were tied to Queen Elizabeth, but his doom was the doing of King James.
In appearance, Walter was a handsome man. He wore a pearl earring and was dashing in dress. Bess had no beauty to match Walter's handsomeness, but he found her very comely. At Court, in prison/house arrest, or in her home, Bess was loved and admired. Walter did not fare as well in society due to his arrogance and other infamous characteristics. But love Bess, he did, and she him.
Thank you, MS. Sutcliffe, for a good read.
February 9, 2016
I believe this book had a lot potential to be better - I thought I would like it a lot more since I've fallen in love with historical fiction quite a lot in the last months. Didn't pay much attention to this genre in the past which makes me kind of needy for good books to read. I stumbled about this one while browsing free books for my kindle and the synopsis was awesome.
'Lady in Waiting' is the story of Bess, a Queen's Maid of Honor, and Walter Ralegh who's an adventurer on his search for greatness in the New World. They meet at the Court and fall in love with each other despite different views on life.
I expected quite a big love story. Maybe some kind of forbidden relationship - at least a lot of passion. To be honest, there wasn't much of this involved. Especially in the later book. It started out quite well - interesting characters, family backgrounds and a really easy-to-read writing style. However, all the passion and emotions I was waiting for never came up. The story kind of just went along and there was a lot of waiting involved (should have got that from the title already). Bess is constantly waiting - for her husband to do something or for him to come back. There was hardly any action on her side which means I got bored a little.
Some parts of the book where great and I wished that the author would have paid more attention to them (conquering the New World, the School of Night,...). In the end, I enjoyed the book. The story was interesting and well-written. It just could have been that much better.
'Lady in Waiting' is the story of Bess, a Queen's Maid of Honor, and Walter Ralegh who's an adventurer on his search for greatness in the New World. They meet at the Court and fall in love with each other despite different views on life.
I expected quite a big love story. Maybe some kind of forbidden relationship - at least a lot of passion. To be honest, there wasn't much of this involved. Especially in the later book. It started out quite well - interesting characters, family backgrounds and a really easy-to-read writing style. However, all the passion and emotions I was waiting for never came up. The story kind of just went along and there was a lot of waiting involved (should have got that from the title already). Bess is constantly waiting - for her husband to do something or for him to come back. There was hardly any action on her side which means I got bored a little.
Some parts of the book where great and I wished that the author would have paid more attention to them (conquering the New World, the School of Night,...). In the end, I enjoyed the book. The story was interesting and well-written. It just could have been that much better.
September 9, 2015
The title of this book is extremely deceptive. This is not a book that focuses over much on Elizabeth I and the intrigues of her court, or really even on Bess's role. Her time at court is only briefly touched on. Instead, this is a book about loving the dreamer who is Walter Raleigh. It's a well written and well researched book which does the most justice to Raleigh's character, leaving Bess a little flat at times. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.
October 16, 2012
Good but so sad! Even worse because I knew what was coming. It's one of the few Sutcliff books with a woman as the main character. It's also far less plotty than many of hers, which was fine with me. I was strongly reminded in places of Elizabeth Goudge, in terms of the general style & also the key importance of an ilex tree!
November 15, 2025
Good history book for young girls. I loved Sutcliff's historical novels as a child and young teenager, she was one of my favourite authors. I am not going review them all individually because all her books are good. If your looking for children's historical novels, just start at the beginning of her books and read them all. This is how I learned British history.
March 30, 2016
I fully admit to my Philippa Gregory Chick Hist/Chist Lit guilty pleasure, however there was something about the writing style that made it not an easy read. Lots of authentic/old language perhaps? Whilst was interesting learning about Raleigh it dragged on rather boringly.
June 2, 2012
Walter Raleigh and his wife, Bess, and all the plotting at Queen Elizabeth's and King James' courts. I thought the view of Robert Cecil was interesting
February 20, 2015
Meh. Maybe if I hadn't spent most of the book wanting to strangle Sir Walter Raleigh...
November 23, 2015
I loved this one. Rosemary Sutcliff really is a splendid author and sort of just catches things in her words.
June 16, 2020
The story of Bess Throckmorton, lady-in-waiting to Good Queen Bess and wife of Sir Walter Raleigh.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews