A Journey to Another Time

The Redheaded Princess by Ann Rinaldi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The whole time I was reading The Redheaded Princess, I kept thinking I had read it before. But no, that didn't seem quite right. Why was it so familiar? I do not read a lot of historical fiction so what had I read that dealt with this time period? I was flummoxed - until Lady Jane Grey became Queen. Ah, yes, I had read the 'story' from her perspective. After finishing the book, I read the Author's Note and discovered that Rinaldi had also penned that version of events. Ok. Now, it all makes sense. I have read about the time period and characters in a book by the same author!

The Redheaded Princess chronicles the life of Princess Elizabeth from early childhood until she becomes Queen Elizabeth I. We are privy to her hopes and dreams and her growth as she struggles and learns, sometimes the hard way, how to make her path and where to place her loyalties in this tumultuous time. Much more than a list of dates and description of events, The Redheaded Princess explores relationships. It explores how relatinships are or can be affected by power or the lack thereof. What does it mean to be Queen? What are the responsibilities that come with this power? How do the various characters handle the power they are given? These are some of the questions that we delve into alongside Elizabeth as she prepares to one day be Queen of England.

Rinaldi makes the history come to life on the page. She somehow manages to create characters we care about and relate to on some level. She takes an almost unknowable world and make sit feel like somewhere we have visited. Although, I guess in this case, I had!

Educational and entertaining - what more can we ask?

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