What if Taylor Swift found herself penning songs about love in Elizabethan England when women were required to be chaste, obedient, and silent?
Isabella Whitney, an ambitious and daring eighteen-year-old maidservant turned poet, sets out to do just that. Having risked reputation and virtue by allowing her passions for her employer’s aristocratic nephew to get the better of her, Isabella Whitney enters the fray of the pamphlet wars, a scurrilous debate on the merits of women. She’s determined to make her mark by becoming the first woman to write a poem defending women in love, highlighting the deceptive practices of the men who woo them. Her journey to publication is fraught with challenges as she navigates through the male-dominated literary world and the harsh realities of life in sixteenth-century London for a single woman. Loosely based on the life of Elizabethan poet Isabella Whitney, this is a compelling tale of a young woman’s resilience and determination to challenge the status quo and leave her mark in a world that was not ready for her.
Reviewers are saying:
‘A fascinating look at a female poet in 16th century England…’
‘A beautifully-rendered piece of historical fiction filling in the biographical gaps of Isabella Whitney, one of England’s earliest female poets…’
‘A nice blend of historical romance, feminist rebellion, and forbidden desire…’
‘A brave, unconventional, beautiful read. I really enjoyed it…’
‘Overall, this book is a wonderful, perfectly written book. Great for lovers of literary history…’
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