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| Plot Summary of The Queene's Christmas |
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St. Martin's, Oct 2003, 24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0312301758
Six years have passed since Elizabeth was crowned but she and her Secretary of State William Cecil still worry that her enemies will try to take the throne away from her. She makes her childhood friend Robert Dudley the Earl of Leicester and offers him as a husband to her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. By doing this, she hopes to make Lord Henry Stewart so appealing that Mary will want this weakling and defuse the threat she poses to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth declares that the twelve days of Christmas in 1564 will be a joyous celebration but the Queen's mood turns ugly when one of her cook's is murdered and dressed up in death as a peacock. Elizabeth thinks this killing was aimed at The Earl of Leicester, who many call a peacock because he wears bright colors and therefore indirectly at her. She consults with her trusted Privy Plot Council on this matter. Malicious pranks played on the Queen during the holiday make her suspect everyone except Cecil. When a second murder occurs Elizabeth goes on the offensive and almost gets killed.
THE QUEENE'S CHRISTMAS is a very enlightening historical mystery as the readers sees how Elizabeth feels about her deceased parents and dead sister. The author, using the third person narrative, shows how Elizabeth makes it plain that though she may love, she will not marry because she doesn't trust any man to let her rule in her own right. There are many viable viable who would like Elizabeth dead, which means that readers are treated to a rare cerebral puzzle. Karen Harper is one of the few authors who educates while she entertains.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Queene's Christmas |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Special suspect?
- best friend
Murder of certain profession?
- royalty
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- politics
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Karen Harper Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Pauline Bennett
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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