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Plot Summary of Virgin
"This novelization is about the life of Elizabeth the First from age 13 to 15. ((1547-1549) It begins when her father, Henry the Eighth dies, and her little brother Edward age 9 takes the throne under the protectorship of his uncle Edward Seymour.

Elizabeth lives at this time with her stepmother Catherine Parr who marries Thomas Seymour, Edward's younger brother. Catherine has been a good parent to Elizabeth, her older sister Mary, and young Edward. In the late years of Henry's reign, she brought the family back together, and saw to it that the children received a good education.

Elizabeth's greatest difficulty in these years is dealing with Thomas Seymour and his influence on Catherine. Thomas begins to wake Elizabeth by coming into her bed and tickling her, and before long Catherine joins him in this. On one occasion, Catherine pins Elizabeth's arms behind her back, while Thomas uses his knife to cut her gown off her into shreds. Elizabeth feels a huge amount of guilt, but Thomas succeeds in seducing her. The pregnant Catherine sends Elizabeth away when she finds her in Thomas's arms.

Thomas also covets political power, and is plotting to take the protectorship away from his brother Edward. John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland who Thomas believed to be a friend betrays him. Dudley's son Robin, a longtime childhood friend of Elizabeth plays an important role in getting him arrested.

Elizabeth and her life long nurse Kat Ashley, and household manager John Parry are implicated in the plot. They are accused of trying to arrange a marriage to Thomas Seymour without the approval of the King and the privy council. Elizabeth survives this ordeal by using her intelligence, wits, and strength of character.
"

Susan Coffey, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Virgin
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).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - distant past/middle ages
Life of a profession: - prince/nobleman/king/queen
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Age: - a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality - British
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Genius
Physique - healthy but a geeky weakling

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 (a fair amount)
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
City? Yes
City: - London
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Virgin
Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour by Laurien Gardner
Night and Silence by Rose Tremain
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
The Edge on the Sword by Rebecca Tingle
The Norman Pretender by Valerie Anand


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Robin Maxwell Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Susan Coffey  

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