A Want of Kindness: A Novel of Queen Anne

Description

Every time I see the King and the Queen, I am reminded of what it is I have done, and then I am afraid, I am beyond all expression afraid. The wicked, bawdy Restoration court is no place for a child princess. Ten-year-old Anne cuts an odd figure: a sickly child, she is drawn towards improper pursuits. Cards, sweetmeats, scandal and gossip with her Ladies of the Bedchamber figure large in her life. But as King Charles's niece, Anne is also a political pawn, who will be forced to play her part in the troubled Stuart dynasty. As Anne grows to maturity, she is transformed from overlooked Princess to the heiress of England. Forced to overcome grief for her lost children, the political manoeuvrings of her sister and her closest friends and her own betrayal of her father, she becomes one of the most complex and fascinating figures of English history.

Joanne Limburg was born and grew up in London, at the northern end of the Jubilee Line, but now lives in Cambridge with her husband and son. She has published two collections of poetry with Bloodaxe Books: Feminismo, which was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, and Paraphernalia, a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Her latest collection is the pamphlet The Oxygen Man, published by Five Leaves Publications. Her latest non-poetry book is The Woman Who Thought Too Much, a memoir about OCD, anxiety and poetry.

Succeeds in creating a touching and convincing portrait * The Sunday Times * A deft, absorbing book about a fascinating period. * The Times * It felt like looking in through the windows of Anne's life and I can't imagine the work it must have taken to create this effect yet make it also feel so seamless. Overall, an immensely enjoyable read. * Cambridge Magazine * Recreating the wit and extravagance of the times, this elegant, clever novel features an unusual heroine since Anne, who faces enormous personal tragedy, is gout-stricken, obsessed by food, a little dull and yet surrounded by the brightest sparks of the age. Joanne Limburg places us in the heart of this pageant of glorious individuals with Anne at its centre. * Sunday Express * A dazzling tour de force. * The Jewish Chronicle *