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Ladies in Waiting Ms Laura L Sullivan Books

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Ladies in Waiting Ms Laura L Sullivan Books

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Ladies in Waiting Ms Laura L Sullivan Books Reviews

LADIES IN WAITING is a well-written book. It just wasn't for me.

The cover is perhaps misleading; the girls look modern, twenty-first century young women dressed up in seventeenth-century garb. So you pick up this book and think that it's going to be something like GOSSIP GIRL, just set in seventeenth-century England. And it's not. To be honest, I'm not sure how wide an audience this will find; it's not a trashy YA historical romance novel, and I wonder how many people will pick this up and then be disappointed that it's actually a well-done work of historical fiction more focused on accurately portraying the characters' world.

LADIES IN WAITING mostly follows three young women, all named Elizabeth, who are come to the court of Charles II to serve as maids of honor to his Catholic Portuguese princess wife, Catherine. There's the aspiring playwright, daring Eliza, the commoner daughter of a very wealthy Puritan merchant. There's quiet, beautiful Beth, who dreams of true love despite her mother's attempts to marry her off to gain back their lost wealth. And then there's science-minded Zabby, who grew up on a plantation in the Caribbean and becomes the confidante of the king. They vow to be friends and support one another through the perils and scandals of court life.

The three main characters are well drawn characters. Sweet, innocent Beth is very much the seventeenth-century lady, but she has spunk. Sullivan ensures that Beth is still a real character and that she is not overshadowed by her two friends. Eliza is a smart, strong young woman who knows what she wants and is unafraid to make her dreams come true, and although she does not fit into role of a proper young woman, she still seems like a believable product of her time. To me, she never came across as too modern, despite her determination to be independent. Neither does Zabby, whose different upbringing explains her science-driven studies, and yet Zabby is still suspectible to the emotions that belabor a teenage girl. All three characters are easy to relate to and easy to like, and the supporting cast is also well-drawn and three-dimensional.

I am not an expert in the court of Charles II, so I really can't speak as to the historical accuracy of the story itself and the historical figures, but I do think that Sullivan crafted an excellent version of this court. Either she did her research well or she knows how to convince her readers that she did. Her descriptions evoke the sights, smells, and sounds of the seventeenth century. No hint of modernity creeps into her prose, nor do her characters ever slip into a more modern tone of voice. For the whole time I was reading this book, I was in her world completely, and it takes a skilled author to do this.

And as a side note to that There's a lot of coarse, suggestive dialogue in this book. Sex played a huge role in the politics and daily life of the seventeenth century, and Sullivan makes no attempt to hide that. (There are no graphic scenes.) Everything maintains its historicalness, but Sullivan's characters - some more than others - frequently make bawdy comments and jokes. There will definitely be readers turned off and made uncomfortable by Sullivan's frankness in dialogue and description, although personally, I think thought that it added to thhe book. I don't think it's too much for mature teenagers to handle, but I wonder how many of them will find the conversation enjoyable.

Unfortunately, LADIES IN WAITING is told from an omniscient point of view. I prefer staying with one character over the course of the novel. I like knowing what only one character thinks, observes, and feels, and Sullivan dives into the minds of all characters and even provides insights and information that none of the characters would know. It does help portray her world more fully, so this might not bother every reader, but it's something that I wish I would have known before reading this book. In addition, if you are a reader who likes conclusive endings, be warned that LADIES IN WAITING ends with a bunch of loose ends. If, however, you like open endings, this probably won't bother you. All in all, LADIES IN WAITING is a good book. It's just not entirely what I was expecting.
Reading the last chapters of "Ladies in Waiting" convinced me that this was the first book of at least two, if not three. The lives of the three Elizabeths are far from settled by the end of the book, and it feels as if there's just more story to be told. Unfortunately I found no indication that this is anything but a stand-alone book, which makes it less satisfying than it should be. Also less-than-satisfying is the characterization. Even Zabby, who is arguably the central figure in the book, is a little flat. Her internal life seems to consist of nothing more than wanting to be a scientist and wanting to sleep with the king. There's something of the Mary Sue about her, too, a woman so smart and beautiful that she could bewitch a king without actually bedding him. The other characters are similarly drawn, leaving the reader with the sense that even Charles II of England, one of the more vivid monarchs to sit on that throne, is just another guy who happens to be a king.

The book itself is aimed at the young adult market (14+, according to the jacket) which makes sense in this case because characterization and subtlety aren't hallmarks of young adult fiction. However, as you might gather from reading some of the other reviews, there is a sexual element here which troubles some adults. I do think that some of the themes and language are a bit much for a 14 year old reader. Probably a better lower end of the age range would be 16.

The writing itself is workmanlike, if a bit too free with point-of-view, which makes for an occasionally confusing narrative. Determined readers won't be put off. On the whole, I can't say that I found the book all that compelling, but it wasn't a bad read. If you're a romance reader, be aware that there's less romance here than you might like. A whole load of unfulfilled longing, but not a lot of romance. And happily ever after? Not so much.