Description

“I pretend not to be a champion of that same naked virtue called truth, to the very outrance. I can consent that her charms be hidden with a veil, were it but for decency’s sake.”

Kenilworth, first published in 1821, is one of Walter Scott’s most celebrated historical novels, set during the reign of Elizabeth I. It is a captivating tale of love, ambition and political intrigue, centred on the secret marriage between the ambitious courtier Robert Dudley and the innocent Amy Robsart. As Leicester seeks royal favour and prepares for the Queen’s grand visit to Kenilworth Castle,

hidden secrets, jealousy and deception lead to tragic consequences. Blending historical events with imaginative storytelling, Scott vividly recreates the splendour of Elizabethan England, its royal court and its complex world of power and rivalry. With its vivid characters and dramatic portrayal of the past, Kenilworth remains a timeless exploration of human desires and their consequences.

Endorsements

“No historian’s Queen Elizabeth was ever so perfectly a woman as the fictitious Elizabeth of Kenilworth.”

—Thomas Hardy