Dark Aemilia

(Paperback, Export ed)

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The daughter of a Venetian musician but orphaned as a young girl, Aemilia Bassano grows up in the court of Elizabeth I, becoming the Queen's favourite. She absorbs a love of poetry and learning, maturing into a striking young woman with a sharp mind and a quick tongue. Now brilliant, beautiful and highly educated, Aemilia is mistress of Lord Hunsdon, the Lord Chamberlain and Queen's cousin. But her position is precarious; when she falls in love with court playwright William Shakespeare, her fortunes change irrevocably. A decade later, the Queen is dead, and Aemilia Bassano is now Aemilia Lanyer, fallen from favour and married to a fool. Like the rest of London, she fears the plague. And when her son Henry becomes ill, Aemilia will do anything to save him, even making a pact with the Devil himself. A must-read for fans of Tracy Chevalier (Girl With a Pearl Earring) and Sarah Dunant (The Birth of Venus), Sally O'Reilly's richly atmospheric novel compellingly re-imagines the struggles for power, recognition and survival in the brutal world of Elizabethan London. She conjures the art of England's first professional female poet, giving us a character for the ages - a woman who is ambitious and intelligent, true to herself and true to her heart.

Reviews

'Dark Aemilia makes one gasp with pleasure and nostalgia for a world one never knew. Profoundly romantic and erotic yet intelligent - glittery in its descriptions yet wholly believable. How glad one is to live now but how one envies the past!' - Fay Weldon 'O'Reilly is a highly gifted writer and her story rests on extensive historical research, but it's effortless, dazzling and richly evocative of Elizabethan London. Aemilia is a true heroine, passionate, driven and courageous in facing the dark forces arrayed against her and her son.' - Celia Brayfield 'Dark Aemilia captivates in its depictions of Elizabethan London, from theatrical life at the Globe to the dead-carts and plague pits of the streets. O'Reilly writes with a sharp wit and lightness of touch but tells a story that is dark, erotic and mysterious. Aemilia is an engaging protagonist, intelligent and proud but not above some moral bargaining. For those readers of history who glimpse an intriguing woman in the shadows of men and ask, but what was it like for her, this novel is a treat. - Susanna Jones

Author Bio

Sally O'Reilly has a PhD in Creative Writing from Brunel University, London, and teaches Creative Writing at the University of Portsmouth. She is the author of How to be a Writer and (as Sam O'Reilly) two previous novels, The Best Possible Taste and You Spin Me Round. In addition, she worked as a journalist and editor for Christian Aid and Barnardo's, and has written for the Guardian, Sunday Times, Evening Standard and New Scientist. Sally O'Reilly lives with her family in Brighton.