The Winter Queen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Set in Holland in the seventeenth century, The Winter Queen is a portrait of the history and politics of the era as well as an account of a strange and magical love affair. At its center are two royal exiles: Elizabeth of Bohemia, the Winter Queen, and her clandestine lover, an African prince with shamanic gifts, sold into slavery and freed after years of bondage. Their world is delineated with the illuminating portraiture and exquisite detail of the Dutch paintings of the period. But beneath the light-filled surfaces, crowned heads lie uneasy, scheming princes vie for power, chaos and war threatens in a time of painful uncertainities.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New Yorker

Pelagius -- son of an African king, sold into slavery -- is bought and then freed by a mad Dutch botanist, who sends him to Leiden to study theology. It's the mid-seventeenth century, and Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, is haggard and mired in debt; ensconced at The Hague, she schemes for the sake of her children and laments her raddled dreams. Stevenson asks us to believe that this unlikely pair not only meet (Pelagius, though a Christian convert, has built up a reputation as a seer, and Elizabeth consults him) but fall in love and secretly marry. That we do, with almost giddy pleasure, is a testament to her astonishing skills. Like the late Penelope Fitzgerald, Stevenson is a meticulous fabulist.

Book Magazine

British novelist Stevenson's third book is the first in a historical trilogy. The queen￯﾿ﾽElizabeth, daughter of Charles I of Britain￯﾿ﾽspent only a winter in the early seventeenth century as ruler of Bohemia before being exiled to Holland, where, in Stevenson's story, she meets and secretly marries a former African prince (and former slave) named Pelagius. Freed by the botanist who trained him, Pelagius has received a divinity degree in Holland, but it is through his work as a shamanic healer that he meets Elizabeth. Although the courtship and marriage of these middle-aged refugees is never wholly plausible, Stevenson's knowledge of the period's physical detail is impressive, and her way of mixing religion, science and politics is fascinating. Pelagius is a Protestant theologian who uses botanical medicines and consults African oracles. Elizabeth's political machinations are influenced by apocalyptic theories and an advisor's belief in alchemy. Stevenson probably hoped to draw readers into this world with her unconventional love story, but the ideas and beliefs that influence queen and consort are more compelling. Author￯﾿ﾽTom LeClair

Book Magazine - Tom LeClair

British novelist Stevenson's third book is the first in a historical trilogy. The queen—Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I of Britain—spent only a winter in the early seventeenth century as ruler of Bohemia before being exiled to Holland, where, in Stevenson's story, she meets and secretly marries a former African prince (and former slave) named Pelagius. Freed by the botanist who trained him, Pelagius has received a divinity degree in Holland, but it is through his work as a shamanic healer that he meets Elizabeth. Although the courtship and marriage of these middle-aged refugees is never wholly plausible, Stevenson's knowledge of the period's physical detail is impressive, and her way of mixing religion, science and politics is fascinating. Pelagius is a Protestant theologian who uses botanical medicines and consults African oracles. Elizabeth's political machinations are influenced by apocalyptic theories and an advisor's belief in alchemy. Stevenson probably hoped to draw readers into this world with her unconventional love story, but the ideas and beliefs that influence queen and consort are more compelling.

Publishers Weekly

The chilly scenery of 17th-century Holland is on display in this curious novel by Stevenson (Several Deceptions; London Bridges), as viewed from the unusual perspective of a former African prince and freed slave. Pelagius van Overmeer begins his life in the Low Countries as a theology student, freed by his master, Comrij, after 20 years of servitude in the East Indies. His studies are interrupted when Comrij calls him to The Hague, where they labor on a catalogue of the plants of the East. Just as Pelagius is about to despair of ever being truly free, he finds himself alone once more, with money in his pocket and a promising career as a seer. An introduction to the exiled Elizabeth of Bohemia, or the Winter Queen, as she is called, truly transforms Pelagius's life. Elizabeth, a widow and mother of 10 children, is well into her 40s but still shrewd and hearty; Pelagius, in his 40s, too, is more reserved and mindful of his ambiguous position. Their shared sense of royal duty and easy companionship lead them to secretly marry, but Elizabeth's pregnancy threatens to expose their union as war menaces Europe. Domestic life in a frigid Holland serves as compelling backdrop to this restrained, leisurely novel, in which theological and political questions are as thoroughly dealt with as romantic matters (Pelagius attempts to reconcile Protestantism and the religious practices of Africa, and Elizabeth monitors her sons' fortunes in England under her brother, King Charles I). Stevenson's pacing can be slow and uneven, but the cool glow the story sheds-like a Jan van Eyck painting-exerts a powerful attraction. (Nov.) Forecast: This is the first in a projected historical trilogy, a promising if quiet start that might be recommended to readers who enjoyed Arthur Japin's The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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