Raven Queen

Pauline Francis

With 20 years of experience as a Secondary school teacher and trained librarian, Pauline has a passion for teaching and encouraging creative writing. Pauline had her first book published in 1994, and has had several books published since, including a number of retellings of well-known classics.

Visit www.paulinefrancis.co.uk to find out more.

Awards

Winner - Highland Children's Book Award 12+ category 2008

Shortlisted - Leicester Book of the Year Award 2008

Shortlisted - Leeds Book Awards 2008

Press & Blog Reviews

Not many of us will have given Lady Jane Grey much more than a passing thought, and not many history textbooks give her much more than a passing line. This nine-day queen, the 16-year-old victim of plotting and intrigue during a particularly bloody and turbulent period of Tudor history, is easily overlooked, sandwiched between the brief and sorry kingship of Edward VI, and the heady, bloody reign of Mary I. Like any good storyteller, Pauline Francis asks the simple questions: what could her life have possibly been like? How did she thing and feel, love and hate? She answers them in full with a visceral, mesmerising debut novel that brings this little-regarded historical character to life. The story of Jane’s brief and tragic life is told in her own voice and that of her admirer, Ned. The fate of these star-crossed lovers – he a Catholic from a disgraced Catholic family and she an extreme Protestant with Royal blood – is relayed through a series of thrilling, climactic tableaux in haunting, lyrical style.
Elaine Williams, TES Magazine

This resonant novel about Lady Jane Grey, who was queen for nine days, is told in a dual narrative - by Jane, an ardent anti-Catholic of the "new faith", and Ned, the boy with whom she falls in love, without knowing he is Catholic. It fleshes out intriguing historical facts: that Jane's parents were cruel and manipulative, that she was offered as a bride to the young Edward VI before being forced to marry the stupid son of power-hungry Dudly who placed her on the throne for his own ends, and that, at the accession of Catholic Mary Tudor, she was imprisoned in the Tower and executed aged 16. Francis adds the fictional character of Ned to this outline, making Jane a rounded, feeling character, passionate and spirited, although trapped by the circumstances of others' self-interest. Written in timeless language, with a hint of the poetic in the spare prose, the book underpins the love story with throughtful imagery and symbolism - snared birds, blood on snow, woodland settings for the youngsters' trysts that suggest the innocence of Eden. The book has an enduring theme of religious intolerance, makes the 16th-century vivid and ends with and unforgettable twist.
Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times Culture Supplement

In the dramatic opening chapters of this engrossing novel, a young man has his head through the hangman's noose when Lady Jane Grey swoops in on her horse and rescues him. Ned's crime is to be a Catholic in the reign of Edward VI, but Jane, though herself committed to "the new faith", cares little for his offence, convinced only that it is wrong to treat another human being in this manner. It is an irony that cannot be lost, even on those only dimly aware of the sorry fate of England's nine-day Queen, and one that grows more poignant when she offers him a job wielding an axe in her father's forest. Alternating chapters depict their star-crossed love-affair from both sides, its fate inevitably sealed as Jane, growing into womanhood, finds herself increasingly at the mercy of her ruthlessly ambitious father. Based on an intriguing amalgam of fact and fiction, and drawing heavily on the characteristics of historical romance, the book is clearly written partly to fuel adolescent interest in this turbulent and bloody period of British history. Inevitably, not all adult readers will concur with the author's stance on historical events and characters, but teenage girls in particular will be drawn to this moving story.
Kate Agnew, EducationGuardian

This compelling tale, based upon the life of Lady Jane Grey, is reshaped with grace and power. Told in a timeless voice, it is rich in characters and shot through with deeper themes of love, faith, loyalty and betrayal. Jane was the oldest of three daughters, an intelligent, spirited girl trapped in a totally unsuitable lifestyle in one of the most powerful Protestant families in England. Unbeknown to her, the boy Ned, whom she saved from hanging, was a Catholic destined for the priesthood. The tender account of their blossoming love is shrouded both by truth and concealment. This is in stark contrast to the evil, manipulative corruption rife amongst Jane's immediate family and their ruthlessly religious contemporaries. Jane's life was sacrified to satisfy their lust for power and control of the English throne. This is not a comfortable read but one which is richly rewarding.
Jenny Blanch, Carousel no. 35, March 2007

Vivid and poetic.
Ann Turnbull - author

Philippa Gregory for a younger audience, a really great read!
Rachel Forward, Gardners

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Extras

• Usborne Quicklinks
  See the Internet links for this book.
• Queen Elizabeth I, Perfume and Illusion
  A guest post by Pauline Francis at The History Girls blog.
• Teacher's notes
  Download teacher's notes for this title.