The Tsarina's Daughter Isn't The Only Historical Woman...

I know historical fiction isn't my normal go to genre, but when this came on my radar, I knew I had to share with you all! 

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten is the sequel to last year's Tsarina, the story of Peter the Great’s wife, who started out as a serf named Marta and ended up a Tsarina named Catherine – and ruler of Russia. The ultimate Cinderella, if you were. 

The Tsarina Daughter is Cinderella, but in reverse. It follows Elizabeth, Russian Empress, who though born as a princess, free to pursue her passions, only to have it all snatched away from her when her mother dies. She becomes penniless and powerless – living her mother’s story in reverse, riches to rags. But what those who took everything from her don’t know is that she will fight to get it back – though isolated and impoverished, a woman in a man’s Russia, Elizabeth isn't planning to give up... far from it... 

This and Tsarina are based on historical fact, but this is the first time that either of these women's stories have been fictionalised, hence why I am a honoured to have Ellen Alpsten on the Pewter Wolf Reads, chatting about her top five novels about Hidden Historical Figures. 

Now, before I hand you over to Ellen, I just want to thank her for writing this post. I know she must be busy as heck so thank you! I, also, want to thank Becky from Midas PR who emailed and had to deal with my almost instant reply of "Yes! This sounds like fun!". Also, if you are curious on Ellen, this series or her other works, you can check out her website at ellenalpsten.com or give her a small tweet at @EAlpsten_Author. 

Ok, Ellen, over to you!

Ever since I ‘discovered’ the leading ladies of my ‘Tsarina’ series – both ‘Tsarina’ and ‘The Tsarina’s Daughter’ are the first ever novels about either early Romanov Empress – I am determined to never walk a trodden path, but to keep on surprising my readers by seeking out history’s hidden heroines! In his TED talk, the literary agent Jonny Geller says: ‘Readers are looking for a journey, from a place where they have not been, to a place they know not where...’ It is the same for an author – though there can be exceptions, such as the fresh viewpoint that genius Hilary Mantel gave the overexposed love-story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Onward and upward to my highly personal top five novel recommendations about the hidden heroines of #HistFic…

1. ‘Child of the Morning’ by Pauline Gedge

Who would have thought that one of the most important rulers of Egypt’s powerful eighteenth dynasty was a woman, who was never intended to rule, yet eclipsed them all – had not her (male) successor diligently erased all literary & visual traces of her reign. Gedge’s brilliant novel about Pharaoh Hatshepsut spawned my life-long passion for ancient Egypt.

2. ‘Desiree’ by Annemarie Selinko

The world’s second best-selling historical novel, after ‘Gone with the Wind’. A Marseilles silk merchant’s daughter gets engaged to a destitute Corsican Cadet, who ditches her in favour of Josephine de Beauharnais and goes on to become Napoleon, Emperor of France. She marries one of his generals, who is later voted King of Sweden. Imagine a sensuous, female, wonderful twist on the times of the ‘Sharpe’ Saga!

3. ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ by Philippa Gregory

How lucky was Philippa Gregory to give Marie-Rose Tudor her long overdue moment in the limelight? It made her career as an author. Like ‘Tsarina’, the other Boleyn girl had been always there, yet hid in plain sight, overshadowed by her fascinating and more forthcoming sister. Gregory does a great job in accentuating either woman’s character and how their hands were forced – or not! There is a great movie, too, which doesn’t harm. 

4. ‘Innocent Traitor’ by Alison Weir

Ah, those Tudors. Lady Jane Grey is not THAT hidden in history; she merely had no time – no time at all! - to make her mark. Books about England’s most unknown Queen are few and far between, which makes this novel by Alison Weir – an ambitious writer - such a delight. Grey’s fate is filled with tantalising questions – what sort of Queen would she have been, once she shed the shackles her ambitious family placed her in? 

5. ‘Wild Swans’ by Jung Chang

The memory of this ‘novel’ – which crosses the line to biography for some – still gives me heartache. It offers the most fascinating insight into the demise of an Empire and the brutal, ruthless making of a communist nation, in which nothing is as superfluous and as expendable as human life. As such, it is reminiscent of the ‘Tsarina’ series and the making of Russia we know today. However, I left the last pages of ‘Wild Swans’ unread, as the inhumane suffering so casually imposed on women was unbearable to witness.