Lady in Waiting

Part of why I choose to do my PhD work in the Arts and Humanities program at UT Dallas was that they allow students to write creative dissertations. That is, I can write a novel accompanied by a three- or four-chapter scholarly treatment of the history behind my story with explanations of my literary choices. So I'm chewing on a work of historical fiction set in first-century Ephesus.

When I mentioned this weaving of past and present to my agent, Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, he recommended that I read Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner.

In this book Meissner tells two stories—one set in contemporary Manhattan and the other in England at the time of Lady Jane, who served as queen for nine days.

I looked forward to learning more about this queen because one of my favorite movies, “Lady Jane” starring Helena Bonham Carter, tells Jane's story. Or a fictionized version of it, at least.

Meissner does indeed weave together past and present. In the contemporary part of the novel, an antiques dealer working through difficult marital issues finds a ring hidden within a book binding. In the portion of the story set in the past, a dressmaker for Lady Jane tells how the regal lady is betrothed to a man she loves, but ends up in a marriage arranged by power brokers seeking to keep Reformers on the throne.

As the present-day Jane learns more about the steadfast Lady Jane, she realizes how much control over her own choices she actually has.

If you like to learn history through fiction, I think you'll like what Meissner has done.