21 h 11 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the queen’s favourite already has a wife—and his power depends on keeping her hidden?
In Walter Scott’s Kenilworth, England’s glittering Tudor court turns on a dangerous secret. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, enjoys Queen Elizabeth I’s favour, and many expect him to marry her. Yet Amy Robsart is already his wife. Hidden at Cumnor Place, she longs for him to acknowledge her openly.
Edmund Tressilian, who once loved Amy, sets out to find her for her father’s sake. The resourceful blacksmith Wayland Smith becomes his helper, while Leicester’s ruthless servant Richard Varney guards the secret. As the story draws toward Kenilworth Castle, love and loyalty press against a powerful man’s hunger to keep everything.
What you’ll discover
- A wife kept hidden Meet Amy Robsart, whose wish for open recognition conflicts with Leicester’s place at court.
- A court of rivals Enter Elizabeth’s world of jealous nobles, watchful spies, and glittering public shows.
- An honourable search Follow Tressilian and Wayland Smith as their search draws them toward a guarded secret.
- A castle in splendour Explore Kenilworth as Leicester prepares his vast castle to receive the queen.
- Love against ambition Watch Leicester struggle to hold both the woman he loves and the power he prizes.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy historical fiction, court intrigue and a plot built on a dangerous secret. It is also good for anyone curious about Elizabeth I. Those who dislike long descriptions and slow openings may find the early chapters less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A stranger arrives at the Black Bear
- Tressilian searches for a vanished girl
- Wayland Smith joins the chase
- Two earls divide the court
- A secret wife hidden at Cumnor Place
- The queen demands the truth
- Kenilworth is dressed for a queen
- Love, ambition and the price of a secret
- How Scott tells the story
Who’s who
- Amy RobsartA young gentlewoman from Devon who has secretly married a great earl and longs to be acknowledged openly.
- Robert Dudley, Earl of LeicesterThe queen's favourite, proud and gifted, who wants to keep both his hidden wife and his place at court.
- Edmund TressilianAn honourable gentleman who once loved Amy and sets out to find her for her father's sake.
- Richard VarneyLeicester's smooth and ruthless servant, who guards his master's secret and his own advancement.
- Wayland SmithA clever blacksmith and healer with a shady past, who becomes Tressilian's loyal and resourceful helper.
- Queen Elizabeth IThe shrewd and proud ruler who balances her nobles against each other and expects honesty from those she favours.
- Anthony FosterThe gloomy keeper of Cumnor Place, greedy and fearful, who watches over Amy for Leicester.
- Michael LambourneA swaggering soldier and rogue, nephew of the Cumnor innkeeper, always ready to sell his services.
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Kenilworth
by Walter Scott· 1821
A secret marriage threatens a nobleman's ambitions at Elizabeth's court.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A stranger arrives at the Black Bear
The novel opens at the Black Bear, an inn in the village of Cumnor, near Oxford. Its landlord is Giles Gosling, a cheerful, sharp man who knows everyone and enjoys talking. The inn is full of travellers and local gossip, and Scott uses the room to introduce the setting before any great person appears. We hear the talk of the day, the quarrels over religion and the grumbling about the great lords.
In walks a swaggering soldier named Michael Lambourne, who is the landlord's nephew. He left home as a wild young man and has come back with big stories and empty pockets. Giles is not pleased to see him, since the boy was always a source of trouble. Lambourne has the look of a man who will do almost anything for money, and that matters later.
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The author
Walter Scott
1771–1832 · Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Edinburgh and lived in Scotland, including at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died. He wrote Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819).
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What is Kenilworth by Walter Scott about?
It follows the secret marriage of Amy Robsart to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. It also follows the people who try to find her or keep her hidden, leading to the royal visit to Kenilworth Castle.
Is Kenilworth a true story?
It is historical fiction. Robert Dudley, Elizabeth I and the 1575 festivities at Kenilworth were real, and Amy Robsart was Dudley's real wife. But Scott changed dates and invented many characters and events to suit his plot.
When was Kenilworth written and published?
Scott published Kenilworth in 1821, during the great run of his Waverley novels. The story itself is set in 1575, in the middle of Elizabeth I's reign.
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