Shades of Yellow: Who better to write about a betrayed woman than a woman betrayed?
Shades of Yellow is a dual timeline novel set in the Elizabethan era, featuring the real personages of Amy Robsart and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
Blurb:
During her battle with illness, Lucy Ellis found solace in writing a novel about the mysterious death of Amy Robsart, the first wife of Robert Dudley, the man who came close to marrying Elizabeth I. As Lucy delves into Amy’s story, she also navigates the aftermath of her own experience that brought her close to death and the collapse of her marriage.
After taking leave from her teaching job to complete her novel, Lucy falls ill again. Fearing she will die before she finishes her book, she flees to England to solve the mystery of Amy Robsart’s death.
Can she find the strength to confront her past, forgive the man who broke her heart, and take control of her own destiny?
REVIEW
Dual timeline novels sometimes fall into the trap of engaging the reader with one side of the story, and losing them from the other. This novel finds the two timelines seamlessly blended with none of those slightly eggy transitions into the past. Because Lucy is writing a novel, the fictional life of Amy Robsart segues neatly into the story, as Lucy grapples with Lucy’s mysterious death, whilst also realising Amy’s life holds resonance for her own. Being a novelist myself this fictional account of a debut novelist’s obsession with the past really rang bells for me! The book is well-researched and we are treated to Lucy’s excursions to all the places Amy would have known. The mystery of why she died and exactly how, is left to the reader’s imagination, which is as it should be – no glib answers here, the history is honoured yet we are given plenty to think about as readers so that we become as fascinated as Lucy. Lucy’s family, her battle with cancer, and her shifting feelings for her ex keep the plot rolling along nicely.
This is a novel written with sensitivity, both to the historical past, and to emotional truth. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, was gripped throughout, and was sad when it ended. Five stars from me.
Praise for Shades of Yellow:
“Shifting between 2010 and the Elizabethan era, Wendy J. Dunn’s compelling new novel Shades of Yellow explores the complexities of relationships, creative ambition, and medical pain through the eyes of two brave women living centuries apart. Forced to confront the decisions that have brought them to their respective crisis points, Lucy and Amy seek to rewrite their own destinies. A treat for lovers of history and strong stories.“
~ Lauren Chater, author of The Beauties
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Wendy J. Dunn is a multi-award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of Dear Heart, How Like You This, her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder.
Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.
Wendy gained her PhD in 2014 and tutors in writing at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. She loves walking in the footsteps of the historical people she gives voice to in her books.
Thank you so much for hosting Wendy J. Dunn today, with such a lovely review of her fabulous new novel, Shades of Yellow.
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club