As the person who led the Parliamentarians to victory against Charles I, he eventually became Lord Protector of England rather than king. Several long-standing myths about him exist: he banned Christmas, music, art - basically anything fun.
This novel will put paid to a lot of those myths for we find a very different Cromwell.
The Puritan Princess tells the story of the Cromwell from the pov of his daughters. The family see their fortunes change dramatically, from run of the mill gentleman farmer and relatives to the first family in England, living like a royal family in all but name.
I didn’t know much about the interregnum period, but it’s a lot more conflict driven than I thought. The factions and political games are worthy of the Tudors. The court is a lot more lavish than one would have expected given their criticisms of Charles I, and the music and art scene just as dynamic.
I loved the micro and macro dramas in the book, both on the family level and the national level. One section of the book, I won’t say which, had me weeping. Malins has breathed life into this family who are not universally talked about, particularly in school, which seems shortsighted given their significance. It is so well researched and dramatised historical fiction and I would have seriously enjoyed spin offs about each member of the family. Fans of historical fiction will really love this book.
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