THE QUEEN'S VAGABOND

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SYNOPSIS

In the reign of Elizabeth I, a young actor, by the name of Nathan Field, becomes the sensation of the London stage.  This is the fictionalized story of his life reminisced by a reflective and regretful Nathan Field at the end of his life. He describes how he was abducted as a young boy and forced to perform in the famous Company of Child Actors.  He soon mastered his craft and became a leading light in the most popular theatre in London - at a time when plays were booming. He befriends Ben Jonson, gets drunk with William Shakespeare, and becomes a darling of high society ladies enamoured of his performances and stage presence. But despite his success and the fine clothes he was able to wear, the profession of actor was still at the bottom rung of Elizabethan society. And when you forget this and fall in love with the wrong person, there are many people waiting to trip you up and put you back in your place. 

WHY I LOVED NARRATING THIS AUDIOBOOK

This is what I love about historical fiction. It’s a world we are familar with from Shakespeare and numerous other dramas, but it shows us aspects of this life I’d never thought of before. Respectable young boys from grammar schools were literally abducted on the streets and co-opted to join the theatre companies - and it was totally legal! The skills they were taught, the rapid turnover of plays they had to learn and perform. The thrill and dangers of performing at court in front of the Queen, and the massive impact of her favor and patronage. 
And it interweaves this story with historical fact and the events that were happening around them. The scandal of Essex’s rebellion, the death of Queen Elizabeth and the change in style and preference that James I brought with him from Scotland. And the tales of wanton wealth and drunken debauchery among the aristocracy.  
And the scene when Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare get drunk together and reminisce over their lives is priceless.