Astraea

by JaneStevenson (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2001

  $3.25

  Set in the Netherlands in the 1640s Astraea tells of the relationship between Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I, and another exile, Pelagius, heir apparent to the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, a freed slave with shamanic gifts. They fall in love, marry clandestinely and, secretly, she gives birth to a son - their hope for a new age.

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.50

  Set in the Netherlands in the 1640s, Astraea tells of the relationship between two royal exiles, Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I, and Omoloju/Pelagius, erstwhile heir to the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, now a freed slave with shamanic gifts. They meet, fall in love, and marry clandestinely. Secretly, Elizabeth gives birth to a bay Balthasar Stuart, whom both come to see as a hope for a new age. As ever with Stevenson's work, Astraea appeals to both the head and the heart. An utterly convincing picture of seventeenth-century life and politics, it is also an immensely moving account of a strange, magical love affair.