In 1675, a frail, sickly, 10-year-old Princess Anne Stuart was introduced to the Royal Court of her uncle, King Charles II, along with her older sister, Mary. The girls were heirs to the English crown, as the gaggle of children their uncle had fathered were all illegitimate and their father, James, Duke of York, was Charles’ successor. Anne was uncomfortable in the Restoration court of her uncle; her poor health and terrible eyesight, coupled with the treatment she received from those around her, made her a piteous figure amid the extravagance.

In A WANT OF KINDNESS, Joanne Limburg attempts to tell Anne’s story through a mix of fact --- in the form of letters Anne herself wrote --- and fiction, the author's own imaginings of Anne’s everyday life, conversations and interactions. The result is the story of a life quite undervalued by those around her, a girl ignored and brought up to be less than her station, who relied on food and cards to comfort her. What she seems to want most is kindness, and its illusiveness becomes a lifelong torment for the future Queen.

"Joanne Limburg attempts to tell Anne’s story through a mix of fact --- in the form of letters Anne herself wrote --- and fiction, the author's own imaginings of Anne’s everyday life, conversations and interactions."

One hopes things will look up for Anne, but her fortunes don’t seem to change as her health continues to plague her. She misses her sister’s wedding to William of Orange because she has smallpox, her father is exiled due to his Roman Catholic faith, and King Charles endeavors to find a match for the princess. When Anne is 18, a marriage is arranged with Prince George of Denmark.

For a little while, life improves for Anne. Though her marriage to George was arranged, the couple finds love within the union. Sarah Churchill is appointed as one of Anne’s ladies, and becomes her closest friend, confidante and influence, even employing pet names for each other in private: Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman.

Within months of her marriage, Anne is pregnant, but the baby is stillborn, and thus begins her 18 pregnancies, of which only one child survives past the age of two, her son William, whom everyone calls Gloucester. Anne and George are devastated by the miscarriages, stillbirths and deaths of their children, and are careful with Gloucester, as he is the key to continuing the Stuart line.

Along come William and Mary and the Glorious Revolution. King Charles has died and King James has rule, but James is a Roman Catholic whereas William, Mary, Anne and George are Protestant. William and Mary oust James and assume rule, but there is little love between the sisters, though Anne supports Mary and her brother-in-law. Before long, Mary forces Sarah Churchill out of Anne’s household, and Anne is devastated, left with her comforts while once again under the rule of family who care little for her. Mary exiles Anne from court, and she retreats, again devastated, to Piccadilly.

After Mary dies of smallpox --- the very ailment that kept Anne from attending her wedding --- William allows Anne back into court, though she is not allowed to bring Sarah back into her household. As Anne endures failed pregnancy after failed pregnancy, all she hopes for is to outlive William; she is his heir apparent as he has no children. Her health continues to decline, and the gout she has long suffered is getting worse. She can barely walk and is carried or uses a wheelchair to get around. But she has George and Gloucester, and prays that her will to survive will keep her alive.

A WANT OF KINDNESS is a bit of a mixed bag. The fictional chapters are differentiated from Anne’s letters by font, but as a historical novel about a real person can sometimes be, it feels a little false. The character of Anne is difficult to like and comes across as extremely whiny. Though her unfortunate circumstances warrant sympathy, oft-times it is strenuous to empathize with her. The book ends on the eve of her reign; none of her rule is documented. A brief “historical note” informs the reader that she did in fact outlive William of Orange and assumed the throne several years after the narrative ends. That, it seems, was one kindness granted to the often overlooked queen.