Book Review: The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner

The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner
Book 2 in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
Paperback, 352 pages
St. Martin’s Griffin
July 16, 2013
★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction - Thriller

Source: Received for review from publisher as part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour

Winter 1554. Brendan Prescott, spymaster to the Princess Elizabeth, has discovered that he is connected to the Tudors by blood as well as allegiance. Though his secret is known only by a few, it could be his downfall as he is called to London to protect the princess.

Accompanied by his young squire Peregrine, he reluctantly leaves his sweetheart Kate behind - but in the city he discovers that no one is quite what they seem. What fate does Queen Mary intend for her sister? Is Robert Dudley somehow manipulating the princess, even though he is locked in the Tower? And should Brendan trust the alluring Sybilla, Mary's lady-in-waiting, who professes to be on his side?

As he tries to unravel the mysteries of the Tudor court Brendan's life will be put in danger many times, and along the way he learns more about his own past.

If you remember, when I wrote my review of The Tudor Secret in February 2011, I crowed, “Best Book of 2011!”. While this may not be my #1 favorite of 2013, it will inevitably be within my top 5 reads this year (it will be hard to beat out my love for Roses by Leila Meacham which I read a few months ago). I’m always slightly hesitant when reading the second book in a series – especially when I really enjoyed book one – but I am pleased to say that there is no sophomore slump here.

While the plotline of this novel deals primarily with the Wyatt Rebellion, which I didn’t previously know much about, the heft of the emotional plotline is the backstory of our hero, Brendan. He learns a lot about himself throughout the span of these pages and really has to grapple with emotions and various questions of conscience. These events will change him as a character is some ways I’m sure.

There was great drama and pacing of the novel – which is a strength which the author does well. While we do get to spend time with some of the favorite characters from the prior novel, more time is focused on some newer characters. I was sad about this in some ways, but the characters are well developed and I enjoyed them just as much.

My only complaint was that at times it was difficult to remember which of his two identities, Brendan was at any given time; and further, who knows him as which name. I would hazard that the author found this to be a challenge as well. At one point, Queen Mary refers to Brendan as “Mr. Prescott” when all along she and 95% of the court have only known him as Daniel Beecham (pg. 74). As neither Brendan nor any of the other characters reacted to this incorrect name, I’m assuming that it wasn’t meant to be some sort of revelation.

Overall a great second book in this series and I can’t wait for more. Gortner makes the Tudor court once again new and exciting!

Author C.W. Gortner has written several biographical novels as well as book 1 in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles, The Tudor Secret. You can visit the author’s website or blog for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

My reviews of other books by this author:

• Confessions of Catherine de Medici
• The Queen’s Vow
• The Tudor Secret
• The Tudor Vendetta

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Paternoster Row Legacy
• The Tudor Book Blog

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

You can follow along with the rest of the blog tour by visiting the HFVBT website or on Twitter with the following hashtag: #TudorConspiracyTour.

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory

Happy Holidays everyone! I will be away until Sunday immersed in the Christmas festivities with my boyfriend's and my families. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas tomorrow! I thought. I would leave you with a review of one of my favorite Philippa Gregory books.

 

The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory
Book 5 in the Tudor Court series

Paperback, 504 pages

Touchstone

February 3, 2004
★★★★ ½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

A young woman caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth, must find her true destiny amid treason, poisonous rivalries, loss of faith, and unrequited love.

It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires. 

Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen's Fool is another rich and emotionally resonant gem from this wonderful storyteller.

Hannah Green is the daughter of a Jewish book maker living in London. While trying to keep a low profile, Hannah tells the young King Edward that she sees golden gates behind him and he declares that she should be his holy fool. Hannah is quickly thrown into the world of court politics. She becomes enamored with Lord Robert Dudley, her protector at court, and at the same time is betrothed to Daniel Carpenter. She is constantly in conflict – torn between Elizabeth and Mary, Robert and Daniel, her religious beliefs and her safety, among others. Hannah must make crucial decisions that will affect her life as well as those around her as she moves through the courtly inner circles.

Hannah Green is a fictional character living in the Tudor period and interacting with very real characters. This is the first book in the Tudor series of books that I have read where the narrator is not a real historical character. I really enjoyed this though. I loved how Hannah has a conscience and we get to watch her grow up over the years that take place in this novel. She starts out as someone who is controlled pretty easily and over time develops her own sense of self and decides what she really wants out of life. I really enjoyed the love story that developed throughout. Hannah is not one dimensional - she handles conflict and wavers back and forth in what she should do. I really connected with Hannah and I think that having a fictional character weave her way through the historical courts allowed the reader to see the world from an outsider’s perspective.

One thing that I enjoyed about this novel is that Hannah lived in the courts of Edward, Mary and Elizabeth Tudor. I hadn’t read any fiction that really included Edward at all. It was interesting to see him interacting with Hannah and then see what happened after he died. You also had the opportunity to see how things changed at time moved on.

Another great read from Philippa Gregory.

 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Dear Author
• Book Addiction

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

 

Also by Philippa Gregory:

Philippa Gregory has written many books, among those included in the Tudor Court series are:

 

The Constant Princess (Book 1)
[My Review]

 

The Other Boleyn Girl (Book 2)

[My Review]

 

The Boleyn Inheritance (Book 3)

[My Review]

 

The Taming of the Queen (Book 4)

 

The Virgin's Lover (Book 6)

 

The Other Queen (Book 7)

 

Other Philippa Gregory books I have reviewed:

• The King's Curse (The Cousin's War series)

Find Philippa Gregory: Website | Facebook | Twitter |Youtube

 

 

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

New Book Alert - Her Mother's Daughter

Her Mother’s Daughter by Julianne Lee

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Release Date: December 1, 2009

Her name was Mary Tudor. First of the Tudor queens, she has gone down in history as Bloody Mary. But does she deserve her vicious reputation?

She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, and half-sister to Edward VI and Elizabeth I. Mary Tudor's life began as the sweetly innocent, pampered princess of Wales-until the age of eleven when the father she adored cast aside the mother she worshipped and declared Mary a bastard. Only after years of exile did Mary finally rise to the throne alongside the man who, aside from her father, was her greatest love-and her greatest betrayer.

Told by Mary herself and the people around her, this grand-scale novel takes us back to the glittering court of sixteenth-century England, and tells the tragic story of a fascinating, largely misunderstood woman who withstood the treachery and passion around her only to become one of England's most vilified queens (from back cover)

I am very excited about this book. I have had a soft spot for Mary even though I haven’t read anything strictly about her. I think that she deserves her reputation in some ways but was misunderstood in many other ways and taken advantage of. I can’t wait to see how she is portrayed in this book. If you want to read a great review of this book (and a giveaway), check out The Burton Review.

Copyright © 2009-2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Book 3 in the Tudor Court series

Paperback, 518 pages

Touchstone Books

August 7, 2007
★★★★ ½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

"The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about a court ruled by the gallows and three women whose positions brought them wealth, admiration, and power as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror. Once again, Philippa Gregory has brought a vanished world to life -- the whisper of a silk skirt on a stone stair, the yellow glow of candlelight illuminating a hastily written note, the murmurs of the crowd gathering on Tower Green below the newly built scaffold. In The Boleyn Inheritance Gregory is at her intelligent and page-turning best."

The Boleyn Inheritance is narrated through the voices of three narrators: Anne of Cleves (the 4th wife of Henry VIII), Katherine Howard (Henry’s 5th wife), and Jane Rochford (the late Anne Boleyn’s sister-in-law). Each of these women has a lot on the line because of the cloud that hovered above with the name of Boleyn. Each has earned their current place, in a sense, because of the death of Anne.

I enjoyed the parts of the book that were narrated by Anne of Cleves the best. She was only really part of the Tudor Court for a very short time and was new to the country of England as well. Her chapters brought an outside eye to the story while Jane and Katherine’s brought the inside eye. One thing that I really saw in this book was how easily used Katherine Howard was. She was manipulated by all sides and didn’t even have a chance to realize quite what was happening. I wasn’t a huge fan of Katherine’s sections for that reason – she was completely oblivious to everything that was happening – come on girl! Jane’s sections were interesting to see her wrestling with the guilt over what she did to her husband and sister-in-law. It was also enlightening to see the way she rationalized everything she did.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book just as much as The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess. A unique way at looking at this short period of time and the events that quickly unfolded.

To borrow a little more from the back cover to wrap this up nicely “Anne of Cleves – Her Boleyn Inheritance: accusations and false witness. Katherine Howard – Her Boleyn Inheritance: the threat of the axe. Jane Rochford – Her Boleyn Inheritance: a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul.”

You can read the first chapter of the book here for a sample of Gregory’s style. You can also listen to a sample of the audio on the website too.

 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Give Me Stories
• Out of the Blue

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Philippa Gregory:

Author Philippa Gregory also has written many other books – those among the Tudor Court series include:

The Constant Princess (Book 1)
[My Review]

The Other Boleyn Girl (Book 2)
[My Review]

The Taming of the Queen (Book 4)

The Queen's Fool (Book 5)
[My Review]

The Virgin's Lover (Book 6)

The Other Queen (Book 7)

 

Other Philippa Gregory books I have reviewed:

• The King's Curse (The Cousin's War series)

 

Find Philippa Gregory: Website | Facebook | Twitter |Youtube

 

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Elizabeth’s Women by Tracy Borman

Elizabeth’s Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen

by Tracy Borman

UK Edition, Hardcover, 482 pages

Jonathan Cape

September 24, 2009
★★★★☆

Genre: Non Fiction, Tudor England

Source: Received from publisher for review

"Elizabeth’s Women contains more than an indelible cast of characters. It is an unprecedented account of how the public posture of femininity figured into the English court, the meaning of costume and display, the power of fecundity and flirtation, and how Elizabeth herself—long viewed as the embodiment of feminism—shared popular views of female inferiority and scorned and schemed against her underlings’ marriages and pregnancies.

Brilliantly researched and elegantly written, Elizabeth’s Women is a unique take on history’s most captivating queen and the dazzling court that surrounded her."

The story of Elizabeth I of England has been told many times. These stories tend to focus on the men in her life – Robert Dudley, her father Henry VIII, Thomas Seymour, just to name a few. This new book by Tracy Borman explores the effects that the women in Elizabeth’s life had on her – starting with her mother and moving on to courtiers, cousins, stepmothers etc. Don’t get me wrong, the men are still an integral part of the story, but they are not the focus.

This book was very interesting to me. I had only read one book about Elizabeth before and that book didn’t really focus on Elizabeth’s life but more of the effect her mother’s legacy had on her life. I had enjoyed the perspective of that book and Elizabeth’s Women took that perspective much further. This book was organized very well – each chapter focused on a different set of relationships in chronological order. You could see how interactions with women early in her life effected decisions she made later in her life. One of my favorite things about the book was that the author kept coming back to how these early relationships (particularly the deaths of her mother and stepmother, Katherine Howard) effected her decisions about men, marriage, and children.

The chapters that focused on her servants were sometimes hard to pay attention to. There were a lot of names that were thrown about and it was difficult to focus on who was who. I tended to just gloss over these parts. The only other part, and it was a very small part, that I had an issue with was there was a mention of a son between Jane Parker and George Boleyn that I can't find reference to anywhere else. Other than these small issues, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I feel that I learned a lot about Queen Elizabeth – what drove her as well as the way she ruled. I respect her more because of the way she paid homage to her mother when it wasn't a popular thing to do.

I would recommend this to anyone who doesn’t know much about Elizabeth as well as those who would like to see the Queen from a different perspective.

If you would like to try out a sample of the book, check out the excerpt at the publisher's website.

 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Burton Book Review
• The Accidental Thespian

 

Buy the Book:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

 

Also by Tracy Borman:

 

Henrietta Howard: King's Mistress, Queen's Servant

 

Queen of the Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife of William I

 

The RIng and the Crown (with Allison Wier, Kate Williams, and Sarah Gristwood)

 

Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Faithful Servant

 

Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal, and Seduction

 

Find Tracy Borman: Website | Twitter

 

Book Discussion

Marie from The Burton Review was my read-along buddy and we discussed this book and proposed questions to each other throughout our reading. You can find the first part of our discussion at her blog. The second part is as follows.

At this point in the book, (about Chapter 8) what is the most enjoyable thing for you or something that sticks out that you have learned so far?
Heather: I have really enjoyed learning about all of the ways that Elizabeth was similar to her mother and the ways that she tried honoring her. She was smart in the ways that she did this though, and did this is ways that wouldn’t upset her people. She promoted those who had been faithful followers of her mother (or in some cases their descendents), she modeled her coronation after that of her mother’s, adopted her emblem (the white falcon) as well as many others. Elizabeth had Anne’s attitude of requiring strict adherence of her women to her moral code and sharp punishment if they didn’t. She also had the power to charm the people, to a better degree than Anne ever could.

Marie: I am really enjoying seeing how these female relationships of Elizabeth's corresponded to what effected Elizabeth in her formative years. The fact that Kat Ashley was the most constant person in her life is sad but makes me glad that she did have someone to rely on, but it proved disastrous particularly with the Seymour scandal. I have now come to realize that Elizabeth probably felt at odds most of her young life, with the strained relationship of her half-sister Mary; and the fact there were a series of failed marriages of her father with deadly conclusions probably reinforced her fear of marriage altogether. Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr both died of the puerperal fever brought on by childbirth, which also could have greatly helped formed opinions regarding having a family of her own. Another person who was once close to Elizabeth was Jane Grey, and she was executed as a direct result of her family's greed for power. After being in a dysfunctional family herself and witnessing how family used Lady Jane Grey, what could have been Elizabeth's feelings about the strength and importance of family bonds? It becomes more understandable how Elizabeth learned to cope, and rule, as one person with no strict relationships as far as marriage or children, and knowing to not fully trust others.

In the chapter The Queen’s Hive, the author mentions how Elizabeth promoted many members of her family once she was queen. One of this people was the son of Jane Parker and George Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s brother. What do you think of this?
Heather: I was under the impression that George and Jane did not have any children. I had heard that there was someone who was thought to be their son by historians, but was most likely to be just another distant relative. Even though it was just a one sentence mention, it bothers me a little bit.

Marie: I noticed it too and raised a red flag as well. I carried on and forgot about it till you brought it up again. I then googled it and can see no trace of the mention of any children at all issued to George and Jane, and I don't remember reading anything about it all either. All I can find on the post of the Dean of Lichfield which Borman says was given to this son, was that it a post in the Comerford family at that time, from the transition of Mary's reign to Elizabeth's. there was certainly upheaval and the posts were taken from Catholics (or Mary's favorites) and given to Elizabeth's favorites, but I can't see who held what post after Elizabeth became Queen.

Although no mention of the Boleyn's, an interesting history that comes from Patrick Comerford's site at http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.com/2009_08_14_archive.html:
"Henry {Comerford} was summoned before the Privy Council on 27 February {1559}. He was deprived of all his benefices because of his extreme Catholicism, and he was held in prison until April. Four months later, in June 1559, Ralph Baynes was deprived as Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. At the same time, the Dean of Lichfield, John Ramridge, was sent to the Tower – when he was released on bail, the dean made good his escape to Flanders, where he was later murdered. In addition, the Chancellor of Lichfield, Alban Longdale, was deprived, the Treasurer, George Lee, resigned, and many of the prebendaries and cathedral clergy were deprived or forced to resign between 1559 and 1564"

From British canon resident records I found the list of canons and of Deans, and at that time period:
Henry Williams B.D. (dean) 1536-1554
From: 'Canons residentiary of Lichfield', Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857: volume 10: Coventry and Lichfield diocese (2003), pp. 78-94. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34773

John Ramridge D.D. (dean) 1554-1559. {The Same John Ramridge mentioned above}
Instal. 2 Apr. 1554; depriv. c. 1559 (see Deans).
From: 'Canons residentiary of Lichfield', Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857: volume 10: Coventry and Lichfield diocese (2003), pp. 78-94.
but the most important coming:
Lawrence Nowell M.A. (dean) 1560-1576.
Instal. 29 March 1560; d. 17 Oct. × 22 Nov. 1576 (see Deans).
George Boleyn D.D. (dean) 1576-1603.
Instal. 22 Nov. 1576; d. Jan. 1603 (see Deans).
From: 'Canons residentiary of Lichfield', Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857: volume 10: Coventry and Lichfield diocese (2003), pp. 78-94.
24 Oct. 1599: Boleyn (dean), Babington (Bishop's Itchington, precentor), Bagshaw (Colwich), Exton (Offley) + Merrick (Bobenhull) (D30/2/1/5 f. 11) = 5]
From: 'Canons residentiary of Lichfield', Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857: volume 10: Coventry and Lichfield diocese (2003), pp. 78-94.

We know that Anne's brother, George Boleyn, was married 1525 to Jane Parker. He was executed in 1536, she was executed in 1542. There is indeed a possibility they had a child, but since there was no mention of it, it is hard to believe there was. Yet, as a countess, Jane may have had the necessary provisions to allow offspring to be raised and educated elsewhere while Jane was a courtier and Lady in Waiting to Queen Catherine Howard. So who is the George Boleyn who was given the post later in 1576 and held it till the end of Elizabeth's reign?
George and Anne Boleyn's father thomas was one of about ten children, giving Thomas at least three brothers to help carry on the Boleyn name. There is of course the possibility that one of these uncles had offspring that had offspring etc. that may have had the first name of George, who we see in the above role of Dean. I am not so sure of the fact that the George, Dean of Lichfield, that we see held the post from 1576 to 1603 is the offspring of George and Jane. If he was a son of George and Jane he would probably have been born between 1526 and 1535. This makes him between 51 and 61 when first given the post as dean, and holding it until age 68 or 78.. which seems highly unlikely in Tudor times. So I would go with the belief that this George, Dean of Lichfield is a descendent of one of George and Anne's uncles.

Midway through the book, Borman writes of Mary, Queen of Scots in the Cousins chapter 9. Was there anything that surprised you here, and what were the effects of Mary's many uncouth political actions onto Elizabeth?
Heather: There were actually quite a few things that surprised me in this part about Mary, Queen of Scots. I didn’t know much about Elizabeth and I knew virtually nothing about Mary. I was surprised by all of the turmoil that she went through after her seemingly great life in the French court. Her choice of husband, her second, turned out to be not quite what she wanted. Then she was forced to marry her third husband who raped her, and then she was forced out of the position of queen. I think that these relationships further showed Elizabeth how marriage wasn’t something she wanted – she didn’t need to suffer the abuse of men and the agony of children. She also saw how easily she could lose her throne if the people didn’t like some of her choices.

Marie: I had read several books pertaining this cousins relationship, and most of it was old news. This is the point in the book that was a little tougher to get through, this chapter being 50 pages long. The decisions of Mary Queen of Scots could have helped to solidify Elizabeth's negative views on marriage due to the fact that Mary's choices in men were very disastrous, which made Mary an object of ridicule. There was no way that Elizabeth would put her title as Queen in such peril that Mary Queen of Scots did, who was forced to abdicate Scotland in favor of her infant son.

After completing the book, who has now become an intriguing character to you?
Heather: I am very interested in Arbella Stuart and Mary, Queen of Scots. I had never heard of Arbella before this and hadn’t read anything about Mary before. From the description of Arbella in the book, she sounded kind of crazy – I would like to read more and see how other people described her and her personality. I had originally thought that I would dislike Mary (for some reason, I really had no base for the assumption) – but when looking at the situation between Elizabeth and Mary – I ended up liking Mary better. I would love to explore her life a little more.

Marie: Bess of Hardwick and her granddaughter Arbella Stuart have always been intriguing to me, but the author mentions more of the Boleyn cousins, the Howards, and the Careys who were Elizabeth’s first cousins as well. These relations were promoted to higher posts once Elizabeth finally had the crown, and I can imagine that they were very much involved in politics and the outcomes of some of Elizabeth’s decisions. This is where I would like to continue my reading, into more of the familial connections now that I have satisfied my thirst for the intrigues of the peers of Elizabeth in this book.





Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

 

Book Review: The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

Paperback, 281 pages

Touchstone

May 28, 1998

★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

One was queen for a thousand days; one for over forty years. Both were passionate, headstrong women, loved and hated by Henry VIII. Yet until the discovery of the secret diary, Anne Boleyn and her daughter, Elizabeth I, had never really met.

Anne was the second of Henry's six wives, doomed to be beloved, betrayed and beheaded. When Henry fell madly in love with her upon her return from an education at the lascivious French court, he was already a married man. While his passion for Anne was great enough to rock the foundation of England and of all Christendom, in the end he forsook her for another love, schemed against her, and ultimately had her sentenced to death. But unbeknownst to the king, Anne had kept a diary.

At the beginning of Elizabeth 's reign, it is pressed into her hands. In reading it, the young queen discovers a great deal about her much-maligned mother: Anne's fierce determination, her hard-won knowledge about being a woman in a world ruled by despotic men, and her deep-seated love for the infant daughter taken from her shortly after her birth.
In journal's pages, Elizabeth finds an echo of her own dramatic life as a passionate young woman at the center of England 's powerful male establishment, and with the knowledge gained from them, makes a resolution that will change the course of history.

There have been many books written about Anne Boleyn, but I don’t think one has been written in this manner. The present time in this book is the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I – she is 25, in love, and newly come to the throne. One day an old woman comes to her presence chamber with a diary for her – the diary of her mother, Anne Boleyn. In this diary, Anne wrote of her life from before her ascendency to the throne right up to just before her execution. As Elizabeth reads through this diary she learns a lot about the mother she doesn’t remember and learns many valuable lessons that she will apply during her reign as Queen of England.

I thought that this was an amazingly well written book. I enjoyed how the story bounced back and forth between the present time with Elizabeth and the time while Anne was alive, in the diary. As Elizabeth learned things from her mother she would then apply them to how she ruled her kingdom. It would be neat to think that this was actually the case. It’s a unique way to look at such a sad story.

The character of Anne Boleyn was written in a sympathetic manner. She is not depicted as a cunning, power hungry woman. Instead, she is written as a woman who didn’t really want what happened to her and absolutely loved her daughter. There are several touching scenes between mother and daughter that happen through this diary. Elizabeth learns about her mother first-hand, as opposed to what she has always been taught about her mother being a whore, traitor, and a witch. Elizabeth understands more of whom she is and where she came from and that forms the way she will carry herself from that point on.

I really enjoyed this book, mostly for the connection between mother and daughter and for the depiction of Anne as wholly human. I look forward to reading more of her books, I have Signora da Vinci on my shelf.

 

Other reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• All Things Historical Fiction
• Devourer of Books

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Robin Maxwell:

 

Mademoiselle Boleyn

 

Jane [My Review]

 

O, Juliet [My Review]

 

The Queen's Bastard

 

Signora da Vinci

 

Virgin

 

The Wild Irish

 

Find Robin Maxwell: Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

 

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

ARC, Paperback, 416 pages

Ballantine Books

February 27, 2007

★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

"I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live. 

Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen” –a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century."

This was my first book by Alison Weir and I enjoyed it a lot. As a historian, Weir brings much to the fiction table in this book. She is able to integrate a lot of intricate historical details into the overall story. When historical details are in question, Weir chooses the most believable route to follow creating a vastly interesting historical adventure.

The focus of this book is the Lady Jane Grey and her rise to the throne of England and subsequent downfall 9 days later. Her story is told from just before her birth and the life of her mother and father. She is a smart girl and lives a rather quiet life at her home of Bradgate Hall. Her mother is not the warmest person and does everything she can to advance the family in the hierarchal structure of English society. Her greatest ambition is to bring Jane to the throne, regardless of the manner or the repercussions.

This story is told through the voice of many different narrators; at last count I think there was 8, but it could be a few more than that. I am on the fence as to whether this many narrators are effective or not. Each of these people brings a different perspective of the events of the day to the table. At the same time it can sometimes get confusing as to exactly who these people are and what their purpose is. Some of the narrators appear frequently (Jane and her mother) and some only appear once (Jane Seymour). I have read other books where multiple narrators are employed (The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory) but the number has been limited to a few. I think this was more effective because you can really make a connection with the characters and understand their importance.

The character of Jane Grey is exceptionally well written. I had no previous experience with the story of Jane Grey and I have to say that I learned a lot. There were times that my heartstrings were pulled. The author really knows how to create an emotional scene.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the reign of Lady Jane Grey as well as politics of the time period.

 

Other bloggers reviews of this book:

• Good Books and Good Wine
• She Reads Novels

Where to Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Alison Weir:

Alison Weir also has written both non-fiction and fiction novel. Her other historical novels are:

 

Captive Queen

 

A Dangerous Inheritance

 

The Lady Elizabeth

 

The Marriage Game

 

Find Alison Weir: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

 

Copyright © 2009 by The Maiden’s Court