Tagged: tudor england
Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky
(Cover picture courtesy of Longitude.)
November 10, 1544
I have been living with this constant fear of exile now for two days. So far I have heard nothing. Plans seem to proceed as normal for our move to Ashridge. This palace, too, is becoming quite filthy, what with all the banqueting and people and gambling between Michaelmas Feast and the feast of All Saints’ Day. The roses bloom in our garden with such vigor, but the stench from the courtyard over the wall outside the kitchen is unbearable.
Kat is mumbling something about baths again. The woman is becoming a fanatic. I think we have had half a dozen baths since summer…
Queen Elizabeth I. Pretty much everyone knows she was a good queen and some people know what she accomplished during her reign (like outlawing wife-beating after 10:00pm, according to one of my Bathroom Readers), but not many really know much about her childhood and teenage years. In this installment of the Royal Diaries, Kathryn Lasky presents a Rated G version of Elizabeth’s teenage years for people ages 10-12.
This book really contains no new information for me, but readers who have yet to discover the wonders of historical fiction will love it. Elizabeth is a good main character and a very interesting narrator as she is strong even when she is betrayed and mistreated by her own father, King Henry VIII. We really see the woman she will become later on as she learns skills that were unusual for women of the time, like archery, falconry and languages like Greek and Latin. And we also see how she yearns for her father’s acknowledgement of her, how she treasures every smile or every bit of encouragement he gives her.
The plot isn’t what I would normally call fast-paced, but it is interesting enough. Young readers will sympathize with Elizabeth while learning a great deal about Tudor England. Really, what more could you ask for in historical fiction?
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer
(Cover picture courtesy of Historicalfictions Wiki.)
Elizabeth Tudor’s teenage years are hardly those of a fairy-tale rpincess.
Her father, Henry VIII, has beheaded her mother; her jealous half sister, Mary, has her locked away in the Tower of London; and her only love betrays her in his own quest for the throne.
Told in the voice of the young Elizabeth, this exciting novel reveals the deep-seated rivalry between a determined girl who became one of England’s most powerful monarchs and the sister who tried everything to stop her.
Queen Elizabeth I is famous for being one of England’s most powerful monarchs ever, even though she reigned in a man’s era. But what do you really know about her, especially about her formative teen years? Well, after reading Beware, Princess Elizabeth you’ll definitely know why Elizabeth became such a powerful, influential ruler.
Unlike her older sister Mary, Elizabeth does not really remember a time when she was the favourite at court. She is first overshadowed by her boy-king brother upon her father’s death, then imprisoned during the tumultuous reign of her older half sister. She spends much of her young adulthood as the forgotten, ill-favoured bastard daughter of King Henry VIII and his hated second wife Anne Boleyn. Readers will sympathize with her as she struggles through religious reforms, a jealous half sister and broken dreams of love.
Carolyn Meyer takes readers on a wonderful journey through Tudor England, being historically accurate and entertaining at the same time. With a relatively fast-paced plot and well developed characters, this is a fitting addition to the enormous volume of literature on Elizabeth I. You will be able to see the woman behind the legend and that is one of the best parts of historical fiction.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer
(Cover picture courtesy of LIBR 265-10.)
Mary Tudor is a beautiful young princess in a grand palace filled with servants. She is accustomed to sparkling jewels, beautiful gowns, and lavish parties. Then, suddenly, she is banished by her father, King Henry VIII, to live in a cold, lonely place without money, new clothes, or even her mother.
At first it seems like a terrible mistake. Even when her father has a public and humiliating affair with a bewitching woman, Mary remains hopeful. But when he abandons her mother, marries his mistress, and has a child with her, Mary begins to lose faith. And now, dressed in rags, she is summoned back to the palace to be a serving maid to her new baby sister.
Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, is a servant in her own home.
Believe it or not, it’s all true.
Mary Tudor has a bad reputation—quite deservedly so—but in the end she is the product of her upbringing. Her extremely devout Catholicism, her fall from her father’s favour and the people she grew up around made for a potent mix once she finally ascended the throne. Mary, Bloody Mary tells the story of her childhood at hints at the Queen she would become.
Since Carolyn Meyer tells the story of Mary’s youth, before she started persecuting ‘heretics’, she is a very sympathetic character. Readers will feel the agony of her fall, the ecstasy of her triumphs and the very real danger she was in during the rise of Anne Boleyn. Since she also deals with issues teenage girls today do, her story is still relevant. Her struggle to be accepted by her father and her longing for the mother she’s forbidden to contact is especially relevant to young adults.
Brought up in this kind of dysfunctional family environment changes Mary, but it also adds more tension to the plot. That makes for a much more interesting, if not faster, plot. Of course all of the historical details are much more important than a fast plot and Carolyn Meyer will teach young readers history in an enjoyable manner.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer
(Cover picture courtesy of iNetGiant.)
Catherine of Aragon grew up expecting she would one day become the queen of England—not a dejected teenage widow. But that is exactly what happens when fragile Prince Arthur, to whom she has been betrothed since the age of three, dies only months after their wedding. Her power now obsolete, Catherine is exiled to a dank castle in a remote part of the country. She is stranded there for years with little money and no control over her fate.
There is one ray of light in Catherine’s lonely life—her friendship with handsome Prince Henry, her deceased husband’s younger brother. A marriage to Henry could elevate Catherine from her precarious position and give her the crown that she was once promised. But will Henry take the risk of making the destitute princess his queen? Only time will tell…
Catherine of Aragon is an oft-overlooked woman, having been outshone by her successor, Anne Boleyn. But after reading this novel, I found that there is a much to admire about her. I actually learned a lot from Patience, Princess Catherine because I knew Catherine had waited to marry Henry, but I never knew just how long she waited. She spent seven years in England upon Arthur’s death and her determination paid off: Catherine of Aragon became Queen of England. Believe me, she had far more patience than I would have had her place.
Carolyn Meyer’s portrayal of Catherine is very sympathetic; she is a fiery, determined young woman who believes she is destined to be Queen of England and will stop at nothing to achieve her destiny. Readers will cheer for her every step of the way through her long, hard journey to England her years of waiting to marry Henry. Unlike with Anne Boleyn in Doomed Queen Anne, her downfall is not featured nearly as prominently, but there is still a hint of sadness in the narrative as Catherine reflects on the events of her youth.
With an interesting, well-paced plot, even readers who hate history will love Patience, Princess Catherine. I would recommend it for 12+ because of brief scenes of sexuality, but it really depends on the reader’s maturity level.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer
(Cover picture courtesy of Fictional Appearances By…)
Anne Boleyn was born without great beauty, wealth, or title, but she’s blossomed into a captivating young woman—and she knows it. Determined to rise to the top, she uses her wiles to win the heart of England’s most powerful man, King Henry VIII. Not satisfied with the King’s heart, however, she persuades Henry to defy everyone—including his own wife—to make her his new queen.
This engrossing novel tells Anne’s fascinating story in her own voice—from her life as an awkward girl to the dramatic moments leading up to her beheading.
I’ve always liked the story of Anne Boleyn, the woman whose ambition propelled her up to the greatest heights. Unfortunately, the higher you rise, the farther you have to fall. And, oh, did Anne Boleyn fall to the lowest of the low.
Doomed Queen Anne is the story of her rise and fall, told in journal form on the eve of her execution as she recounts the events that lead up to it. It begins at her unhappy childhood and comes around full circle, which always adds a tinge of sadness to the narrative. Carolyn Meyer is a masterful writer of historical fiction and sticks to the facts while telling this excellent story. She shows that the women history has assigned bad reputations to weren’t really all that bad and were perfectly human, meaning they had flaws just like us.
I believe the best example of this is when she writes about Anne’s childhood as the ill-favoured daughter, overshadowed by her beautiful, dazzling older sister, Mary. She was told she was ugly, but learned how to hide her flaws while emphasizing her better traits. This well developed backstory is what makes her a memorable character that most readers will be able to sympathize with.
The plot of Doomed Queen Anne is reasonably well paced and the entire novel is historically accurate, as far as I can tell. Carolyn Meyer is a very gifted writer and uses her talent to draw readers in to the backstabbing court of the Tudors and move the plot along to its inevitable, tragic conclusion. I would recommend this book for people 12+ because there are brief scenes of sexuality, but nothing more than what you would encounter at most movies aimed at tweens.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.