Ella Enchanted
Book
At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her...
Anni Dewani: A Father's Story
Vinod Hindocha and Shekhar Bhatia
Book
On November 13, 2010 while on honeymoon in South Africa, newly-weds Shrien and Anni Dewani, from...
Frank Turner recommended Killers by Iron Maiden in Music (curated)
Southern Frontier Humor: An Anthology
M. Thomas Inge and Edward J. Piacentino
Book
If, as some suggest, American literature began with "Huckleberry Finn", then the humorists of the...
Deborah (162 KP) rated Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The Winter King of the title is Henry Tudor. Although more a history of the reign than biography (his early life is described only in brief), Henry doesn't come across as particularly likeably - not someone you'd like to sit down to dinner with! His whole style of kingship seems to be based around control of everyone around him and control was often achieved through financial means rather than physical threat. The story unfolds as almost horrific where we see innocent people 'informed' against, imprisoned illegally, tried with 'packed' juries and presented with crippling fines! The wonder really is that such a king was not overthrown! We see here how the notorious Empson & Dudley really worked, and although in a way they were scapegoats for many in the old Henrician regieme when Henry VIII came to the throne, you can see how imprisoning and then executing this unpleasant pair would have been a great crowd-pleasing move!
This book also shines some light on other charaters; it goes someway to explaining the later behaviour of Henry VIII for starters! The insight into the relationship of Philip of Burgundy and Juana of Castile was brief, but enlightning.
Many Tudor writers go straight for the two obvious targets; the larger than life Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I, so here it made an interesting change to see the earlier Tudor world and how Henry VIII grew up in this; even if it was a place full of paranoid and insecurity!
Ingubo - Design your own custom T-shirts
Shopping and Productivity
App
Bring your designs to life! Create one-of-a-kind custom clothing with Ingubo. Ingubo is the fast,...
What Made Me Who I am
Book
Powerful and moving stories of inspiration, adversity, and triumph from the Washington Speakers...
The Wife: A Novel
Book
His Scandal Her Secret From New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, a stunning domestic...
mystery thriller
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Season 12
TV Season
Catherine and Nick adjust to life working under D.B. Russell, following their demotions, while...
Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings
Jorge Luis Borges, Donald A. Yates, James East Irby and Andre Maurois
Book
Jorge Luis Borges's Labyrinths is a collection of short stories and essays showcasing one of Latin...