The Reign of Mary I
Robert Tittler and Judith Richards
Book
Until recently, the reign of Mary Tudor was generally seen as a 'sterile interlude' in the Tudor...
Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr
7.5
Rate It
Book
'Linda Porter has done a marvellous job in bringing Katherine Parr to life. In so doing, she evokes...
Arbella Stuart: The Uncrowned Queen
Book
In 1562, Elizabeth I, the last of Henry VIII's children, lay dying of smallpox, and the curse of the...
Hayley Hornibrook (48 KP) rated Innocent Traitor in Books
Jul 6, 2018
Lemon (2017)
5.0
Rate It
Movie Watch
-After Isaac's blind girlfriend walks out on him, his life goes into free fall, and he directs an...
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Queen's Promise in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This one I think is worth reading though. Although Anne carries one of the main narrative threads the book is really more about Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, who had some sort of understanding with Anne before she caught the eye of that other Henry. I don't think his life is as well documented as other more prominent figures at court, but there is enough information there to give a foundation to his story. Our other main character is Will Chatton, who, along with his wife, is a fictional character created to give us a broader view of Tudor society and to assist Henry Percy and move the narrative along. Will is also friends in the novel with Robert Aske, who was a real historical figure.
Henry Percy has not generally been given much prominence, even in fiction, so this was a new angle, drawing out his character. His is not really a happy story, but he is certainly a sympathetic character and the author uses the forced break up of their relationship as a sort of catalyst for the change in Anne's behaviour to a harder outlook, so the reader can still sympathise with her. One thing that does puzzle me in 'real' history, and which I feel the author didn't convincingly explain in her own narrative, was why it was found necessary to break up Anne and Henry's relationship? That point aside, I thought this was a good read and a bit different to the usual court focused novels.
The Catherine Howard Conspiracy (The Marquess House Trilogy #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
A timeshift thriller that will have you completely gripped! Perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Philippa...
Tudor Period Historical Fiction Thriller
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
6.3
Rate It
Movie
Co-production between Hammer Films and American International. Enigmatic young woman Carmilla...
Hammer horror
Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen
8.0
Rate It
Book
*A Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller* Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by bestselling historian...
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!