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Deborah (162 KP) rated Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England in Books

Dec 21, 2018  
WK
Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England
Thomas Penn | 2011
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There's an old Chinese curse that runs "may you live in interesting times". Penn throws some new light on an era that certainly can be described as 'interesting' and somewhere I'm sure I wouldn't want to be living!

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!
  
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Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Building Love in Books

May 29, 2018  
Building Love
Building Love
M.E. Tudor | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a sweet story that also deals with some difficult issues. The main characters were developed and their stories plausible. The fact that both had to deal with bullying from the same family might seem unbelievable to some readers but if you grew up as the poor kid in a small town it is very realistic. I was a bit surprised by the ages of the main characters because just reading the description made it seem they were adults. That said I will read more by Tudor and this is a quick, enjoyable read.
  
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Deborah (162 KP) rated Forensic Shakespeare in Books

Dec 21, 2018  
FS
Forensic Shakespeare
Quentin Skinner | 2014
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Forensic doesn't mean this is the Shakespeare equivalent of Silent Witness - this is a book looking at a group of Shakespeare's plays (and one poem), of which several are often considered 'problem' plays and the use of rhetoric within them. Skinner argues that this is deliberate and relates to a re-emerging interest in the Roman Rhetoricians in the Tudor period. The book is based on a series of lectures given by Skinner, so although as a casual reader I found it interesting, it was also hard work at times, particularly the opening chapters.
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Boys Volume 11: Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men in Books

Oct 31, 2019 (Updated Oct 31, 2019)  
The Boys Volume 11: Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men
The Boys Volume 11: Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men
Garth Ennis | 2012 | Comics & Graphic Novels
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The is the end (or is it?!)
Here it is, what the series has been building to. This volume sees Butcher and Homelander move towards conflict, with Vought and The Boys hoping it is avoided/delayed.
Some epic twists in this story, as Homelander's plans to press superheroes' place in society start to unfold.
If you aren't humming the tenpole tudor song every time you pick this book up, there is something very wrong with you.
This should really have ended the story nicely with minimal doubt. However, there was another volume!