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ClareR (5779 KP) rated Mary I: Queen of Sorrows in Books

Oct 22, 2024  
Mary I: Queen of Sorrows
Mary I: Queen of Sorrows
Alison Weir | 2024 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I always feel that Mary I gets a lot of bad press. She’s remembered for her bloodthirsty streak (aka Bloody Mary), for being a strict Catholic and for marrying a foreigner - and a Spaniard at that! Oh, and she was a woman at a time when women weren’t believed to be capable of ruling a country in their own right.

Alison Weir is writing a work of historical fiction, but she has done her research. Of course, a lot of Mary’s story could be open to interpretation, and we’ll never know her exact inner thoughts, but she wrote letters and people wrote things down about her at the time. And personally, I really like Weirs interpretation. She makes Mary a human being, with thoughts, loves, hates and responsibilities. The period in history is described so well, that the reader can understand why Mary had such an extreme reaction to those who wouldn’t convert to Catholicism. And, well, Elizabeth I killed a lot more people than Mary ever did, so 🤷🏼‍♀️

I found the chapters on Mary’s childhood really interesting and very sad. What a traumatic childhood she had.

So, if you enjoy historical fiction and want to find out more about Mary I, then this may well be the book for you too. A totally absorbing read!
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Dreams of Falling in Books

Apr 9, 2019  
Dreams of Falling
Dreams of Falling
Karen White | 2019
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When Larkin left Georgetown, South Carolina, her plan was to go back there as little as possible. She has finally settled in to her life in New York City and the pull to the south grows less and less each day. Then Larkin gets a call that her mother is missing. She drops everything and goes back to Georgetown in her mind hoping she will only be gone a few days. When she returns home, things aren't as they once were. Will Larkin return to New York as soon as she can, or will her memories and secrets of the past keep her where she is supposed to be?

Thank yo to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have read a few other books by Karen White and have enjoyed them. This one took a while for me to get into. When I first graduated high school, I wanted to get as far away from home as I could. I went 2000 miles away to Texas. I wasn't running away from my family as it seems Larkin is, but I wanted to be away from them to find myself.

Larkin has a very unusual family. She has her parents, Ivy and Mack and she has her biological grandparents who died long before she came along and 2 psuedo-grandmothers that helped to raise her. CeeCee and Bitty. These women were her grandmother's best friend and had raised her mother as well. Between Larkin, Ivy, and CeeCee 60 years of history is explored in this book. Decisions that were made and how they affected the outcome of everyone's lives.

If you enjoy a story about family secrets and finding yourself in your own backyard, then you will enjoy this book.