Review: Elizabeth I by Margaret George

★★★★ 1/2

Book Source: I received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Publish Date: April 5, 2011

Book Synopsis: One of today’s premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma—the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England’s greatest monarch has baffled and intrigued the world for centuries. But what was she really like?

In this novel, her flame-haired, look-alike cousin, Lettice Knollys, thinks she knows all too well. Elizabeth’s rival for the love of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and mother to the Earl of Essex, the mercurial nobleman who challenged Elizabeth’s throne, Lettice has been intertwined with Elizabeth since childhood. This is a story of two women of fierce intellect and desire, one trying to protect her country, and throne, the other trying to regain power and position for her family. Their rivalry, and its ensuing drama, soon involves everyone close to Elizabeth, from the famed courtiers who enriched the crown to the legendary poets and playwrights who paid homage to it with their works. Intimate portraits of the personalities who made the Elizabethan age great—Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dudley, Raleigh, Drake—fill these pages, giving us an unforgettable glimpse of a queen who ruled as much from the heart as from the head, and considered herself married to her people.

This magnificent, stay-up-all-night page-turner is George’s finest and one that is sure to delight readers of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Hilary Mantel.

My Review: Yes! I’ve finally finished this brick of a book! I think I started reading this book in May and I just finished it yesterday. I swear this was a big accomplishment because it was 671 pages long. Anyway on to the review portion…

This novel tells the story of Elizabeth I as an older woman who is struggling to cope with the fact that she is getting older and is beginning to lose her virgin looks and is having difficulty seeing. She doesn’t want any of her maids or her courtiers to know how quickly she is aging because she doesn’t want to be vulnerable to them and she is adamant about not naming her heir for fear of her people looking at her heir for guidance when she has not yet met her maker. The novel also tells the later life of Lettice Knollys, the Queen’s banished cousin and the mother of the treasonous Earl of Essex.

Ok so I had very high expectations for Elizabeth I because Margaret George is a genius when it comes to writing Historical Fiction! Well the book started off with the battle between England and Philip of Spain’s Spanish Armada. I must admit I was disappointed with the beginning of this book. I feel I like I just flipped a bunch of pages and started reading so I didn’t really know what was going on at first. Yes I am very familiar with the Spanish Armada and King Philip of Spain, but there was no opening or setting of the stage for the battle. I just think it was a poor place to start the story line not to mention very dry and boring to start with.

At first, I didn’t much care for the fact that the story was centered on Elizabeth’s later life as Queen of England; however, as the story progressed I later realized that I’m glad it was about her later years because most stories about Elizabeth are about her coming to the throne and declaring herself married to England and her love affair with Robert Dudley. George does visit this point in Elizabeth’s life in a creative way, which totally makes up for it. I found Lettice’s story a bit boring and at some points annoying, but I will let you be the judge of her life.

My opinion: Over all I loved this book! I loved learning about the Earl of Essex and the Irish War. I got to see a different side of Queen Elizabeth through Margaret’s work. She’s older and wiser in her later years not to mention a bit temperamental and irritable. The book had a lot of slow points and I hated the beginning, which made me give the novel 4.5 instead of 5 stars. It’s not an easy read and it takes patients and time to get through all of it so if you’re looking for a fast paced read about Elizabeth then this isn’t it. But if you love learning and or reading about Queen Elizabeth’s life and want to get to know her on a deeper level then this book is highly recommended!

Review: The Tudor Throne by Brandy Purdy

★★★★

Release Date: July 2011

Book Synopsis: 

Bound by blood, torn by devotion...

In the wake of King Henry VIII's death, England's throne is left in a precarious state-as is the peculiar relationship between his two daughters. Mary, the elder, once treasured, had been declared a bastard in favor of her flame-haired half-sister, Elizabeth, born of the doomed Anne Boleyn. Yet the bond between the sisters was palpable from the start. Now reinstated, Mary eventually assumes her place as queen. But as Mary's religious zeal evolves into a reign of terror, young Elizabeth gains the people's favor.  Gripped by a tormenting paranoia, Mary is soon convinced that her beloved Elizabeth is in fact her worst enemy. And the virginal Elizabeth, whose true love is her country, must defy her tyrannical sister to make way for a new era...

A brilliant portrait of the rule of "Bloody Mary" and her intricate relationship with Elizabeth I, the adored "Virgin Queen," here is a riveting tale of one family's sordid and extraordinary chapter in the pages of history.

My Review: The Tudor Throne is told in both Elizabeth’s and Mary’s point of views with interchanging chapters. The story begins on King Henry VIII’s death bed when Mary is back in favor with her father and Elizabeth is the charming flame-haired girl who is the spitting image of Henry. The story progresses as both Mary and Elizabeth travel through life and we see their once loving relationship turn cold as ice. Once Mary ascends the throne of England, she immediately imprisons her sister out of fear of Elizabeth conspiring to overthrow her. 

When Elizabeth is a young girl, we witness her being taken advantage of by the Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour, who was husband to Henry VIII’s last wife and Elizabeth’s stepmother, Catherine Parr. This was probably the most difficult part of the book to get through because Thomas Seymour was a full fledged pervert! Not only did he go after Elizabeth but he went after Mary before he even considered Elizabeth. 

It is obvious that Brandy Purdy did her research for this Tudor novel. I love how she interchanged both Mary’s and Elizabeth’s point of view because I enjoyed knowing what they were thinking during their times of strife and glory. This story was beautifully told and it wasn’t like all the other Tudor novels out there. It had its own unique qualities, which makes it stand out above all the rest. I highly recommend The Tudor Throne to all Tudor historical fiction lovers out there.

I received a copy of this book from the Author Brandy Purdy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for posting my review.

Review: The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner

The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Review copy sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

The era of the Tudors was one of danger, intrigue, conspiracy, and, above all, spies.
Summer 1553: A time of danger and deceit. Brendan Prescott, an orphan, is reared in the household of the powerful Dudley family. Brought to court, Prescott finds himself sent on an illicit mission to the king’s brilliant but enigmatic sister, Princess Elizabeth. But Brendan is soon compelled to work as a double agent by Elizabeth’s protector, William Cecil, who promises in exchange to help him unravel the secret of his own mysterious past. 

A dark plot swirls around Elizabeth’s quest to unravel the truth about the ominous disappearance of her seriously ill brother, King Edward VI. With only a bold stable boy and an audacious lady-in-waiting at his side, Brendan plunges into a ruthless gambit of half-truths, lies, and murder. Filled with the intrigue and pageantry of Tudor England, The Tudor Secret is the first book in The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles.

Review: This was my first time reading a book by C.W. Gortner, even though I have The Confessions of Catherine de Medici on my TBR bookshelf. I’ve heard nothing but good things about his work so I was thrilled when I was asked to read his latest book The Tudor Secret, which is book 1 in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles. I wasn’t disappointed folks!  

Brendan Prescott is a foundling (orphan) discovered by the Dudley’s housekeeper and herbalist, Mistress Alice. She was the closest thing he had to a mother and she brought him up to read and write behind Lady Dudley’s back. One day Brendan was told that Mistress Alice was killed while traveling, which crushed him. All he had left of her was a strange medallion with a leaf and red ruby on it. What Brendan did not know was that medallion was the key to who he really is.

In trying to discover his true identity while also protecting Her Grace Princess Elizabeth, many obstacles stood in Brendan’s way. It was almost like bad luck followed him everywhere he went. He had plenty of near death experiences, but he always had his trusty friend Peregrine to look out for him. Once Brendan discovered who he was he didn’t at first believe it. He now understood that knowing his past was more dangerous than not knowing at all and he now wished he never found out the truth.

Although not completely historically accurate, The Tudor Secret was a great easy read that I loved to curl up with before going to bed. It was jam packed with thrill seeking adventure, secrets, lies, and deceit with a hint of romance. One thing that bothered me about this book, which may not bother most, was how quickly Brendan and Kate fell in love. One minute they are fighting and don’t trust one another and they next thing I know they are in love. I just didn’t think it was believable. It was only a minute distraction that didn’t hinder my judgment of the book nor Gortner’s work in the least. 

What I loved most about the book was how Elizabeth was portrayed. I hate when authors make her out to be some raging woman who can’t control her temper. Yes I do know she had a temper, but I doubt at least I would like to think she had some kindness in her and she wasn’t always angry. She was just a woman who knew what she wanted and wouldn’t let men tell her what to do. Okay I will stop preaching now but I think Gortner did an excellent job balancing the two personalities. 

Final thoughts: The Tudor Secret makes me want to pick up The Confessions of Catherine de Medici right now! I would have liked it to have seen a little more historical facts, but overall fantastic read! I would recommend this to any HF reader, but if you’re looking for something more historically accurate about the Tudors then this isn’t it the right book.

Review: The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

★★★ 1/2
 Synopsis: Elizabeth is 25 years old and has just been crowned Queen of England. She was third in line to succeed the English throne after her half brother Edward and half sister Mary who later became known as, “Bloody Mary.”

It’s becoming essential for Elizabeth to take a husband. Whether he is foreign or English it does not matter, but her counselors beseech her to choose at once. This constant annoyance by her counselors outrages Elizabeth and she refuses to hear another word of it. This worries them for they know she only has eyes for her horsemaster and lifelong companion, Robert Dudley.

Elizabeth is completely besotted by Robert. They’ve been lifelong friends since childhood. It is completely apparent that there is something going on between the two of them and her ladies maid, Kat Ashley, begs her to quit with this nonsense for she knows she can never marry him for he is already married and she is the Queen.

Elizabeth always believed herself to be her father’s daughter. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, was said to be a traitoress and was an accused witch, which cost her, her head. It was for those reasons that Elizabeth had no love for her mother. She felt her own life was tainted by her mother’s traitoress memory.

One day an old woman came begging for an audience with the Queen and out of curiosity Elizabeth agreed. The old woman by the name of Lady Matilda Sommervile claimed she attended her mother, Anne Boleyn, at the time of her death. She told Elizabeth that Anne gave her the diary to pass on to her daughter if she one day claims the throne. Full of mixed emotions, Elizabeth takes the tattered leather diary and thanks Lady Sommerville.

Anne’s diary contained all her secret thoughts, memories, and desires during most of her adulthood. As Elizabeth read through her mother’s diary she began to soften towards her mother. She realized how much her mother truly loved her and how she fought until her last breath to sustain Elizabeth’s rights as England’s rightful princess.

Review: This book was just okay. Going into it I really didn’t know what to expect. The book was primarily Anne Boleyn’s diary entries one right after another. I found myself wanting it to rotate back to Elizabeth’s perspective just so I could have a little break from the diary entries. I began to stop paying attention to the dates for each entry because they became distracting to the story and they would skipped around a lot.

On a better note, Robin Maxwell did an excellent job staying true to the facts. It was plain as day that she did her homework, which I must applaud. It was nice to read a Tudor novel written through Anne’s eyes instead of someone else’s so that you could get to know her better and see that she wasn’t the cold-hearted person she was made out to be.

I give this book a 3 ½ out of 5 stars because it wasn’t really a page turner for me and I kept looking at my TBR pile wishing I could start a new one. I recommend this book to someone who wants a light read about Anne Boleyn in order to get the facts. It’s not the novel that you want to curl up by the fire and lose yourself in. I’m definitely still a diehard Maxwell fan just not too wild about this one though.

Thoughts about The Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell

Hey everyone this is day one of my blog. My first mission is to read the Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell. This novel is focused on Queen Elizabeth I and her secret romantic love affair with Robin Dudley. I believe his real name is Robert and she calls him Robin as a nickname.Please correct me if I am wrong on that little tid bit. I've been told that Robin Maxwell is a great author but I haven't had the pleasure of reading one of her books yet. I've decided to read this book first honestly because I have been itching to read it since I have a passion for studying and learning more about Queen Elizabeth I. My all time favorite movie is Elizabeth the Golden Age with Kate Blanchett . So I am sure this will peak my interest.However, I have to admit I'm a little skeptical about reading this book because it suggests that Queen Elizabeth I bore Robert Dudley a son. She is known as the virgin queen so how can she have bore a child. I am willing to give it a try though. Tonight I will begin reading the book and I will go in with an open mind.

On another note. Yesterday I finished reading a book by Philippa Gregory called the White Queen. If you have a love for English history that dates back to the Plantagenet era I strongly suggest this book! It is a great read. Philippa does a great job in illustrating the War of the Roses which is a war between the York and the Lancastrian families, through the eyes of Elizabeth Woodeville. It so detailed and thorough that it captures both the romantic and the War side of this era.


Please feel free to leave me comments &/or suggestions.