Tudor Book Reviews

Posted By Claire on January 3, 2012

I was very very excited about reading this Anne Boleyn novel because I have come to know Anne Clinard Barnhill through both The Anne Boleyn Files and Anne Boleyn Fellowship site. I knew, first-hand, just how much research had gone into the writing of this novel so was dying to read Anne’s take on Anne Boleyn’s story.

Anne Clinard Barnhill is descended from the Shelton family – Sir John Shelton, his wife Anne Boleyn (sister of Thomas Boleyn and aunt of Queen Anne Boleyn) and their daughter Margaret, or Madge Shelton – and it was her research into her roots which inspired this novel. At the Mercy of the Queen is the story of Anne Boleyn’s rise and fall told through the eyes of her cousin, Madge Shelton, who is chosen to serve the new Queen as a lady-in-waiting. The stories of the two women run in parallel as Madge tries to help Anne Boleyn keep the love of Henry VIII while also trying to keep her love for Arthur Brandon, the illegitimate son of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, a secret and the lecherous Sir Henry Norris at arm’s length.

Country girl Madge has to keep her wits about her at the dangerous Tudor court and depend on the advice of her friend, poet Thomas Wyatt. Madge becomes a trusted confidant of Anne Boelyn and is eventually forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for her Queen and cousin by agreeing to become mistress to the King in an attempt to keep the Queen in favour. Will Arthur’s love for her be strong enough to cope with her betrayal and how will she avoid marriage to Norris, a rich gentleman and courtier? When Anne Boleyn falls from power in May 1536, Madge sacrifices herself again by choosing to stay at her mistress’s side and go into the Tower with Anne, not knowing whether she’ll ever see Arthur again or whether she’ll survive the bloody events. She puts her queen first and is faithful to the bitter end. Will Madge get a happy ending?

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Category: Anne Boleyn, Fiction, Six Wives, The Tudors, Uncategorized
Tags: Anne Boleyn, Anne Clinard Barnhill, historical fiction

Posted By Claire on January 2, 2012

US version

Thank you so much to Niki Incorvia M.A. for taking the time to review Chris Skidmore’s book on Edward VI for us…

This book immediately struck my interest. As someone who wishes to specialize in rebellions during the Sixteenth Century, I left a huge void in my research by not studying Henry VIII’s youngest son Edward VI’s short reign on the throne. Apparently, I am not the only one who thought Edward needed some credit where credit was due. British historian and author Chris Skidmore does an excellent job of uncovering the falsities, betrayals, and the ultimate struggle for power amongst the men leading the country [England] while Edward was still a minor. Unfortunately, Edward never made it to his majority, but during his years as England’s boy-king he showed the world his capabilities and shrewd intellect that would perhaps one day rule one of the greatest kingdoms in early modern Europe.

As many Tudor fans know there is little written about Edward’s short stint on the English throne. Most historians seem to jump from Henry VIII’s death to the tumultuous and mostly misunderstood reign of Mary I and then to the second most infamous Tudor, Elizabeth I. Skidmore (2011) writes enthusiastically, “Edward’s was a reign of supreme importance, not only for understanding the progress of the English Reformation, but also the essential politics of the age” (n.p.). The author could not be more accurate in the last part of that sentence “the essential politics of the age.” To read about the downfall of two of Edward’s beloved maternal uncles, either by their own doing (Thomas) or by their enemies (Edward), was dramatic and unyielding.

When reading this book I kept thinking this must be the end for Edward Seymour; he is finally going to be brought to trial and executed at the hands of those who wish to see his demise. However, Seymour, the Duke of Somerset, always seemed to make a comeback which really gave the reader a great insight into how slippery and dangerous the world of politics was at that time.

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Category: Edward VI, Non-fiction, The Tudors
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Posted By Claire on December 20, 2011

Congratulations to MelanieP, J A Shuler and Anne Elizabeth who won Miss Dimple book sets from our recent giveaway! I’ve emailed you three for your addresses and St Martin’s Press will send your books out as soon as possible.

Thanks to all who entered!

If you didn’t win but want to get your hands on Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause then Click here to buy from Amazon.com or here for the Kindle version. Also available from Amazon UK – click here

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Category: 20th Century History, Crime/Thriller
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Posted By Claire on December 12, 2011

To celebrate last week’s release of “Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause”, the latest book by Mignon F Ballard, Minotaur Books/St Martin’s Press have offered our visitors the chance to win a set of Miss Dimple books – 2 books: Miss Dimple Disappears and Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause.

There are 3 sets up for grabs and to be in with a chance of winning one of them simply leave a comment on this post, making sure that you fill in your email so that I can contact you if you’re randomly picked. It is open to residents of the USA and Canada – sorry everyone else! 3 winners will be picked on Monday 19th December so get commenting!

Click here to read my review of Miss Dimple Disappears and here are some details on Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause. I’ve just received my copy and am chomping at the bit to read it as I loved the first one.

Publisher’s Blurb for Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause

It’s September 1943, and the town of Elderberry, Georgia has exciting plans for the War Bond Rally to support the troops fighting the war abroad. Miss Dimple’s friend and librarian, Virginia Balliew, has agreed to chair the big event, with the help of Buddy Oglesby to publicize it. But when Miss Dimple’s first-grade class discovers a skeleton at the edge of a cotton field, and Buddy disappears along with the war bond money, it’s clear that something is amiss in the little town. It’s up to Miss Dimple along with her fellow teachers, to get to the bottom of it all without drawing the thief’s attention.

Neither war abroad nor crime on the homefront can daunt valiant Miss Dimple in the latest entry in Ballard’s beloved series.

Praise for Miss Dimple Disappears

“Fan of Agatha Christie? You’ll love this mystery.”
— Woman’s World

“Genre veteran Ballard fills her story with wonderful characters and warm humor.”
— Booklist

“For all readers who wonder what life on the home front was like during World War II, Ballard’s…series launch offers plenty of wonderful nostalgia and the heartbreak that only war can bring. Fans of Southern small-town cozies and World War II historicals will enjoy this.”
— Library Journal

“Ballad provides a nostalgic look at life in small-town America during the [WWII] war.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“Intriguing…Ballard does a good job depicting a small American town as the factories gear up for war, young men enter the service, and everyone adjusts to rationing.”
— Publishers Weekly

Book Information

Title – MISS DIMPLE RALLIES TO THE CAUSE
Author – Mignon F. Ballard
Publisher – Minotaur Books, Hardcover, 6 December 2011
978-0-312-61475-1
Click here to buy from Amazon.com or here for the Kindle version.
Also available from Amazon UK – click here

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Category: 20th Century History, Crime/Thriller, Fiction
Tags: Mignon F Ballard, Miss Dimple, war

Posted By Claire on November 17, 2011

Twenty years after the publication of his first book on Mary I, “Mary Tudor: A Life”, David Loades has released a brand new biography of Mary. In the preface of this new book, Loades writes of how he has not changed his mind about her but that he has “rethought aspects of her life and reign”, as well as learning more about Philip of Spain and his career. I haven’t read the first book so I cannot comment on how similar or different they are, but I enjoyed this immensely and have already been using it as part of my research.

If you already know me through my work on The Anne Boleyn Files website, you will know that I never take what I read in history books as fact, however reputable the historian or author, and I always make it my mission to double-check the sources. Well, David Loades make this easy because he cites his sources in full so it is easy for the history student, researcher or armchair historian to check them out and understand why he has come to the conclusion he has. Thank you, David!

Now, let’s give you a rundown of the book, something I like to do with factual books as it shows you what is covered.

• Introduction – Loades talks about how “in terms of her own ideas and purposes, Mary Tudor was a failure, and nothing can conceal that fact” and how she has been seen by history as “a loser”. He points out that she was never born to be queen (she was born to be a consort), but that she was an important queen, a powerful woman and was a success in many ways.
• The Child – Loades takes us back in time to thirty years before Mary’s birth, when a marriage was first proposed between her mother, Catherine of Aragon, and Arthur, Prince of Wales. He gives the context and background to Mary’s birth – the death of Arthur, her parents’ marriage and Catherine’s struggle to have a baby – and then gives details on Mary’s upbringing, her education and her change in circumstances when Henry Fitzroy was made Duke of Richmond. The chapter ends with her father, Henry VIII, beginning his relationship with Anne Boleyn.
• Disruption – Loades covers Henry’s struggle for an annulment, Mary’s menstrual problems and ill health, and the impact of Henry’s second marriage and Elizabeth’s birth on Mary.

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Category: David Loades, Mary I, Non-fiction, The Tudors
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Posted By Claire on November 13, 2011

“Dangerous to Know” is the latest paperback instalment in the Lady Emily mystery series by novelist Tasha Alexander. I’ve just finished it and must admit that I’m now hungry to find the rest of the series – yes, my Amazon wishlist is rather long!

This murder mystery is set in Normandy, France, and features a Victorian character, Lady Emily Hargreaves, as its sleuth and heroine. Emily has recently had a rather brutal brush with death (must read that book!) and so has retreated to her mother-in-law’s estate in Normandy to recover from her ordeal. Unfortunately, while she’s there she stumbles upon the body of a young woman who appears to be the victim of a Jack the Ripper copycat. Emily finds out that the victim, Edith, was the daughter of a wealthy French family who was sent to an asylum after showing signs of insanity, a family failing. Edith apparently was haunted by the ghost of a murdered child whose hair was decorated with a blue ribbon, so is Emily also going mad when she also wakes up to weeping and wailing and blue ribbons left for her to find? Edith, the eccentric Madeline and Emily all seem to be being haunted by the same ghostly child, just what is going on and what has it to do with Edith’s death?

Not only is Emily busy trying to get to the bottom of this mystery, she is also getting over her grief of losing her own child in a miscarriage caused by her brush with death, plus her husband is being rather overprotective and seems to want her to cut back on the sleuthing, the job she sees as her calling. All this and she also comes into contact with the enigmatic art thief, Sebastian, who steals a Monet to get her attention, and her mother-in-law seems disappointed in her son’s choice of bride! Can she get to the bottom of these mysterious goings-on with her life and marriage intact? Read and find out!

I loved this novel. I’ve been going through a phase of reading historical who-dunnits and have loved every single one of them. I feel very lucky to have been introduced to some new authors and Tasha Alexander’s books are definitely going on my Christmas list. Alexander brought both the lives of these characters and the times they lived in to life brilliantly. You can’t help but fall in love with Sebastian – a very lovable rogue – and empathise with Emily, who is an enlightened woman living in a world which still sees women as fragile and second class. I would highly recommend this book, thank you so much to Tasha Alexander for a very entertaining read!

Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
Format : Paperback
Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 2011)
ISBN-10: 0312383797
ISBN-13: 978-031238381-7
Availability: Click here to order from Amazon.com or click here to order from Amazon UK.

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Category: Crime/Thriller, Fiction, Victorian
Tags: Lady Emily mysteries, Tasha Alexander

Posted By Claire on November 12, 2011

I’ve been going through a phase of reading historical mysteries and it’s been great fun because I’ve been exposed to new authors and a whole new genre.

“Miss Dimple Disappears” by Mignon F. Ballard is set in Georgia in 1942, the Second World War so four hundred years away from my usual reading matter! In this mystery, Elderberry School caretaker Wilson “Christmas” Malone is found dead in the broom closet and teacher Miss Dimple disappears, leaving a note saying that she’s gone to look after her sister who’s been taken ill. The only thing is, nobody knew she had a sister!

The community is baffled and young teacher Charlie Carr and her best friend Annie decide to try and get to the bottom of Christmas’s death and Miss Dimple’s disappearance. Charlie just knows that Miss Dimple would never leave her class, her colleagues and her community like that. Can Charlie solve the case and find Miss Dimple? Is there evil lurking in the usually friendly town? What about Willie Elrod’s claim that Miss Dimple was kidnapped by aliens or spies? What is going on and just how does Charlie feel about her beau, Hugh, who has just signed up?

I don’t want to give any more details as I don’t want to spoil the book

This book really was a joy to read, just what my rather fried brain needed at the end of a day! I’d describe it as a good old fashioned murder mystery, you know, like the good old days before gruesome forensic science details became the norm. Calling it a murder mystery is not completely accurate as the reader is also given details of what small town America was like during the war, during rationing, and the daily lives and problems of the characters form a major part of the story. Nostalgia, charm, humour, mystery, murder, love, heartbreak and suspense – perfect ingredients. I’m just thankful that the next Miss Dimple book comes out this month!

Coming soon: Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause – out 22nd November 2011.

Miss Dimple Disappears by Mignon F. Ballard
Format : Paperback
Pages: 272
Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 2011)
ISBN-10: 0312626827
ISBN-13: 978-0312626822
Availability: Click here to order from Amazon.com or click here to order from Amazon UK.

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Posted By Claire on November 11, 2011

I have just discovered the delights of the Sister Fidelma mystery series by Peter Tremayne and I am now completely hooked! I have only read the two most recent novels, The Dove of Death and The Chalice of Blood, but I’m definitely going to be ordered books from earlier in the series now as these two were excellent.

I love history and I love murder mysteries so these were just up my alley, even though they’re set in Ancient Ireland, in the 7th century, rather than Tudor England. The main character, Sister Fidelma of Cashel, is a Celtic religieuse and ‘dalaigh’, or laywer, who fights for justice by solving murders and mysteries, along with her sidekick, husband Brother Eadulf. She is not just a religieuse and lawyer, she is also sister of the King of Muman.

In “The Dove of Death”, Sister Fidelma’s ship, The Barnacle Goose” is attacked by pirates just off the Breton coast. The attack is brutal, with two passengers, including Fidelma’s cousin, being killed by the disguised pirate leader. Fidelma and Eadulf manage to escape and Fidelma decides that she must seek justice for her dead cousin and find out the identity of the killer who is wreaking havoc in the local waters and is using a symbol associated with Lord Canao and his family. Can she stop these brutal sea-raiders and bring peace back to these shores? Well, of course she can but how? Read it and find out!

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Posted By Claire on October 21, 2011

This book, described as a Medieval noir, is Jeri Westerson’s latest mystery novel featuring her medieval detective, Crispin Guest. It is one of a series featuring Guest and follows on from “Veil of Lies” and “Serpent in the Thorns”.

When I saw that it was part of a series I was worried that I hadn’t read the previous books but it is, in fact, a stand-alone novel and does not refer to earlier crimes or mysteries or contain any spoilers, as far as I can tell.

It is the year 1384 and ‘tracker’ Crispin Guest, a former knight and nobleman who has fallen on hard times, is hired by Jacob of Provençal, a Jewish physician, to track down some stolen parchments. But this is not the only crime on Guest’s mind as he stumbles on the body of a young boy and finds out that a serial killer is on the loose in London. Are the two crimes linked? Can Guest and his servant Jack Tucker stop this evil in its tracks? Find out in “The Demon’s Parchment”!

This book was a joy to read. I was hooked from the very first page and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I would liken it in style to C J Sansom’s Shardlake series. Like Sansom, Westerson cleverly brings the squalor of London to life, the stark difference between life in the royal palace and life in the city itself: the daily life of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. Guest may be very different to Matthew Shardlake, in that he spends rather a lot of time drunk in his local tavern, but the reader cannot help but be drawn to this man whose honour and pride has led to his fall from grace and who is set on ridding the streets of London from the evil preying on the young boys, boys whose lives are considered as unimportant. Who is responsible for these deaths? Is it a person or a monster conjured by Jewish ‘magic’? Guest must find out.

It is a thrilling read with lots of twists and turns and I was completely satisfied with its ending. I was even more satisfied when I read the afterword in which Westerson explains that the novel is based on a true crime and real characters! I am now desperate to read “Troubled Bones”, the next Crispin Guest novel which has just come out in hardback. This series is going to be filling the void in my life which I have felt since finishing Sansom’s “Heartstone”! If you love the Shardlake series then you will love this series too. I highly recommend it.

Publisher’s Blurb

“Jeri Westerson returns with her one-of-a-kind detective Crsipin Guest to solve another explosive mystery in “The Demon’s Parchment”. Convicted of treason in the past, Guest was stripped of his title, his land, his money and his friends. He has become known as the “Tracker”, a man who can find anything or can solve any puzzle – with the help of his apprentice, Jack Tucker, an orphaned street urchin with a thief’s touch – provided he is duly compensated. But this time, even Crispin is wary of taking on his most recent client. Jacob of Provençal is a Jewish physician at the King’s court, even though all Jews were expelled from England nearly a century before. Jacob wants Crispin to find stolen parchments that might be behind the recent, ongoing, gruesome murders of young boys, parchments that someone might have used to bring forth a demon which now stalks the streets and alleys of London.

Rich in the feel and flavor of the period, “The Demon’s Parchment” presents a complex mystery intertwined with historical facts.”

Details

Format : Paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 27, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0312609264
ISBN-13: 978-0312609269
Availability: Click here to order from Amazon.com or click here to order from Amazon UK.

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Posted By Claire on October 13, 2011

I’ve been holding off writing a review of Alison Weir’s new book, “Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore” or “Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings”, because I didn’t want to come across as “bashing” someone who is a respected author and historian, and a lady I really like on a personal level. However, I’ve had so many emails regarding my thoughts on this book that I need to put my thoughts in one place and review this book properly. I hope you find my review informative and balanced.

Firstly, I want to repeat what Eric Ives said to me recently: “What we know about Mary Boleyn can be written on a postcard with rooms to spare” and he is right. Any book about Mary Boleyn is going to be short on facts and high on supposition and theories because we know so little about her, and that’s what we have with this biography, lots of ideas but little that is concrete.

OK, so let’s get on with my thoughts on this book. I have divided them into the good and the bad, the positives and negatives:-

The Good

• Alison Weir provides a good biography of William Carey, Mary Boleyn’s first husband – Some authors have made the mistake of seeing Carey as a nobody when he was in fact the King’s cousin, a member of the Privy Chamber, an Esquire of the Body and a royal favourite. As Weir points out, “William Carey was fortunate enough to be one of this select group of young men who enjoyed a privileged degree of daily access to – and intimacy with – the King, and therefore great influence and the ability to exercise lucrative patronage.”
• Weir provides a good biography of Thomas Boleyn, recording his rise in favour and giving examples of the titles, offices and grants he was awarded in his career.
• Alison Weir also gives an interesting biography of William Stafford, Mary Boleyn’s second husband and the man she married in secret.
• Interesting thoughts (p80 -87) on what happened to Mary Boleyn when Mary Tudor returned to England – Weir suggests that the French tradition that Anne Boleyn spent some time in Brie could actually be based on Mary Boleyn being sent to live with relatives there after the scandal of her affair with Francis I. Anything is possible really as we have no hard evidence of Mary’s movements at this time. Weir also puts forward the idea that Mary Boleyn and William Stafford lived in Calais and that that explains her absence in the contemporary records.

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Category: Alison Weir, Mary Boleyn, Mistresses, Non-fiction, The Tudors
Tags: Alison Weir, Mary Boleyn