Claire | July 28, 2009
A review of “Dissolution” by guest reviewer, Tim Ridgway (my husband!).
It must be said that I was not really sure what to expect with this, my first Tudor-period crime thriller, but to sum up Dissolution in three words … it was gripping!
Like many books, the first chapter was a little slow moving, and felt a [...]
Claire | July 21, 2009
We all know the story of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, who was executed for adultery after breaking the King’s heart, but have we ever considered the story from Catherine’s viewpoint and do we ever really consider who Catherine really was?
Alisa Libby’s book, “The King’s Rose”, tells the story in Catherine’s own words, as [...]
Claire | July 15, 2009
“The Other Tudors: Henry VIII’s Mistresses and Bastards” by Philippa Jones, and published by New Holland Publishers, is a fascinating read, particularly as I have recently read Kelly Hart’s book on the same topic.
This book, however, takes things much further and really delves into Henry’s love life and also puts forward the theory that Henry [...]
Claire | July 10, 2009
As many of you know, I spend my days reading biographies, historical texts and researching Tudor history, so it was actually quite refreshing to get lost in a fictional novel for a change and this Philippa Gregory one did not disappoint.
In my opinion there are three vital elements of a top quality historical novel:-
It’s “unputdownable” [...]
Claire | July 7, 2009
As you all know, I am first and foremost an Anne Boleyn fan but I love Tudor history as a whole and seem to spend all of my spare time reading biographies of other Tudor personalities - people who lived at the same time as Anne.
I’ve just finished reading “Mary Tudor: The First Queen” (known [...]
Claire | July 1, 2009
I was so excited to receive a copy of Amberley Publishing’s “Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIII’s Favourite Mistress” by Josephine Wilkinson that I sat and read it in a day - ignoring work, the family and the housework!
I’ve always wanted to know more about Anne Boleyn’s sister, and Henry’s mistress, and this [...]
Claire | July 1, 2009
“Pleasures and Pastimes in Tudor England” by historian Alison Sim is a great reference book to use in researching the Tudor era or just to get an idea of what Tudor life was really like.
Decribed by its publishers, The History Press, as “A delightful book detailing the games and ways in which the Tudors amused [...]
