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?

I don’t want to say too much about the storyline as I don’t want to spoil it for you. We all know how Anne’s story ends but this novel gives Madge’s story and also Madge’s insight into Anne, her story and her feelings. You know a novelist is doing a good job when you feel empathy with the characters and your emotions are roused by the events and their feelings. Anne Clinard Barnhill does an amazing job at bringing Madge to life and you end up willing her and Arthur to have a happy ending. I felt sick for her when Anne Boleyn asked her to sleep with the King but also empathised with the desperate Queen clutching at straws to keep her King. The novel has all the right ingredients – intrigue, love, passion, hatred, jealousy, death, suspense… – and is a thrilling read. The reader is taken down a rollercoaster of emotions and I was sad when the journey came to an end and I finished the book, I do hope Anne will write more!

The novel is historical fiction and mixes history with fiction. Many of the events took place and many of the characters are real historical characters, but some are not and I didn’t mind it at all. Anne Clinard Barnhill used artistic licence, but with care and respect and so I didn’t mind. It was obvious that she felt strongly about her characters and was committed to telling their story, and a thrilling story it was. If you have enjoyed the novels of Jean Plaidy then you are sure to enjoy this one and I would highly recommend it.

My copy was an advance reading copy so was missing the reading group discussion, questions, a conversation with the author and recommended reading, but those will obviously add to the reading experience.

Details

At the Mercy of the Queen is released today, the 3rd January 2012, and here are the details:-
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312662130
ISBN-13: 978-0312662134
Available at Amazon.com – click here to order and read a sample – or from Amazon UK – click here, or from your favourite book seller.

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.

Unlike his sisters, Edward was educated in the matters of state and politics. Skidmore (2011) goes as far to say that Edward was the most gifted out of all the Henry’s children. That could be much debated, especially due to the fact that Edward was never able to rule in his own right. He was a minor during his reign and was afforded a group of councilors who made decisions if not always with him, then for him, as he was still learning the ways of the world and educating himself in state affairs.

Another interesting fact that I was unaware before, is that according to Henry VIII’s will no changes in religion were to be made until Edward reached the age of maturity (eighteen) and could make those decisions for himself. This was clearly not upheld because vast changes to religion, in addition to radical movements in the English Reformation, took place during Edward’s short time on the throne. This issue particularly came into question when Edward’s sister, Mary was ridiculed and questioned for her continuing to hear mass and practice the “old religion” in her household. She argued that according to her father’s devise, no changes were to be made until Edward was old enough to make those decisions for himself. At the same time, Edward was devoutly reading about the new Protestant faith and viewed the Protestant faith as the future of England. Throughout his reign Edward continued his studies vigorously while being England’s cherished boy-king. He enjoyed learning and took further pleasure in receiving new literature on religion and languages. Edward shared this passion with his sister, Elizabeth, who once shared a tutor with Edward when they were younger and in the same household.

UK version

Edward’s relationship with his sisters seemed to wax and wane during the period between 1547 and 1553. In the case of Elizabeth, she was brought in for questioning for her alleged affair or dealings with Edward’s uncle, and her step-father, Thomas Seymour. It appears after the interrogation was over and Thomas was eventually executed for his own self-serving plots to seize the throne, Elizabeth and Edward’s relationship was mended and she was invited to a number of court functions and even sat with him side by side, almost as a consort rather than a sibling (Skidmore, 2011).

For Mary, there was a much more serious divide between her and her younger brother, the issue of religion. Not only were they twenty years apart in age, but Mary had been brought up in the Catholic faith and would not abandon it for anything. Edward repeatedly asked her to stop hearing mass in her household and allowing others to practice the old religion as well. Mary was quick to remind her brother of his young age and urged him to wait until he was older in order to make such important and serious decisions on the issue of religion. Naturally, Edward saw this as a challenge to his authority which he would not permit from anybody, including his eldest sister. Edward’s relationship with Mary appeared strained throughout the duration of his reign as king, although he did reach out to invite her to Christmas, she declined knowing that she would not be permitted to hear the Catholic mass as was her Christmas tradition.

While reading this book I wondered at what point the author would end Edward’s story. Would he get as far as the beginning of Mary’s reign? Or perhaps he would stop the book at the Lady Jane Grey’s execution. In fact, I was wrong about both. Skidmore eloquently ended the book with the executions of John Dudley the Duke of Northumberland, Sir John Gates, and finally Thomas Palmer for their part in placing Jane Grey on Mary’s rightful throne. Skidmore (2011) ends the book by saying they were then to be buried in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula along with the bodies of the Duke of Somerset, Thomas Seymour, Katherine Howard, and Anne Boleyn. Naturally, Skidmore left out a few who were also buried there, such as Lady Jane Rochford and her husband, George Boleyn. At this point, Jane Grey and her husband, Guildford Dudley had not yet been executed.

Skidmore did an excellent job of giving the young king, Edward, a voice and personality which he so often lacks in the shadows of his father and two sisters. The book was well written and easy to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Edward VI, the English Reformation, and how dangerous court politics were in Sixteenth Century England.

Details

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: In the US St. Martin’s Griffin; First Edition edition (April 14, 2009), in the UK Phoenix (24 Jan 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312538936, UK 0753823519
ISBN-13: 978-0312538934, UK 978-0753823514
Available from Amazon.com – click here – or from Amazon UK – click here
Kindle versions: Click here for US and here for the UK.

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

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

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.

• Trauma – Loades opens this chapter with the words “Over the next two years, Mary became an affliction to herself, and to everyone who had to deal with her” and goes on to write of her obstinacy in the face of losing her title and position. Interestingly, he comments that “apart from the occasions when she deliberately provoked her minders, Mary was not treated brutally, or even unsympathetically” and points out that when the Act of Succession became law in March 1534 that Henry would not allow the oath to be administered to Catherine and Mary because he knew they would refuse it and that would be high treason. Loades believes that “Henry behaved towards both women with considerable restraint.”
  This chapter also covers Catherine of Aragon’s death, the fall of Anne Boleyn , Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour and Mary’s eventual “submission” to her father.
• Restitution – This chapter covers Mary’s new relationship with her father, Jane Seymour’s death, Henry’s brief marriage to Anne of Cleves, the fall of Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s marriage to Catherine Howard and her subsequent execution, Mary’s closeness to her father in 1543, Henry’s marriage to Catherine Parr and Mary’s close relationship with Catherine, Mary’s health problems in 1543 and 1544, and her return to the line of succession.
• The King’s Sister – This chapter opens with the death of Mary’s father, Henry VIII and Mary’s new independence at the age of 31. We are then taken through Catherine Parr’s secret marriage to Thomas Seymour, the settling of Mary’s patrimony, Mary’s unhappiness and protest at the religious policies of her brother Edward VI’s government, the pressure on her to conform and Mary’s defiance, Mary’s plans to escape to the Continent, Somerset’s fall and Northumerland’s rise, Edward VI’s illness, Edward’s “Device” and his decline.
• Mary the Queen – This chapter starts with Edward VI’s death on the 6th July 1553 and Lady Jane Grey being proclaimed Queen. We learn about Mary’s fight to be Queen, her success, her organisation of her council, her coronation, Parliament’s reinstatement of Catherine of Aragon’s marriage to Henry VIII, and therefore Mary’s legitimacy, the plans for Mary’s marriage, Wyatt’s Rebellion and Lady Jane Grey’s subsequent execution.
• Marriage – The proxy marriage of Mary and Philip, the marriage plans and their actual wedding
• A Woman’s Problems – Loades points out that the English were not acclimatised to the notion of a woman on the throne” and were unsure of how to view Mary once she was married to Philip. Loades also covers the “mutual suspicion” that causes problems between Mary’s English household and Philip’s Spanish one, the reconciliation with Rome and Mary’s false pregnancy.
• Mary Alone – Philip’s departure to take sovereignty of the Lowlands, the burnings of Ridley and Latimer, Philip’s desire to be crowned in England, Philip’s new role as King of Spain, the Henry Dudley Conspiracy, the burning of Cranmer and appointment of Cardinal Pole as Archbishop of Canterbury, the problems caused by Philip’s foreign policy and his position as Mary’s consort, and his return to England.
• Philip and Mary at War – Mary’s happiness at Philip’s return, Stafford’s raid on the Yorkshire coast and England’s agreement to go to support Philip in his war with France, Mary’s relationship with her half-sister Elizabeth, the fall of Calais and England’s bitterness towards Philip.
• Mary and Elizabeth – Mary’s emotional decline after Philip’s departure, the change in her character, the Mary of her later years compared to the young fun-loving Mary, her second phantom pregnancy and the making of her will.
• Elizabeth the Heir – Mary’s decline in health, her death, Elizabeth’s accession and Mary’s funeral.
• The England of the Two Queens – The changes brought by Elizabeth’s reign, the overturning of “Mary’s ecclesiastical restoration”, the mistakes Mary made as Queen but also her achievements. Loades concludes that “if Mary’s failure can be attributed to a single factor, it was that she and her regime were seen as insufficiently English”, an interesting point. He ends his book by saying that in distancing herself from Mary Elizabeth failed “to recognise how much she owed to her predecessor” and calling for Mary to be “better appreciated”. Anyone having read the book would agree whole-heartedly with Loades, it’s time “Bloody Mary” was rehabilitated.
• Notes – Detailed notes and references for each chapter
• Bibliography – Divided into “Calendars, Guides and Works of Reference”, “Contemporary Printed Works and Modern Editions”, “Editions of Documents”, “Published Secondary Work” and “Unpublished Theses”
• List of Illustrations
• Index

As you can see, David Loades’s “Mary Tudor” is a detailed account of Mary I’s life and reign. It is a must-read for Tudor history lovers and those interested in the Tudor monarchs, and you can’t really go wrong with Loades! I have read it from cover to cover, but will also be dipping into it on a regular basis as I do with the biographies by Linda Porter and Anna Whitelock. It is an essential research tool for me and the bibliography at the end will come in particularly useful. David Loades challenges the perceptions we all have of Mary I, debunks the myth that her reign was simply that of a loser, and rehabilitates her brilliantly. A very worthwhile read.

Note: I don’t have Loades’s first biography of Mary or the 2006 one so cannot say how this one is different I’m afraid.

Details

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416 pages
Publisher: Amberley (July 2011)
ISBN-10: 1445603055
ISBN-13: 978-1445603056
Order at Amazon.com – click here
Order at Amazon UK – click here

“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.

Our Amazon Store

Love historical mysteries? Check out the selection on our Amazon store – click here. We also have an Amazon UK store – click here to browse.

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.

Our Amazon Store

Love historical mysteries? Check out the selection on our Amazon store – click here. We also have an Amazon UK store – click here to browse.

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!

I loved “The Dove of Death” and so was ecstatic when the next book in the series, “The Chalice of Blood”, arrived in my mailbox. In this book, Fidelma is struggling in her relationship with Eadulf, who wants to go back to the religious life full time. Fidelma is torn between her faith, her love for her family and her calling, which she sees as bringing justice where there is none. Fidelma’s faith is challenged during this case, her investigation into the murder of Brother Donnchad, a scholar from the Abbey of Lios Mor who had been acting strangely since his return from the Holy Land. How did the murderer escape when the door was locked from the inside? What was written on the missing manuscripts? Why was Brother Donnchad murdered? And who is responsible for the attack on Fidelma as she travels to the Abbey? As Fidelma tries to get to the bottom of these questions, her investigations seem hampered at every turn by the strange steward of the abbey, Brother Lugna, an arrogant man with some kind of strange control over Abbot Iarnla. Just what is going on at this Abbey and what had Brother Donnchad uncovered on his travels?

The Chalice of Blood is a real page turner and I loved how Tremayne brought together all the different threads of this mystery in the end. A very fulfilling read.

Tremayne does a wonderful job at bringing the 7th century to life in his mysteries of Ancient Ireland and if you have enjoyed books like Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael mysteries then you will love this series. The Dove of Death and The Chalice of Blood are the two most recent books in this series and if you want to start at the very beginning then you will want to get your hands on “Absolution by Murder”, however, the novels are all stand-alone books so it really doesn’t matter if, like me, you pick up the most recent ones.

Details

Title: The Chalice of Blood
Format : Hardback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Minotaur Books (October 2011)
ISBN-10: 0312551215
ISBN-13: 978-0312551216
Availability: Click here to order from Amazon.com or click here to order from Amazon UK.

Title: The Dove of Death
Format : Paperback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 2011)
ISBN-10: 0312609272
ISBN-13: 978-0312609276
Availability: Click here to order from Amazon.com or click here to order from Amazon UK.

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Love Medieval and Tudor mysteries? Check out the selection on our Amazon store – click here. We also have an Amazon UK store – click here to browse.

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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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.

• Weir makes the point that Sir John Blount, Bessie Blount’s father, did not benefit from his daughter being the King’s mistress or the mother of his son, and points out that Thomas Boleyn was already a favourite before his daughters became involved with the King. She writes, “Henry VIII was not in the habit of handing out favours simply because a man’s daughter had bedded with him”, so Thomas Boleyn could not have expected to gain from Mary’s affair with the King (p118).
• Good points made about Mary Boleyn’s unfair reputation as “the great and infamous whore” when she was actually a royal mistress and not promiscuous.
• Weir questions assumptions about Mary, e.g. the idea that Mary served Catherine of Aragon as one of her permanent ladies, when there is not the evidence to back it up.
• Weir challenges the idea that Mary was Henry’s true love, pointing out that we do not know when the affair started, when it ended or how the couple felt about each other.
• She points out that grants made to William Carey between 1522 and 1526 “probably reflected Henry’s regard for a man who served him daily” rather than “rewards for his complacency in regard to his wife’s dalliance with the King”.
• Weir points out that “rather than being manipulated by her family, Mary Boleyn was manipulated by the King” (p125) and I agree, it was Henry VIII who had the power.
• Weir writes of how “we know virtually nothing about the manner in which Henry VIII’s affair with Mary Boleyn was conducted, or their feelings for each other” because Henry was discreet and kept the affair in the background. She points out that “apart from the pageant of the Chateau Vert, there is no surviving memorial of Henry and Mary together.” (p131)
• Weir makes the valid points that Katherine of Aragon mustn’t have known about the affair as otherwise she would have used “the canonical impediment created by Henry’s affair with Mary Boleyn, either in an attempt to block his marriage to Anne, or to discredit his doubts of conscience in regard to their own marriage”.
• Weir’s assessment of the Boleyn family’s religion. She writes, “although a study of the books owned by Rochford suggests that he came quite near to becoming a Lutheran, Anne and her father died as orthodox Catholics, so it would be more accurate to say that the Boleyns were zealous for the cause of reform within the Catholic Church” – Spot on, I would describe them as evangelical rather than Lutheran.

The Bad and the Ugly

• Being marketed as the first Mary Boleyn biography – In the introduction, Weir writes “There has been just one admirable but sadly brief, study by Josephine Wilkinson; I understand that Dr Wilson was constrained by a disadvantageous word limit when she had so much more to say, and she has most generously agreed that I can claim that this is the first full biography of Mary.” (p2) – but I find that dishonest and unfair to Josephine Wilkinson.
• Thomas Boleyn the Younger mistake (p12) “Only four of the children survived infancy: ‘Thomas Bullayne’, whose grave in Penshurst Church, Kent, is marked by a cross and the date 1520…” – Thomas Boleyn the Younger’s tomb is not dated 1520 as I pointed out in an email to Alison Weir, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loGyBqxEIN4 for a video about my research into Thomas Boleyn the Younger and Henry Boleyn.
• Elizabeth Boleyn, her reputation and marriage – Weir writes that “no fewer than ten people alleged in the 16th century that Elizabeth Howard was Henry VIII’s mistress” and although she says it is unlikely that Elizabeth was Henry’s mistress Weir writes that these “allegations may have been believable because of Elizabeth Howard’s dubious reputation”, using a poem by John Skelton to back up the idea that Elizabeth “had set them [her offspring] a poor example by her loose morals and by betraying her marriage vows.” p35 John Skelton did dedicate a poem “To My Lady Elizabeth Howard”, comparing her to Cressida, the Trojan beauty who betrayed Troilus, but does that mean that Elizabeth Boleyn was a “False Cressida”? (p33)
  Weir later (p182) talks of the unhappy Boleyn household and Elizabeth being “his possibly estranged wife”.
• Referencing – It is near impossible to figure out what sources Alison Weir is referring to when, in “Notes and References”, she just writes “L&P”, “S.C.” or “Bernard, Anne Boleyn” – no volume number or page number. When you’re already making notes of your sources in your research it can’t be any extra effort for the publisher to print “LP xii.203″ rather than “L&P”, surely?
• Her depiction of Anne Boleyn as having been corrupted in France. This theory is based on a misreading of the primary sources, see yesterday’s post on The Anne Boleyn Files - “The Scandalous and Corrupt Anne Boleyn?”.
• The idea that Henry forced himself on Mary – Weir uses the March 1522 tournament, when Henry rode out with the motto “Elle mon coeur a navera” (she has wounded my heart”, as evidence that Mary had rejected his advances and she believes that the Chateau Vert Pageant was staged to woo her. She writes of Cardinal Pole stating that Henry “violated” Mary and concludes that Mary “had very little say in the matter”. Weir does not go as far as saying that Henry raped Mary but that “he manoeuvred her into a position wherein she dared not refuse, and thus was forced to submit to him”. This could well be the case but I don’t see any evidence, we just don’t know how Mary felt.
• Jane Boleyn – On p212, Alison Weir writes “the evidence for incest rested chiefly on the testimony of Rochford’s wife”, even though historian John Guy pointed out that the evidence she based this opinion on in “The Lady in the Tower” was suspect and I know, from my research, that there is no real evidence that Jane was the star witness or that she spoke to Cromwell of this.
• Repetition – In his review of “Mary Boleyn” in “The Sunday Times”, Thomas Penn writes of Weir’s “repetitious caution” and I did find the book rather repetitive and not as flowing as Weir’s previous books.
• Mary Boleyn’s looks – Although Weir states that “we cannot be sure what Mary looked like” (p53) and later that the Hever portrait of Mary is probably of Frances Brandon instead, she believes that Mary was “more beautiful than Anne” (quoted from the “News” section of her website) because “Thomas Boleyn’s chaplain thought that Mary was by far the more beautiful of the Boleyn sisters” (p53). Now, although Weir gives absolutely no reference for this piece of information, I have found it in a letter in “Letters and Papers”. It describes a conversation between John Barlow, chaplain to Thomas Boleyn and Dean of Westbury, and “M. Loys Helwighen” of the Emperor’s council in Brabant:-
  “The Dean [Barlow] said the King would not insist on this point of free consent, and he confessed that the King frequented the society of a lady of a noble house, whom it was reported the King intended to marry, if he obtained a divorce. Mentioned a report that the King wished to marry this lady to legitimate by subsequent marriage a son whom he had by her; but the Dean said that this son was by another lady, who was already married. Said he had never heard of this, and he thought that the King’s love for another than his wife must be for the mother of his son. Remarked also on the suspicious nature of the King’s intimacy with the lady in question; but the Dean said he had never heard anything of it. Asked him if he knew these two ladies, and whether they were beautiful, worth leaving his wife for. He said he knew them both, and the mother of his son was eloquent, gracious, and beautiful, but the other lady was more beautiful still.” LP v.1114
  Philip Sergeant, in “The Life of Anne Boleyn”, writes of how this conversation was about “Lady Taileboys”, i.e. Elizabeth Blount, and Anne Boleyn, and I agree with him. It makes much more sense for this conversation to be about the rumours that Henry VIII was going to legitimise Henry Fitzroy, the son of Bessie Blount who Henry had acknowledged as his illegitimate son, than Mary Boleyn and her son, Henry Carey, who Henry had not acknowledged. Also, although Barlow describes “the mother of his son” as “beautiful”, he describes Anne Boleyn as “more beautiful still”.
• The book cover – I’ve lost track of the amount of emails I’ve had regarding the cover. Yes, it is a re-working of the Corneille de Lyon posthumous portrait of Queen Claude and is not meant to be Mary Boleyn. As Alison Weir points out, there are no authentic portraits of Mary Boleyn – she believes the one at Hever is actually Frances Brandon – so the cover must have posed a bit of a problem!
• No new evidence or “astonishing” news – I have to agree with reviewer and author Thomas Penn who said “While Alison Weir’s book valiantly attempts to separate speculation from historical truth, Mary’s is not quite the “astonishing” tale that she claims.” Weir makes some excellent points but I didn’t feel that she’d found any new evidence and she certainly did not prove the paternity of Mary’s children (see next point).
• Paternity of children – I found Weir’s chapter “Hiding Royal Blood” very confusing and the marketing of the book – “The paternity of Mary’s two children can now be established, thanks to new and overlooked evidence. One was almost certainly fathered by Henry VIII” (Weir’s website) and “Weir also presents compelling new evidence that almost conclusively determines the paternity of Mary’s two oldest children” (Amazon blurb) – misleading. Weir concludes that “we can never know for certain the truth of the matter, only that there is a strong possibility that Katherine was the King’s child”, but that is far from establishing the Careys’ paternity or producing “compelling new evidence”. Her case for Katherine being Henry’s daughter rests on a physical resemblance, an annuity granted to her and Philip Sidney referring to Stella (Penelope Devereux, Katherine’s granddaughter) as “rich in the riches of a royal heart” and giving her the royal title of “her Grace”. He also refers to her as “a princess high” and “a queen”. I just don’t find that compelling in the slightest.
  Weir later argues that Ethelreda Malte was probably Henry VIII’s daughter and concludes that “establishing that Ethelreda Malte was in all probability Henry’s daughter, even though he did not acknowledge her, bolsters the case for his having had a bastard daughter whom he also did not acknowledge by Mary Boleyn”. I don’t think it does.
• Weir’s depiction of Thomas Boleyn – On p46 she writes of how he “lavished little love” on his wife or children and on p119 she writes that “it is quite conceivable that a father who, in time, was to show himself willing to be complicit in the ruin of his children, in order to preserve his own life and position, should be happy to reap the benefits of a daughter’s adultery with the King”. Complicit in his children’s ruin? Where’s the evidence for that?
• The fictional aspect – On p105, Alison Weir writes “Tragedy struck the Boleyns sometime in 1520, when the eldest son and heir, Thomas Boleyn the younger, died.” That is pure fiction, yet is written as a fact, and it is more probable that he died in childhood. There is absolutely no evidence that he survived until 1520 or that he was the eldest son and heir. Speculation at best.
• Confusing – On the one hand Weir states that “according to the historical evidence, Mary never incurred notoriety or infamy as a royal mistress” (p68) and that her relationship with Francis I was “brief and covert” but then goes on to write that her family looked down on her because of what happened in France and that Thomas Boleyn may well have sent her “to rusticate at Brie, after compromising her reputation at the French court.” (p84)
• The may haves, probablies, could haves etc. – E.g. “Mary may not have mourned her husband deeply” but she might have! The idea that “it is possible that Katherine Carey, who was nine when the Princess Elizabeth was born, spent the next six years, until she was summoned to court, in her little cousin’s household”, but she might not have! Also, a sentence that made me chuckle, “”Probably, although evidence is lacking”, well, then it probably didn’t happen!
• Sweeping statements – “In the late summer [1534], Anne had lost a baby – probably a son – at full term, another crushing disappointment for Henry VIII.” (p195) and then “Anne’s influence was clearly declining”. There is evidence that Anne was pregnant in 1534, between January and July, but no evidence regarding what happened to this baby. There is also no evidence that Anne was losing her influence at this time, as far as I can see. If Henry took a mistress then it would be because Anne was pregnant.
• The idea that George Boleyn, Dean of Lichfield, was “Rochford’s bastard” because his name was George. He may simply have been a Boleyn relative who was born on St George’s Day and if he was George Boleyn’s son then why was he not supported by Thomas Boleyn? Why did he not inherit the Boleyn estate when Thomas died and why did he not inherit the Ormond ancestral horn? It does not make sense.

So, would I recommend this book?

Yes and no.

If you’re like me then you buy any Tudor history book, because you’re hungry to know more about the era and its people, and then you use it as a resource and check the facts and theories for yourself. It is a great starting point but it is not the definitive guide to Mary Boleyn. Read it and then research Mary and the Boleyns for yourself, don’t take it at face value. It really is tricky to discern the facts from the theories unless you’re already “au fait” with Mary and the Boleyn family.

“Mary Boleyn” is out now in the US – click here and also in the UK – click here

Note: My page numbers are based on the UK paperback version published by Jonathan Cape.

Thomas Penn’s review of “Mary Boleyn” was published in The Sunday Times on 2nd October and can be read online by Sunday Times subscribers.