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wildwolverine's review against another edition
4.0
Ever since the beginning, Mary Tudor has always been "Bloody Mary" to me. History has picked a side with this English monarch, and it has not been kind to her. It's taken years for me to be open-minded enough about Mary to be able to look beyond the Elizabethan propaganda that dogged her legacy. Jean Plaidy removes the final nail in the coffin and blows open all of Mary's complexities. What follows is a nuanced portrait of a tragic yet determined woman who became England's first queen regnant.
I can't help but wonder what Mary would've been like if her father hadn't treated her mother so abominably, let alone what England would look like today. Instead we have the case of Henry VIII and his six wives. Through each wife, Mary's fortunes rise and fall. Under Anne Boleyn, her life is a misery, and you can't help but pity the poor girl. I firmly believe that her fanaticism in religion was fostered at this time, as it was her final link to her devout mother. The cruelty doesn't end when Anne's beheaded. The next four queens try to form a relationship with Mary, but she persists in being her father's bastard. Yet, she is full of kindness. This younger Mary is more tolerant of her Protestant friends like Katherine Parr, and she generously gives her half-sister Elizabeth money so that she can have new clothes. If Mary had been shown more affection, if she'd been given a kind husband at a younger age, I think history would've been kinder to her overall, and it's such a shame.
Mary is intelligent and determined. She is every inch the queen. The people love her, and she shows great astuteness as she navigates the days following her brother Edward's death and Jane Grey's unexpected ascension. If she could've been more tolerant and if she didn't marry Phillip of Spain, she could've had a more empowering legacy. She was England's first queen regnant! Unfortunately, this is overshadowed by her reign's failures, of which there are several. As Mary continues her downward spiral, Plaidy still shows her as a complex figure. Fanatical and desperate, but also someone who didn't want to cause unnecessary pain, someone who was desperately trying to patch things up with her sister.
Truly, I was surprised by how much closer Mary and Elizabeth were compared to how I was led to believe by pop culture. You can't help but pity both women who couldn't believe in love thanks to their cruel father.
This fictional memoir of Mary is a must-read for any Tudor historian. Forget what you thought you knew about Mary. This story will rock you to your core. There is a reason I docked it a star, though, and that's because I wish Plaidy had explored other facets of Mary's reign, such as how she laid the groundwork for transatlantic exploration that Elizabeth later built upon. It would've been nice to see Mary really shine as queen, and not just some delusional tragedy.
I can't help but wonder what Mary would've been like if her father hadn't treated her mother so abominably, let alone what England would look like today. Instead we have the case of Henry VIII and his six wives. Through each wife, Mary's fortunes rise and fall. Under Anne Boleyn, her life is a misery, and you can't help but pity the poor girl. I firmly believe that her fanaticism in religion was fostered at this time, as it was her final link to her devout mother. The cruelty doesn't end when Anne's beheaded. The next four queens try to form a relationship with Mary, but she persists in being her father's bastard. Yet, she is full of kindness. This younger Mary is more tolerant of her Protestant friends like Katherine Parr, and she generously gives her half-sister Elizabeth money so that she can have new clothes. If Mary had been shown more affection, if she'd been given a kind husband at a younger age, I think history would've been kinder to her overall, and it's such a shame.
Mary is intelligent and determined. She is every inch the queen. The people love her, and she shows great astuteness as she navigates the days following her brother Edward's death and Jane Grey's unexpected ascension. If she could've been more tolerant and if she didn't marry Phillip of Spain, she could've had a more empowering legacy. She was England's first queen regnant! Unfortunately, this is overshadowed by her reign's failures, of which there are several. As Mary continues her downward spiral, Plaidy still shows her as a complex figure. Fanatical and desperate, but also someone who didn't want to cause unnecessary pain, someone who was desperately trying to patch things up with her sister.
Truly, I was surprised by how much closer Mary and Elizabeth were compared to how I was led to believe by pop culture. You can't help but pity both women who couldn't believe in love thanks to their cruel father.
This fictional memoir of Mary is a must-read for any Tudor historian. Forget what you thought you knew about Mary. This story will rock you to your core. There is a reason I docked it a star, though, and that's because I wish Plaidy had explored other facets of Mary's reign, such as how she laid the groundwork for transatlantic exploration that Elizabeth later built upon. It would've been nice to see Mary really shine as queen, and not just some delusional tragedy.
thebookishlifeofcms's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite portrayal of Mary Tudor so far.
linwearcamenel's review
5.0
Great story of Henry VIII's daughter Mary, interesting characters and great attention to detail.
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