nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.25
This is a historical retelling of the stories of Margaret Tudor, Mary Tudor and Catherine of Aragon, three sisters, who became the queens of Scotland, France, and England, respectively.
“There is only one bond that I trust: between a woman and her sisters. We never take our eyes off each other. In love and in rivalry, we always think of each other.”
“There is only one bond that I trust: between a woman and her sisters. We never take our eyes off each other. In love and in rivalry, we always think of each other.”
Margaret as the narrator was shown as selfish, greedy, manipulative and greedy. I couldn’t get on board with any of her actions or attitudes and she constantly felt childish even as the story progressed and her life played out.
This book had the potential to present a more feminist retelling, yet it takes on a patriarchal presentation where the women are depicted as wicked, cursed, whores. Failures are blamed on their barrenness, their alleged sexual activities, or their femininity and emotions.
I was especially disappointed as the potential was wasted by a female author herself, but perhaps this narration was a nod to the way history has been written, and controlled, by men.
This is how women are treated: when they act on their own account they are named as sinners, when they enjoy success they are named as whores.
sallyb72's review against another edition
I'm thinking I have read too many of her books to close together.
findingthefantasticstory's review against another edition
3.0
Probably the worst book in the series. I didn’t really care for Margaret but It was interesting to see what was happening Scotland.
jessthebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars
Philippa Gregory writes another Tudor novel, this time following the story of Margaret, King Henry VIII's oldest sister.
Princess Margaret is sent off to Scotland to marry King James IV of Scotland when is a young girl, with the idea that her union will bring perpetual peace between England and Scotland.
As with all women in this time period, Margaret's life is difficult, filled with unfaithful husbands who must be submitted to, difficult births and being left to fend for herself in a world of men who have the power and their own agendas.
The story was fascinating and it really was quite remarkable how Margaret, even though she was a woman, for the most part made her own decisions and tried to live her own life, even if she made it rather difficult for herself.
The only reason that this loses stars is that I wasn't too fond of the angle that Philippa Gregory took of trying to link the three women, Margaret, Mary and Katherine, together all the time, trying to make out that they spent their whole lives being obsessing jealously over each other. Margaret was written in a very mean-spirited and petty way. Maybe she was like this in real life, I don't know, but I just didn't like her as a character. I also just thought that bringing in what was happening at King Henry VIII's court through contrived letters between the sisters was a bit of an overkill. We already know what was happening at that court, we know that story. So it just felt beating a dead horse.
I guess that there wasn't enough material to write on Margaret herself, which was a pity.
Philippa Gregory writes another Tudor novel, this time following the story of Margaret, King Henry VIII's oldest sister.
Princess Margaret is sent off to Scotland to marry King James IV of Scotland when is a young girl, with the idea that her union will bring perpetual peace between England and Scotland.
As with all women in this time period, Margaret's life is difficult, filled with unfaithful husbands who must be submitted to, difficult births and being left to fend for herself in a world of men who have the power and their own agendas.
The story was fascinating and it really was quite remarkable how Margaret, even though she was a woman, for the most part made her own decisions and tried to live her own life, even if she made it rather difficult for herself.
The only reason that this loses stars is that I wasn't too fond of the angle that Philippa Gregory took of trying to link the three women, Margaret, Mary and Katherine, together all the time, trying to make out that they spent their whole lives being obsessing jealously over each other. Margaret was written in a very mean-spirited and petty way. Maybe she was like this in real life, I don't know, but I just didn't like her as a character. I also just thought that bringing in what was happening at King Henry VIII's court through contrived letters between the sisters was a bit of an overkill. We already know what was happening at that court, we know that story. So it just felt beating a dead horse.
I guess that there wasn't enough material to write on Margaret herself, which was a pity.
sianami's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, not one of Gregorys best as the pacing of a amount of political and personal turmoil in a book this length is rather rushed and sometimes repetitive. However the relationships between Margaret and her two husbands are interesting and compelling to me.
elsiebrady's review against another edition
2.0
I actually couldn't finish this. The sisters seemed too self-centered. Not much concern beyond their own comfort, power, jewels and gowns. I would like to think that rulers of nations actually cared about their people and not their personal gain. Guess not much has changed through history so we better keep reading to prevent from repeating.
katie_louise_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bookthra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
jennms_qkw's review against another edition
5.0
First Philippa Gregory book: Appreciated the details and inner thoughts of Margaret. Feminist ;-)