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annabellee's review
2.0
This is the story of Margaret Stuart, née Tudor, Princess of England and Queen of Scotland. It is very poorly written.
Firstly, the writing style is deplorable. it feels like a summary - 314 pages of summary - glossing over events that, rightly, should have had pages devoted to them. Episodes that could have been compelling and exciting were delivered in an almost sterile fashion. And it is repetitive; you cannot go 20 pages without the author harping back on a theme. The foreshadowing is pitiful, made all the worse because it is there at all.
The characterization is a joke. There is far too much "tell" and almost no "show" whatsoever. Repetitiveness, again - every time we are privy to Margaret's thoughts (the one place where artistic license belongs in a historical novel that holds itself out as being well-researched), they are incessantly dull, monotonous, and fickle. A great personality change is trumpeted all about by the narrator, only to have the characters' thoughts revert back to boring vapidity within the paragraph.
I was disappointed by this novel. I expected more from Jean Plaidy - of course, it has been some time since I had read a novel by her, so perhaps her writing simply doesn't hold up as well as I had thought.
There is little graphic violence or language, and though there are allusions to sex none is graphically described. I would recommend this for middle-school level readers. Two stars.
Firstly, the writing style is deplorable. it feels like a summary - 314 pages of summary - glossing over events that, rightly, should have had pages devoted to them. Episodes that could have been compelling and exciting were delivered in an almost sterile fashion. And it is repetitive; you cannot go 20 pages without the author harping back on a theme. The foreshadowing is pitiful, made all the worse because it is there at all.
The characterization is a joke. There is far too much "tell" and almost no "show" whatsoever. Repetitiveness, again - every time we are privy to Margaret's thoughts (the one place where artistic license belongs in a historical novel that holds itself out as being well-researched), they are incessantly dull, monotonous, and fickle. A great personality change is trumpeted all about by the narrator, only to have the characters' thoughts revert back to boring vapidity within the paragraph.
I was disappointed by this novel. I expected more from Jean Plaidy - of course, it has been some time since I had read a novel by her, so perhaps her writing simply doesn't hold up as well as I had thought.
There is little graphic violence or language, and though there are allusions to sex none is graphically described. I would recommend this for middle-school level readers. Two stars.
queenofhistoricalfiction's review
3.0
3.5/5
While I can't fault Plaidy's writing style, this book was a bit repetitive. It was oh this handsome guy likes me, I am in love, wait he's cheated on me, I hate him. The main problem I had with this book was that there felt like there wasn't any real depth to the characters, they were all archetypical. The men were pretty much all the same and in the end and I felt a bit like Albani. I wondered, what was the point of chasing after Margaret when all I really wanted to do was go back to real life where I was happy and content. I understand that when writing about a time period from 500 years ago and especially when writing about women, there was a real lack of information. It means that writers rely heavily on what little facts they do have and in the process, they as well as we do, forget that at one time these were real people. Leading on to a story that lies at its best at the surface.
While I can't fault Plaidy's writing style, this book was a bit repetitive. It was oh this handsome guy likes me, I am in love, wait he's cheated on me, I hate him. The main problem I had with this book was that there felt like there wasn't any real depth to the characters, they were all archetypical. The men were pretty much all the same and in the end and I felt a bit like Albani. I wondered, what was the point of chasing after Margaret when all I really wanted to do was go back to real life where I was happy and content. I understand that when writing about a time period from 500 years ago and especially when writing about women, there was a real lack of information. It means that writers rely heavily on what little facts they do have and in the process, they as well as we do, forget that at one time these were real people. Leading on to a story that lies at its best at the surface.
dearbhla's review
3.0
This novel tells the story of Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, and sister to King Henry VIII. As a teenager she married King James IV of Scotland in an effort to bring peace between England and Scotland. The rose and the thistle of the novel’s title.
Jean Plaidy has written plenty of historical fiction books. This is the 8th in the Tudor series alone. But it is the first one I’ve ever read by her. And I’d have to say I’m not really all that impressed.
Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2008/05/05/the-thistle-and-the-rose/
Jean Plaidy has written plenty of historical fiction books. This is the 8th in the Tudor series alone. But it is the first one I’ve ever read by her. And I’d have to say I’m not really all that impressed.
Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2008/05/05/the-thistle-and-the-rose/
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