Scan barcode
almostg's review against another edition
4.0
Plaidy's take on Queen Henrietta Maria is deeply narcissistic & a Catholic zealot. Her reflections on her life are repetitive at times but I enjoyed this as escapism full of deliciously real historical details & going between this book and inventive historical dramas The Favourite, about Henrietta Maria's descendent Queen Anne, and Versailles, in which HM's daughter Henriette is a major character.
wildwolverine's review against another edition
5.0
In my personal opinion, I think all royals (particularly royals in bygone eras) are raging narcissists. You have to be to believe it's your god-given right to rule over others. Some royals balance this out with other qualities, such as intelligence or charm, so their narcissism doesn't seem as a flaw so much as necessary to maintain their rule. Enter Henrietta Maria, a royal princess who has all the narcissism of her kind but none of the positive traits to offset this. Conceited, short-sighted, selfish, and unintelligent, Henrietta Maria is not the sole reason why the English monarchy briefly lost its hold or why Charles I lost his head, but she certainly didn't help matters. This is her story.
Born as the baby of the French royal family, Henrietta Maria is able to get away with dodging lessons and instead listening to gossip. From her early years, she is seen as loyal and earnest with her friendships, and this is something she maintains throughout her life. It's probably her only redeeming quality, but it's not something that's given to just anyone. When she first marries Charles I, she is horrified with English culture, and she publicly expresses her distaste. A lot of this is due the difference in religion between her French Catholicism and the English Protestantism, but we'll get to that. Every time Henrietta doesn't get her way, she throws a tantrum like a child. For awhile, Charles I is able to stand up to her, but he needs someone with a stronger will to depend on. So, when his other friends die, he starts to lean on his wife more and more. They quarrel less because he appeases her, though she has learned some restraint in her later years, and you can see where this is going.
The English have a thing with religion. It's their way or the highway, whichever way that is. When Henrietta Maria comes in and tries to convert everyone to Catholicism, she becomes extremely unpopular. However, her religion is so ingrained in her that she cannot conceive of a life without it. She even forgoes being crowned queen, which even her own advisors told her was ridiculous, because the ceremony would be Protestant. Religion is her major sticking point, and she eventually drives everyone away from her because she cannot bend even a little bit.
A lot of other readers have said Henrietta is unlikeable or that she never grows, but how many real people do we know who are like this? How many of us cling to our beliefs, especially as we get older? I'm not defending Henrietta for being a bigot or toxic. I'm merely saying she's still interesting to read about, and she does have some positive traits. As I mentioned earlier, she's affectionate and loyal. She has quite the backbone, and she's willing to undergo harsh treatment and circumstances for her goal, such as fleeing captivity in the middle of the night and crossing the English Channel multiple times to help her husband. She's not a good person, but neither is she irredeemable. She's who she is, which since she's a real person, is all you can ask for.
The book is a fascinating portrayal of Western Europe at a time of great upheaval. Marie de Medici, Charles II, Louis XIV, Anne of Austria, and many other notable figures make an appearance. Really, it's an interesting portrayal of women in the royal sphere. Not all of them are Elizabeths or Eleanors, but royal women hold a special type of power, and that is on full display here with the many powerful women who Henrietta comes in contact with. It's a really fun and intriguing book, and I recommend it for history lovers who don't mind an anti-heroine.
Born as the baby of the French royal family, Henrietta Maria is able to get away with dodging lessons and instead listening to gossip. From her early years, she is seen as loyal and earnest with her friendships, and this is something she maintains throughout her life. It's probably her only redeeming quality, but it's not something that's given to just anyone. When she first marries Charles I, she is horrified with English culture, and she publicly expresses her distaste. A lot of this is due the difference in religion between her French Catholicism and the English Protestantism, but we'll get to that. Every time Henrietta doesn't get her way, she throws a tantrum like a child. For awhile, Charles I is able to stand up to her, but he needs someone with a stronger will to depend on. So, when his other friends die, he starts to lean on his wife more and more. They quarrel less because he appeases her, though she has learned some restraint in her later years, and you can see where this is going.
The English have a thing with religion. It's their way or the highway, whichever way that is. When Henrietta Maria comes in and tries to convert everyone to Catholicism, she becomes extremely unpopular. However, her religion is so ingrained in her that she cannot conceive of a life without it. She even forgoes being crowned queen, which even her own advisors told her was ridiculous, because the ceremony would be Protestant. Religion is her major sticking point, and she eventually drives everyone away from her because she cannot bend even a little bit.
A lot of other readers have said Henrietta is unlikeable or that she never grows, but how many real people do we know who are like this? How many of us cling to our beliefs, especially as we get older? I'm not defending Henrietta for being a bigot or toxic. I'm merely saying she's still interesting to read about, and she does have some positive traits. As I mentioned earlier, she's affectionate and loyal. She has quite the backbone, and she's willing to undergo harsh treatment and circumstances for her goal, such as fleeing captivity in the middle of the night and crossing the English Channel multiple times to help her husband. She's not a good person, but neither is she irredeemable. She's who she is, which since she's a real person, is all you can ask for.
The book is a fascinating portrayal of Western Europe at a time of great upheaval. Marie de Medici, Charles II, Louis XIV, Anne of Austria, and many other notable figures make an appearance. Really, it's an interesting portrayal of women in the royal sphere. Not all of them are Elizabeths or Eleanors, but royal women hold a special type of power, and that is on full display here with the many powerful women who Henrietta comes in contact with. It's a really fun and intriguing book, and I recommend it for history lovers who don't mind an anti-heroine.
larobb01's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
komet2020's review against another edition
4.0
Before reading this book, what I knew of Henrietta Maria, besides being the wife of Charles I of England, was that she was also the woman who gave her name to the Colony of "Maryland". This is her story. She was the daughter of King Henri IV of France, widely acknowledged to be one of France's most popular and enlightened rulers who was killed by a madman when Henrietta Maria was a baby. She grew up under the sway of a domineering, distant mother set on marrying her children to influential royals in France and across Europe as a way of advancing and securing certain financial and political alliances. So, it was that Henrietta Maria, a fervent Catholic, was married to Charles I of Protestant England.
What I found especially interesting from reading this book was how Henrietta Maria's religiosity caused a lot of friction and problems in her personal life and made her an unpopular figure in England. It has to be borne in mind that England, scarcely a hundred years removed from the upheavals of the Reformation, was regarded as a pariah nation, despite her growing power as a mercantile nation. Henrietta Maria arrived in England with her own retinue with the determination to subtly bring England back to the "true faith." As part of her marriage contact, she was permitted to bring up her children as Catholic til they were thirteen years of age. Her husband, Charles I, seemed to be a well-meaning sort, though rather indecisive and often at odds with Parliament over how the country should be ruled. Charles, who believed firmly in the Divine Right of Kings, looked upon Parliament as an inconvenience best avoided if possible. So, for 11 years, he ruled without it. But Charles had to call them back when he was in need of money, for only Parliament was empowered to give him money. In the meantime, there was also the rise of a Puritan movement in England as exemplified by Members of Parliament like John Pym and Oliver Cromwell. There was growing dissatisfaction with Charles' rule. So when peaceful means to resolve issues between Charles I and Parliament fell through, civil war ensued, with dire consequences for Charles, Henrietta Maria, and their children. (More than a decade would pass before the monarchy in England would be restored in the person of Henrietta Maria's eldest son, Charles II.)
Henrietta Maria struck me as a rather difficult person, spoiled, intolerant in religious matters, yet possessed of a certain inner strength that helped her to weather many crises in her life. I'm glad I read this book.
What I found especially interesting from reading this book was how Henrietta Maria's religiosity caused a lot of friction and problems in her personal life and made her an unpopular figure in England. It has to be borne in mind that England, scarcely a hundred years removed from the upheavals of the Reformation, was regarded as a pariah nation, despite her growing power as a mercantile nation. Henrietta Maria arrived in England with her own retinue with the determination to subtly bring England back to the "true faith." As part of her marriage contact, she was permitted to bring up her children as Catholic til they were thirteen years of age. Her husband, Charles I, seemed to be a well-meaning sort, though rather indecisive and often at odds with Parliament over how the country should be ruled. Charles, who believed firmly in the Divine Right of Kings, looked upon Parliament as an inconvenience best avoided if possible. So, for 11 years, he ruled without it. But Charles had to call them back when he was in need of money, for only Parliament was empowered to give him money. In the meantime, there was also the rise of a Puritan movement in England as exemplified by Members of Parliament like John Pym and Oliver Cromwell. There was growing dissatisfaction with Charles' rule. So when peaceful means to resolve issues between Charles I and Parliament fell through, civil war ensued, with dire consequences for Charles, Henrietta Maria, and their children. (More than a decade would pass before the monarchy in England would be restored in the person of Henrietta Maria's eldest son, Charles II.)
Henrietta Maria struck me as a rather difficult person, spoiled, intolerant in religious matters, yet possessed of a certain inner strength that helped her to weather many crises in her life. I'm glad I read this book.
linwearcamenel's review against another edition
4.0
Great attention to detail and accuracy, and brings to life a time that I didn't know much about. A great introduction into the reign of Charles I.
More...