kayedacus's review against another edition
4.0
First reading: August 26--September 9, 2013.
4 stars (story)
4.5 stars (audiobook)
Read by: Stina Nielsen, Davina Porter, Bianca Amato, Jenny Sterlin, Jill Tanner, Gerard Doyle, & Robert Ian Mackenzie
This was a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG look at the life of the Nine-Day Queen, Jane Grey, the traitor queen of England who was forced to take the crown at age 15/16 by men who wielded power like bludgeons during one of the most chaotic times in England's history.
I enjoyed this book much more than I did The Lady Elizabeth, Weir's novelization of the childhood and youth of Elizabeth I. While that one betrayed Weir's experience as a nonfiction writer, this one read more like a Philippa Gregory novel---with multiple first-person viewpoints (much like my beloved The Boleyn Inheritance). And, much like the audio version of that Gregory novel, this one featured a different narrator for almost every viewpoint.
Because Jane Grey was so young for most of the book, it actually worked better to have the multiple viewpoint characters, since she was a passive player in most of what happened to her. It was good to get into the minds (in a fictional conjecture, of course) of the people behind the machinations that led, ultimately, to Jane's execution as a heretical traitor in February 1554.
Though I knew the story from the "outside" -- in that I knew the timeline and details of the historical occurrences -- it was interesting to get an "inside" look at the characters who are usually brushed aside as bit players in the transition from King Edward VI to Queen Mary I. Especially since I've recently read The Tudor Secret and The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner, which is a complete fictionalization of these events.
There isn't much in fiction that covers the lives (and "reigns) of both Edward VI and Jane Grey, so the subject matter was what drew me to this book. It was Weir's surprisingly deft handling of all of the characters that kept my interest throughout the 18+ hours of this audiobook (though, as with The Lady Elizabeth, I found that when she was unable to characterize Jane's youth through the prose--even at four years old, Jane came across as an adult, with an adult's vocabulary, reasoning, and understanding).
The only narrator I had any issue with was Stina Nielsen, who was the voice for Jane Grey's viewpoint. She had a tendency to pause at odd/awkward places in the middle of sentences, which made me have to run it back to figure out what the sentence was actually supposed to be saying, since the pauses chopped up the flow/meaning. She also had a tendency to mispronounce things/pronounce them oddly (such as saying tutor for Tudor). While this was annoying and would start getting on my nerves, invariably just when I was getting ready to turn it off, the viewpoint would switch to another character which meant another narrator.
I would have liked to have seen one last scene in the book--from Queen Mary's viewpoint, reacting to Jane's death. The end of the book, as it was for Jane, was too abrupt.
4 stars (story)
4.5 stars (audiobook)
Read by: Stina Nielsen, Davina Porter, Bianca Amato, Jenny Sterlin, Jill Tanner, Gerard Doyle, & Robert Ian Mackenzie
This was a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG look at the life of the Nine-Day Queen, Jane Grey, the traitor queen of England who was forced to take the crown at age 15/16 by men who wielded power like bludgeons during one of the most chaotic times in England's history.
I enjoyed this book much more than I did The Lady Elizabeth, Weir's novelization of the childhood and youth of Elizabeth I. While that one betrayed Weir's experience as a nonfiction writer, this one read more like a Philippa Gregory novel---with multiple first-person viewpoints (much like my beloved The Boleyn Inheritance). And, much like the audio version of that Gregory novel, this one featured a different narrator for almost every viewpoint.
Because Jane Grey was so young for most of the book, it actually worked better to have the multiple viewpoint characters, since she was a passive player in most of what happened to her. It was good to get into the minds (in a fictional conjecture, of course) of the people behind the machinations that led, ultimately, to Jane's execution as a heretical traitor in February 1554.
Though I knew the story from the "outside" -- in that I knew the timeline and details of the historical occurrences -- it was interesting to get an "inside" look at the characters who are usually brushed aside as bit players in the transition from King Edward VI to Queen Mary I. Especially since I've recently read The Tudor Secret and The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner, which is a complete fictionalization of these events.
There isn't much in fiction that covers the lives (and "reigns) of both Edward VI and Jane Grey, so the subject matter was what drew me to this book. It was Weir's surprisingly deft handling of all of the characters that kept my interest throughout the 18+ hours of this audiobook (though, as with The Lady Elizabeth, I found that when she was unable to characterize Jane's youth through the prose--even at four years old, Jane came across as an adult, with an adult's vocabulary, reasoning, and understanding).
The only narrator I had any issue with was Stina Nielsen, who was the voice for Jane Grey's viewpoint. She had a tendency to pause at odd/awkward places in the middle of sentences, which made me have to run it back to figure out what the sentence was actually supposed to be saying, since the pauses chopped up the flow/meaning. She also had a tendency to mispronounce things/pronounce them oddly (such as saying tutor for Tudor). While this was annoying and would start getting on my nerves, invariably just when I was getting ready to turn it off, the viewpoint would switch to another character which meant another narrator.
I would have liked to have seen one last scene in the book--from Queen Mary's viewpoint, reacting to Jane's death. The end of the book, as it was for Jane, was too abrupt.
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
3.0
This author really knows her Tudor history and it shows in this page-turner, but I get the sense that the excitement in her writing comes more from the natural fascination with this weird historical era than an actual great talent at fiction writing. Both of my experiences with her historical fiction books had some sections written from the point of view of a very young child that was laughably over-advanced understanding, even for these supposedly advanced youngsters. I think she should probably stick to non-fiction and I look forward to reading some of the non-fiction novels she has written. Still, I do enjoy a good Tudor historical fiction. What a messed up time in British history!
act_10's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing novel. Definitely competing for my favourite book of all time. It's extremely historically accurate and very poignant. A must read for historical fiction fans!!!
alldaffer's review against another edition
3.0
I watched snippets of Lady Jane Gray when it has been on TV before, but don't remember much of the movie. I am glad, because this book might have been overshadowed by the Movie. It took some getting used to the way the book was written, with each character being the narrator of a chapter, but once I got used to the technique, it was a good way to get everyone's viewpoint. I really like historical fiction from this time period, and am interested in reading the non-fiction books that Alison Weir has written. This book is very consistent with the books I have read by Philippa Gregory covering the same people and places. Even though the end of the story is known, how we get there, and how brief the end is compared to the rest of Jane Grey's life gives you reason to ponder how fragile our lifetime here is.
sheritolley's review against another edition
4.0
So glad I didn't live back then. The life of women of noble birth was a hard one. Trying to make a good marriage,and all the court stuff, no freedom whatsoever I really liked the book about Lady Jane Gray. It is about her becoming her being forced into becoming Queen of England. I just thought it was sad. She really got used by those seeking power.
crystal_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Since I hadn't known anything much about Jane Grey, this was quite interesting. The voice didn't seem very authentic when the narrator was a child, but otherwise, the book kept my attention.
readingfar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cmgmaine's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookishwendy's review against another edition
3.0
I've been fascinated by Lady Jane Grey, the 16 year old girl who ruled England for ten days, since I was her age (I won't give away what happened on day eleven, but you can probably guess). My first introduction to Jane was in the 1985 film called "Lady Jane" which features an incredibly young Helena Bonham Carter as Jane and boyish Cary Elwes as Guilford Dudley, her husband by arranged marriage. The film, while a well-written and spellbinding emotional drama, takes some liberties with history. As I was curious to read a more complete and historically accurate account, I picked up Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir.
Compared to some of shallow romancey novels in "historical fiction" garb (those are ironic finger quotes) I've read recently, Innocent Traitor excels in its portrait of history, not just by putting people, politics and events into the context of the time, but also by working in plenty of vivid quotidian detail: the clothes, the food, the routines, and the (by our modern standards)very cold family interactions of the nobility. And thanks to this book, I can at last speak confidently about the British politics in the aftermath of Henry VIII's death, and can even tell the Duke of Suffolk apart from Northumberland, and how they are all related (or not) to the late king.
I found the story of Jane's life to be inherently interesting, but sometimes took issue with the way she is revealed in the novel. She is a first-person narrator from a very young age, and yet instead of 5 or 7, she sounds 12 or 16. I was intrigued by the complex relationships between Jane, Mary and Elizabeth, but found Jane's arranged marriage to Guilford Dudley comparatively shallow and one-note. She hates him, and he is a jerk. I'm unclear as to how much historians actually know about their relationship, but I admit I prefer the film's more emotionally complex (if completely fiction--I have no idea if it is or not) version of their relationship to the way this novel dismisses Guilford as a one-note villain. In both the film and the novel, Guilford gives Jane a prayerbook as a gift. We may never know what he meant in this gesture, but the fact that it feels so strange and out of character for Guilford in the novel suggests (to me) that there must be more to them than just...cruelty and hate.
This is a slow, dense novel packed with history...and if you like that sort of thing, you'll probably enjoy it. If your attention span doesn't hold for 500 pages (or even if it does) check out the film!
Compared to some of shallow romancey novels in "historical fiction" garb (those are ironic finger quotes) I've read recently, Innocent Traitor excels in its portrait of history, not just by putting people, politics and events into the context of the time, but also by working in plenty of vivid quotidian detail: the clothes, the food, the routines, and the (by our modern standards)very cold family interactions of the nobility. And thanks to this book, I can at last speak confidently about the British politics in the aftermath of Henry VIII's death, and can even tell the Duke of Suffolk apart from Northumberland, and how they are all related (or not) to the late king.
I found the story of Jane's life to be inherently interesting, but sometimes took issue with the way she is revealed in the novel. She is a first-person narrator from a very young age, and yet instead of 5 or 7, she sounds 12 or 16. I was intrigued by the complex relationships between Jane, Mary and Elizabeth, but found Jane's arranged marriage to Guilford Dudley comparatively shallow and one-note. She hates him, and he is a jerk. I'm unclear as to how much historians actually know about their relationship, but I admit I prefer the film's more emotionally complex (if completely fiction--I have no idea if it is or not) version of their relationship to the way this novel dismisses Guilford as a one-note villain. In both the film and the novel, Guilford gives Jane a prayerbook as a gift. We may never know what he meant in this gesture, but the fact that it feels so strange and out of character for Guilford in the novel suggests (to me) that there must be more to them than just...cruelty and hate.
This is a slow, dense novel packed with history...and if you like that sort of thing, you'll probably enjoy it. If your attention span doesn't hold for 500 pages (or even if it does) check out the film!