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A review by sarahcoller
L'innocente by Alison Weir
4.0
Such a tragic life poor, innocent Jane Grey led! I'm still in my introductory days of Tudor history so I did NOT know the ending of the story and was so grieved to know justice was not served.
I've loved everything I've read by Alison Weir and this was no exception. I usually strongly despise stories that are told from many different viewpoints but Weir did this one extremely well. My only complaint is that the voice of the very young Jane is not at all what one would expect from a 4 year old---even a very learned, higher class, 500 year old 4 year old. In fact, it wasn't until she was about 11 that I felt her voice could come near to matching what was probably reality. I can't imagine a scenario that would have better endeared me to her character though---it was just hard to get past this implausibility.
I was very impressed by Jane's strength of character and devotion to her convictions. Her feelings on modesty and the proper way to worship and approach God were very important to her---ultimately leading to her terrible end. While she felt she sometimes compromised them, she honored God in the end by refusing to budge.
I was also intrigued by what supposedly happened to the young King Edward after his death. Upon further research, it seems most scholars believe this to be a myth. However, Weir's account is very plausible and she makes a note and case for sufficient evidence in her afterward---so who knows?
I learned a lot about Tudor history, England, religious customs, and more by reading this novel. Such an excellent story!
I've loved everything I've read by Alison Weir and this was no exception. I usually strongly despise stories that are told from many different viewpoints but Weir did this one extremely well. My only complaint is that the voice of the very young Jane is not at all what one would expect from a 4 year old---even a very learned, higher class, 500 year old 4 year old. In fact, it wasn't until she was about 11 that I felt her voice could come near to matching what was probably reality. I can't imagine a scenario that would have better endeared me to her character though---it was just hard to get past this implausibility.
I was very impressed by Jane's strength of character and devotion to her convictions. Her feelings on modesty and the proper way to worship and approach God were very important to her---ultimately leading to her terrible end. While she felt she sometimes compromised them, she honored God in the end by refusing to budge.
I was also intrigued by what supposedly happened to the young King Edward after his death. Upon further research, it seems most scholars believe this to be a myth. However, Weir's account is very plausible and she makes a note and case for sufficient evidence in her afterward---so who knows?
I learned a lot about Tudor history, England, religious customs, and more by reading this novel. Such an excellent story!