BR: The Lady Elizabeth

The Lady Elizabeth

by Alison Weir

In The Lady Elizabeth Alison Weir explores the early life of Elizabeth Tudor as she grows up from beloved princess and after the execution of her mother by her father, The Lady Elizabeth.  As a young girl she endures four stepmothers, her declaration as a bastard and emerged battered but not broken.  Life had given Elizabeth a deep strength that would later become her most formidable asset. 

Weir follows Elizabeth through her guardianship under the Dowager Queen Katherine though her brief exposure to a semblance of family life is shattered with Katherine’s marriage to Thomas Seymour who pursued the young and impressionable Elizabeth relentlessly until they were caught in an uncompromising embrace and Elizabeth was sent away from Katherine forever.  Weir gives her reader into Elizabeth’s thoughts and fears during these early formative years.  However, I could not believe that Alison Weir, the author of respectable non-fiction on Elizabeth, included the pregnancy tale in the novel!  I understand that this is a work of fiction and Weir is free to pursue whatever insane plotline she chooses, but really why lend her name to this ridiculous rumor that Elizabeth gave birth to Thomas Seymour’s child, assisted in labor by a blindfolded midwife.  I think we can all agree this was an attack on Elizabeth’s character by anti-Protestant factions and nothing more.  

Why would Weir, a respected author and historian, include such an outlandish rumor in her fiction?  Perhaps it was an effort to explain Elizabeth’s refusal to marry?  If Weir felt compelled to find a definitive event in the life of Elizabeth to explain her refusal to have no master there are other events that are equally as plausible as explanations.  I cannot think of a reason why Weir included this unsubstantiated rumor, and thereby added some credibility to it, and sadly throughout the remainder of the novel I was distracted with trying to find a reason for Weir inclusion of this far from historical fact, one that is damaging to the reputation of her subject, in her novel.  I could not think of one and sadly was distracted for the remainder of Weir’s account.

As one would expect Weir’s prose was well written and flowed well.  I thought that the stand out account was the description of Elizabeth’s time in the Tower during the reign of her sister Mary.  Her fear was palpable and Weir effectively communicated the enormous effect this imprisonment had on the Elizabeth.  I felt that Weir did an excellent job in describing Elizabeth’s torment as she lived under fear of execution within the same walls where her mother met that same fate and lay buried in an arrow quest.  One can only imagine how, with her own mother’s death as an example, how Elizabeth must have felt so very close to death herself. 

So while I would recommend The Lady Elizabeth as a well-written fictional account of the life of a remarkable woman I hesitate to do so without reservations.  While I respect the creative license that fiction affords I feel that Weir, a respected historian and writer of non-fiction, owes her own reputation more than a sensational account for the masses.  

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #25
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #21

BR: Her Mother's Daughter: A Novel of Mary Tudor

Her Mother's Daughter: A Novel of Mary Tudor

by Julianne Lee

Mary Tudor, the only surviving child of the union of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, was born into royal splendor but life soon taught her that nothing lasts forever.  She was truly her mother’s daughter, clinging to the Catholic faith they shared while at the same time this very devotion separated them when they needed the comfort of the other the most.  Mary has been vilified by history; “Bloody Mary” really says it all.  Personally, I have never cared for the woman I have come to know through the historical study of the period, but I have always admired her mother, for her strength and determination and wanted to give Mary another look. 

After the separation and divorce of her parents Mary is set aside and called to serve upon her baby half sister, now the Princess she once was.  I can imagine this insult was not only cruel and hurtful but most likely destroyed what little self-confidence she might have had left.  From the time of her separation from her mother until her death Mary knows little true affection from any other human soul. 

Lee successfully humanizes Mary and softens the edges of her devout religious fanaticism.  Lee portrays an unhappy woman who feels divinely placed to restore the True Faith to England.  Sadly, the reforms become brutal as they are resisted and Mary zealously initiates public burnings of Reformist heresy.  Mary it seems is so rigid in nature that to her rebellion should only be met with greater force; she is unable to see the connection between extreme reform which is only successful under threat and fear of death as an obstacle to peace and stability in her realm.  Mary is just unable to do things any other way. 

A lonely woman, Mary yearns for marriage, and not until her late thirties is she wed to Phillip II of Spain.  Mary is enchanted with Phillip and she does not seem to recognize that the marriage is unpopular and the groom miserable.  Truly, who could not feel for Mary as she suffers two phantom pregnancies and then is abandoned by her husband?  Lee guides the reader through Mary’s life rich with disappointment and almost devoid of true friendship or love.  Mary’s legacy was never realized; rather her vision to return England to Rome was most likely the final nail in the coffin of Catholicism in England.  Her legacy is a somber one, an English queen who sacrificed her people to her God.

I enjoyed Julianne Lee’s account and would recommend it to other readers who, like I, are interested in a more sympathetic account of Queen Mary I.  

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #23
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #19

40 years on and still holding its own...

The Concubine

by Norah Lofts

The Concubine was published in 1963.  The reader must remember that as they read Lofts’ novel; feminism was in its infancy, and women were still struggling to break free from the 1950’s era gender role ideals and the sexual revolution had yet to occur.  Lofts does however successfully portray Anne as a woman, a mother, a wife, a sister; wholly human.  She is not the champion of the Reformation nor is she the strong educated and opinionated woman that many now consider her. Perhaps in the end Lofts, by staying in the middle ground, has provided a more accurate account of Anne Boleyn as she really was.   Like all women she possessed good and bad qualities, showed extreme kindness and loyalty and made her share of mistakes.

Lofts’ novel takes the reader through Anne’s life from her first taste of love with Henry Percy through her relationship with Henry, her coronation and ultimately her execution.  Henry Percy and Anne’s relationship with him is a central theme for Loft.  It is this relationship and the disappointment of its demise that are Anne’s motivator throughout the novel.  This reader enjoyed the depiction of Henry Percy, not as a weak drunken man who betrayed Anne, but as a tortured soul – a more accurate representation in my mind.  However, the use of the relationship as the driving force of Anne’s life took away her strength and power that so many admire.  I attribute this to the time the novel was written and therefore do not criticize Lofts’ account because of it.  In fact, I found Loft’s notion that Anne, who had blamed Wolsey entirely for the demise of the blossoming courtship until the days before her execution when she realized that King Henry was the motivating force and therefore in her quest for revenge on Wolsey she had miscalculated and underestimated Henry and in for this she paid the ultimate cost of her life itself. 

As a historian I question Lofts’ use of Anne’s stepmother so centrally to her account.  History suggests that Anne’s mother was alive throughout her daughter’s life; dying after her children’s execution.  Additionally, I didn’t like the interjection of the “dose” of poppy syrup that was liberally administered to Anne by her maid, Emma Arnett.  Again, especially at the time of her execution when Anne showed such dignity and courage, Lofts’ account robs Anne of her strength by attributing her courage to poppy syrup. 

Ultimately this reader would recommend The Concubine.  Norah Lofts is a talented writer and her account is rich with humanity.  Do not expect to find the Anne as we think of her today, rather put that aside and enjoy the novel for itself.  I believe that most readers will enjoy the account.  Ultimately, my love of historical fiction is a quest of exploration.  I read to reconsider long held opinions and to have new theories brought to mind.  In this way good historical fiction should make the reader think and consider other possibilities and explanations and ultimately move the reader to research and investigate the ideas put forth.  The Concubine, though published forty years ago, successfully interjects new possibilities into the study of the reign of Henry VIII and for this reason alone it should find its way to your reading list.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #18
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #16

A look at the court of Henry VIII through the eyes of Mary Howard

Secrets of the Tudor Court

by D. L. Bogdan

Secrets of the Tudor Court is told from the perspective of Mary Howard, a marginal but well-connected woman in Tudor England.  Mary was not only the daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, married to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, was in service as a lady in waiting to five of Henry VIII’s queens (Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr), but was cousin to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard and daughter-in-law to none other than the King himself.  It is her father, Thomas Howard, cunning and cruel, who has the greatest impact on her life.  Indeed much of the story involves the relationship of father and daughter and the impact this relationship has on Mary’s sense of self.

Overall, I found Bogdan’s account engaging, but I did find it a tedious read until the mid point of the story.  Perhaps this was because I didn't really warm to Bogdan’s Mary initially.  I found her lacking in so many qualities and so desperate to please everyone, but especially her father, who is depicted as nothing short of a tyrant.  I did find the relationship that Mary developed with Anne as well as the esteem in which she held her cousin endearing, but it wasn't until the midpoint of the novel that Mary, as well as her father Norfolk, were developed fully and the reader able to get some insight into the motivations for their actions.  This is my main criticism. 

Mary herself is a treasure.  She is a poet and musician and a supporter of the New Faith.  She is intelligent and a seeker of knowledge.  Despite this the overriding theme for Mary in Secrets of the Tudor Court is the desperate yearning for the love of her father.  Even after she witnesses her father’s duplicity in the rise and fall of two cousins she never wavers in her quest for his love.  Despite the example of her cousin, Anne Boleyn, Mary seems resigned to be a pawn for the use of men.  Truly, she is an empty sad woman for most of the first half of the novel.

It isn’t until the imprisonment of her father and the imprisonment and execution of her brother, Henry Howard, Earl of Suffolk, that Mary begins to be able to fully mature.  After receiving her brother’s children as wards Mary sees a purpose for her life beyond her father’s wishes.  She begins to realize that she has some control over her own destiny, but also wishes to nurture, support and love the children in her care.  Only at this point, for this reader, does Mary become engaging and dynamic as a character and the novel becomes a page-turner from this point until the last

However, I must applaud D.L. Bogdan, as Secrets of the Tudor Court is her debut novel and the small criticism I've made is certainly a honed skill.  I certainly was glad I read the account and must admit I read the last 200 pages in one sitting.  Bogdan also, through the use of Mary Howard as protagonist, gives the reader some insight into the plausible motivations and mindset of the influential but elusive Duke of Norfolk.

 This review qualifies for the following challenges:

Historical Fiction Book Review #15

Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #13

A look at the forces that shaped young Anne Boleyn...

Mademoiselle Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

Mademoiselle Boleyn is Robin Maxwell’s follow up to her debut novel, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn.  Once again, Maxwell gives the reader an innovative, imaginative while plausible account of Anne Boleyn’s youth during her service at the French court.  It was refreshing to delve into this period of Anne’s life that has been mostly overlooked.  Certainly these were Anne’s, like most young girl’s, formative years and I believe that Anne’s personality was greatly shaped by her time in France.  Also refreshingly Maxwell gives us a warmer relationship between Anne and her sister Mary.  It has always perplexed me as to why these two women are cast as bitter rivals.  Quite possibly, despite the enormous differences in their personalities, these two women found common ground as sisters and I think most would concur that Anne learned a valuable lesson from Mary, the importance of maintaining one’s virtue in a world controlled by men; indeed it seemed to be one of the few things that women could try to preserve.  Maxwell also offers a different interpretation of Mary, not the sensual and promiscuous mistress to kings and courtiers, but a girl forced by own her father into seducing and bedding Francois I, to further his interests.  Mary is then further humiliated when Francois offers her to his friend’s for their enjoyment.

While Mary is drawn in by the trappings of being a royal mistress and perhaps feels compensated by the gifts as well as the attention she receives at court.  It is Anne who observes and learns and in time develops her own views on the world.  Anne is deeply impacted by her relationship with Francois’ sister Marguerite.  Marguerite encouraged Anne to step outside the traditional confines of woman and Catholic and to learn but more importantly interpret the world independently.  Indeed, one could assume that Marguerite’s freedom to explore the ideas of the Reformation greatly impacted Anne as did Marguerite’s ability to defy the retrains placed on women and very much led her own life.  In Marguerite, Anne had a wonderful and influential example of independence and freethinking, which certainly she nurtured for herself as she grew into a woman. Maxwell does insert a purely fictional relationship between Anne and Leonardo da Vinci.  Nevertheless, I found the relationship comforting knowing that Anne who most certainly lacked for a loving and nurturing paternal figure and at least had this important influence in fiction at least.

Mademoiselle Boleyn is another wonderful and innovative look at Anne Boleyn from Robin Maxwell.  While it completely stands alone from The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn it is just as wonderfully crafted and imaginative.  I found that Maxwell’s fictional account of the formation of Anne Boleyn’s character to be not only enjoyable to read but historically plausible.  If you are a fan of Anne’s strength, fearlessness, intelligence and allure then Mademoiselle Boleyn will not disappoint.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #13
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #11