Things that make you go hmm.....
E-Online has the video up for Showtime's "The Tudors", I know some may be interested in it.. I just might buckle down and watch it myself. Maybe. How about you comment and let me know if it's worth my time? I just cannot seem to forget the fact that it is probably all hogwash, but maybe someday I'll loosen up and value it for its' entertainment purposes.
Such as, (from E Online:)According to Jonathan, who plays the megalomaniac Henry VIII, "[There is] a lot more killing and a couple of more wives; a couple of people from court get skewered, and Henry goes into mourning."

And the link goes to the full 53 minute premiere that starts April 5. Hey that's my son's second birthday.. ah, I digress.. again...

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b104861_watch_season_premiere_of_tudors_right.html

"After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England" by Leanda De Lisle ISBN: 0345450450 Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 31, 2006)

Leanda De Lisle brings the reader to the time of Elizabeth's reign where all of her countrymen were wondering, "What happens, after Elizabeth?" in her debut book. Elizabeth was the daughter of the controversial Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, famous for having six wives. Henry declared Elizabeth illegitimate during his reign, through and Act of Parliament no less, which undoubtedly gave Elizabeth a complex. Once Elizabeth gained her throne, she ruled for 44 years; which was 44 years of wondering who would rule after Elizabeth. Normally these things would naturally work themselves out, through marriage and procreation. Yet, Elizabeth refused to marry, thus earning the nickname "The Virgin Queen", which put a damper on the possibilities of offspring. And Elizabeth effectively eliminated most of the other contenders of the throne who had some royal lineage; she scoped out the plotters to her throne and made sure she was quite secure throughout those 44 years with the help of her Cecil's. Leanda De Lisle explains the rival factions, the religious difficulties, and the summaries of the people who would be in line to the throne with just enough information to offer the reader a sense of the later years of Elizabeth's reign. The first half of the book comprises of the author touching on all of these aspects, which to a Tudor fan is nothing new. But she writes it effortlessly, attempting to not bog down the reader down with mountains of hard to follow facts. Oh, there are plenty of facts and a lot of information here but it fortunately does not read like a textbook. Some of the names come and go, which as always, the titles of the nobility can get cumbersome to follow. Who was Lord Cobham? I had to look that up since he came back a few times. (I really wish these types of books would have a chart other than the genealogy charts that would say, 'Northumberland' is 'this person(real name)' so I can gather relationships easier.)

Leanda then moves on to James I of Scotland, who does eventually get the crown of England, quite easily it seems. There is no struggle here until England realizes perhaps having a man to rule is not so great after all. We learn a bit more about James and his personal life, his habits, and his intellect. We get a sense of what Scotland felt to essentially lose their King to England, and how the English felt to get a Scottish King after years of Border Wars and hostility towards one another. The book then details the various plots and the plotters, notably Walter Ralegh, and their effects on England that occurred after James took the throne. The book picks up its pace once getting through the first half and where it picks up after Tudor books have left off.

The criticisms I DO have of the book are that I felt when the author was trying to convey a certain point she was telling a quick synposis of an event, that related to another event, which brought us to another.. I felt I had to keep track of the dates because there was a bit of jumping around in the timeline. This happened a lot and always aggravated me. I wish it were a bit more straightforward.
Also, whereas I found this book to be an engaging read for the most part, most of the information may not be new to the British history buff, and could become a bore if looking for "new" insights especially regarding Elizabeth. The way that the author flings about the names of the effected people, it would be hard to keep up if you have not already read a few other books of the era. The author in no way "goes slow" with us as far as name dropping. And then there were some slow parts, like James' very expensive journey through England to ascend to the throne; the author comprised it of mini-stories weaving in and out.

Upon finishing the book I find myself more interested in doing some followup reading on some of the supporting characters that Leanda De Lisle touched upon. I have read several novels and biographies on Elizabeth and yet still enjoyed Leanda De Lisle's telling of it perhaps because of the enormous amount of details. Because of the differences in laws between Scotland and England, it was interesting to see how James changed things and how England's nobility reacted. I also enjoyed the color pictures, there were some that I had not seen before. This is not a light read, there is a ton of information here, so don't start this unless you are planning on devoting some time to it. This took me about two weeks to read.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars = Good, and Recommended for those interested in just the facts regarding the transition from Elizabeth I to James I, and England's journey to becoming part of the United Kingdom.

Again, Happy St. Paddy's Day to y'all.. :) are you wearing your green? I am! I have traced a line of ancestors to Antrim, Ireland to my 8th Great Grandfather, a Mr. Gershom Lee born in in Ireland in 1690 who later came to New Jersey. So here's to you Grandpa.. (on my mother's mother's side..)
May the luck of the Irish be with you! Here's some Free Book Giveaways I've rounded up!

First off, I am giving away Too Hot to Handle by Robin Kaye right here on my blog. See this post here!

S. Krishna is having a Book Giveaway – The Chocolate Run by Dorothy Koomson (the book is only available in the UK so here's a great chance for USA).

The Novel Bookworm is giving away an ARC of Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime, which gets released April 30, 2009. Giveaway ends March 18th.

Cheryl's Book Nook is having a huge 5 book Giveaway celebrating the African-American. This ends March 27th.


Jenn's Bookshelf is giving away Willing Spirits by Phyllis Schieber, an endearing tale of friendship. Ends March 28th.

Book Critiques is giving away an inspirational book by Kristin Armstrong called
Work in Progress: An Unfinished Woman's Guide to Grace By Kristin Armstrong. Ends March 24th.

A Christian Writer's World is giving away Another Hour to Kill by Anita Higman. Ends March 28th. Interview with the author on the site as well!

Confessions of a Convicted Bibliophile is giving away the new book, Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. Ends March 27th.

Jenn's Bookshelf is giving away Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly. Ends March 28th.

Darlene at Peeking Between the Pages is also giving away Galway Bay with an awesome Gues post up as well; ends March 29th.

For another chance at this great book, try Diary of an Eccentric! She has got a guest post with the author, and some MORE giveaways posted in her sidebar. Ends March 24th.

TeddyRose at So Many Precious Books has another list up of more giveaways there...

Enjoy, Good luck.. Happy Blogging..

~Marie

Publisher: Pocket (February 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416583203

Ok, so I must not get out much.. :) I know THAT already.. but this little video had me so happy.. it is not every day I get to hear those wonderful UK accents.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7942235.stm

Check out this short news video about Elizabeth of York, and the unveiling of a painting at Hever Castle. Features David Starkey also.

"Mistress of the Sun" is the current Giveaway by Amy at Passages to the Past. This is a Historical Fiction novel about Louise de la Vallière, mistress of France's Louis XIV, the Sun King. This ends March 17th.

And Arleigh at Historical-Fiction.com is hosting an awesome ARC giveaway for 6 different but awesome looking HF books. This ends March 21.

And off the beaten path is a contest for a book "Every Sunrise" by Tricia Goyer. This contest is a bit different so head on over and check that out! It's mouth watering!!

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha by Andrea Gunraj-2 copies, ends March 20.

A fun 100th Post Giveaway for several different books for 5 lucky winners at Shelly Burns's blog Write for a Blogger, ends March 17th.

And Cheryl at Cheryl's Book Nook is having more then one contest going on right now, the one I want to win is for the book on Mona Lisa painting, The Crimes of Paris. ENDS MARCH 13th, HURRY!

In my Jane Popincourt post, I had questions about Henry VIII's other mistresses: who were they, and in all reality why didn't he have more?
(Ask and ye shall receive)
Perhaps we shall learn some more about Henry and his mistresses with the upcoming book "The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards" by Philippa Jones. Amazon shows it to be coming in June 2009. I couldn't find out anything else except it seems the author has gone by "Pip Jones" and is of the U.K. Hopefully this one is on schedule..

Also found on Amazon:

Jane Seymour: Henry VIII's True Love by Elizabeth Norton (Hardcover - May 14, 2009) Elizabeth Norton also wrote Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession which is due out this month.
Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIII's Mistress by Josephine Wilkinson (Hardcover - April 14, 2009
1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII by Suzannah Lipscomb (Hardcover - Mar 20, 2009)

and soon to be available in Paperback is
Elizabeth I: Fortune's Bastard by Richard Rex; and author Tracy Borman is scheduled for an Elizabeth I biography titled "Elizabeth's Women", but it is not on Amazon for the US yet. UK release is September 2009.

Review Part Two
(Here are my thoughts from Part One)
Now that I've officially finished "Castile", I wanted to get the quick final review in. I mentioned most of the plot in the earlier post, and it continues with the focus on Isabella and ends when she finally manages to obtain the throne of Castile. As with most books dealing with crowns and disunity, there were several opposing forces at work trying to achieve their own status or prominence via their proximity to the crown, which was the plot for the book. Isabella stays true to herself and her upbringing and does not let others persuade her into an otherwise unhealthy alliance with anyone but her betrothed, Ferdinand. What were interesting were the characters surrounding Isabella, and the myriad of unworthy people prying their way into Isabella's life. She has an unstable mother, a younger brother who is docile and loving, and an older brother who is King of Castile but who is pretty much useless in all ways.

Plaidy stays the course in this novel and is not as gripping as some of her other novels, yet Isabella as a young girl is not all that extraordinary, yet rather pious (her nickname is Isabella the Catholic). The character of Isabella is that of practically a saint, and her main focus is her betrothal and her vision of the alliance of Castile and Aragon. It will be interesting to see how Ferdinand and Isabella strategize for power both in state matters and marriage with the next novel of the trilogy. I'll give this one 3.5 stars.

"Castile for Isabella" by Jean Plaidy
ISBN: 0-330-23830-2 Reprinted in UK June 2008 ISBN: 0-330-23830-2
Book one of the Ferdinand and Isabella Trilogy
(Burton Review, Part One)

Isabella was intriguing to me from my previous reads relating to Catherine of Aragon. Isabella was Catherine's mother, and I also recognized Isabella as the one who supported Christopher Columbus in his discovery of the New World.

Jean Plaidy brings history to life with the novels she writes about Royalty and courtiers. In most of her novels there is not just a main character, there are always many supporting characters with equally absorbing storylines that effect the main plot. I don't think I will ever meet a Plaidy Novel I didn't like. So of course to no one's surprise I would be giving a favorable review. Yet, with many thoughts going round and round my head when I am only halfway through the book, I wanted to get them down here so that #1 I would remember what is intriguing me while reading this, and #2 to avoid another lengthy 'review' post. I would welcome any comments!!

This novel begins the story of a young Isabella, born in 1451 to daughter to King John II of Castile & Isabella of Portugal. She is older sister to Alfonso, who is in his cradle at the opening of this novel. She has a great sisterly love for her older brother Henry IV of Castile, who became King of Castile after John died in 1454. The novel revolves around Isabella and her mother who is mentally unstable; and the court of Henry, with the drama resulting in certain factions and their choice as the proper heir of Castile.
Henry is shown as sexually active yet his wife, Blanche, fails to reproduce. Blanche is sent home and Henry takes a new wife, Joanna. Castile needs an heir! In the novel, Joanna takes matter into her hands and finally gives birth to a daughter. I immediately researched on the internet, is Joanna's daughter, Joanna (Joan, Juana), illegitimate? Interesting topic of course and nothing can be proved.

Another interesting topic is the very sad mention in the book regarding the outcome of Blanche II of Navarre (Blanca), who is said to have been a virgin for the full thirteen years of her marriage to Henry IV. I wonder why that was? Was she ugly? When she was sent home to her family she was imprisoned and poisoned because her family (she was half-sister to Ferdinand!) wanted Navarre. Thus she was succeeded by her sister Eleanor upon the father's passing. In the novel, a messenger from her sister Eleanor comes to Blanche hours before she is poisoned. Blanche's father and stepmother are rumoured to also have poisoned Blanche's brother Carlos (Charles) who was to be the father John II of Aragon's (another John) heir. But the 'evil' stepmother only has needs for her children with John, and she doesn't need any distractions from her husband's children with a previous wife. At the top of the list of importance to John and his wife Juana Enríquez was Ferdinand. I can definitely say that I was upset that Blanche was poisoned. Of course nothing ever comes of it as far as anyone caring about it. And the fact that Carlos had died before her also, and still the King or his wife are not challenged regarding murders.

Isabella and Ferdinand are betrothed early on, and Isabella only has prayers and thoughts for that day they are to be together. She recognizes him as her saviour from a scary life where she can be used as a pawn by rebellious factions of her older brother Henry's court.

More another day; this is pretty much to the point in the book that I've read up to.

I was reading the post by Daphne at Tanzanite's Blog and she mentions that "The Pleasure Palace: Secrets of the Tudor Court" by Kate Emerson is now available on Amazon.

This is the novel of a Jane Popincourt (Popyncourt) who was a slightly promiscuous Frenchwoman who becomes the first mistress of Henry VIII. Apparently she is brought to the English court by Henry VII to be a companion to his daughters Margaret and Mary. (I had read she was a tutor on Wikipedia?)
The summary says she was brought as a ward to the English court for safety from France following the death of King Charles. I find it interesting that Henry VIII, a man touted as frivolous and perhaps not the best reputation, only had a few mistresses. So here is the story of one of them. The second mistress was Bessie Blount who gave Henry his sought after son he had wanted from Catherine of Aragon for so long. Another famous mistress was Anne Boleyn, his second Queen, then Jane Seymour became his third Queen. (Were there any more mistresses? Mary Boleyn of course, before Anne..)

With this novel, here is the story of a vivacious Jane Popincourt where she falls in love with a French prisoner of war and her perilous path to happiness in an unruly English court. There are rumors of murder, affairs, and many court celebrations.

There is an Interview here with the author Kate Emerson and she gives some insights as to the influences she drew on while writing the book, as there is some confusion about Jane's origin and there is not much know about her. For instance, was she French or Flemish? What exactly was the family tie that put her in the position to be a ward of King Henry VII? Kate says that this novel is as true to history as she could make it, and of course adding her little spin to make it into a novel and to bring together gaps in history.

Of more interest, Kate Emerson is the pseudonym for non-mystery historicals set in sixteenth-century England of author Kathy Lynn Emerson. 'Kate' is writing a second novel in the Secrets of the Tudor Court series, tentatively titled "Between Two Queens" which is from the point of view of another real person, Anne Bassett, who was a maid of honor to five of Henry VIII's queens.
And finally HERE is Kate's website with related links regarding the book. There is also a page with a Who's Who in Tudor Women which is fun to dabble through.
I am looking forward to both of these books.

With so many new releases this year that I am salivating over, and the stack to to-be read books growing, I've decided to compile a list of the books that are Bibliophile List Worthy. There are going to be two lists, of course.

The 'To Be Read and Reviewed' list are books I think I already own (or have been at my library)& REALLY need to get them prioritized to read SOON instead of wandering about aimlessly;

The "Bibliophile Pursuit" list are the ones that I really want for this month. And I do want them all so it is going to be hard to discriminate. I must force myself to read reviews and it is not a 4-Star review or more then I must not allow myself to purchase it (until much later when it's on thriftbooks).
For March's To Be Read and Reviewed List:
Castile for Isabella by Jean Plaidy
Spain for the Sovereigns
Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage (at my local library)
OR
After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle For the Throne of England (I'll have to check my bookshelves, I THINK I've owned this one for a year)

Bibliophile Pursuit for March:
The Spanish Bride: A Novel of Catherine of Aragon (Tudor Women Series) by Laurien Gardner
A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn (Tudor Women Series) by Laurien Gardner
The King's Daughter. A Novel of the First Tudor Queen (Rose of York) by Sandra Worth
Mistress of the Revolution: A Novel by Catherine Delors

Those I have purchased at Amazon a few minutes ago from Amazon; the first two by L. Gardner are bargain price so I couldn't resist. So that's my Purchase quota for the Month. Unless of course there is something awesome at the local used bookstore, like ANYTHING related to the Historical British genre, which is rare. I did once find a Margaret Campbell Barnes "My Lady Anne of Cleves" which is very old. And a week later I ALMOST purchased the new reprint of it! I wish there were a spot on Amazon where it would say THIS IS A REPRINT of a 1971 book..
You can go around in circles with Jean Plaidy's novels as well. Ah, I digress..

"At Court with the Prince of Wales, before WWII darkened a world of glamour and grace."
REVIEW: Palace Circle, by Rebecca Dean

ISBN 13: 9780767930550 ISBN 10: 076793055X

As mentioned in a previous entry, I acquired this book as an advance copy from Carol at The BookReporter. I couldn't wait to delve into this as it is a bit off my recent path of Medieval to Tudor genres. The previews speak of 18 yr. old Delia who marries Viscount Ivor Conisborough just before WWII where she becomes part of Windsor Court. They have two daughters, she has an affair with her husband's best friend, they have to go to Cairo. Essentially they are trading one Palace Circle for another, her husband having a prominent financial advisor position to royalty. Delia and her daughters are torn from loyalties to the British and Egypt who is trying to get out of Britain's grasp. I was hoping it would not be complete chick-lit material but that it would offer a view of the reality of the time period.

The first night I began to read it, I was interested in Delia's story as she gets married, moves from Virginia to England, has kids.. and the story seemed to be written just as fast as that sentence was. As a reader, we like Delia as a person but her character was pretty blah. Not a lot of depth. She has an affair because her husband has an affair. No qualms about it, nothing special. The actual events in the story are, again, a whirlwind but the writing itself flows so easy you are still enjoying the read.

Set against a supposedly magnificent backdrop of World War II in Britain, I was expecting perhaps a bit more 'history', but the war moved along speedily in the beginning with friends and acquaintances going off to fight somewhere and some came back and some didn't. Just as fast as that and pretty much no true emotion.

Just as quick, her husband is transferred to Cairo and Delia's eldest skips a few years to 16 and is enjoying Egypt. That's all in the first 115 pages, which comprised "Part One: Delia; 1911-1930". Part Two is "Petra: 1930-1934". Now we are dealing with young Petra and her social life in Cairo, and who she thinks she loves and why. This is when we are getting pretty annoyed by the shallowness with the main characters. Then there are Parts 3, 4 & 5 focusing more on some of the other characters. This is Phillippa Gregory style and although it gets tiresome when it is done as a narration from characters going back and forth and back again, seperating it into parts works better then the former.

When I read a good Historical Fiction novel, after I put it down I typically go and find a non-fiction book on that time period or a certain event in that time period. From this novel there really isn't anywhere to begin because I was still as confused about it when I finished the book as I was before I picked it up. The people mentioned such as Winston Churchill seemed to just be added for effect. I just didn't have that desire to learn more. I hate to sound so critical of this author's debut, but these are just my opinions of course. And perhaps this is not intended to be a Historical Fiction novel.

The back of the book warns that it has a "fast-paced" plot. But it also said that it was unpredictable and I am not so sure I can agree with that. The premise for the novel was wonderful and made me want to read it; I would have preferred more insights into the various characters, and the reality of their current events which I would have expected to be more crucial. We never truly get the sense of the blurb that is on the cover about WWII darkening her world of glamour and grace. Delia and her daughters always seemed to have anything she wanted being beautiful and rich. Whatever problems came her way did not seem to phase her in the least. There are major personal family difficulties going on which really could have used a lot more interesting dialogue. With the suggested expanded material the author could've made this book into two novels instead. The fact that it doesn't drone on and on about anything doesn't make this book a bore, and the fact that it does indeed move swiftly may enhance it's readability to some. I think there will be some people who prefer more substance, and some others who would just enjoy a good read. If you would like a quick read, this is the book for you. But I must say after getting through all 5 parts of the book I was not thrilled with the ending, which seemed to be a bit abrupt.

Overall, it's not bad, it's not awesome. So I'll give it 3 stars.

I found that a lot of online reviewers give away books! I didn't know this till now.
WOOHOO
I must direct you over to Chery's Book Nook, she is having an AWESOME Contest that ends in March for 5 books in one Giveaway!! Find this Contest Giveaway HERE.

Also check out Book Blogs. There are Forums and Groups to join which get a little confusing but there are GiveAways there.

A couple examples that are currently going: Worducopia for "Rich Like Them"
Wendi Barker's Blog at the Book Corner
Carey's Blog for Among The Mad

As I come across more I'll post them :)

Enjoy!

As I come across a new link I would like to go back to over and over when I get the chance to, I have been putting it in the left column under Link List and if it is a Blog that relates in some way to the Historical Fiction/British History category I have been listing it in the Recommended Blogs list.
The link I found today will do damage to my bank account, but will cause happiness at the same time. Of course this is in regards to books.. The Book Depository is a growing online UK store that Ships FOR FREE FREE FREE to most countries (including the USA). And when that elusive book comes out that I don't want to wait 6 months for it to come out in the USA, order it here!! And when I am looking for that special book that was only printed in the UK, order it here!!
I am excited for the possibilites.. they are endless!
This LINK brings you to the "Historical Fiction" category. In the top right hand corner, change the drop down box to $ American Dollars so you can easily convert to the USA price. FREE SHIPPING FROM THE UK! I spent close to $23.00 in shipping alone when I ordered some of the 1972 era Jean Plaidy paperbacks elsewhere (mumble grumble)...

And since I'm here gushing about random book things, may I just add that at the BookReporter.com there is a newsletter that Carol Fitzgerald puts out weekly with lots of fun information about all sorts of books. She writes a nice commentary along with the goings-on in her massive book world. I requested some more focus on the Historical Fiction category (yes, I'm a glutton) and to appease me she sent me a FREE (love that word) advance copy of "Palace Circle" by Rebecca Dean, due out in USA March 2009, which is 4 days from now. Imagine butterflies, hearts and sparkles swimming around my head, that's how happy that made me! It takes place around WWII and blends fiction and events to create "masterful storytelling." I look forward to beginning that as time permits and seeing what this debut author has to offer.

I read this awesome little snippet of news from the Seattle Times:
"BELLEVUE, Wash. – A man in Washington state made sure a pair of burglars didn't get away with his three flat-screen televisions — he moved their getaway car.Patrick Rosario was in the basement of his Bellevue home on Tuesday when he heard the burglars upstairs.The Seattle Times says the 32-year-old Rosario, who had been laid off from his job as a Washington Mutual manager, called 911 while he sneaked out of the house.He saw a white van sitting in front of his house with the motor running and the keys in the ignition, and he got in and drove it to a friend's house.Police say the burglars left the televisions, a laptop computer and a jewelry box by the door and took off on foot.The sheriff's office said no arrests had been made. "

WOW I love it when the good guys win. But something stuck out. The phrase "while he sneaked out of the house". I really would have thought it was snuck. He snuck out of the house. That sounded right. So I googled sneaked vs. snuck and found another great little snippet that someone more intelligent has already delved into this conundrum.
His article is Here and don't forget your thinking cap. Did we ever do past present and future participles in school in New York? Because if we did I wasn't paying attention.

Long story short, I guess I'll have to strike snuck from my vocabulary and insert sneaked. Yuck.

I am off to find out hanged vs. hung. I am guessing it is hanged because all of my British Historical books are speaking of the hanged people, which again grates on my nerves. But I am sure I am to be corrected that it is indeed hanged. So how come I have hung in my vocabulary too? Was New York schooling so backwards? I wonder what my Texas daughter will be taught. I am going to quiz her tonight and see what her instincts are.

I found this portrait on All Posters.com. It is an interpretation of Mary Queen of Scots, and her son, James VI/I.
This depicts the beauty that has always been described of her. Obviously Mary and James were not together for very long so this scene is just from someones' imagination. Also in my 'Images of Mary' endeavor, I found this collection which was quite interesting at the National Portrait Gallery. I definitely could get lost on that site and have a grand time doing so. I can't put pics here from the NPG unless I pay them. But AllPosters does the custom framing for you and I would love to have a library of my own with wonderful portraits of the people I love to read about! What fun!

"THE OTHER QUEEN" -Another novel on Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. It opens up with Bess of Hardwick (LOVE HER!) narrating and Mary is just being 'sheltered' in England. The first impression when beginning this book is I do not enjoy the switching back and forth between narrators. The author had done this before and I did an internal sigh when I realized it was happening again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets aggravating. It is narrated by Bess, her husband George Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and Mary. Once you are trying to get absorbed in the story, the chapter is finished and it's time for another narrator to catch up.
I disliked this version of the character of Mary, Queen of Scots right away with her sanctimonious attitude and how near her station is to God that she believes herself to be due to the bloodline of royalty in her veins. Which is how the royalty see themselves and how they are expected to be treated, which is fine. But the way she speaks of it is simply bragging and grates on your nerves. In previous novels Mary is portrayed as being more passionate or sensitive. Here we only get a glimpse of Mary believing she should rule both England and Scotland, and that she is eager to participate in plots of her escape. She disguises herself as a sweet and tender woman but narrates the story as a shrewd woman very willing to promote violence in order for her release.

The novel is opening to where Mary is brought from Bolton Castle to Tutbury in 1568. The positive side of the three narrators is of course you get all three point of views, but it just makes for annoying reading at times. It is rare to contemplate George Talbot's true feelings, most books I have read did not really consider his thoughts on the keeping of Mary, other than I always remember him wanting to be paid more for his expenses. Here we see George becoming enamored with Mary, becoming so much so as to be in love with her. He begins as simply believing that she is a Queen and should be restored to her crown in Scotland. But that is not what the Secretary of State, William Cecil, would like. Mary will always be his thorn since he believes Scotland should be under English command. He will stop at nothing to see her ruined, dead, beheaded, etc.

In this version of George, he has fallen in love with Mary. He does not seem to care for the expenses as much as Bess does. Bess realizes that George is besotted with the Queen, but tells us that her property, her estates, her legacy to her children are more important than any man. She is very upset that George could jeopardize their well-being with their own Queen Elizabeth I due to his quiet admiration of Mary. Let the plotting begin.. one after the other...George and his fellow Protestant lords are eager to marry the Catholic Mary to the Duke of Norfolk, and get sons off of her that can rule both Scotland and England. Poor Elizabeth will not choose a man, will not marry, and this is causing an unsettling feeling with the Englishmen, questioning the succession of the crown. The nobles also despise Elizabeth's adviser, Cecil, being that he is a nobody and not with a heritage of nobility behind him such as George Talbot and his friends.

Bess's narration is perhaps the only thing that seems close to reality in this book. She is a headstrong woman who is adamant to preserve her fortune that she has collected due to her wonderful mathematical ability and the fact the three husbands before her have left her something to add to her estates. She seems to have feelings for George, as they have not been married for long when the story opens up. She soon realizes that perhaps he is not as worthy as he could be once he begins to show his puppy love for Mary. He is to go before Queen Elizabeth to see what part he played in letting treasonous letters and plots be brought to Mary. Bess is outraged that everything that she has worked for her whole life and the prosperity of her future is put at risk all because of George. She falls out of love quickly.

As I read this I have had thoughts that most of the events would not be true. The Earl's love for Mary, Mary meeting Anthony Babington when he is 8 years old, the hatred Mary feels for Bess because Bess is jealous.. The letters to Bothwell while he is in a Denmark prison and pretty much everything else that happens in the last half of the book. This becomes annoying so much so that I have to keep telling me this is fiction, please stop worrying about it. I fight the desire to stop reading it. I do not have much left to read, the chapters always begin with the Season and and Year, and I am still on 1571 which is odd since there are another 16 years left to her captivity. So I looked ahead and the rest of the chapters are 1572 with it finally jumping to 1587 and ending there. Imagine I had to read for the full 16+ years of this yuck?! I don't know how the book will end, we can obviously make an educated guess but I will read it to see how it does end just out of morbid curiosity, since whatever it does end with will be such a farce getting there.

For the average person who just wants a good story, perhaps this is the book for them. If you are interested in Mary Queen of Scots and the events truly surrounding her life, then do not even read the book. It would not be worth the time. I was definitely not as eager to continue the story as I was with the fictional Mary Stuart books by Jean Plaidy. Therefore if you are in the mood for the fictionalized historical account Mary Stuart, I would recommend Jean Plaidy's books from the previous posts, and not Phillippa Gregory. This book just seemed like one character's whine to the next.

I now understand the furor caused by Tudor Historians when Gregory's book "The Other Boleyn Girl" was made into a movie. Many were incensed that this movie would be the cause of such a fascination with British History. I must humbly admit that her book is what drew me to my own interest in this era, but at least I knew better to start reading non-fiction so I could get the facts straight. That was a good book for those wanting an introduction to the Henry VIII period. One must then read a few more books to get a true sense of the era. Phillipa's next book is "The White Queen" and I have dutifully deleted that from my wishlist at Amazon.

Back to this review though: DO NOT READ 'THE OTHER QUEEN'! 0 of 5 stars

(note to self: never never pre-order a book without reading reviews!)

A little meandering away from the ordinary review:
I was jumping around Tudor websites today and found a report on a recent Alison Weir event where she discussed Elizabeth I and Henry VIII at the Smithsonian. Alison is a British author of several non-fiction and fiction books. She is not always taken as credible historian and receives a lot of criticism for writing in her non-fiction books phrases such as "maybe" could have" "possibly" and words of that nature that can get aggravating.

However, I will read anything and everything I can get my hands on regarding the Tudors. For Alison Weir's non-fiction I have read "The Wars of the Roses" and "The Princes in the Tower". I have read her fictional "Innocent Traitor" and I will read them all again. I own her (non-fiction) "The Life of Elizabeth I", and (fiction) "The Lady Elizabeth" and plan on reading them soon. Lots of books on my TBR shelf.

I looked on Alison's website and it states for her upcoming book:
Alison's next non-fiction book, "The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn", will be published in the UK on 1st October 2009, and in the USA in December. Alison has just signed contracts with her UK and US publishers for three new novels, one of which will be a sequel to "The Lady Elizabeth"

Fiction: Alison has begun work on her next novel, about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, which is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2010.

(MORE HENRY II!!!! YAY!!!)

Look on Alison's website for more Events she is attending and the full UK and US Book list.

The Murder in The Tower by Jean Plaidy (pseudonym used by Eleanor Hibbert, aka Victoria Holt)
(It's been listed as the first book in the Stuart Saga series, but it seems to stand alone as a James I novel; 1964)
Also reprinted and available as a reissue.
Personal copy
Burton Book Review Rating:

"The drama is played out against the background of the Court of James I."
The dashing Robert Carr is a well-known favorite of King James I. After attracting his attention by falling from a horse in the tiltyard, Robert rises quickly through the ranks. But when the cunning and beautiful Frances Howard comes to court, a very dangerous liaison changes everything. Married against her will while still a child, Frances emerges from that experience a headstrong force of nature—determined to have her own way, no matter what the consequences. Her attempts to rid herself of an unwanted husband, and later to ensnare a lukewarm lover, have led her deep into the world of spell-makers and poisoners. This is a woman to underestimate at great peril. But not until Robert finds himself ensnared in one of Frances’s plots—imprisoned in the Tower of London and accused of murder—does he learn at last what she is truly capable of.

After finishing this first installment of Plaidy's Stuart Saga by Jean Plaidy, I would still love to delve more into the characters that Plaidy described. When you think of a Tudor or Stuart novel, with this title of Murder, one tends to think of Anne Boleyn, or maybe Mary Queen of Scots. This novel is actually concerning the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, who is not the main protagonist of this intriguing novel.
The book is based on the life of Frances Howard, and her loves and wicked ways that she uses to attain all that she desires. She starts out as a passionate young woman and we think we like her, but as she grows and becomes more and more of a selfish evil woman, there is no sympathy for her. I did find sympathy for Robert Carr, the man she fell in love with when she was a married woman.

Robert Carr caught King James' eye when he fell from his horse as a young man, and quickly shot up in the ranks with titles and favoritism from James. He is portrayed as a pretty boy who really didn't deserve the posts he had since he had to have another man, Thomas Overbury, secretly do most of the work for Robert Carr. They called Thomas a scribe. One thing led to another and once Thomas realizes that Robert wants to marry Frances Howard, he is incensed. He has no respect for Frances and happens to know she had visits with unworthy people who dealt with witchcraft. Since Thomas would not back down, Frances and her witchcraft friends decided to take matters into their own hands. Supposedly Robert Carr has no idea what is going on.

Even though this book has James I in it, it was only set within the time period of James I and his family. There was a small story line with Frances and the King's son, Henry, and a bit on the royal family and the royal children but not an incredible amount.

This was a quick read, and I definitely loved the deliciously entertaining Frances Howard and her intense need to fulfill her every whim. Although not an influential person by herself in the era, she caused quite a scandal and led a very interesting life which was a joy to read about. Plaidy fans do not want to miss this one, this was a quick read that stays with you.

If this is the first time coming to read the Mary Stuart Reviews then I would suggest starting a few posts down with the Fotheringay post and then upwards to the recent Captive Queen Post so that you get the chronological order of my musings. It is pretty tough to keep up with me even that way, but it's worth a shot.

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.. Found this photo of 'her' at the Reader's Advisor. One can never tell what is factual but this has got to be the most flattering portrait I have seen of her. The books go on and on about how beautiful she was, and perhaps it was also due to her supposed charismatic nature, so this one does her justice more so than others.

I am about halfway through with Jean Plaidy's "The Captive Queen of Scots".. again, I am enjoying it very much as expected. Jean Plaidy must have been a wonderful woman to know; she has written so many books in the Historical Fiction genre, I wonder if she ever set a book down (or wasn't writing one). Jean Plaidy is a pseudonym for Eleanor Hibbert; her other well-known pseudonym is Victoria Holt which dealt more on the romance side. Born in 1906, Eleanor wrote around 200 novels! I own about 52 of those. My project is to own all of the Historical Series. It will not be easy, as many of these are now only found in the UK and of course these are older titles. As I mentioned in my last post on Fotheringay, that book was slowly disintegrating in my hands. We are fortunate that some are being reprinted in both the UK and USA as the English History Buzz has hit the USA since "The Other Boleyn Girl" movie and "The Tudors" television series.
I have read this author's "My Enemy, The Queen" written under Victoria Holt, and enjoyed it very much as well. It is told in first person by Lettice Knollys, Elizabeth's cousin once-removed. I bring this up because I am now at the part in "The Captive Queen of Scots" where Mary is brought to England's Carlisle and Bolton Castle and is cared for by Sir Francis Knollys (May 1568). Francis is Lettice's father. And Lettice was a wonderful character to read about in "My Enemy the Queen" which dealt with her and Elizabeth's relationship and their mutual love for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leceister. Through Lettice, we enjoy a unique view on Elizabeth I. (Lettice is also in The Virgin's Lover by Phillipa Gregory.) Lettice's fate is entwined with Elizabeth as much as Mary's was.. the Queen of England rules all.
Back to the book "The Captive Queen".. Mary will leave the care of Francis Knollys and go to Tutbury, despite horrible weather. It is at Tutbury that we meet the Earl of Shrewsbury. And guess who he is? He is married to Bess of Hardwick, who I wrote of in earlier posts. Such a fine web I'm weaving and loving every minute of it!!