‘The Tudors by Numbers: The Stories and Statistics Behind England’s Most Infamous Royal Dynasty’ by Carol Ann Lloyd

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction – History

Published: 2023

Format: Hardback

Rating: ★★★★★

I absolutely loved this fresh new look on the Tudors. So much has been written about them as a dynasty and this is a new look through the numbers, like the fact that only 1 Tudor monarch left a diary, there were 7 Tudor coronations, and 42% of the Tudor dynasty was ruled by a Queen.

These facts and many others are explored by Carol Ann Lloyd in this new book. It’s well-written and researched, going back to the primary sources, and discussing different historian’s views. It’s divided down within each chapter into different sections discussing different numbers from the dynasty.

The biography is really well managed and very comprehensive, and the index is also well done and comprehensive. Images are people-focused with a few other ones thrown in. The only thing I can think of to criticise, and it’s not really a criticism but possibly a thought for a future follow-up book, is that it’s focused very much on the monarchs. It would be nice to find out more numbers about the people – like the number of people involved in rebellions, the numbers of priest holes in houses, or the numbers of people working as goldsmiths or blacksmiths.

It’s a really enjoyable book and a great addition to any Tudor lover’s bookshelves. There certainly is always some kind of new perspective or something new to learn about the Tudors, especially given how many new discoveries are still being made!

‘Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown’ by Alison Weir

Genre: Adult Fiction – Historical

Published: 2023

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

Thanks to Headline Publishing for sending me a copy for review.

An interesting addition for sure to the Six Wives series. Hearing the stories told in more detail by the six wives now told by Henry VIII was interesting. Weir presents a view of Henry where he is attempting what is probably an impossible task by the end of the novel – to balance the conservative faction against the reformers in preparation for the minority rule of his son.

However, the book started incredibly slowly, and it took ages to get into the story. Too long, perhaps spent on the reign of Katherine of Aragon and then Anne Boleyn, and less time on Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. The last 3 wives were covered in about 100 pages of the 600 pages in the book. The pace could have been better balanced had the years of Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon been condensed a little, and more space was given to Katherine Parr who had quite an eventful reign.

It was a very positive part that Alison Weir made use of so many primary sources and confirmed speeches from letters and such like. She always seems to do her research and make use of the surviving sources in her novels as well as her non-fiction works, which is a definite positive in her writing, though she sometimes takes a few too many liberties I feel in her novels, probably for the sake of drama. This was an interesting take on Henry VIII, though, and how he might have been feeling at various points.

Often this reads more like a biography which perhaps is why sometimes the novel seems to get stuck. There are so many characters that unless you were familiar with the period, it would be easy to get confused. But towards the end the novel becomes a very engaging and fast-paced read.

‘Kindred Spirits: Ephemera’ by Jennifer C. Wilson

Genre: Adult Fiction – Historical

Published: 2020

Format: E-Book

Rating: ★★★★

“The afterlife is alive with possibility”

I have loved Jennifer Wilson’s writing since I discovered her books while working at my local library. When I found out that this was a collection of short stories, I was a little disappointed – I really wanted a story set at Windsor Castle with Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville and Henry VIII, but hopefully that will come in the future.

There are characters both old and new including Richard III, John of Gaunt, and Charles Brandon. The variation of characters from so many different periods is one of the things that I love about this series, and this short story collection is brilliant in that respect.  It was interesting to see how the different personalities interacted, particularly the likes of Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, who hadn’t seen each other since Katherine left court in 1531, as well as Edward IV and Richard III, who hadn’t seen each other since Edward IV died in 1483.

Locations include York, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, and St Paul’s Cathedral. There are so many important historical locations in Britain, and what I really liked about this collection was that we got to visit so many of them.

My favourite story in the collection is the one at Hampton Court where the six wives of Henry VIII get together. I really wanted the story to be longer actually, but I don’t think it would have been as good had it been longer. It was brilliantly done the way it was. There is a great cliff-hanger at the end, which I really hope lays the foundation for the next book in the series.

Also published on my sister blog https://tudorblogger.wordpress.com/

On This Day – 8 May – Publication of ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ by Hilary Mantel

8 May 2012

Publication of ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ by Hilary Mantel

BACKGROUND

‘Bring Up the Bodies’ is the second in a trilogy by Hilary Mantel exploring the life of Thomas Cromwell, the first in the series being Wolf Hall. The third book in the series – ‘The Mirror and the Light’ is expected to be published in 2019. The book won Hilary Mantel her second Man Booker Prize in 2012 (the first being for ‘Wolf Hall’) as well as the Costa Book of the Year prize in 2012. It was also short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2013.

SYNOPSIS

By 1535 Thomas Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn, the king’s new wife. But Anne has failed to give the king an heir, and Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days. An astounding literary accomplishment, Bring Up the Bodies is the story of this most terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists. [From Waterstones]

ADAPTATIONS

The book was part of an adaptation to the screen of this book and its predecessor, ‘Wolf Hall’. Thomas Cromwell was played by Mark Rylance with Damien Lewis as Henry VIII and Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn. Other stars included Jessica Raine (Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Rafe Sadler), Mark Gatiss (Stephen Gardiner) and Anton Lesser (Thomas More).

In 2013 the Royal Shakespeare Company put on a production of ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ as part of its winter season in Stratford-upon-Avon. It starred Ben Miles, Lucy Briers, Paul Jesson and Nathaniel Parker.

Discussion Questions – ‘Jane Seymour: the Haunted Queen’ by Alison Weir

1) As Alison Weir says in her author’s note, Jane Seymour remains an enigma. Yet writing a fictional account of her life, while based on deep research, allows a certain freedom as she chooses how to portray Jane’s choices and actions, and her interactions with other historical figures. Do you agree with the Jane Seymour that Alison has created, and did you find her different from the character shown in other fictional interpretations? Do you like her? 

• I quite like the Jane Seymour that Weir has created as it is a very different portrayal from the usually meek and mild Jane that we see in general. 
• I don’t think that Jane could have been as meek and mild as she is usually portrayed as it would have required some strength to marry a man who had his previous wife executed. 
• I do quite like Weir’s Jane – I generally find other fictional interpretations quite boring and bland, so this one was a pleasant change, and it seemed to work for me as well which I wasn’t expecting. 
• I thought Jane showed a strength of character, but was also the kind and gentle person that history accepts Jane was, without making her dull and boring, it’s very clever. 

2) The Haunted Queen opens on a wedding celebration as two prosperous families unite. How is this need for advantageous alliance echoed throughout the novel? As a child, Jane feels safe and content with her loving family and apparently happily matched parents. Do you think this is what Jane strives to reproduce when encouraging Henry to reconcile with his elder daughter? How much do you think her father’s betrayal of the Seymour family affects her own choices? 

• In Tudor England marriages, especially within the nobility and royal families, were largely decided by how advantageous they were in terms of wealth, titles, and connections, so this wasn’t unusual. The Seymour family had connections with many of the great families of England through marriages. 
• I think that Jane coming from such a large family, and having had a seemingly happy childhood does play a role in her wanting Henry to reconnect with his eldest daughter. However, I think that Jane’s religious beliefs also play a part, as I think she sees Mary as the rightful heir over Elizabeth. 
• I think that Jane was completely shocked by her father’s actions, especially the fact that his betrayal was with his daughter-in-law. I think Jane and her siblings saw that their family wasn’t as perfect and happy as they had thought, and Jane wanted to recreate that happy feeling she used to have. 

‘Fatal Throne’ by Candace Fleming

He was King Henry VIII, a charismatic and extravagant ruler obsessed with both his power as king and with siring a male heir. They were his queens–six ill-fated women, each bound for divorce, or beheading, or death. Watch spellbound as each of Henry’s wives attempts to survive their un-predictable king and his power-hungry court. See the sword flash as fiery Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery. Follow Jane Seymour as she rises from bullied court maiden to beloved queen, only to die after giving birth. Feel Catherine Howard’s terror as old lovers resurface and whisper vicious rumours to Henry’s influential advisors. Experience the heartache of mothers as they lose son after son, heir after heir. Told in stirring first-person accounts, Fatal Throne is at once provocative and heart-breaking, an epic tale that is also an intimate look at the royalty of the most perilous times in English history. [Description from Amazon UK]

Co-written by several authors – Candace Fleming, M.T. Anderson, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park, and Deborah Hopkinson – and received as a Christmas present.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened this book as, when I have previously read novels co-written with different authors, there is sometimes a jarring effect where the different voices don’t go together and it doesn’t sound like the same story, but that didn’t happen here. I actually really enjoyed it, and I thought that the emotions of each woman in particular came across very strongly, and gave the story an emotional centre – these were real women who got involved with one of the most notorious of British monarchs, Henry VIII.

I did wonder whether, because the book was quite short to be covering the lives of six women who had quite full lives it might be a bit sparse, but the authors were very clever in the way that they covered the events of the period – it was only revealed what each individual woman would have known, and not what was going on more generally, because it was written from the point of view of each of the women.

What did let the book down for me slightly was, perhaps because I know the stories of these women so well, there were sections of their lives that I was hoping to see that didn’t make the cut, and little details that added to the story but that didn’t quite ring true. However, generally it was a very enjoyable story, and well-handled. I particularly enjoyed the section told from the point of view of Anne of Cleves, as I think she is often overlooked as she was only queen for 6 months, and replaced by a younger woman.

I liked the fact that, between each wife we get a short section from the viewpoint of Henry VIII, and it’s clever how much manages to come across in that short section to contrast with the views of the women. I also liked the final page from the point of view of Elizabeth I as she was really Henry VIII’s success story, though he considered her his biggest disappointment.

This is also published on my other blog https://tudorblogger.wordpress.com/.