It’s a royalty themed set of reviews this week. Recently, I have been reading more and more Historical Fiction novels that mostly deal with some of the great European Monarchies. I started reading this genre more often based on recommendations from two of best friends who I worked at the bookstore with. Historical Fiction can be a tricky subject not only to write, but also to read. You have to balance the true, historical side of the book, while still making it entertaining and not straying into complete fiction territory. The two authors of this weeks book, Alison Weir and C.W. Gortner, are two of the best writers when it comes to the Historical Fiction genre. Weir in particular, has set a high bar when it comes to the genre particularly with regards to the Tudor Era in British history. And these two books are a stark contrast between the two people they are about. One, was hated by her subjects and died a pretty horrific death, while the other was beloved by her subjects and was a model queen. And with the intro out-of-the-way, it’s onto the reviews.
Book two in Alison Weir’s excellent Is Tudor Queens series is not only an excellent read, but it also attempts to shine new light on a figure mostly seeing the negative light. From little Tudor history I know, I always thought of Anne Boleyn as someone who was with every single man she could find and as someone who stole King Henry VIII from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. This book however, really shines some light on who Anne Boleyn really was and really changed my opinion about her.
As with her book on Katherine of Aragon, this book is beautiful written and really does capture the spirit of the times. The book starts well before Anne becomes Queen and it really does show how she evolved as a person and how her experiences in other courts shaped the person she was to become. For me, that’s the most interesting part of this book. From the start of the book to the time Anne’s relationship starts with Henry is the most interesting part that really shows who Anne really was.
Anne resisted Henry’s advances for so long which is a stark contrast to what I have always thought of Anne. She was bright, intelligent, fiercely driven and not at all what the history books tell us. And for me, that is the main takeaway of this book. In these first two books, Weir has attempted to shine new light on the wives on Henry VIII and she does a superb job of it. My opinion of Anne Boleyn has changed dramatically because of this book. I don’t look at her in the negative light that history portrays her as. But instead she needs to be seen as a driven and very intelligent woman who had circumstances beyond her control thrust upon her.
Overall, this was truly an outstanding book. Weir once again delivers with superb writing, excellent story telling and a fascinating portrayal of a fascinating individual. It is a thought-provoking book and really changes our understanding of Anne Boleyn.
Verdict- 5 stars. A truly fabulous read from a fantastic author. Highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of Tudor England. Can not wait to read the third one.
We move on from a Tudor England queen who was not well liked by her people, to an Tsarina who was well-loved by her people. This is a subject that I know almost nothing about this subject, but I was super interested in this book when I first found out about it. And boy am I glad I picked it up. This book was OUTSTANDING. I can not praise this book enough. It is easily a top 10 book for me and the more I think about it, the closer it inches towards top 5 territory.
Tsarina Maria Feodorovna is truly as fascinating figure and one that hardly anybody knows. She was Danish princess who was originally going to marry the first son of Tsar Nicholas II. However, once he died, she married the second son. And that is where her story starts getting interesting. She was fiercely loyal woman, incredibly intelligent and not afraid to get involved in politics. She advocated for political reforms, was involved in politics not only when her husband was the Tsar, but also when her son ascended to the throne.
Not only was she heavily involved in politics, but she was active on the social scene and more importantly, served as head of the Red Cross in St. Petersburg. Her charitable work endeared her to her people. And when the revolution occurred, she stood her ground in her home country until she was forced out of the country. She was devoted to her family, helped shaped the landscape of Europe and one of the giants of the European Monarchy stage. She witnessed first hand so much historians yet she is person that is forgotten by history.
For me that’s the big takeaway from this book. A well-loved, outstanding but forgotten historical figure. The story telling was phenomenal, the writing was beautiful and free-flowing and the first person narration of Maria is so well done. I have so many good things to say about this book. I quickly became one of my favorites and one that I can not recommend this enough.
Verdict- 5 Stars. This is one of the easiest 5 star reviews I will ever give out. This book is truly a masterpiece. Can’t recommend it enough.
The Reader's Corner 