Author: Alison Weir
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 528
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: The New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the dramatic and poignant life of King Henry VIII’s daughter—infamously known as Bloody Mary—who ruled England for five violent years.
Born from young King Henry’s first marriage, his elder daughter, Princess Mary, is raised to be queen once it becomes clear that her mother, Katherine of Aragon, will bear no more children. However, Henry’s passion for Anne Boleyn has a devastating influence on the young princess’s future when, determined to sire a male heir, he marries Anne, has his marriage to Katherine declared unlawful, brands Mary illegitimate, and banishes them both from the royal court. But when Anne too fails to produce a son, she is beheaded and Mary is allowed to return to court as the default heir. At age twenty, she waits in vain for her own marriage and children, but who will marry her, bastard that she is?
Yet Mary eventually triumphs and becomes queen, after first deposing a seventeen-year-old usurper, Lady Jane Grey, and ordering her beheading. Any hopes that Mary, as the first female queen regent of England, will show religious toleration are dashed when she embarks on a ruthless campaign to force Catholicism on the English by burning hundreds of Protestants at the stake. But while her brutality will forever earn her the name Bloody Mary, at heart she is an insecure and vulnerable woman, her character forged by the unhappiness of her early years.
In Alison Weir’s masterful novel, the drama of Mary I’s life and five-year reign—from her abusive childhood, marriage, and mysterious pregnancies to the cruelty that marks her legacy—comes to vivid life.
My Review: Mary Tudor was known as the first female sovereign of England. Yet, her reign has mostly been a controversial reign which left Mary with a negative reputation. Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Because her father is disappointed that Mary is not a boy, he is determined to marry Anne Boleyn and get a son. Mary is upset about her father’s remarriage and stubbornly refuses to acknowledge Anne Boleyn as the new queen. She also refuses to acknowledge that Elizabeth is her half-sister. Through many sorrows, Mary eventually becomes queen of England. However, her reign is not as glorious as she had hoped.
Mary I is a sympathetic heroine. She had to deal with her parents’ divorce which had a lasting negative impact on her. She had to struggle being called illegitimate. It was not until almost the end of her father’s reign that she was finally restored to the succession. Yet her brother, King Edward VI, refused to acknowledge her as his heir because she was a Catholic and illegitimately gave it to Lady Jane Grey because she was a Protestant. This caused Mary to fight for the throne. However, Mary I was not a good ruler. She burnt hundreds of Protestants. She had a disastrous marriage with Phillip II of Spain which caused England to enter into war and lose Calais. Therefore, I thought that Mrs. Weir did an excellent job in portraying her as a tragic ruler who kept making many mistakes in her reign.
Overall, I thought this novel was an in-depth psychological evaluation into one of England’s most controversial female rulers. I like how Mrs. Weir portrayed all the characters and they seemed to be accurate to their historical counterparts. I also thought that this novel was very rich in detail and that it was meticulously researched. There were parts of this book that seemed repetitive and drawn out at times. Nevertheless, it was a very entertaining and gorgeous novel by Alison Weir that readers will love! I recommend this for fans of Jean Plaidy, Phillippa Gregory, and Carolly Erickson!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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