Skip to main content

The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper by Aimee Fleming: A Book Review

The Female Tudor Scholar and Writer: The Life and Times of Margaret More Roper

Author: Aimee Fleming

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography 

Publisher: Pen & Sword History 

Book Release Date: 2024

Pages: 207

Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: A presentation of Margaret More Roper, an accomplished writer whose life offers insight into Tudor England and the English Reformation. Margaret More Roper may be remembered as the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More, but she was much, much more. Well-educated, loyal, passionately pious, and a skilled writer and translator, Margaret inspired a generation and proved to Tudor England and beyond just how accomplished a woman could be. Her life provides a window into the turbulent times of the English Reformation and life at the court of King Henry VIII. In this biography, Margaret is presented in her own right and given the attention and acknowledgement she so richly deserves.


      My Review: Margaret More Roper is best known as Sir Thomas More’s daughter. This biography shows that Margaret was a scholar. She was a writer and often translated Erasmus’s works. She also helped preserve her father’s works. This biography shows that Margaret More Roper continued her father’s legacy.


         Margaret More Roper was the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More. She was given a humanist education. She was fluent in Greek and Latin. She was knowledgeable in history, philosophy, mathematics, science, and music. Margaret translated Erasmus’s writing. She eventually married William Roper. Margaret was a pious Catholic. Her husband was also a devout Catholic, but briefly he had Protestant leanings. When her father was famously executed by King Henry VIII, Margaret bribed a businessman to keep her father’s head. She also preserved his letters from the Tower of London. She died at thirty-nine, most likely due to pregnancy complications. 


        Overall, this was a concise and comprehensive biography of Margaret More Roper. However, this book clearly shows that there is not a lot of information known about Margaret More Roper. The biography suffers from a lot of speculation of what Margaret More Roper must have done or felt. This biography also focuses more on Sir Thomas More than Margaret More Roper. Therefore, it feels drawn out. I think that this book should have been a short academic history article about Margaret More Roper or a full biography of Sir Thomas More. However, I had never heard of Margaret More Roper before I read this biography. Therefore, this biography does shed light on a little known historical figure in history. I recommend this book for fans of Elizabeth Norton, John Guy, and Nicola Tallis!


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar: A Book Review

Daughter of Rome Author: Tessa Afshar Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Release Date: 2020 Pages: 416 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis : A woman with a devastating secret. A man bent on proving his worth. A chance encounter that catapults them into the heart of history.      When the daughter of a prominent Roman general meets a disinherited Jewish immigrant, neither one can dream of God’s plan to transform them into the most influential couple of the early church. Nor can they anticipate the mountains that will threaten to bury them. Their courtship unwittingly shadowed by murder and betrayal, Priscilla and Aquila slowly work to build a community of believers, while their lives grow increasingly complicated thanks to a shaggy dog, a mysterious runaway, and a ruthless foe desperate for love. But when they’re banished from their home by a capricious emperor, th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blog Tour: A Class Apart and A Class Entwined by Susie Murphy

A Class Apart (A Matter of Class #1) by Susie Murphy Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Susie Murphy Release Date: 2018 Pages: 285 Synopsis: It’s 1828, and Ireland is in turmoil as Irish tenants protest against their upper-class English landlords.     Nineteen-year-old Bridget Muldowney is thrilled to return to the estate in Carlow she’ll inherit when she comes of age. But since she left for Dublin seven years earlier, the tomboy has become a refined young lady, engaged to be married to a dashing English gentleman.     Cormac McGovern, now a stable hand on the estate, has missed his childhood friend. He and Bridget had once been thick as thieves, running wild around the countryside together.     When Bridget and Cormac meet again their friendship begins to rekindle, but it’s different now that they are adults. Bridget’s overbearing mother, determined to enforce the employer-servant boundaries, conspires with Bridget’s fiancé t...
1 comment
Read more

Interview with Kate Quinn

     Today, I have the pleasure to interview bestselling author, Kate Quinn. She is best known for  The Empress of Rome Saga and The Borgia Chronicles . Her latest novel, The Alice Network, focuses on a WWI spy network made up of women. In this interview we discuss these unsung heroines, who risked their lives in WWI. Mrs. Quinn also gives us a hint about what she is working on next. I hope this interview will give you some insight into the history of The Alice Network. I have given a very good review of this book, and I hope you will take the opportunity to read it. Thank you, Mrs. Quinn! What drew you to take a break from Ancient Rome and write about women in WWI?      I love ancient Rome, and I'd love to write more books about it someday, but I've never been a one-era writer. I've always had ideas for books in a wide array of historical periods, from ancient Rome clear through to World War I. When I saw the huge recent boom in populari...
Post a Comment
Read more