Tudor Book Blog

Here are a few Upcoming Releases:

The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty by G.J. Meyer is being released this month! On Feb. 15th it will be available in the UK (here’s the amazon uk link) and on Feb. 23rd it will be available in the US (here’s the amazon us link). I’m hoping to get my hands on this one soon and hopefully review it!

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Linda Porter’s biography of Catherine Parr, titled Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr, comes out in March. Here’s the amazon.uk link.

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The next part of David Starkey’s biography of Henry VIII, titled Model of a Tyrant, is being released in the UK in October. Sadly I’m not sure when it will be released in the US! Here’s the amazon.uk link.

The product description states: “How and why did Henry VIII turn from a glamorous Renaissance prince into this country’s greatest tyrant? David Starkey’s magisterial concluding biography, published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Henry’s accession to the throne, tells this remarkable, bloodthirsty story. When Henry VIII came to throne in 1509, he had already distinguished himself as a scholar, musician and athlete. So how did this glamorous young Renaissance prince become this country’s greatest tyrant? Desperate to cement his claim to the throne, Henry quickly became frustrated by the lack of a male heir from his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. His impatience increased after he became infatuated with the beautiful Anne Boleyn. When Anne refused to become his mistress, a desperate Henry was forced to take action that would set the course of British history for the next 500 years. In a move that would have fateful consequences for all involved, Henry ordered his lifelong friend Thomas More to implement religious changes that would allow him to remarry. The resulting establishment of the Church of England catapulted Henry to the height of his personal power and led to More’s death.Catherine was dismissed, Anne was ushered in, and so began the bloody cycle of marriage, divorce and execution for Henry is still remembered today. And yet behind this brutal history was a man traumatised by bitter divorce. David Starkey’s magisterial concluding biography of this most complex of British kings, published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Henry’s accession to the throne, tells the bloodstained story of his remarkable shift from humanist prince to all-powerful despot during one of the most vivid and significant periods of British history.

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Amazon.com graciously informed me today that Tudor Court Culture ed. by Thomas Betteridge and Anna Riehl will be available Feb. 28th in the US. This is “an interdisciplinary volume that examines the cultural history of the court and its possible interpretations from the early 1500s to the end of the reign of Elizabeth I. The history of Tudor court culture during the sixteenth century is a movement of the court beyond its physical confines out into the country so that courtliness becomes more a state of mind, a way of behaving, a language, and a symbol. The first part of this collection investigates issues in relation to the court of Henry VIII: the ongoing negotiation of the discrepancies between the ideal and the real, desired and granted, imagined and perceived. The second part explores the changing conditions of the court and assesses the extent of the centrifugal influence of the court culture during the reign of Elizabeth I.” It looks really interesting! I think I would really enjoy reading this. Here’s the amazon link for more info.

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Now for some reviews:

The Heretic’s Wife by Brenda Rickman Vantrease has been reviewed by the NY Times this week. Here’s what they say:

“The Heretic’s Wife Brenda Rickman Vantrease. St. Martin’s, $25.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-312-38699-3
Tudor England is a dangerous place to harbor Lutheran sympathies, yet brave souls like John Gough and his sister Kate smuggle protestant bibles into the country and translate them into English for the common man. When Gough is arrested, he recants, but Kate continues on with the mission, falling in love with translator John Frith, who takes her with him into exile in Antwerp. Meanwhile in England, Henry VIII is drifting slowly away from the Catholic faith under the influence of his mistress Anne Boleyn, while Thomas More becomes more and more obsessed with burning heretics and keeping England in the bosom of the church. No one with protestant beliefs is safe, including Kate and her husband, who may pay the ultimate price for their heresy. This is a strong historical, showing another side of the tempestuous Tudor times. Boleyn and Henry VIII, often the focus of these stories, are sideline figures, and the common folk who truly suffered under the intolerance of the regime take center stage while the saintly More is given shockingly brutal treatment. Tudor fans will be pleased and excited by this fresh approach. (Apr.)”

Here’s the link to the post.

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Here is a nice review for Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl. It’s from stevereads blog and really detailed with some nice excerpts from the novel. He states that “Despite the cavils of historical critics, there’s a good deal of accurate research at the back of this book. But its main delight comes in it quick exchanges of dialogue…” Here’s the link. It’s a really good read!

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The Novel Duchess at Tudor Literature Place has written up a nice review for The King’s Rose, Alisa Libby’s first novel focusing on Katheryn Howard. She says that “There were a lot of private thoughts and emotions conveyed in this book. I can see why it was written for the young adult audience, because Katherine was only a teenager, and a lot of her thought processes and experiences with sexuality and being taken advantage of are themes that a lot of young women can relate to.” Here’s the link to the full review.