How did I not notice that this was an ABRIDGED version?!? I despise abridgements! This book was really good though and the result is that now I want t..Show More »he unabridged version. If I can't find it on audiobook I will buy it to read. A combination of this book and the Showtime drama "The Tudors" has gotten me terribly interested in the life of Henry VIII. I have never liked trashy romance novels partly because they just make me feel stupid but here is one I can feel good about since it is somewhat educational! Too bad it is the ABRIDGED version!

« Show Less

This is my first introduction to Phillipa Gregory and I am simply... amazed! I had watched parts of 'The Other Boelyn Girl' on cable and was pleasantl..Show More »y surprised by what I saw but I didn't know Phillipa Gregory had this many titles.

This is an AMAZING LISTEN! Anyone with knowledge of European history knows how the story will end but that definitely does not take away from the story. The narrators were simply superb in the execution of the story... Catherine Howard, Ann of Cletes and Jane Boelyn's portrayal in the story was simply beautiful to listen to.

Phillipa Gregory has just been awarded a new fan and I simply can't wait to get to the next one...

Just.... WOW!!!!!

« Show Less

In this story, a young Jewish girl, Hannah Green has escaped Catholic Spain with her father to England where she becomes Fool to Queen Mary I (AKA Blo..Show More »ody Mary - King Henry VIII's eldest child).

The story details the protagonist's teenage years and uses her as a devise to examine the plots, scandals and politics of the English Court at the time. It is an interesting account of Queen Mary herself, who is portrayed in a few more sympathetic manner than in many other accounts of her. This is due to the close friendship that grows between Queen and Fool (in a similar way that Henry VIII has a friendship with his own Fool). The future Queen Elizabeth I is another major character in the story, but is more conniving, petulent, and arrogant than other accounts of her. In all, she is rather an unlikable character, but as in history, plays her own role in swaying Queen Mary's actions.

This is in no way a true-to-life account of the Tudor court post-Henry, though the author has drawn hevaily from the history. Hannah Green is a fictional characted created as a plot device, and is effective in her role. I enjoyed the author's interpretation of The Queen, particularly as Gregory seems to have, I think, really gotten to the crux of who Mary was and how she became that way.

This was a very enjoyable audiobook and I highly recommend it. Emilia Fox is a superb narrator - she's one of my favourites!

« Show Less

This book is extremely well written, while bringing to the table an entirely new point of view - that of Leicester's wife, Amy Robsart Dudley. I have..Show More » always wondered about her, and this was a fascinating journey into her experiences, based on historical fact. Elizabeth appears in this novel in all of her sparkling glory, but very human as well. Phillipa Gregory injects the wild ride of political intrigue into the story, as we jump back an forth between Amy and the court. I wish I could read it again. My only complaint is the length - I would have read twice the length!

« Show Less

I have read all of Ms Gregories books about the Tudor family and I was disappointed in this one. I had wondered for years about Mary Queen of Scots bu..Show More »t I had trouble being very interested in this. It was easy to start and stop not coming back for weeks at a time. I felt that there was very little history involved and didn't learn anything about Mary. Will think before getting another book like this.

« Show Less