Bloody Mary

By: Carolly Erickson

Narrated by: Corrie James

Here is the tragic, stormy life of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Her story is a chronicle of courage and faith, betrayal and treachery - set amidst the splendor, pageantry, squalor, and intrigue of 16th-century Europe.

The history of Mary Tudor is an improbable blend of triumph, humiliation, heartbreak, and devotion - and Ms. Erickson recounts it all against the turbulent background of European politics, war, and religious strife of the mid-1500s. The result is a rare portrait of the times and of a woman elevated to unprecedented power in a world ruled and defined by men.

©1978 Carolly Erickson (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Woefully Unspecific

The Tudor Dynasty is fascinating and I was very much learning forward to learning more about Mary specifically. However I feel as if the book focuses a bit too much on the history of her ascension rather than what she actually did during her reign. I may be wrong about this, but I am not entirely sure that this specific book explains how she got the nickname ‘Bloody’ Mary. Bizarre, considering it is the title of the book.

I feel as if there were large gaps here that went completely unexplored and worse, unmentioned.

Disappointing

Too much expositional background, which is unfortunate. You have to get about midway in the book to even start Mary's life. The orator was ok—except you could hear the saliva moving around in her mouth which was gross. Overall, this was a disappointment, and just a vague history of 40 years of Tudor history in which Mary just "happened" to live.

Not the best of books, not the worst of books

I usually love Carolly Erickson's books but this one failed to capture me. Mary Tudor is certainly an Interesting subject so I don't know why I was unable to connect here. Ms. Erickson provides plenty of information in a well written format and the narration was okay but I just found myself wandering while listening.

She wasn't "bloody" after all

All one hears about Mary Tudor historically is her reign of bloody terror. Turns out that really isn't historically accurate at all. Mary turned out pretty well considering the terrible father she had and unfair cards she was dealt.

A good history

If your a Tudor history fan this is deep and thorough. But it is a history - not a fictionalization scandal funhouse - so be prepared for some dry content but faithful telling of a queens life.