The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women

A Social History

By: Elizabeth Norton

Narrated by: Jennifer Dixon

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress, of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife, when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history.

©2017 Elizabeth Norton (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

I love this book!

Elizabeth Norton has compiled a fascinating account of what life as a woman must have been like during the Tudor period in England. I listened to this book over several days, often rewinding just to hear parts again because it was so interesting. She speaks with astonishing detail about everything in women's lives, from birth to death, making a distant time seem very real to me. I have always found British history fun to learn about, but discovering this well-narrated account of what daily life for women was like during this time was very satisfying . I really recommend this book as a wonderful addition to information about this time.

Appreciate the 'Now' Ladies. Tudor times SUCKED!

This is the first Elizabeth Norton Book that I have read and I am oh so glad that I have found her. So much research embraced in every page. I am grateful that I am a woman of this age and not born in Tudor times. I can love my God the way I chose and I can express my views freely.

Yes, of course I realize how people were repressed especially the poor but the class structure is mapped out in great detail in this book. I studied history within the walls of one of England's greatest Schools of learning. Perhaps it was because I was so very young that I took my freedom for granted but having listened to 'The Hidden Lives Of Tudor Women" and some of the examples therein such as the heart rendering story of poor Anne Askew I am more cognizant of what our predecessors went through.

This book also gives us a really good idea of how woman lived their daily lives. Frankly it amazes me that women actually allowed a man to touch them as their chances of dying in childbirth were greater than surviving the whole horrendous ordeal.

These Tudor women were total amazing and we wonder why Queen Elizabeth I decided not to have children! Go figure!

I was not total impressed with Jenifer Dixon's performance. It was not dreadful but did not do this book credit. It was 'vanilla' at best. Would love to hear it rerecorded with another performer who is a little more animated and who could get her pronunciation of places correct such as Hever Castle which was incorrectly pronounced throughout. That is like nails on a chalkboard!

All things being said an enjoyable listen and this girl learn a lot.

Scattered

Ms. Norton's conceit of organizing the book around Shakespeare's 7 stages of man would have worked better had she limited her stories to fewer women. Following the lives of say four women (a noble, a middle class woman, a peasant, and a nun, for example) experiencing each one of these stages would have made for an easier to follow story line. Instead, she lists various examples in each chapter, which is as scintillatingly told as a police register. On top of that, the reader's phrasing is completely off- she pauses in all the wrong places so that the sentences do not have a natural cadence. Factually, there are several errors, the most glaring one being her assertion that Catherine Parr was the first woman in England to publish a book using her own name. That honor went to Julian of Norwich in 1395.

Rather dry at times.

some parts were just lists of what happened to different women and the dates. the best parts related the life of Queen Elizabeth. then it actually became more of a story rather than a history lesson.

Not what was expected....

The title of the book led me to believe it was like the others telling of daily life in various places. Wrong!! This was a narrative of the lives and intrigues of specifically Tudor women.
There was a little about routine lives, but mostly about the highborn women, starting with Elizabeth 1’s aunt, also called Elizabeth, who died at age four.
It proceeded to Catherine of Aragon and, of course Henry VIII, although his many wives were minor characters, if mentioned at all. There was more about Queen Mary and her reign, and a lot about Elizabeth I, “Gloriana” to her subjects.
I have read extensively about this time and it’s events, and found no errors, but a significant number of events were skipped. I just wish the title was more appropriate.
The narrator was excellent... her accent, voice, and inflection were superior; enough to make me interested in seeing what other stories she might narrate. I am like other readers; I read specific types of books, and I hope she narrates some I will be interested in.

good interesting

well researched. I would have liked more on the rumors of Elizabeths illegitimate child (ren).

Thoroughly enjoyed this historical work

The Tudor period is one of my favorites and I appreciated learning about the real history of women during this time.

The narrator was pleasant to the extreme. Even toned and relaxing to listen to.

Excellent book that falls short in the third act

I very much enjoyed this work as a glimpse into the lived experience of women during this time, as told through the various stages of Shakesperian "male living" that provides the framework. The performance and tone was spot-on for what I expected, and I could find little fault with the narrator. However, as the book went on, I found that the third act was somewhat disappointing: it focused more on the historical celebrities of a given life stage rather than the anonymous "every-woman" who I was most interested in hearing about at various stages of life and places in Tudor society. As such, while it was useful for tapping into a more conventional "names and dates" version of history, it was not as grounded in the untold stories as I expected going into a book promising a glimpse into "hidden lives." The earlier parts of the book did a better job on this front, and kept my attention better as a result.

will listen again

Very interesting. Fascinating facts. Such troubled times for all, especially for women. I will listen again to this account of women's lives during the Tudor period

great trip through every day lives.

I enjoyed listening to this, but I really like both this particular period and also imagining what life during earlier times must have been like. this book satisfied in each area.