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“An exquisitely drawn, poignant portrayal of one of history’s most complex, maligned, and fascinating figures.”—Tracy Borman, author of Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I
Born from young King Henry’s first marriage, his elder daughter, Princess Mary, is raised to be queen once it becomes clear that her mother, Katherine of Aragon, will bear no more children. However, Henry’s passion for Anne Boleyn has a devastating influence on the young princess’s future when, determined to sire a male heir, he marries Anne, has his marriage to Katherine declared unlawful, brands Mary illegitimate, and banishes them both from the royal court. But when Anne too fails to produce a son, she is beheaded and Mary is allowed to return to court as the default heir. At age twenty, she waits in vain for her own marriage and children, but who will marry her, bastard that she is?
Yet Mary eventually triumphs and becomes queen, after first deposing a seventeen-year-old usurper, Lady Jane Grey, and ordering her beheading. Any hopes that Mary, as the first female queen regent of England, will show religious toleration are dashed when she embarks on a ruthless campaign to force Catholicism on the English by burning hundreds of Protestants at the stake. But while her brutality will forever earn her the name Bloody Mary, at heart she is an insecure and vulnerable woman, her character forged by the unhappiness of her early years.
In Alison Weir’s masterful novel, the drama of Mary I’s life and five-year reign—from her abusive childhood, marriage, and mysterious pregnancies to the cruelty that marks her legacy—comes to vivid life.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 28, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593355114
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593355114
- File size: 3030 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 15, 2024
Mary I, England's first true queen regnant, isn't generally recognized for her admirable steadfastness, like her mother Catherine of Aragon, or her canny survival instinct, like her half-sister, Elizabeth I, although she exhibited both these qualities. Instead, due to her zealous persecution of Protestants, the sobriquet Bloody Mary clings to her. Her actions make her a challenging fiction subject, but Tudor expert Weir (The King's Pleasure, 2023) dexterously humanizes this polarizing figure. Following a cosseted childhood as Henry VIII's elder daughter, Mary gets sidelined during her father's pursuit of Anne Boleyn and break with Rome. Mary's health suffers during many stressful years, and Weir casts a sympathetic light on Mary as she endures demotion and disinheritance, relying on her supporters and Catholic faith. But following her triumphant coronation, her marriage to Philip of Spain and cruel religious intolerance make her extremely unpopular. Weir aptly demonstrates how politics and personal relationships intermix via Elizabeth's transformation, in Mary's eyes, from beloved sister to dangerous rival. Mary's passionate spirit, which is stubbornly and tragically misdirected, comes alive via Weir's thorough approach.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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