Bright Young Things

I read somewhere that JKR said her heroine was Jessica Mitford. I started to think about that whole concept. I thought: Who would be my heroine?

And you know who popped into my mind? Anne Boleyn.

There is something about Anne that fascinates me and I know I'm not the only one. She was like composed of opposites it seems. And she was really forward and determined which made her really out of place in her own times. Maybe that's why she fascinates me. Like I even have my favorite Anne portrayed on the screen (Helena Bonham Carter thank you very much.)

So what about you guys? Who's your personal heroine or hero if that's the case.

This entry can also be found on DW at: http://leia-solo.dreamwidth.org/388571.html

Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings by Alison Weir

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What I knew of Mary Boleyn came from biographies on Anne Boleyn. I looked forward to reading this book seeing as it was written by Weir.

I enjoyed the book, but for some reason I couldn't really connect with Mary like I did with Anne. Maybe it's because of the lack of information on her, but the text felt like it was missing something. The parts I most enjoyed were the first index where it talked about Mary's children and their connection to their cousin Elizabeth.

The book had all the facts, but I felt it was missing something that I can't quite put my finger on. It didn't feel very personal. But I can understand what with the lack of information on Mary Boleyn, how this may have had something to do with it. I'm still looking forward to reading The Life of Elizabeth I by Weir though!



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The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have previously started this book, but I only got forty pages into it before something else caught my attention. After I finished The Six Wives of Henry VIII I wanted more Tudor stuff, so what better to read than this? After I've always been fascinated by those three royal children.

This book gave me more insight into Edward VI. Although it didn't delve too deeply into his reign. Edward seems to me to have been a puppet through most of his reign. But he did set the groundwork for the Protestant religion in England and he desperately tried to prevent his sister from undoing that by naming Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Although that was technically illegal.

Mary undid Edward's work and return England to the Church of Rome. She married the foreign Phillip II of Spain, which wasn't received well. I really did feel sorry for Mary when her pregnancy turned out to be a phantom. She really wanted that and with all the drama in her life, I think it would have made her happier.

Of course after Mary died, Elizabeth came to the throne and this is very the books ends with Elizabeth receiving news of her ascension and her uttering that famous line from the Bible. I'm ordering Weir's biography of Elizabeth, which I don't know why I haven't done this already since I acquired two of her books before 2009 and not one on my beloved Elizabeth? For shame. But I will devour that biography as soon as it's in my hands.

Oh and I've forgotten Lady Jane Grey. I knew her fate before going into the book, but I felt for her because she never wanted to be Queen and was pressured into by her parents. Her story is a sad one.



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Elizabeth: Virgin Queen? by Philippa Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was officially my first bio on Elizabeth I, though I've read a lot about her father's reign and I own a biography on her mother, Anne Boleyn.

This particular one focused on whether or not Elizabeth had any children and the possibilities when they could have born as well as commenting on other things of Elizabeth's reign. I really enjoyed and I thought the author didn't have any bias on who might have possibly been Elizabeth's child. But like her previous book The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards I did notice a few mistakes. Just on birth date and years, but it was easily overlooked.

I give this book 4 stars. Very interesting, but it was a little light on other important aspects of Elizabeth's life, though I suppose if you're looking for a general biography of Elizabeth, you might look elsewhere.



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