Mary I: Queen of Sorrows

Tudor Rose #3

by Alison Weir

Sunday Times bestselling novelist Alison Weir returns with the spellbinding story of Mary I.

Adored only child of King Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon, young Princess Mary grows up as the sole heiress to the English throne. But her father wants a son, and soon Mary's world begins to fall apart.

With her parents' marriage - and England - in crisis, Mary is banished from the court and kept apart from the mother she adores. The King promises to restore his daughter to favour, but first Mary must do something for which she will never forgive herself.

She seeks solace in her faith. But when her brother Edward VI dies, she finds herself fighting for the crown - and for her life. Emerging triumphant, all seems fair for the reign of Queen Mary. And then, very quickly, things began to go badly wrong...

MARY I. HER STORY.

Alison Weir's new Tudor novel, a tale full of drama and tragedy, tells the story of how a princess with such promise, loved by all who knew her, becomes the infamous Bloody Mary.

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PRAISE FOR ALISON WEIR'S TUDOR FICTION

'History has the best stories and they should all be told like this' Conn Iggulden

'As always, Alison Weir is ahead of the curve - and at the top of her game' Sarah Gristwood

'Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life' Guardian

'Profoundly moving... lingers long after the last page' Elizabeth Fremantle

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Tudor Period, Audiobook, British Literature, Medieval

527 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Alison Weir is an English writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training college. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I've read quite a lot of books about The Tudors over the decades, so you might say I am all Tudored out at this point. However, this piece of historical fiction was written by veteran British royal author Alison Weir, so it was hard to say no to reading this. But at over 500 pages, it was a bit of a dirge crawling along in excruciating detail through Mary Tudor's childhood as she watched her father King Henry VIII abandon her mother Queen Katharine (of Aragon), marry Anne Boleyn (then sign her execution warrant), marry Jane Seymour (then watch her die after birthing their son Edward), marry and divorce Anne of Cleves, marry Katherine Howard (then sign her execution warrant), and marry Catherine Parr- his final wife. At about the 65% point (and 5 hours to go) I surrendered and skimmed ahead to the poignant topic of Mary Tudor's false pregnancies and eventual death. I didn't learn anything new, but perhaps I'm just not the audience for this kind of book anymore. Call me a cynic, but it just seems like the same subjects keep being rehashed and repackaged with new titles and covers.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

[Mai H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

🍦 🍓 The Ripped Bodice's 9th Annual Summer Romance Bingo 🕶️ 🏄🏼

/ Rescue Mission

Part One: The King's Daughter

I prefer Alison's nonfic and Philippa's fic (I know, I know), and I know this is a novel about Queen Mary so it's biased in her favor, but she's annoying as hell. I know these women don't work, so marriage and religion are their whole lives, but I'm over it.

Henry VIII is a dumb slut, and nothing you say can make me change my mind about that. Maybe the Tudors shouldn't have won. Maybe Elizabeth of York should've tried harder with her second son. Maybe Arthur shouldn't have died. There are a lot of maybes.

Part Two: The King's Sister

While Edward is spoiled, are we truly shocked? He's a boy. He's king. He's an entitled fuck. Meanwhile, Mary is getting old and whining about not being married with children. I know it's just the times, however her POV is grating.

Her constant complaints of Elizabeth also need to stop. In history, who truly was the better queen? Or is this possibly skewed by a now Protestant England? Excellent questions I'm asking myself. You don't need to answer. I'm mostly talking to myself.

Part Three: Mary the Queen

Slut shaming Elizabeth needs to stop. So does questioning her parentage. Just because Mary thinks she has the "right" parentage doesn't mean she does. Also, who cares? I mean, I guess in this day and age, everyone, but I don't.

Anyway, this book got progressively better as time went on. I just don't like the subject matter. Namely, Mary. Not a big fan of her dad, either. Grandma? Hell yeah. Give me Elizabeth of York, all day, every day.

York > Plantagenet > Tudor

I said what I said.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books

[Tony Riches · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've learned to go to the author's note before reading Alison Weir's books, and this one is particularly poignant. Alison talks about how, like Mary, her own parents separated when she was eleven years old. This experience means she can identify with the first crowned Tudor queen in her retelling of a familiar story.

Mary inherited a country in a social, political and economic mess, and did little to change the life of the people for the better, yet she emerges as a woman deserving of understanding, if not our sympathy.

Alison ran a competition for suggested subtitles, and a popular suggestion was the enduring epithet 'Bloody Mary'. After having read the book I agree the eventual choice of 'Queen of Sorrows' was the right one.

Although a work of historical fiction, the story of Queen Mary is based on sound historical sources, and I'm happy to recommend this book to anyone wanting a more nuanced understanding of one of our most troubled queens.

Tony Riches

[Karen Maitland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally absorbing read. I thought I knew Queen Mary’s story quite well, but though I knew the 'what', 'where' and 'when', this novel gave me a fasinating new insight into the 'why' and 'how' of Mary’s transformation from the tender, brave and resolute little girl, determined to love and protect her half siblings, into the desperate woman, so broken by her marriage and the constant political and religious deceits and manipulations around her.

I was enthralled the parallels that emerged in this novel between her desperately seeking love from her father and then from her husband, and by the way in which her faith which had given her so much courage and comfort as child, had become so twisted through her experiences it had become a demon, driving her to such cruelty.

At the end of the novel, I was left wanting to weep for her, but also shudder in horror at who she had become. Although, what she did was probably no worse than atrocities committed by the male perpetrators of the Inquisition in Europe. But it is Alson Weir's great skill that shows us in the child a glimpse of the compassionate queen that Mary had the potential to become, which really drives home the tragedy of her story.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed this a historical fiction novel of Mary I (bloody Mary) life chartering her life from young princess to Queen and the ebbs and flows of her life from being in favour and out and her Catholicism

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was familiar with Alison Weir because my former grad school advisor once mentioned her as someone she knew, but I had never read one of her books before this. This book was unfortunately not my cup of tea. I'm not sure if all of Weir's books are like this, but this one is very much a "this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened..." account of Mary I's life, and a rather boring one at that. Mary I was a fairly interesting person in reality, but you wouldn't know it from Weir's book. But... if you're interested in reading 500 pages of boring drivel about a naïve woman not doing much at all, this is the book for you.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Weir returns to dazzle with another trilogy that depicts her beloved Tudors. In this final novel, the story behind Mary Tudor comes to light. The only living child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Mary was a precocious girl and quite attentive to things at court. Devout to her mother and the Church, Mary worried when whispers of Henry wanting a new wife reached her. Mary watched herself lose her title when Henry took Anne Boleyn as a wife and bear a child, Princess Elizabeth. Bitter, but vocal, Mary fought for her mother’s legitimacy as queen, but it was a lost cause, as Henry moved on, having a third child by another wife, Edward, who was the elusive male heir. After her father and brother died, Mary ascended to the throne and served England, while wresting control of its religious devotion. Looking forward, Mary knew she'd need a husband to ensure an heir, as well as keeping Protestants from regaining control in England. This was her ultimate battle for her short reign before dying. Mary’s passions, much like those of her parents, sought to ensure England had what she felt was best for her people. Alison Weir is sharp with this series finale that has the reader feeling more entertained and educated with each passing page.

Born from King Henry’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Princess Mary was sharp for her age and devoted to her Spanish mother. She loved both her parents, but was worried to see her father’s eye wander and choose to annul his marriage to Catherine so that he might marry Anne Boleyn. Thus began the start of Mary’s years shelved at court and stripped of her ‘princess’ title. Mary advocated for her mother throughout the ordeal, though Henry married Anne and began the process of severing ties with the Church. This was another issue Mary had, being a devout Catholic. As she grew, many other changes would shape Mary's life.

Anne gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, who became the apple of her father's eye. While Mary was banished from court, her love for Elizabeth was not muted, but bitterness could not be hidden. Elizabeth was as sharp as her half-sister, but also quite tied to her parents, which created a clash with Mary. After Anne did not bring forth a son for Henry, scandalous news arrived and she was sent to London Tower, before being beheaded. Henry married other women, bringing forth only one more son, Edward, a half-brother for Mary and surely the heir to the throne. While Mary was able to return to court, she was still shelved as a vocal supporter of the Church, which was heresy. Mary watched her father's health diminish and when he died, the country turned to the youthful Edward as its new monarch. He sought to build bridges with his sister but made sure she knew the Church of England was the sole religion that would be accepted. Edward might have ushered in new ideas, but his health could not sustain him and he died in his youth, thereby paving the way for Mary to ascend to the throne herself.

Mary's ascension was a triumph for her and the traditionalists. She quickly returned England to Catholicism and made her skeptics edgy with all the change. Mary knew she needed a husband who would respect her religious views, but also prove a good political ally for England. Mary's counsellors sought to present Philip of Spain, a strong and viable option. Mary's reign and Catholic sentiments sent England into a panic. The country was pushed back to the Church, but there were many who sought to create uprisings to remove Mary and keep reforms in place. One such usurper was Lady Jane Gray, a relative of Mary's and figurehead of the movement. Mary struck quickly and had Jane beheaded, but also pushed back against the Protestants by burning hundreds of them at the stake, all in an effort to set the tone for England. Mary's brief reign was filled with a great deal of drama and proved bloodier than many before hers. While Philip stood by Mary, the marriage led England into Spain’s wars, something it did not need. Mary died without an heir, and so, Elizabeth rose to become Queen, pushing the Church of England back into the forefront. A brilliant piece that depicts many of the key aspects of Mary's life and struggles, without weighing the reader down too much. Weir dazzles with this final novel in the collection and does not disappoint.

I have long been a fan of Alison Weir and her work. Weir's writing explores both fiction and non-fiction, based mostly in the world of the Tudors. The narrative of this novel builds on the other two books and adds countless hours of research Weir has done about all the Tudors. Using known history and some writer’s flourish, Weir defies expectations and keeps the reader in the middle of all the action, which is most important in this series finale. Strong themes emerge, as well as characters who enrich the reading experience, which proves very important to better understand Mary and those close to her. Weir flavours the story well with this piece and there are some characters whose backstories and development help paint a complete Tudor picture. Plot points, steeped in the same English history, come to life in Weir’s control and I was able to take away so much from this final book about which I was not aware. I loved all three books and am pleased I took Weir’s latest Tudor plunge.

Kudos, Madam Weir, for a wonderful trilogy that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[WhenInRoma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Passionate Tudor" is an excellent addition to the Tudor Rose series by Alison Weir. As her previous book on Henry VIII left me lukewarm, I was a bit worried heading into this new book, but she is once again in excellent form. This book, which chronicles the life of Queen Mary I, the first Queen Regnant of England, humanizes an often maligned figure. Beginning when she is young and going until the moment right up until her death, the novel works to gives us insight into what psychology might have led to the decisions that have given her the enduring title of "Bloody Mary".

Inherently, Mary was written as a sympathetic character in much of the novel. Though I disagree with a number of her viewpoints Catholicism-wise, I found myself sympathizing with her and rooting for her all the same. She showed a great deal of courage and perseverance under extreme odds as well as admirable faith. You can really see how Mary is a combination of her father's and Katherine of Aragon's personalities (were Katherine invested with the kind of power as Heir and Queen that Mary ultimately is).

However, as Weir noted in her author's note, I find that sympathy wanes rather quickly once she becomes Queen and embarks on her religious persecution. In this way, Elizabeth I was much wiser than Mary I - perhaps learning a lesson from her sister - in that she came up with the enduring compromise of the English Church. It did get me wondering, with all the similarities between Mary I and her mother, how Katherine of Aragon might have handled such matters. Might she, Katherine, have turned out as hated where she is now remembered so well in history? Just got me thinking.

One point of minor issue I had with the book is that there are a great deal of explanatory passages. While I understand the necessity of covering a vast amount of historical material in a short period of time to get the plot continuing, it got a little too much for me at some points. I would have liked it if more dialogue were used to explain some pieces here and there, if possible.

Overall, I am pleased to see Weir adding another excellent novel to her monolithic body of work, and congratulate her on such a tour-de-force. If anyone could take on Mary I and make her sympathetic - or at least comprehensible - it is Weir. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Thank you to Weir and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

#ThePassionateTudor #NetGalley

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book just sums up exactly how I feel about Mary Tudor and her rule as Queen. Once again, Alison Weir doesn't disappoint and keeps the story flowing and historically accurate. This takes place from the time of Mary's childhood until her death and covers all the important events during her lifetime. As with all of her books there is a great authors note at the end. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite auto buy history author! She never lets me down. I’ve yet to find any other author that captures history quite so well. I always feel like I’ve slipped in time and I’m privy to some secret historical events. Both fiction and non fiction she always knocks it out of the park and I never get through such big books so quickly!

Mary l is such an interesting figure in history and one that is steeped in controversy, sorrow and strife: a very interesting focus for a book and written in such an entertaining and enjoyable to way to read. It’s a great way to experience and learn about history.

I honestly don’t know how she makes them so compelling but her books are always brilliant. The sheer amount of research and understanding into history shines through these books and is impossible not to appreciate.

We follow Mary through her childhood, her relationship with her parents, marriages, illnesses and her reign. I find I learn so much and get to know a part of history so well through the storytelling. I read this on the train and it sure made my train journey fly by. 1000/10 enjoyed.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, I inhaled this new Tudor book from Alison Weir. I’m completely fascinated with the Tudor history and even though I think there’s nothing else possible to learn about this era, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Throughout most of The Passionate Tudor, I felt I knew most of the story, but once the timeline began of young King Edward after Henry VIII’s passing, I realized I didn’t know as much about those years, especially of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII.

And I really knew almost nothing about Queen Mary I’s reign or about her marriage to Philip II of Spain. I was pleasantly surprised to have more historical items to learn about, particularly the Bloody Queen aspect. I knew her reign was horrific, but not quite how much so.

I love Alison Weir’s historical fiction novels of the Tudors and feel that hers are the most authentic. As long as she writes these historical fictions about this era, I’ll be there to read them!

*Thank you so much to Random House, Ballantine Books, and to NetGalley for the early eARC!*

[Helene Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Headline Review for sending me a copy of this to review.

I really enjoyed this one, better than the previous one in the series on Henry VIII. Mary's story is less well-known which is perhaps why I enjoyed it more. Henry's story has been raked over so many times now, and trying to fit his whole life and all of the intricacies of the changing foreign, domestic and religious policy into a single book was a very big ask. On the contrary though, Weir's exploration of Mary I's story goes beyond the idea of 'Bloody Mary' and back to her childhood.

We see Mary go from a beloved heir to the throne, to a disgraced bastard, and claws her way back through turmoil onto the throne of England, where she loses the love of the people which brought her to the throne in the first place. The development in Mary as a character is striking, from the precocious and intelligent child, to the determined woman who stuck to her principles through the divorce of her mother, and continued to stick to her religion even when threatened with death, makes for engaging reading. However, once queen, Mary loses her charisma and almost her sanity, and becomes an almost pathetic figure in Weir's eyes.

Henry VIII in this story comes across as the all-powerful tyrant, who Mary doesn't see initially as the source of her problems, blaming everything instead on Anne Boleyn. But we see the scales fall from her eyes, as she realises her father's power and determination to be right in all that he does. Mary mourns the loss of sibling relationships with both Edward and Elizabeth, largely because of their differences in religion. Religion is the driving force of Mary's life.

The book is well-written, aside from a few typos which I assume will be ironed out in the final edit, as this was an uncorrected proof - missing spaces between some words largely. There was also a blindingly obvious historical inaccuracy which I had to go back and check that I was in the right year and hadn't missed a chunk of the story out. Weir has Katherine Parr nearly being arrested for heresy early in her marriage to the king in 1544, when it was actually towards the end of her time as queen in 1546. Something fairly small, but it just set my teeth on edge.

Mary often appears as a side character in Tudor fiction, pushed aside by Anne Boleyn and abandoned by Henry VIII, or as the hated queen who Elizabeth replaces. Weir's work paints Mary as so much more, as we see her ups and downs and how important her faith was to her. A really interesting and engaging read.

[Elizabeth McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book three in the Tudor Rose series, and this edition focuses on Mary I.

I love reading about all things Tudor and feel like Mary lived a very interesting life. It seems like she's often overshadowed by her father and sister and often made to be the villain for her persecution of protestants. I enjoyed how this book showed Mary in a different light and redeemed her.

She lived, though, so much, and Alison Weir does a fantastic job bringing her to life in this novel. As always, her writing has a fantastic way of drawing you in and making history come alive.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Katarzyna Kuczynska · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐⭐⭐✨

[Monika Armet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Tudor Rose Trilogy, and it follows Mary I, the firstborn daughter of Henry VIII and the only child of Katherine of Aragon.

When Mary was a child, she loved her father until she heard the rumours of the ‘King’s Great Matter’, in which Henry wanted to divorce Katherine on the grounds of not producing a male heir.

Mary was outraged to hear this, as she adored her mother and took her side. Just like her mother, she was a devout Catholic, and prayed for her father, however, to no avail.

The story moves through Henry’s marriages and the time when Mary was perceived as illegitimate. This later changed, and she was restored to the line of succession, and as we know, she became the Queen.

Mary’s five-year reign wasn’t easy. There were rebels everywhere conspiring against her, and throughout her short rule, there was a lot of bloodshed. She became extremely fixated on stamping out the heretics, and many were burned at the stake.

In my mind, she was overzealous and too radical when it came to religion. She thought she was doing it for the right reasons, but I was squirming in my seat when she sent yet another person to their death.

Her marriage to Philip of Spain was her undoing. This was a hugely unpopular match; the English at that time didn’t trust any foreigners, and the royal couple became the easy target for the nation’s distrust and dislike. It is fair to say that Mary loved Philip and would do anything for him, but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated.

I was saddened to read about her phantom pregnancies. Mary really wanted a child, and I am sure she would have been a good mother.

Overall, this book contains a great and detailed piece of history within its pages. I definitely recommend it.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading Alison Weir’s books when I was 8. I’m now 35 and think I’ve read nearly every book she’s written. I’ve realized that I consistently like her nonfiction books while her novels can be a bit hit or miss. This is one of those novels that fell squarely in the middle for me.

The book starts out much stronger than it finishes, and I think in part that’s due to Weir’s resonance with Mary as a person. In the afterword, she talks about how she could sympathize with Mary as a child of divorced parents. The vulnerability and desperation for love and approval feel very real. Weir also says that once Mary became queen, she had a much harder time relating to her… and that is also clear. The number of times that Mary spirals into depression and inaction over what to do, the disastrous and violent choices that she makes while repeatedly writing pleading letters to Philip become somewhat nauseating. Her relationship with Elizabeth is akin to an evil-stepmother and her ungrateful child. I understand not wanting to come off as an apologist, but I do think that their relationship could have been explored in a more multifaceted way as there are good historical sources that indicate Elizabeth copied some of Mary’s image and speech strategies.

Overall, I think that if this book had been edited down about 100 pages and presented Mary with a more complex personality, I think it easily could have been 5 stars. While I still enjoyed it, the book took me quite a lot longer to finish than I initially anticipated just because Mary is, perhaps understandably, so unlikeable!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

See more of my reviews: Instagram

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I
by Alison Weir is a great historical fiction that is the third book in the Tudor Rose series.

I just loved Alison Weir and have thoroughly enjoyed every book of hers that I have read. This is such a great series to expand on (the first two being: The Last White Rose and The King’s Pleasure) after delving into the six book series of the Queens of Henry VIII.

Mary I is such a person full of contradictions: momentous yet limited, passionate and zealous yet narrow-minded and judgmental, a heart that started out so full of love and joy to give others yet starved and withered in the end. Her life is fascinating yet mundane and tragic. She was misjudged but yet some of her actions really did support some of the rumors made common knowledge.

Not very often does Mary I get the spotlight, and so many things that took place in her life are glossed over, yet Ms. Weir gives us an excellent fictional narrative that allows Mary I to have her moment and her day to let us all know more about what made her the monarch, woman, and the person we now reflect on today.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/28/24.

[Abbie LaFountaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich with history about an astounding time period. Burning at the stake and beheadings galore. I loved following Mary’s life from when she was a young girl until she passed away as queen. She was a character that I found hard to grasp. I loved her at first, and then could not stomach her towards the end. This book did feel long and repetitive at times, but I also know how historically correct it is, so it had to be repetitive to follow along with actual events. Overall I really enjoyed this novel.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

This wasn't half bad. I honestly wish Weir would stray further from what she believes the facts to be. Twisting history is where the tension lies. This is a biography with imagined feelings added🤷🏾‍♀️
Is Elizabeth I next?

[Megan Yelland-Gilmartin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely a thought provoking read.
It brings together and to life the cast of characters we all think we know. Mary is realistically portrayed - warts and all. It takes you right from the heartbreak of her own parents marriage, to the heartbreak of her own as an adult.
For a woman usually remembered solely for her religious failings, this also highlights her inability to effectively govern an already divided nation. You can also see where her sister Elizabeth learns from those mistakes.
The title suggests a rehabilitation of Mary's image, however it does give the impression of a much more sympathetic portrayal than the one actually contained within the book itself. That being said it is far more balanced than other works examining Mary or the Tudor Dynasty as a whole.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy!

[Freesiab BookishReview · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, a little long. Mary Tudor wasn’t the most exciting Tudor

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third novel in Alison Weir’s Tudor Rose trilogy, following Elizabeth of York: The Last White Rose and Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown. You definitely don’t need to have read the previous two books before starting this one, although if you’re not very familiar with Tudor history it would probably be helpful to read them in order.

The novel begins in 1525, introducing us to nine-year-old Mary who has recently become betrothed to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. As the daughter of Henry VIII and his Spanish wife, Katherine of Aragon, a marriage between Mary and Charles would cement England’s alliance with Spain. Mary’s future looks bright, but things don’t go as planned and it’s not long before her whole life is thrown into turmoil. First, Charles decides he doesn’t want to wait for Mary to grow up and takes another bride, one who is richer and old enough to give him children. Then, Mary’s father becomes obsessed with the idea of marrying Anne Boleyn and casts Mary’s mother aside.

It would be difficult not to sympathise with the young Mary as she is put under pressure to betray her mother and denounce her Catholic faith, gains and loses one stepmother after another and, with the arrival of a younger half-sister and half-brother, becomes uncertain of her place in the succession. However, I did find these early sections of the book quite repetitive as having read all of Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series, as well as her novel on Henry VIII, I felt that there wasn’t much here that was new to me. The second half of the book interested me more as it moved on to Mary’s own reign as Queen, her marriage to Philip of Spain and her ‘phantom pregnancies’, and, of course, the persecution of Protestants that famously gained her the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’.

On finishing the book and reading the author’s note at the end, I was interested to find that Alison Weir herself felt that she and Mary shared some childhood experiences, such as the separation of their parents and dislike of the new woman in their father’s life; this probably explains why the chapters dealing with Mary’s early years are written with such sympathy and understanding. Later in the novel, however, Mary becomes a much more difficult character to like as she ignores advice and public opinion, makes some poor decisions, and those who don’t share her Catholic faith burn at the stake. Weir states that she found it hard to make the adult Mary sympathetic when the historical evidence tells us otherwise.

As I wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally buy the same book twice, be aware that the US title of this book is The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I. Alison Weir’s next novel, coming in 2025, stays in the Tudor period and is about the rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey. I’ve never read a book written from Wolsey’s perspective before, so that should be interesting.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the passionate tutor the third book in the Tudor Rose Siri‘s by Alison where we get another five star read about king Henry’s daughter queen Mary a.k.a. bloody Mary and her life. We get to see all the reason she grew up to hate the protestant people and so much more. There is so much to read in this book that I didn’t already know about her previous fiancés her relationships with her stepmother‘s her siblings and her phantompregnancies this is a great book something I find your almost guaranteed with Allison Weir until reading this book I have always thought queen Mary was cold and unfeeling through her relationship with her nanny and some of her stepmother‘s I see a whole different side to her and feel so bad for her something I’ve never felt before. I want to thank valentine books for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

[Kaylee M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh the was boring. So much happened off the page and it was like being lectured about the events of Mary’s life with a few sentences of dialogue thrown in.

I’ve read so many books about the Tudors that I was hoping for something more from Mary’s perspective rather than just a historical rehashing.

I haven’t enjoyed many of Weir’s historical fiction books so I don’t know why I keep bothering. It’s like a Tudor siren song

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written but it was just hard to be sympathetic towards such a stubborn religious zealot.

[lestrange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love Alison's books and having one of my favourite historical figures depicted by her finally was a treat.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DESTINY REWRITTEN. A ROYAL HEART DIVIDED.

I’m a huge history buff and have always been a fan of the Tudor era so I was very excited when the SquadPod were offered the chance to read this as one of our featured books. 

The book opens in 1525 when Mary is nine-years-old and follows her life all the way up until her death in 1588. Known infamously as ‘Bloody Mary’, Mary is a controversial figure among historians, but the last few years has seen a surge of research into her life and there has been an effort to rehabilitate her reputation. This prompted Alison Weir to revisit her past research and write a new book about one of England’s most famous queens. 

Before reading this book I thought I knew a lot about Queen Mary I and this period of history. But I soon realised there were things I didn’t know such as the close bond that she and Elizabeth shared for many years, the health issues that plagued her most of her life, or that she was the first woman to rule England. And I realised that what I did know about her was so much more complex under the surface. Most interesting for me was learning why she turned to religion so ardently. Mary’s life was not a happy one. She was embroiled in royal politics from an early age, separated from her mother at 15, declared illegitimate at 17, and made lady-in-waiting to her infant half-sister, Elizabeth, that same year. Among all of this turmoil, heartache and uncertainty, Mary found solace in her Catholic faith. She was horrified when her father broke with Rome and declared Britain a Protestant country and became increasingly zealous, even risking martyrdom to attend mass when it was illegal. But the biggest reminder of her zealousness is her religious persecution of the Protestants when she was Queen. She lives on in infamy as the monarch who sent 280 people to the stake during her short, five year reign and it earned her the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’. 

Compelling, powerful and riveting, this novel is a reminder that fact is so much more interesting than fiction. It also reminded me that one of the reasons I love history so much is that it is made up of the most spectacular and fascinating stories. Meticulously researched and expertly written, Ms. Weir brings history to life, transporting me back 600 years. I felt like I was in the room with them and could see it all vividly unfolding in front of me like I was watching it on a TV screen. Ms. Weir has been careful to write a balanced account of Mary’s life that highlights her accomplishments as well as her failures. But, for me, the good doesn’t outweigh the bad, and I didn’t find her to be a sympathetic character, even though she was fascinating, I am glad to understand her a little more. 

Mary I Queen of Sorrows is a gripping and unmissable novel that history fans won’t want to miss. 

[Bungaku Shoujo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stephanie Russo has written that no novel about Mary I follows the large volume of modern scholarship on her arguing that she was a competent monarch. Instead, the Marys of fiction tend to either be the traditional religiously extreme tyrant or a sad victim. Russo said all this before this book was written, but her analysis rings true: Weir’s Mary is a sad victim.

This is not just a novel of ‘Queen Mary I’, but of her entire life from 1525. Mary doesn’t even become Queen until over halfway through. This was not a wise approach, in my opinion– it bloats the book and means that much of it is just descriptions of the not very interesting things Mary was doing in various estates. I understand that these years were the majority of her life, but it doesn’t lend well to a compelling narrative, and prevents much of anything being fully fleshed out. I did find the portion on Henry’s reign evocative and probably the best in the book, though devotees of Anne Boleyn will no doubt take issue with her malicious portrayal. The writing style itself was fine, but the primary source quotations incorporated did not mesh well with the generally modern dialogue (though there’s nothing as bad as George Boleyn quoting Cavendish in A King’s Obsession).

Weir is aware of Mary’s recent rehabilitation and explains in the author’s note why she finds it unpersuasive. As much as I respect that she took the time to explain why she disagrees, she doesn’t take full account of the Catholic Counter-Reformation/the “long reformation”, which are important factors in arguments for Mary’s relative success: there is a growing consensus that sixteenth-century English people were, to quote Andrew Hadfield, “confused, bemused, terrified and/or Catholic”. While the book does acknowledge the remaining Catholics/the Counter-Reformation, the overall impression is that of an England, especially London, destined to be Protestant. Mary’s actions are pathologized as a vain personal attempt to go back to her happy childhood instead of being placed in context.

Even if Weir doesn’t believe the newer scholarship, writing it in would have made the book unique. Instead, we get the pathetic, clueless, husband-obsessed Mary that we’ve seen hundreds of times before extended for 600 pages. I would have even preferred if Weir went with the ‘Bloody Mary’ archetype, who could have at least been more entertaining than the sad sack we see in this book. Despite its length, we’ll have to keep waiting for the great Mary novel.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this complicated, fascinating, and incredibly detailed historical fiction novel, Alison Weir turns her familiarity with the Tudors to Mary Tudor, the first Queen Regnant of England, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, and a proud Catholic. Following her life from her parents’ happy marriage, the King’s Great Matter, his subsequent five marriages, and her half-brother Edward’s reign to her own reign in the 1550s, Weir brings Mary’s entire life to light and speculates on what she may have thought as a Princess of England living history. Broken up into sections corresponding with various stages of her life, Weir’s usual attention to historical information and detail appears and shines through every page. The characterization of Mary’s relationships with various other members of her family (stepmothers and half-siblings) are particularly complex and well-developed, centering Mary’s perspective on everything. Mary herself is complex, and Weir noticeably goes beyond the surface-level depictions of Mary in other works of historical fiction and historical biography. Despite covering decades of Mary’s life, this book does not feel long and is hard to put down once started; Weir’s captivating narrative style and Mary’s world are immersive and engrossing. An excellent addition to her previous historical fiction series, this is an absolute must-read for Tudor and historical fiction fans.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for the advance copy.

[eva!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

alison weir offers a meticulously well researched biography of queen mary I's life and reign as the first queen regnant of england. although often portrayed as a villain due to her notorious nickname "bloody mary", weir humanises this queen, showcasing how her legacy is as complex as it is controversial.

weir vividly sets the scene of mary's early life, detailing her steadfast relationship with her mother, the impact of her parents' divorce on her legitimacy and emotional health, and the instability of political and religious centres at the time following the rise of anne boleyn. This sets a compelling foundation for mary's motivations and contentious decisions as queen, while highlighting her many failures as a sovereign.

despite my initial reservations when i first started this novel (#queenlizzy4life), mary's character development drew me in. i became invested in her tumultuous relationship with elizabeth I, her struggles with infertility, and the strength of her faith.

i am certainly more educated on the nuances of mary I's life and reign, but will never view her as a successful queen for her poorly carried out persecution of protestants, unpopular marriage with philip II of spain, poor political expertise which saw her deplete england's treasury and plunge the nation into debt, and her failure to secure calais, all detrimental to her historical legacy.

despite this, the novel balances historical authenticity with character development to humanise mary I, allowing weir to present a more balanced view of the infamous queen.