William's Wife

Queens of England #10

by Jean Plaidy

"William's Wife" is the tenth in the "Queens of England" series and concerns Mary, daughter of James II and wife of William of Orange. Her early days with her indulgent parents, her devoted sister, Anne, and her girlish friendships were exceptionally happy, and although she was brought up in one of the most licentious courts in Europe, she was innocent, unworldly and quite unprepared for the shocks to come. Her very special relationship with her father, which had given them both such joy, was to prove a torment to her throughout her life. In line to the throne, Mary was a very desirable wife an ambitious man whose heart was set on the crown of England, and it was expedient for Mary to marry the Prince of Orange. She was torn from her happy home to go to a foreign country with a strange, dour husband. There, she gradually learned that she must forget she was James' daughter and become William's wife. Among those who accompanied her was the devious Elizabeth Villiers, whom she had never trusted and who was to give her much cause for anguish in the years ahead. Life in Holland was very different from that in England. There was no indulgent father to shelter her; and it was clear that the cold man she had married had little interest in her beyond the crown which she could bring him. There was only Anne Trelawny and the women she had brought with her from England to comfort her. Intrigue and the discovery of Elizabeth Villiers' position at the Court of The Hague shocked her so deeply that she was stung into retaliation but soon realised that she was no match for the wily Elizabeth. Trouble in England meant that her father's throne was in jeopardy. Conflict inevitably arose and Mary was at the heart of it between the two protagonists, her father and her husband. The crown of England was the prize and Mary had to make a choice. She was James' daughter, but first of all she was William's wife.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Royalty, Romance, Tudor Period

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed William's Wife by Jean Plaidy, also published under The Queen's Devotion. This is the 10th book in the Queens of England series and the first Plaidy book I've read and I'm so glad that, for me, she lived up to the hype. Queen Mary, however, was a little annoying. She didn't seem to have the ability to stand up to William when it was her that was the rightful ruler. She had a few moments when I thought she was coming into her own but... well, that's all I'll say so I don't give out any 'spoilers' but for me, the characters were okay while the writing was great. It was not only the first Plaidy book I've read but also the first about William and Mary. I'm excited to read more about them.

[Sara W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than The Three Crowns. Makes William's treatment of Mary seem not as bad since it's from her POV. She seemed to rationalize his behavior more so than other people because she loved him in spite of his actions.


**Possible Spoiler if Unfamiliar with this Time Period**



In all these books I've read about Mary (granted, all fiction so far), I don't understand why she was so upset that her father killed Jemmy. I understand that she had some sort of feelings for Jemmy (either just as a cousin or maybe romantically), but he got what he deserved! How could she rationalize Jemmy's behavior so much that she blamed her father for dealing with him as any reigning king would? There might be some Jemmy fans out there who agree with Mary, but you can't expect to go into England trying to overthrow the king while calling yourself King Monmouth without there being consequences! He knew what he was doing! Jemmy caused trouble quite a bit while Charles II was alive and always got a slap on the wrist, so maybe he thought he would get away with this too.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

William's Wife is about Queen Mary II whom, with her husband, William of Orange, became monarchs of England during the events of the Glorious Revolution that dethroned her Catholic father, James II. From childhood, Mary enjoyed being the doted daughter of James Stuart and Anne Hyde, and with a sister and ruling uncle of the country, her life seemed carefree. As she got older, she starts seeing how her life would be destined as an heiress to the throne of England, with her uncle having no legitimate issue and her father's open Catholicism during a time of turbulent religious tension. Upon her marriage to the Stateholder of the Netherlands, Mary's life would change forever more and she is terrified of what is to come.

The novel is written in first-person perspective of Mary Stuart, from her youth all the way to the end of her life. Most of which, is of her daily activities, given how much of her life was given to seclusion from court, both from her parents and her new husband. This can be slow in progress of the story, but it builds upon Mary's character in that she is a woman who wanted to live her own happiness, but is also very flawed. She is emotional, innocent, and constantly doubting herself when the situation becomes dire for her.

She is homesick for her country and family, one of her ladies may have become a mistress to her husband, her father making a lot of enemies of the state, her sister has become too dependent on a certain Sarah Churchill, and her husband is ever domineering towards her. So she has a lot of baggage to deal with. For much of her marriage, she is excluded from politics by her cold husband. She sympathizes his background, yet her attempts to earn the love of him constantly failed. When she realized that her position as the next in line to England is likely the reason behind it, she submits herself to allow her husband to be equal regent. And yet, sadly, it still doesn't fully change his treatment towards her.

Throughout the novel, we see Mary grow herself into becoming the Queen that the people needed upon the expulsion of her father. Prior, she does have attempts at standing up to William's control, yet even when others call out his abuse towards her, she constantly submits herself to him. It is irritating to see Mary's plight only to wallow away at the last moment. However, her short reign as Queen gave her some happiness as the English folk respected her much more than they did the King. And it was after years of self-governing, as William was away, Mary does one last attempt to speak out to her husband in one last letter, for his salvation before her untimely death.

Jean Plaidy really got into the perspective of Queen Mary, a woman who was put into a situation where loyalty between her husband and father would result in betrayal. Her reign and life may have been short, and not too "exciting", but Plaidy made her out to be more than just a figure in history, she was herself. Mary just wanted happiness in a time period that restricted many women to their husbands, and while she was always submissive to her man, she did do a lot of good to her country that improved its status within itself. In return, she was beloved by the people, giving her some sort of happiness in that. So while Plaidy showed herself to be very factual and accurate to history in this novel, it is bittersweet to know that Mary could not achieve the happiness she so sought out since the beginning of her marriage.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone has a different take on William of Orange and there seems to be very little agreement except that he was dark, wasn't very tall, didn't have a sense of humour, had no patience with trivialities, and was probably extremely ambitious. They do agree that he was honest to the point of bluntness and didn't seem to be very warm toward his wife who was almost ten years younger and a total innocent.
This version of the tale is narrated by Mary so there is considerable guessing going on as to the reasons for other people's actions and it is a quick skim over Mary's life with no dates other than 1690 (which many of us could have pegged). It's plotted as a battle between Mary and those against her for one reason or another: William, her sister Anne, Sarah and John Churchill, the Villiers sisters, and her father James Stuart. You certainly get a feel for the tragic lack of fertility among the Stuart wives and you have to wonder what all that was about.
The book was interesting and provided a lot of excuses for things, including Glencoe, which I hadn't realized was allowed by William, who wasn't paying attention at the time. I definitely want to read another version with more information in it. You don't read Jean Plaidy for political or military detail, though.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Jean Plaidy creates a captivating portrait of a powerful and complex woman with simple and stirring language. While I don't always agree or like what Mary does or decides, I understand her. Plaidy does a good job of delving into her mind and drawing forth a woman with her own distinct fears and desires. That is all I ask when I read a book.

The most captivating thing about this novel is reading how Mary grows out of worshipping her father. It truly is a coming of age novel. One wonders, if Mary had been raised in modern times, if she would have grown more into herself, as she seemed to be doing by the end of the novel. As it were, her life is pretty sad. Imagine spending your whole life at the mercy of some ambitious men who can't read a room to save their lives. They don't respect you, and you're never good enough. In many ways, Mary was a victim of her circumstances, and Plaidy did a marvelous job capturing that.

This book is easy to read and is a great introduction to the English Restoration. I learned so much and enjoyed it too. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction lovers!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of Jean Plaidy's books have aged less badly than this one. The characterisation of Mary is reasonably accurate, but Plaidy seems to have taken the line given by the Victorian writer Agnes Strickland, whom she acknowledges as a source. Strickland didn't have a good word to say for William and neither does Jean Plaidy; there is no attempt at character-building and no sympathy for him whatsoever. Nevertheless, both William and Mary recorded in writing their love for one another, which gives the lie to this portrait of a loveless marriage to a cold, ambitious husband.

[Vasilena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhh this one was a serious downgrade from the previous books and it was actually one of the first written? It was completely lacklustre, you felt like you learned nothing and it is just written very simply. Disappointing.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough and obviously well researched, yet not very well written - too hasty and repetitive imho.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again told in the first person so only one perspective but even so well told with good historical context.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I reviewed this book when I initially read it a few years ago. Below is my original review!

So based on the summery, I thought that this would be a passionate, fast paced read that would tug my heartstrings a little bit.

Not so. I didn’t like the book, and for a few reasons. One, the narration seemed to be repetitive and just… slow. I’m sure the book was pretty historically accurate, however, I guess I have come to expect a bit more drama in books like this.

Second, I hate whiny women as a narrator. That sounds terrible. But I do. I will always lean towards a strong, independent woman narrator. And if she can’t be independent, at least a free THINKER. So when the character went on another rant about how lonely she was, or how content she was when she was reading her books or about the choice she had to make… eh… I just couldn’t be bothered. I wouldn’t pass this book on.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I wanted to know more about Mary and William. There are not many "historical fiction" choices out there about them. Plaidy writes very light and this reads easily. None of the people were likable, but unlike my fictional heroines who I have to like or at least care about to finish, this was different because these were not made up characters. Mary was a wimp and a pushover. William was only focused on being the King of 3 Crowns. The author added the facts. Many parts seemed hokey, but when I googled they were true. I kept thinking how Chadwick or Penman would have gone into all the details about the wars, where Plaidy just writes the basics. If you want to know about Queen Anne and King William this book will give you their story plain and simple. Plaidy is like "Historical Fiction for beginners."

[Sonya Wanvig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much Queen Mary II before reading William's Wife; other than she was the wife of William III in the late 17th century. Poor Queen Mary; her marriage was loveless and none of her babies survived. She died at 31 after 6 unhappy years as queen. I love it that Ms Plaidy gives a story to all these queens like Mary. Although she was a queen and rich, her life was not her own and was very unhappy. It's short length and simple language make this book a great quick read.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

So Queen Mary II isn't going to go down as one of my favorite English monarchs...or even one that is really interesting. If the way Plaidy portrayed her is accurate, then she let herself be ruled by her husband, William, and let him rule her country when she, by right, should have been the one in charge.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story but Mary annoyed the crap out of me. I always wanted her to stick up for herself but in that age she couldnt. I despized William and almost couldnt wait for him to die. But the story is truley amazing and the book is rich in history.

[Marilyn Mansfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only so so book about William and Mary. Again, a period I knew little about in English history. It helped me understand the importance of the Battle of the Boyne and the Jacobite cause which I had read about in other (better) books I.e., Devil Water by Anya Seton.

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been fun to discover an older writer really in to the historical series of events.

[Allison]

#10 in series - #10 in historical order

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story about Queen Mary and King William, monarchs not often written about. I'm glad to see the reissue of Jean Plaidy's historical fiction.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about this period of history, not a "great" book though. At some points I felt like "Ok, you're torn between your husband and your father, we get it...."

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was Ok. A very simple read.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the way the author portrayed this very interesting marriage.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning history through Jean Plaidy's books - easy reading; this one got a tad tedious near the end, but I learned a bit about William and Mary I didn't know.