Your favorite books about Tudor England, 1485-1603. Fiction and non-fiction.
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1,626 voters ·
list created July 25th, 2008
by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (votes) .
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Elizabeth
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Feb 23, 2009 10:23PM
What a fun list!
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Deleted for not being about Tudor England:A Great Deliverance, by Elizabeth George
For the Sake of Elena, by Elizabeth George
Well-Schooled in Murder, by Elizabeth George
(All great books, but not about this subject.)
Also Secrets of The Tudor Court series by Kate Emerson; and Secrets of The Tudor Court novel by D.L. Bogdan
Love the Tudors! All of the history about them is best summed up (in my opinion) in Alison Weir's "The Six Wives of Henry the 8th" Great book!;-)
Is Fraser's Gunpowder plot actually Tudor - I thought Liz was the last Tudor and this was a plot against James I.*shrugs*
And Daughter of Time deals with a Plantagenet monarch, Richard III.
They weren't clearly of topic to me, so I've let them on. (I removed some Thomas Hardy that got on, though!)
Cool list to be sure (I definitely need to give a few of these a skimming at the very least) but if anyone is interested in anything factual and accurate then you probably shouldn't read Philippa Gregory. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Weir is a favourite of mine and supplemented with The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives (and a few things from The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn by Warnicke although hers is a bit debatable) it was a huge help when I was writing my thesis on Anne Boleyn. :)
I agree with all of the above - lots of good quality non fiction in here - hope they are available in UK
I am not sure about dissing Gregory and Plaidy. I was reading Plaidy as a teen when they were first coming out in the early 70's and read and loved every one, I knew that I was reading novels and they stirred the historical interest in me. Since then I have moved on to the well researched authors like Wiers and Fraser. But, Plaidy made me study art and more history in college, enjoy Shakespeare and understand so many other books, theories, and even movies that have come along. Read fiction for what it is - fiction. But, in Gregory's favor, and a bit off track, she has written the best understanding I have ever felt of what it was really like to have come to Jamestown and the difficulties of starting life here in Virgin Earth (Earthly Joy series).
Maja wrote: "Cool list to be sure (I definitely need to give a few of these a skimming at the very least) but if anyone is interested in anything factual and accurate then you probably shouldn't read Philippa G..."To be honest, if you are looking for factual and accurate information, then Alison Weir is not the best either. She quotes too many secondary references which are themselves not supported by any primary references, which makes her suspiciously untruthful in many of her assertions.
Removed:Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, by Alison Weir (as Eleanor died almost 300 years before the Tudors came along)
The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era (a biography of John of Gaunt)
The King's Concubine: A Novel of Alice Perrers (mistress of Edward III, and thus not a Tudor)
Newes From the Dead (set in 1650)
The King's Mistress (another novel about Alice Perrers)
18 reviews, 39 votes - very convincing. Do authors really think that fools anyone?
(Leaving it on because it seems to actually be about Tudor England.)
Barbara VA wrote: "I am not sure about dissing Gregory and Plaidy. I was reading Plaidy as a teen when they were first coming out in the early 70's and read and loved every one, I knew that I was reading novels and..."I so agree with you. It is stories from Plaidy and Gregory that fuels the love of history. I have just read Mantell's 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring up the bodies' and it feels like I have known Cromwell for years.
Removed, for not being about Tudor England, the Tudors, or even remotely in the period:Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, by Alison Weir. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived about 350 years earlier.
BookRags Summary: A Storm of Swords
Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Within the Hollow Crown: A Reluctant King, a Desperate Nation, and the Most Misunderstood Reign in History by Margaret Campbell Barnes - subject is Richard II, who died nearly a century before the Tudors.
The Fiery Cross, by Diana Gabaldon - set in the 1770s.
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon - set in the 1760s.
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - set in the 1740s.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - set in the 1740s.
Map of Bones by James Rollins - a modern thriller.
Amethyst by Heather Bowhay - a modern ya paranormal romance.
Planet Urth by Jennifer Martucci - a dystopia set "more than 200 years" in the future.
The Cloud Seeders by James Zerndt - a futuristic apocalyptic dystopia.
I like historical fiction, preferably 3rd person accounts. I don't find first person accounts credible if the narrator is a famous person from the period. only if that person is a fictional participant. As soon as I see that a novel is supposed to be written by, or narrated by, someone like Elizabeth the first or Anne Boleyn, etc. I immediately put it aside. Same goes for those where the tone of voice is too modern. I read only e-books so I check the sample closely before I buy. The Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom is excellent in this regard. Not only is Shardlake a made-up character, all interactions with major historical figures like the Queen or Henry the Vlll are fairly minimal. This is the most credible approach in my opinion. I'm big on credibility I guess.
Anna wrote: "Does anyone know if any of these are clean?"Norah Lofts is always clean so you can rely on her.
Recently listened to audio of The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory and now listening to The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
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