Reviews

The Irish Princess by Karen Harper

jenlaughs's review against another edition

2.0

Meh. I was looking for something brainless and this certainly fit the bill.

ireitlitam's review against another edition

1.0

The Irish Princess was an easy read however it was not a book I enjoyed for a few specific reasons. The main character Gera harbors a deep seated hate for Henry 8th (for good reason). Her talk and feelings aside she is a very passive character even for the time period until the end of the novel. When the character starts to be more active in the plot it was to me through unbelievable circumstances. Also the personalities of certain characters like Mary Tudor changed seemingly at random with no transition or explanation. I do think the end of the book sealed my opinion and while I can related to a wanting all the plot threads to be tied up neatly in this case that made it worse.

impalalove's review against another edition

2.0

It wasn't completely horrible -- it just wasn't great.

I just didn't like it -- you may like it, but in my own personal taste/opinion, I just didn't. There seemed to be way too many drama twists (and scandals even for a "royal" court), and a lack of understanding with the characters, because I just didn't get as attached as compared to other novels; and I felt like it was more of a chore to keep reading, although I did want to know how it ended for the main lead.

And now I'll probably forget what happened in this book in the next month. Great concept, flawed execution, at least in my reading preferences.

thebookishmarie's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

magdon's review against another edition

2.0

sounded great but the writing just didn't do it for me. Perhaps it was the first person narration? Certainly based on a fascinating life but... meh book.

darthsansa's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition

3.0

I was very excited to read a Tudor-era novel from an entirely new perspective to me. However, I feel like this character was too much of an outsider and the novel didn't spend much time describing court life or even life in her various homes. Most of it was about Gera thinking about revenge, which was interesting, but didn't give me enough to be completely drawn in. I liked how strong this character was, but was hoping for more depth from her. It was a good book, but I felt myself dragging near the end.

mimima's review against another edition

3.0

Interestingly (to me, anyway) I read a book about King Henry VIII's mistress and the mother of his "baseborn" son, Bessie Blount earlier this year. Without knowing it, this is the story of her husband's third wife, Elizabeth "Gera" Fitzgerald.

Nothing stellar, but interesting all the same. I enjoyed seeing the Tudor court through the eyes of an Irish woman, although her obsession with revenge was a bit tiring.

All in all, a pleasant read about a fairly unknown character in English History.

tsmasi's review against another edition

3.0

Good historical fiction novel taking place in Ireland and England. Not very predictable but no big surprises either.

kadyjak's review against another edition

5.0

I don't know why this era is so interesting for me, but I love it. And I loved reading about Gera Fitzgerald, especially since she was a real person. I feel like I learn so much with books like this because even though the majority of the story is fiction, it's all based on things that really happened. And there was plenty that Karen Harper took from actual history.
I was pulled into this story pretty much right away and really cared about Gera and her family from page one. It was a great story with great writing.
I just had to borrow two more of Harper's books when I returned this one to the library.