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rachel_kw's review
3.0
I didn't like this book that much :/
I didn't dislike it enough to rate it any lower but it's definitely not my favorite either. I think the book really dragged throughout the main events of the war of the roses. Perhaps it's because Margaret was only really involved at the end when Richard III became king so she didn't really have much to do otherwise.
I did learn some stuff though! Margaret making the dangerous trek to the safety of Pembroke Castle while 7 or 8 months pregnant at 13 is INSANE and it totally shows the kind of person she was.
I liked the last third once Henry became king, I was considering not finishing during the middle chunk but the book got better once the war of the roses ended.
There were also a couple of things that just seemed off??? Tallis presented it as a fact that Richard was keen to marry his niece Elizabeth (ew) when other books I've read on the war of the roses have said that he probably actually didn't want to (and he made a public statement saying he would never even consider it since the very idea made people really pissed off). She also implied that Elizabeth was kind of into it, which doesn't make sense considering Richard is responsible for her brothers' death and for usurping the throne from them, and he's also her uncle. I mean we're not the Hapsburgs! I feel like this would've been looked down upon throughout England. I think Richard was just using Elizabeth as an ornament to prove to the court(and the rest of England) that he was on good terms with his family, and that there was no reason for ANYBODY to go to Henry Tudor because look how chill me and my niece are.
This is a tiny nitpick but Tallis should've mentioned that Richard's Queen Anne was also Anne Neville aka Anne who'd married Edmund(?) of Lancaster(I don't feel like looking up his name lol, whatever Margaret of Anjou's son's name was). The way it's written makes it seem like they're two totally different people.
I REALLY liked how Tallis included a glossary of who everyone was because as I've said in other reviews about books of this era it is so easy to get everyone confused.
I thought it was neat how she didn't use the "conventional" spelling for some names. Like how she used a Katherine of Valois when all the times I've seen it, it's been a C and I liked how she spelled Woodville Wydeville.
I appreciate this book for being about Margaret who was an icon! But it was not worth the $32 bucks.
I didn't dislike it enough to rate it any lower but it's definitely not my favorite either. I think the book really dragged throughout the main events of the war of the roses. Perhaps it's because Margaret was only really involved at the end when Richard III became king so she didn't really have much to do otherwise.
I did learn some stuff though! Margaret making the dangerous trek to the safety of Pembroke Castle while 7 or 8 months pregnant at 13 is INSANE and it totally shows the kind of person she was.
I liked the last third once Henry became king, I was considering not finishing during the middle chunk but the book got better once the war of the roses ended.
There were also a couple of things that just seemed off??? Tallis presented it as a fact that Richard was keen to marry his niece Elizabeth (ew) when other books I've read on the war of the roses have said that he probably actually didn't want to (and he made a public statement saying he would never even consider it since the very idea made people really pissed off). She also implied that Elizabeth was kind of into it, which doesn't make sense considering Richard is responsible for her brothers' death and for usurping the throne from them, and he's also her uncle. I mean we're not the Hapsburgs! I feel like this would've been looked down upon throughout England. I think Richard was just using Elizabeth as an ornament to prove to the court(and the rest of England) that he was on good terms with his family, and that there was no reason for ANYBODY to go to Henry Tudor because look how chill me and my niece are.
This is a tiny nitpick but Tallis should've mentioned that Richard's Queen Anne was also Anne Neville aka Anne who'd married Edmund(?) of Lancaster(I don't feel like looking up his name lol, whatever Margaret of Anjou's son's name was). The way it's written makes it seem like they're two totally different people.
I REALLY liked how Tallis included a glossary of who everyone was because as I've said in other reviews about books of this era it is so easy to get everyone confused.
I thought it was neat how she didn't use the "conventional" spelling for some names. Like how she used a Katherine of Valois when all the times I've seen it, it's been a C and I liked how she spelled Woodville Wydeville.
I appreciate this book for being about Margaret who was an icon! But it was not worth the $32 bucks.
thenarrative's review against another edition
4.0
Uncrowned Queen The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch - Nicola Tallis (7/28)
Rating 4.5 / 5 Stars
** Thank you to Netgalley, Perseus Books, and of course, Nicola Tallis, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve always had a fascination in Tudor history, ever since I was little and I stole my brother’s AP European History textbook. Although my work in academia has taken me in a different direction with history, I have continued to research the Tudors in my spare time. However, there was only something I noticed as I dug deeper into this period. It’s all about the men. The wives of Henry VIII are just that - one of the six wives. They are known and discussed however, they are also forgotten about in exchange for their male counterparts. What is known about Anne Neville, The wife of Richard III or Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV commoner bride? Most often, these women are just a footnote in the history books.
One of the other extraordinary women to come out of this period is Margaret Beaufort - considered the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty. For a long time, she is just that, a footnote in the marvelous and extravagant history that ended the Wars of The Roses and allowed her son into power, Henry VII. However, Margaret is so much more than this and Tallis does an exceptional job of bringing her story to life.
Margaret’s life is not worthy of a footnote. From her experiences as a young child bride, in fact, Beaufort was married 4 times, the first when she was a year old and her last in her late 30s. Her second marriage (at the age of 13) produced the later Henry VII whom Margaret devoted her life’s cause to secure the throne. Considered a mastermind in her own right, Margaret maneuvered the chessboard throughout her time in the royal court and abroad until her son became King in 1485 following the defeat of Richard III. Following his ascension to the throne, she continued her work, securing a Tudor line which would extend through her great-granddaughter - Elizabeth I.
Tallis provides evidence of meticulous research and a devotion to the subject manner, but one con I had of this book was the narrative style of writing. I still believe it is worth a read if you have any interest in the Tudor dynasty. I know I will be going back to it in the future if I am looking for information.
Rating 4.5 / 5 Stars
** Thank you to Netgalley, Perseus Books, and of course, Nicola Tallis, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve always had a fascination in Tudor history, ever since I was little and I stole my brother’s AP European History textbook. Although my work in academia has taken me in a different direction with history, I have continued to research the Tudors in my spare time. However, there was only something I noticed as I dug deeper into this period. It’s all about the men. The wives of Henry VIII are just that - one of the six wives. They are known and discussed however, they are also forgotten about in exchange for their male counterparts. What is known about Anne Neville, The wife of Richard III or Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV commoner bride? Most often, these women are just a footnote in the history books.
One of the other extraordinary women to come out of this period is Margaret Beaufort - considered the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty. For a long time, she is just that, a footnote in the marvelous and extravagant history that ended the Wars of The Roses and allowed her son into power, Henry VII. However, Margaret is so much more than this and Tallis does an exceptional job of bringing her story to life.
Margaret’s life is not worthy of a footnote. From her experiences as a young child bride, in fact, Beaufort was married 4 times, the first when she was a year old and her last in her late 30s. Her second marriage (at the age of 13) produced the later Henry VII whom Margaret devoted her life’s cause to secure the throne. Considered a mastermind in her own right, Margaret maneuvered the chessboard throughout her time in the royal court and abroad until her son became King in 1485 following the defeat of Richard III. Following his ascension to the throne, she continued her work, securing a Tudor line which would extend through her great-granddaughter - Elizabeth I.
Tallis provides evidence of meticulous research and a devotion to the subject manner, but one con I had of this book was the narrative style of writing. I still believe it is worth a read if you have any interest in the Tudor dynasty. I know I will be going back to it in the future if I am looking for information.
rwilliab's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading about the English and British royals, especially in the Wars of the Roses, and I’ve read lots about Margaret Beaufort—almost always as a supporting character. It was fascinating to see her get her own story and time in the spotlight. Like many historical biographies, when so many personages are interrelated and share similar or identical first names, it can be hard to keep track of the action (especially when you add in noble titles that change over time)! That being said, it was engaging and interesting, but not as dynamically written as I would have liked.
hollymalone's review against another edition
4.0
The title "Uncrowned Queen" says it all. As the mother of Henry VII, it can be argued that Lady Margaret Beaufort was the architect of the short-lived but widely popular Tudor dynasty. Without her discretion, patience and determination, it is easy to image the Tudor faction becoming lost amid the endless violence that raged between the Yorks and the Lancasters off and on for years. Thanks to the Philippa Gregory novels and their television adaptations, Margaret Beaufort has been given a pop culture presence. However, what Tallis expertly does is show how the stereotype of the joyless and perhaps vindictive pseudo-queen is neither a fair nor an accurate representation. What unfolds in "Uncrowned Queen" is the fact that Beaufort was almost a woman of modern day moxie. She had a goal of seeing her son on the crown and she struggled night and day to bring that goal into being. But on the human side she was also a woman who was forced to be practical when it came to marriages, who adored jewels and the latest fashions, and was someone who recognized the necessity of education and charity. While she was very much a God-fearing woman, she was not a religious zealot who sucked the life out of the room, as she has often been unfairly depicted as being. She was a survivor in the truest sense, and to watch her survive is to read a story about what it takes to be true to oneself and to let the more conniving crash and burn on their own accord.
trejondunkley's review
Will be coming back to this one, just drawn in by other books currently.
sennenrose's review against another edition
4.0
What a journey! This was so engaging and easy to read, with lots of lovely detail. There’s lots of myth surrounding Margaret Beaufort and this really ironed those out, and painted a picture of a woman who was both incredibly pious and loved a good time. She contained multitudes, just like we all do! The author’s admiration for her subject is really clear, and who can blame her! Imagine being twelve and you’ve just had a baby and your husband has died of the plague and there’s literally the War of the Roses going on, and then one day that baby that you had becomes king? Margaret Beaufort and the Virgin Mary have a lot in common, that’s all I will say. I’m really looking forward to reading Tallis on Lady Jane Grey! I’m sad that the Jasper Tudor x Margaret Beaufort affair is a work of complete fiction, it’s a fun and sexy concept and I loved it in The White Queen. Also, I grew up near the Duke of Beaufort’s lands and I would just like to say just because I liked this book does not mean I don’t want the immediate destruction of the aristocracy and the redistribution of their lands and wealth. Sorry Maggie B, you didn’t see the work of Karl Marx coming did you? Up the people!
lucysig's review against another edition
4.0
I went to a talk at Topping & Company bookshop in Bath. I love this bookshop so much - they gave me wine, and I was sitting in an alcove surrounded by books. The questions people asked her were interesting, she seemed to be sure that Henry VI was killed.