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sony08's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't enjoy this as much as The Sixth Wife or Queen of Subtleties. Nothing much really happened and I hoped to read more about Queen Mary not the sundial maker. Even though the scene of London in Mary's reign was portraied quite well it went on for too long with no actual story.
boosmummy's review against another edition
3.0
an unusual book, wasn't quite what I expected but still a nice read.
zoeeann's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
helenephoebe's review against another edition
Review - I wasn't very impressed by this novel. I really liked [b:The Lady of Misrule: A Novel|25673947|The Lady of Misrule A Novel|Suzannah Dunn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435193222s/25673947.jpg|42208066] by Dunn, but didn't like [b:The Sixth Wife|1145645|The Sixth Wife |Suzannah Dunn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349062381s/1145645.jpg|1133092] or [b:The Confession of Katherine Howard|7755381|The Confession of Katherine Howard|Suzannah Dunn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331418130s/7755381.jpg|10609392], so I didn't know what to expect of this one really. I think I always hope that her books will improve, but maybe I should stop hoping and then I won't be disappointed. It didn't feel as if it was really about Mary I, but about Spaniards in London in her reign. It also didn't feel particularly historical or period, like it could have happened at any time.
Genre/s - Historical / Drama
Characters - Mary I / Philip II of Spain / Elizabeth I / Rafael de Prado / Cecily
Setting - London (England)
Series - N/A
Recommend? - No
Rating - 9/20
Genre/s - Historical / Drama
Characters - Mary I / Philip II of Spain / Elizabeth I / Rafael de Prado / Cecily
Setting - London (England)
Series - N/A
Recommend? - No
Rating - 9/20
kstep1805's review against another edition
1.0
This book was terrible. I read about a hundred pages and skimmed through the rest. This book has nothing to do with Queen Mary. The main characters are dull beyond words. The plot barely moves. I don't get the point of even writing this book. As a historical fiction it isn't even in the ball park. As a romance it is depressing.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘You question faith, and it’s broken, and it lets the darkness in.’
This novel was not what at all what I expected and initially I felt disappointed. However, as I continued reading, I found I was engaged by the lives of the various characters and at times was transported back to the politically and religiously difficult times in which they lived.
This is not really a novel about Mary Tudor (Queen of England 1553-1558). It is a novel about a number of people brought together by circumstance with each impacted in different ways by the accession of Mary to the throne of England, by her marriage to Philip of Spain and by her unwavering commitment to her Catholic faith. The lives, and pasts, of Rafael the sundial-maker and Cecily the housekeeper are the main ingredients of this novel which is set in England during the period when Mary thought herself pregnant. There are a number of tragedies in this novel and the events portrayed are broadly consistent with the times.
It will depend on your view of Mary Tudor whether you are sympathetic to the suffering of Mary the woman or critical of the actions of Mary the Queen. For myself, I had to suspend belief of some aspects of the story and actions taken by characters in order to appreciate the whole.
This novel is a good read provided that you remember it is fiction. Yes, a number of characters are real and some of the actions attributed are entirely plausible. I did not enjoy this novel as much as I did Ms Dunn’s earlier works but I consider this is more related to my ability to envisage the story being told than with Ms Dunn’s abilities as a novelist.
This novel was not what at all what I expected and initially I felt disappointed. However, as I continued reading, I found I was engaged by the lives of the various characters and at times was transported back to the politically and religiously difficult times in which they lived.
This is not really a novel about Mary Tudor (Queen of England 1553-1558). It is a novel about a number of people brought together by circumstance with each impacted in different ways by the accession of Mary to the throne of England, by her marriage to Philip of Spain and by her unwavering commitment to her Catholic faith. The lives, and pasts, of Rafael the sundial-maker and Cecily the housekeeper are the main ingredients of this novel which is set in England during the period when Mary thought herself pregnant. There are a number of tragedies in this novel and the events portrayed are broadly consistent with the times.
It will depend on your view of Mary Tudor whether you are sympathetic to the suffering of Mary the woman or critical of the actions of Mary the Queen. For myself, I had to suspend belief of some aspects of the story and actions taken by characters in order to appreciate the whole.
This novel is a good read provided that you remember it is fiction. Yes, a number of characters are real and some of the actions attributed are entirely plausible. I did not enjoy this novel as much as I did Ms Dunn’s earlier works but I consider this is more related to my ability to envisage the story being told than with Ms Dunn’s abilities as a novelist.
shy_greenhair's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately the description of the book is not accurate and Mary is barely in the book. The writing style just wasn't for me and while I finished the book I would set it down for weeks on end and forget before trudging through it again.
caterinaanna's review
2.0
Mary Tudor in this book is like the monarch in the Suzanne Vega song about the queen and the soldier. She has her troubles and a naive man believes that, as a result, things will go well for him. There are good descriptions of a harsh time in London - awful weather, poor harvests, capricious politics and lives turned upside-down - and a real attempt to make the reader sympathise with Rafael. However I could not credit his final mistake and so the only credible character in the book was, for me, destroyed. While I appreciate the need to update speech patterns, Dunn's lexicon included too many anachronisms which were jarring rather than subtle.
elysianfield's review
2.0
The title and back text leads you to believe that the story is about Mary and Philip but all the scenes where Mary is are abou one page totally. The story is told by man who comes with Philip to England.
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