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craftyemma's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
With the background story of the Lancastrians overcoming the Yorkists and establishing a Tudor dynasty, we meet Joan Vaux, a gentlewoman to Queen Margaret, wife of Henry VI, who then progresses to lady in waiting for Queen Elizabeth when Henry VII becomes king.
Joan is determined to avoid marriage and motherhood at all costs, but later finds herself married to Sir Richard Guildford and stepmother to his many children. It was interesting to read the mundane side of married life, alongside the perils of war and trials of the Tudor monarchy.
I confess, this was a cover buy, along with the premise of being a Tudor novel, and as soon as I opened it and saw a family tree AND a map, I was sold! I am fascinated by the history of the Tower of London and it's ravens, however this book fell short on that side of things for me. The mentions of the ravens in the first half of the book are few and far between and then they're only a minor subplot until much further on.
I enjoyed Sims character, rising from a runaway lad to a very important part of the ravens lives. I was annoyed that he wasn't given more credit at the end. Also Sir Henry Wyatt is a great villain who gets his comeuppance.
3.5 stars as I found the book slow going for much of it and precious little mention of the ravens in the title. I felt that storyline could have been explored in more detail, rather than the queen constantly giving birth and the family travelling backwards and forwards to Kent.
Joan is determined to avoid marriage and motherhood at all costs, but later finds herself married to Sir Richard Guildford and stepmother to his many children. It was interesting to read the mundane side of married life, alongside the perils of war and trials of the Tudor monarchy.
I confess, this was a cover buy, along with the premise of being a Tudor novel, and as soon as I opened it and saw a family tree AND a map, I was sold! I am fascinated by the history of the Tower of London and it's ravens, however this book fell short on that side of things for me. The mentions of the ravens in the first half of the book are few and far between and then they're only a minor subplot until much further on.
I enjoyed Sims character, rising from a runaway lad to a very important part of the ravens lives. I was annoyed that he wasn't given more credit at the end. Also Sir Henry Wyatt is a great villain who gets his comeuppance.
3.5 stars as I found the book slow going for much of it and precious little mention of the ravens in the title. I felt that storyline could have been explored in more detail, rather than the queen constantly giving birth and the family travelling backwards and forwards to Kent.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
3.0
Joan Vaux is tasked with preparing Elizabeth of York for her marriage to Henry Tudor, a wedding that will create a new dynasty. For Joan and her mother it is a relief to return to favour after the long war and the death of their father/husband. However Joan, as a gentlewoman, cannot progress in the Queen's service unless she is married to knight and so Henry presents her with a choice of two suitors, one a widower with six children, the other a man Joan dislikes. As Joan's marriage grows more comfortable, Joan finds herself indispensable to the Queen through turmoil and insurrection. Meanwhile Joan's love for the ravens of the Tower remain constant.
An interesting setting for this book, the early years of Henry Tudor's reign, makes it stand out from the morass of Tudor romances. However it is a novel with a very romantic viewpoint, there is little dirt and poverty here. I did like the description of the tensions in the country around the Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck plots but ultimately it is a very pleasant and undemanding historical novel.
An interesting setting for this book, the early years of Henry Tudor's reign, makes it stand out from the morass of Tudor romances. However it is a novel with a very romantic viewpoint, there is little dirt and poverty here. I did like the description of the tensions in the country around the Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck plots but ultimately it is a very pleasant and undemanding historical novel.
abharris's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
pplasas18's review against another edition
4.0
I love story's about the Tudors and the war of the Rose's before. And this book gives us some insight in the story from another point of view. I loved the story and the main character Joan. Truly an lovely book to read.
pph_library_bookclub's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first book we read during the COVID crisis, we discussed it using the GoodReads private group we have set up. Unfortunately this didn't work as well as hoped so this review might be a little shorter than normal.
We had a little discussion about the style of language which some people felt was a little too modern so felt slightly odd. Others found that because the style was a little more modern than other historical novels it was actually easier to get into.
There was also some discussion about how there are a lot of books about this time period which makes it easier in some ways to learn and keep track of the people involved. However, as this was from a different point of view there were some names we weren't familiar with which did cause some confusion. We would also be interested in hearing more from people who were living a more normal life, rather than the higher classes all the time. In this specific example we would like to have had more from the point of view of Sim as he rose from such a poor position to living with royals.
As this is a historical novel but from the point of view of someone we'd not heard of before we wondered how historically accurate this book was. It's hard enough to find information and records about women in this time who were well known, but this person might have had very little written about her. We wondered why she was chosen to be the focus of the book.
Overall we gave this book 8 out of 10. #gifted
We had a little discussion about the style of language which some people felt was a little too modern so felt slightly odd. Others found that because the style was a little more modern than other historical novels it was actually easier to get into.
There was also some discussion about how there are a lot of books about this time period which makes it easier in some ways to learn and keep track of the people involved. However, as this was from a different point of view there were some names we weren't familiar with which did cause some confusion. We would also be interested in hearing more from people who were living a more normal life, rather than the higher classes all the time. In this specific example we would like to have had more from the point of view of Sim as he rose from such a poor position to living with royals.
As this is a historical novel but from the point of view of someone we'd not heard of before we wondered how historically accurate this book was. It's hard enough to find information and records about women in this time who were well known, but this person might have had very little written about her. We wondered why she was chosen to be the focus of the book.
Overall we gave this book 8 out of 10. #gifted
heathssm's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sepiareads's review against another edition
3.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the E-ARC all opinions are my own.*
I hadn't read a historical fiction book in so long! This book is about the start of the Tudor dynasty and Henry VII becoming king. It follows a lady in waiting,Joan and her life in the court.
I enjoyed this book and was hooked instantly. This book is split into 4 parts and I read the first part,which is around 130 pages, in one sitting! I really liked the court intrigue and what was happening around the kingdom.
I found the pacing to be a bit slow for me. A lot was happening but sometimes it felt like everything was going too slow. I found the parts where she is not in court to be too long and I wanted to rush past that to get to the interesting part. This book isn't specifically about a certain event that would happen,rather, it focuses on the English Kingdom and King Henry and everything he did to keep the throne. It's not a story where there's a big plot. It has many little things happening in it. I think I would have liked it more if there was an overarching plot but it was still very much enjoyable seeing day to day life. I also liked the idea behind the ravens and I understand why it has this title.
In terms of characters, I really liked Joan. She was not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself. I also liked the King and Queen,they really cared for their subjects. I thought I would like Sir Henry Wyatt but he ended up being horrible.
This book doesn't have much romance but I didn't like who she ended up with at first but by the end,I was glad she chose who she did.I didn't like her reasoning but her instincts were right in the end.
All in all,I liked this book and it has definitely made me want to read more historical fiction and has reminded me why I love them so much.
I would recommend this book if you like character driven books spanning many years.
I hadn't read a historical fiction book in so long! This book is about the start of the Tudor dynasty and Henry VII becoming king. It follows a lady in waiting,Joan and her life in the court.
I enjoyed this book and was hooked instantly. This book is split into 4 parts and I read the first part,which is around 130 pages, in one sitting! I really liked the court intrigue and what was happening around the kingdom.
I found the pacing to be a bit slow for me. A lot was happening but sometimes it felt like everything was going too slow. I found the parts where she is not in court to be too long and I wanted to rush past that to get to the interesting part. This book isn't specifically about a certain event that would happen,rather, it focuses on the English Kingdom and King Henry and everything he did to keep the throne. It's not a story where there's a big plot. It has many little things happening in it. I think I would have liked it more if there was an overarching plot but it was still very much enjoyable seeing day to day life. I also liked the idea behind the ravens and I understand why it has this title.
In terms of characters, I really liked Joan. She was not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself. I also liked the King and Queen,they really cared for their subjects. I thought I would like Sir Henry Wyatt but he ended up being horrible.
This book doesn't have much romance but I didn't like who she ended up with at first but by the end,I was glad she chose who she did.I didn't like her reasoning but her instincts were right in the end.
All in all,I liked this book and it has definitely made me want to read more historical fiction and has reminded me why I love them so much.
I would recommend this book if you like character driven books spanning many years.
shinysarah28's review against another edition
Reading slump. Couldn’t get into it.
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
Fictionalised history...
Joan Vaux has known Elizabeth of York since childhood, so when Elizabeth becomes Queen to the first of the Tudors, Henry VII, it is natural for Joan to become one of her court servants. This is the story of Joan’s life – her rise through the ranks to become lady-in-waiting to the Queen and her husband’s equal rise to the top ranks of Henry’s circle. Living for periods of time in the Tower of London, Joan has developed a fascination for the ravens who make their home there and for the legend that says that should the ravens ever desert the Tower, its walls will crumble and the monarchy will fall. Over the years Joan will do her best to protect the ravens from those who see them as pests.
I’m no historian, especially of this period, but it seems to me as if Hickson sticks very closely to fact, both in terms of events and in the personalities of the Royals, insofar as their personalities are known at all at this distance. To me, this is not so much historical fiction as fictionalised history. By this I mean that it is a simple recounting of actual events as seen through the eyes of Joan, rather than a fictional story in its own right using the historical background as a setting.
In other words, there is no plot. The blurb speaks of Joan being “privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen” but frankly Elizabeth doesn’t have any deep, dark secrets. “Like the ravens,” the blurb continues, “Joan must use her eyes and her senses, as conspiracy whispers through the dark corridors of the Tower.” Hmm! That rather makes it sounds as if Joan will be involved in the various events of the time, doesn’t it? But she’s not – she merely mentions them in passing as things that happen to other people. The book is well written for the most part and interesting for the credible detail it provides of the life of a lady of the court who sees and hears of the high events of the period without actively participating in or influencing them. Nothing wrong with that, but not quite what the blurb would lead one to expect. Personally I was perpetually disappointed that all the action was happening elsewhere – the rebellions, skirmishes, treaties, etc. However that’s a matter of personal preference – I’m always more interested in the political than the domestic sphere.
The book is full of anachronistic phrases, like “healthy bottom line”, “cooking the books”, “dress to impress”, and so on – so many of them that I came to think that Hickson had made the decision to do this deliberately rather than accidentally allowing one or two to slip through. I can see that that may be an attempt to make the characters seem more accessible to a modern audience, but for me it simply jarred. I don’t think historical fiction should necessarily be full of thous and thees and mayhaps and verilys, but I find the use of specifically modern phrases simply pulls me out of the period. And I was seriously disappointed at the too frequent glaring grammatical errors, especially since Hickson tells us that she had two editors! Hopefully someone will have picked these up and corrected them before the final version was printed.
Despite this lengthy list of niggles, I still found it quite an enjoyable read overall. It gives an interesting and convincing insight into the life of a lady of the court, juggling marriage and children with the duties of serving the Queen. Joan is lucky that the husband who is chosen for her is someone she comes to love and admire – not passionately, perhaps, but contentedly. All the important events of the time are touched on, such as Perkin Warbeck’s imposture of one of the missing, presumed dead, Princes in the Tower, and we are entertainingly introduced to the child who will later become Henry VIII. The book ends with the marriage of Katherine of Aragorn to the young Prince Arthur, and with a promise in the afterword that Hickson intends to continue Joan’s story in a future book. I’m not sure that I’ll stick with her for that, but that’s mainly because of my preference for novels that take me to the centre of events rather than leaving me on the domestic periphery. However, I think people who are interested in seeing how women of this rank lived at that time will find this an enjoyable and informative read.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Joan Vaux has known Elizabeth of York since childhood, so when Elizabeth becomes Queen to the first of the Tudors, Henry VII, it is natural for Joan to become one of her court servants. This is the story of Joan’s life – her rise through the ranks to become lady-in-waiting to the Queen and her husband’s equal rise to the top ranks of Henry’s circle. Living for periods of time in the Tower of London, Joan has developed a fascination for the ravens who make their home there and for the legend that says that should the ravens ever desert the Tower, its walls will crumble and the monarchy will fall. Over the years Joan will do her best to protect the ravens from those who see them as pests.
I’m no historian, especially of this period, but it seems to me as if Hickson sticks very closely to fact, both in terms of events and in the personalities of the Royals, insofar as their personalities are known at all at this distance. To me, this is not so much historical fiction as fictionalised history. By this I mean that it is a simple recounting of actual events as seen through the eyes of Joan, rather than a fictional story in its own right using the historical background as a setting.
In other words, there is no plot. The blurb speaks of Joan being “privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of her queen” but frankly Elizabeth doesn’t have any deep, dark secrets. “Like the ravens,” the blurb continues, “Joan must use her eyes and her senses, as conspiracy whispers through the dark corridors of the Tower.” Hmm! That rather makes it sounds as if Joan will be involved in the various events of the time, doesn’t it? But she’s not – she merely mentions them in passing as things that happen to other people. The book is well written for the most part and interesting for the credible detail it provides of the life of a lady of the court who sees and hears of the high events of the period without actively participating in or influencing them. Nothing wrong with that, but not quite what the blurb would lead one to expect. Personally I was perpetually disappointed that all the action was happening elsewhere – the rebellions, skirmishes, treaties, etc. However that’s a matter of personal preference – I’m always more interested in the political than the domestic sphere.
The book is full of anachronistic phrases, like “healthy bottom line”, “cooking the books”, “dress to impress”, and so on – so many of them that I came to think that Hickson had made the decision to do this deliberately rather than accidentally allowing one or two to slip through. I can see that that may be an attempt to make the characters seem more accessible to a modern audience, but for me it simply jarred. I don’t think historical fiction should necessarily be full of thous and thees and mayhaps and verilys, but I find the use of specifically modern phrases simply pulls me out of the period. And I was seriously disappointed at the too frequent glaring grammatical errors, especially since Hickson tells us that she had two editors! Hopefully someone will have picked these up and corrected them before the final version was printed.
Despite this lengthy list of niggles, I still found it quite an enjoyable read overall. It gives an interesting and convincing insight into the life of a lady of the court, juggling marriage and children with the duties of serving the Queen. Joan is lucky that the husband who is chosen for her is someone she comes to love and admire – not passionately, perhaps, but contentedly. All the important events of the time are touched on, such as Perkin Warbeck’s imposture of one of the missing, presumed dead, Princes in the Tower, and we are entertainingly introduced to the child who will later become Henry VIII. The book ends with the marriage of Katherine of Aragorn to the young Prince Arthur, and with a promise in the afterword that Hickson intends to continue Joan’s story in a future book. I’m not sure that I’ll stick with her for that, but that’s mainly because of my preference for novels that take me to the centre of events rather than leaving me on the domestic periphery. However, I think people who are interested in seeing how women of this rank lived at that time will find this an enjoyable and informative read.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com