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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
The Queen's Sorrow by Suzannah Dunn
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.