Customer Reviews

Henry VIII's Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

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Although this book was very helpful in filling the gaps usually left by general histories, I found the depiction of Earl of Surrey to be flat and two-dimensional. After finishing the book, I didn't really feel that I knew him much better than before I started. However, I did have a much clearer understanding of the difficult tightrope walked by every person who came into contact with the court during this stressful era.

Your interest in Renaissance and Elizabethan times will be well served by this book, for you will understand the daughter much better when you come to know her father. The title of the book refers to Surrey, who I'd never really encountered before. The combination of talent in literature (he invented the English sonnet), sense of entitlement, daring with the backdrop of those uncertain times make a fascinating subject.

The author Jessie Childs is up there with Spence, Kurlansky and Schama for turning history into a rollicking good read. She, like the others, gives the history by telling the experience of a given player. Childs shows her subject, Surrey, from youth to a premature death, from despair to glory, over time and place. Surreys are central figures of their times, so the cast of characters is wide. Her scholarship is first rate, and I await more from her.