4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Historical Tour De Force, November 16, 2007
This review is from: Love, Remember Me (Mass Market Paperback)
I enjoyed this historical novel that has something for every fan of historical romance--true love, sex, adventure, political intrigue, infidelity, royalty, and rich historical detail--yet still lacks a certain balance.
The story begins as 16-year-old Nyssa, daughter of Blaze Wyndham, sets out with her two brothers to make their fortunes at the court of Henry VIII. Nyssa's hope is to marry for love. Though she is anxious about her new life, Nyssa enjoys serving as a royal maid to Anne of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife, but even daily life at court is fraught with political, social and religious intrigue. The royal marriage, of course, is a signal lack of success, and Henry publicly seeks to end it before it even begins. This sets the various factions at court to scheming on how to provide Henry a new wife who will represent their own religious beliefs and political leanings. Unfortunately, the king's fatherly interest in Nyssa convinces the conniving and ambitious Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, that Nyssa is a contender for the position of Queen No. 5. He decides to remove her as a supposed rival to his own niece, Catherine Howard, for the king's affections.
Norfolk's plot to disgrace Nyssa is unwillingly but actively supported by his grandson, Varian, Earl of March, who has been in love with Nyssa for some time. Because of Varian's unsavory reputation keeps him on the edges of society and beyond marriageability, Nyssa has kept her distance despite her attraction to him. Though Varian's actions will ruin her socially and lose her the king's favor, he genuinely wants to save her from a fate that will be far worse if he isn't complicit in his grandfather's conspiracy. This is a deliciously repulsive twist that adds even more tension as the plot unfolds relentlessly and the Tudor-Howard marriage races to its shattering conclusion.
So why only four stars? It's hard to say what the author intended. I have to agree with a previous reviewer that this novel spends too little time with its protagonists. Although the story is completely absorbing, it reads as though the author really wanted to center her novel on the disastrous marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine Howard. And I almost wish she had. History comes alive in Love, Remember Me as it too rarely does in the standard bodice-ripper. Henry Tudor and Catherine Howard come vigourously to life, in strong contrast to the romantic hero, Varian, Earl of March, who has little to do except adore his bride, Nyssa, and show reverence to his lofty but unworthy grandfather. Other historical figures are also superbly rendered: the Duke of Norfolk, Archbishop Cranmer, and Anne of Cleves, among many supporting characters, are well-rounded. They stand out in bright relief against the less vivid fictional characters.
Not to say that this doesn't work somewhat in the novel's favor. Contrasted with the soaring, ruthless ambition of Henry's courtiers and advisors, Nyssa and Varian are not intended to be history-makers, but hapless innocents swept against their will by the course of historical events. The precarious balance between life and death is a constant, foreboding presence. And yet the wonderful historical backdrop, the characterization, the detail, are out of proportion, overshadowing the rest of the story and reducing Nyssa and Varian to supporting roles.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Remember Me, September 9, 2005
This review is from: Love, Remember Me (Mass Market Paperback)
I just re read this book after a long time.
Nyssa Wyndham goes to court as a maid of honor to the soon to be queen, Anne Of Cleves. She's appointed to her position by Henry the Eighth, as a favor to her mother, who was the king's mistress for a brief time. Now, Nyssa becomes embroiled in the intrigues of court. The king, displeased by the fact that Anne is not exactly as her potrait rendered her, seeks an annulment of his marriage. When powers beyond Nyssa's control believe her to be a possibility as the new queen, they see to it she is immediatly out of favor.
She's married off to Varian De Winter, a man who's ben in love with her since he saw her at Hampton Court. Due to a scandel in his past, hes been unable to find a family who'd let him pay court to any of their daughters. His and Nyssa's marriage has a VERY unusual beginning, but they are eventually happy. However, they are called back to court!
This is a wonderful book. Detailed, like all of Ms. Smalls works. Just a great read. I wish there had been more books in the Wyndham family.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bertie Missed Her True Calling, June 4, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Love, Remember Me (Mass Market Paperback)
Normally I loathe Bertrice Small's romance novels. But this, this was no simple romance novel. This book is a historical novel of the top flight. Yeah, okay, there's (great) romance in it, but it isn't the pivot of the plot. The intrigues between Henry VIII, his "Flanders mare" Anne of Cleves, his adulterous fifth wife Catherine Howard, and the over ambitious Duke of Norfolk are the true players in this historical tale. We are given the chance to see Anne and Catherine from a point of view much more sympathetic than most history books would offer. In short, if you prefer history to romance, this might be a good book to investigate.
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