Customer Reviews

Mary, Bloody Mary: A Young Royals Book

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I highly reccomend this excellant novel. Young Mary Tudor narrates the story of her difficult childhood. The first few years of her life were filled with every privilage imaginable - until her father had an affair with the bewitching Anne Boleyn and tossed aside his first wife, Mary's mother, forbidding her to ever see her again. When at last Mary is allowed to live in the palace again, it is as her infant half-sister Elizabeth's servant. This is a powerful moving novel about a young girl who faces so much loss and tragedy in her life - seperated from her mother, stripped of her title, turned into a servant - that it's no wonder she grew up to become the person she became.

Mary, Bloody Mary is a wonderful find for a history teacher. It is historical fiction that is exciting and full of vivid detail. Kids will not have to be nagged to read this riveting story of Henry VIII's eldest daughter whose life was a rags-to-riches story in reverse. From being her father's precious jewel to living in worn-out clothes, forbidden to see her mother, and pressured to sign documents stating that her own birth and birthright were illegitimate, Mary's story is told in a compelling and sympathetic manner by author Carolyn Meyer. This meticulously researched book adds detail that brings the era to life. We are pulled into Mary's universe: her studies, her daily life, her friendships, and, of course, the intrigue of court life under Henry VIII all are vividly recounted in this book. Mary emerges as a complex character who kids will find fascinating and relatable. I'm so pleased to see such high quality writing targetted for young adults. I plan to use it in my seventh grade history classes and know the kids will love reading and discussing it.

This book was an excellent hisorical fiction novel. It tells about Mary Tudor from when she was about 10 - 20, when her life as a princess is awful. Her father, Henry the eighth, takes a mistress, Anne, and she pretty much ruins Mary's life. When Henry marries Anne, Mary becomes illegitimate, and she becomes a servant to their child, after being banished for years.

Once you read this book you can tell why Mary became who she did in her later life. Plus this book made this bit of history very interesting!

This was a great book, and I'd recommend it for ages 12 and up. If you liked this, you'd probably like to read "Elizabeth, Red Rose of the House of Tudor" a Royal Diary that tells about Mary's half sister.

While it's nice to hear about Mary Tudor's childhood -- everyone knows about Elizabeth's already -- I can't say I liked this book all that much. The problem for me was the voice. Mary just seemed to be recounting all her trials and tribulations in a flat, matter-of-fact manner. It was like reading a newspaper. I would rather she have shown more emotion.

This book is incredible! It gives the startling background of a girl, Mary Tudor, who suffered unimaginable pains as she grew up. I have been especially interested in the history of Elizabeth I and her family. Before I read this book, I pictured Mary as a mean and rude older half-sister to Elizabeth. Afterwards, though, I really connected with Mary and the way she felt towards Elizabeth. This was because it was Elizabeth and her mother who stripped her of her title. At first she was this beautiful princess with a title to be the next queen, but then Anne Boleyn turned her into a lowly servant girl. I believe the way Mary used her power of deception as a servant girl to spy was unique and clever. She also had friends who helped her all along the way. At times these friends had to be rude to literally keep their heads, but they told Mary why they had to treat her like this. Mary is extremely understanding with these people and this causes you to care about her. This book gives a wonderful, but fictionalized historical point of view. It really turns your mind around. I think that anyone who is interested in history, or that is just looking for a good read, should buy this book!

I read the Elizabeth book in the Royal Series Dear America books, and I read of how nasty Mary was to Elizabeth. We always here of Elizabeth, and the trials of her life, but never Mary. This book gives a behind the scenes look at King Henry throught the eyes of this ill-treated duaghter of his, Mary. I could really see why she was so awful during her reign. Childhood shapes the adult, and that's what happened with her. This book is an excelent historical-fiction, and really does give you a whole new perspective on the Tudor family life-styles.

Mary, Bloody Mary
By: Carolyn Meyer

Mary Tudor is a young princess who is being rejected by her father and is drifting far from her mother. Mary Tudor, Princess of Whales, was the first and only daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Spain. Two months after Mary was born she was crowned Princess of Whales. When she was two she was engaged to the dauphin, the oldest son of King Francis. Four years later the King decided that he was not suitable for Mary. At the age of 6 Marry was to be betrothed to Catherine's Spanish nephew Charles, but that was soon over because he was thirty-two years old, and he married the Princess of Portugal. Mary's third and final betrothal was to King Francis of France when she was nine, but by the time Mary turned eleven he didn't feel she would be a good wife for him. When Mary was 13 she was sent to the castle in Ludlow and her mother was sent to the More so they almost never say each other. One of Mary's ladies in waiting, Lady Anne, seduced her father and he changed the whole country of England to the Protestant Church so he could divorce Queen Catherine so Lady Anne could give him a son. He divorced Queen Catherine and married Lady Anne, but she never had a son so she was executed and it took 4 wives after Anne for Henry to receive a son. I liked this book but there were many sad parts.
There were many deaths and executions in this book. Mary's friend Peter, King Henry's 3rd wife Jane, and one of her teachers died from the fever sickness. Mary's mother, Lady Anne, Henry's 4th wife Catherine Howard, an other one of Mary's teachers and her right hand woman, the countess of Salisbury were all executed for various reasons.
Mary's father King Henry was married a total of 6 times in his life time. First to Queen Catherine of Spain, second to Lady Anne Boleyn, third to a woman named Jane, forth to Anne of Cleaves, fifth to Catherine Howard, and finally to Catherine Parr.
I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a good historical fiction book that sounds like all of it was true.

TA

Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer was like a window to me, showing me the difficult and complex world of Mary, Princess of Wales. When you think "Bloody Mary" you may think of some cruel, heartless, and unfeeling queen who lead a bloody rein of terror and persecution. But what about when she was a child or even a teenager. What do you think of her then? Well, that's what I thought and found out.

Carolyn Meyer brilliantly sets the mood and setting of the Tudor rein by writing the book in Mary's, King Henry the VIII's first daughter, point of view. Mary shares with you her deepest feelings about her father, the royal court, her mother, and even the "witch" Anne Boleyn. You travel with Mary though her life of fear, anger, betrayal, torture, and death. And as you read on, you notice that is wasn't such an easy life living as a princess at all, especially Princess Mary Tudor. You soon come to realize why she became so bitter, cold, and maybe even mad. But, like most people, she did have some soft spots. Such as her mother, whom she loved deeply and was separated from by the order of the king, and surprisingly the baby Princess Elizabeth, whom she had to change the royal linen for (Elizabeth's diapers).

This book will keep you on your feet until the very end and even have you feeling for the Princess Mary and definitely change your point of view about the misunderstood Queen. It definitely changed my vision of the Queen and left me almost in tears on how her life was pushed around without her to have any say in it. I love this book and even lent it out to my friends, whom fell in love with it as well. So run to your closest library and pick it up. It's definitely worth the trip.

I love history. And Mary, Bloody Mary helped me learn more about her and why she grew up the way she did and why she became what she became. I am, naturally, a fan of Elizabeth I and I always thought of Mary as an evil stepsister, a Goneril or Regan. This book changed all that. I now think of Mary as an equal to Elizabeth, and a good thing, too. It took a lot to make me believe that Elizabeth I wasn't a saint, that Anne Boleyn wasn't a misused woman (well, she was, but not as much as I thought). A wonderful book for all ages.

I have been fascinated with Henry VIII's wives as of late and someone recommended the Young Royals series. This is a series for teens and I was unsure of whether or not to give the books a whirl, but I bought Mary, Bloody Mary just in case. I loved this dark, insightful, albeit short novel about Mary Tudor, one of Henry VIII's daughters. She comes across as an unsympathetic person at first, but after you read her story and everything she goes through, you have a better understanding of her behavior. She is the apple of Henry's eyes until Anne Boleyn comes along and Henry falls for her, getting an annulment from Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, and declaring Mary an illegitimate and sending her away, and she tries to survive as a peasant in rags. Anne Boleyn allows her to return to the court, but as the au pair/servant for her daughter and Mary's half-sister Elizabeth. During that time, she is humiliated and mistreated and she's in constant fear of her father's wrath against her. It is no wonder that she becomes a cold-hearted, bitter woman known to the world as Bloody Queen Mary. There are various twists throughout the novel.

I love this very interesting account of Henry VIII and his wives told from Mary's point of view. The story itself is very much biographical with very few embellishments, but the first-person narrative adds a rather unique feel and twist to it. Mary is the proverbial anti-heroine and I like the way Carolyn Meyer describes these events in such an insightful, enlightening and dark way. Meyer paints quite a vivid picture of the time period and its protagonists. I love Medieval/Renaissance novels and I've become quite into these quasi-biographical/historical books on Henry VIII's queens and this is one of the best I've read. Henry VIII is quite a hateful person. As I've said when reading the other books, those poor wives of his! And the way he treated his own children -- ugh! He seemed to have blamed his first two wives for not being able to produce an heir. Anyway, I enjoyed Mary, Bloody Mary very much and look forward to reading the entire series. The only disappointing thing for me is that the novel is quite short. It is a very quick read that I devoured in a single sitting. Alas, this was written for children and young adults after all. Other than that, this is a great book. I look forward to giving Beware, Princess Elizabeth a whirl.