24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
THE YOUNGER SISTER OF KING HENRY VIII..., February 15, 2004
This review is from: Mary, Queen of France: The Tudor Princesses (Paperback)
Jean Plaidy, renowned writer of historical fiction, who is also known to her legions of fans as Victoria Holt, wrote two books about the Tudor princesses. One is titled "The Thistle and the Rose" and is about Margaret Tudor, the older sister of King Henry VIII. This book takes a look at his younger sister, the beautiful, headstrong Mary, who was his favorite. The author, as always, weaves an interesting work of historical fiction gathered from the facts that are known about her subject.
The Princess Mary, in keeping with the traditions of the time, was not in control of own fate. Used as a political pawn through the rites of betrothal, she was finally married off to the sickly King of France, Louis XII, who was more than forty years her senior. Beautiful, vivacious, passionate about her feelings, and headstrong, the teenage Mary went kicking and screaming to the altar, as she was secretly in love with her brother's then best friend, Charles Brandon, a commoner whom King Henry VIII eventually elevated and upon whom he conferred the title of Duke of Suffolk. Before leaving for France, Mary extracted a promise from her brother that he would allow her to marry whom she chose the second time around.
Comforted by her brother's promise, Mary would make the most of her relatively brief sojourn in France, where her beauty and charm would capture the devotion of her French subjects, as well as the roving eye of the charming but married Francois, nephew to King Louis XII and his heir. After biding her time, the ailing King of France died, freeing Mary from her marriage to the kindly, infirm man whom she did not love.
Freed from the bonds of her distasteful marriage, Mary, hearing rumors that her brother was again trying to marry her off for political advantage, went into action. When Charles Brandon, who had gone to France at the express command of King Henry VIII in order to escort Mary back to England, arrived in France, Mary asked him to marry her before securing her brother's permission. Brandon finally agreed, though not without some trepidation, as such an act could be viewed as treasonous. Mary, however, was firm in her belief that, in the end, her brother would not deny her her heart's desire and would keep his promise to his favorite sister. So, they eloped before sailing back to England, aided by Francois, who was now the King of France.
This an interesting work of historical fiction of a Tudor princess about whom relatively little has been written. Ms. Plaidy expertly weaves those known facts into a compelling narrative that brings her story to life, though it leaves the reader wanting to know more than is provided by the author. Still, fans of Ms. Plaidy, of which I am one, will not be disappointed.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If only she'd been Queen of England!, March 7, 2004
This review is from: Mary, Queen of France: The Tudor Princesses (Paperback)
This is the second book by Jean Plaidy I've recently read; and it far surpassed "The Thistle and the Rose" though I enjoyed that book as well. I guess it's the subject matter that I found more interesting. Mary, the younger sister of King Henry VIII, was exuberant and determined and deeply in love. The story follows her through they typical political betrothal, an eventual wedding to a sick old man and the turmoil of her brother's court...all while she single-mindedly seeks only to love one man. I hung on every word, hoping for her happiness and admiring her for how bravely she faced her brother during his decent into apparent power-crazed madness. As the book closed, I could only imagine what great things history would have recorded of the Tudor court had Mary been the Queen of England and not simply a secondary figure in King Henry VIII's court.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent historical fiction, March 4, 2004
This review is from: Mary, Queen of France: The Tudor Princesses (Paperback)
Mary, Queen of France was a historically accurate, well-written, enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes entertaining books that have basis in fact.
Summary: Mary, a lively, cheerful girl, is the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England. Mary loves her brother's best friend, Charles Brandon, but she can't marry him. Henry has betrothed Mary to a Spanish nobleman. The Spanish nobleman is dull, and Mary hates him. She wants nothing more than to marry Charles and live a simple, happy life with him. Luckily, Mary evades the marriage with Spain, and she believes that she will be able to marry Charles. Then Henry arranges for her to marry the 52-year old King of France! Mary agrees to become the queen of France because she knows the king is old and will die soon, and she'll then be free to marry Charles. Mary meets some interesting people in France, though . . . . and I can't give away the rest!
I think that this book had very interesting content. Mary is a fascinating character, and I constantly wanted to know what happened next. All the characters were 3-D and were easy to understand and sympathize with. The writing was a little bit awkward; there were some phrases that didn't flow, and the writing sometimes changed to a different person's perspective without telling the reader. Overall, this was a worthwhile read, and anyone who enjoys historical fiction should read this.
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