Customer Reviews

Mary, Queen of France: The Tudor Princesses

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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.

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.

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.

Earlier this summer I read Jean Plaidy's two re-issues (Lady in the Tower & The Rose Without A Thorn) and I immensely enjoyed them and now I realize why readers praise Jean Plaidy so much. Her books are wonderful and addicting and best of all they cover my favorite things to read about: the past royals of Europe. I leapt at the opportunity to read this new Plaidy re-issue, Mary, Queen of France, and bought it on Halloween, a few days after its release. The story is Mary Tudor's, the younger sister of Henry VIII, not to be confused with `Bloody' Mary I, Henry's daughter. She and her brother were the best of friends (which is disturbing considering the monster Henry became in his reign) and court life dazzled the young and beautiful princess, said to be the most beautiful in the world. However, royal life has its cons and Mary's unfortunate fate is to be married to the prince of Castile, Charles, who is younger than she is. However, Mary has recently caught the eye of Charles Brandon, Henry's good friend, and he has done the same back. But their relationship is forbidden, and Henry does his best to keep the two apart for the time being, aware of their love.
Meanwhile, in France, Louise of Savoy is raising her second child, Francois, to be the next king of France. With her close friend Jeanne and her trinity (herself, Francois, and her loveable daughter, Marguerite), Louise plots to get her son on the throne somehow, no matter what it costs her. But the French king, Louis XII is determined not to let Francois get to the throne (or rather his wives/advisors). He discards his first wife, Jeanne, to take on Anne of Brittany, a strong and fruitful woman. But all she bears is a daughter, Claude, before she too dies. With a small glint of hope, Louis turns his eyes towards England for their young and beautiful princess: Mary Tudor.
Mary is only too happy to know that her betrothal to Charles of Castile is broken off. But the thought of marrying the ailing and old Louis makes her shudder. Mary wants to marry Charles, but it cannot be, and she packs for France. The most important thing she brings with her is her brother's promise to marry whomever she wants upon Louis' death. And so the tale begins of deceit and treason at the French court, a forbidden love, a tempting Francois, and then story of two people who challenged an empire all for love.
I really did enjoy this book. For months I anticipated the release and I will admit it did take me a month to finally finish it (read on and off) but I was happy it lasted as long as it did. The characters came across very lively and 3-dimensional. I myself loved the characters of Marguerite and Francois. Mary on the other hand I found rather selfish, wishing her own husband dead and only thinking of herself before her entire kingdom. Henry came across in his true light: despotic, cruel, and selfish. But also lavish and loving of his close family, though he did want his father dead so he could get to the throne (Henry and Mary think alike it seems...). I loved the story and the setting, but I did have some regrets. Though I liked hearing of Francois' history and his family's past, the book was after all Mary's story and I don't think 60 pages was needed about the French dauphin/king and the `trinity'. Perhaps they could have had their own book. Also, Mary's death confused me, I wish there could have been some explanation of her symptoms because Mary was rather young when she died and when she did there was no explanation, only that she felt old and that she felt like she was dying. The one other thing was the Anne Boleyn situation. Mary seemed to adore Anne in the chapter where her daughter, Frances, was christened, but then not a few pages later she hated Anne and called her a witch and such, with no explanation other than that Henry wanted to divorce his wife Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne.
Other than a few small things, I really enjoyed this story, which was one I was unfamiliar with in Tudor history. It surprised me that Mary, Queen of France was virtually impossible to find before this re-issue because this book was much better than some I have read recently that are in print! The French and English settings, the time period, and the subject all deeply interested me and I greatly am anticipating the next Plaidy re-issue: Thistle and the Rose.

Mary Rose Tudor had a life story that makes for a terrific read. I was so glad to see this classic back in print, and I've always been surprised that more recent historical novelists haven't written more about her. Mary, Queen of France begins with Henry VIII sending his beautiful younger sister--who is only 15 years old--off to France to marry an elderly king old enough to be her grandfather. Mary tries just about everything to avoid going, since she is in love with an English duke, Charles Brandon. But ultimately, they know it would be too dangerous to defy Henry, so Mary is forced to go. Fortunately, the old king dies after only a couple years of marriage and Mary is able to return to England and secretly marry Charles Brandon, which is still risky because she needs Henry's permission to marry him. They do live happily ever after, and Mary wins her way back into Henry's favor (he was a lot nicer to his sister than he was to his wives). Mary's granddaughter was Lady Jane Grey, and I'm hoping that this publisher will reissue one of the novels about her next.

Long before Henry VIII succumbs to the heady power of his long and turbulent reign, he is a virile, handsome young man on the cusp of claiming the throne from an ailing father, his best friend and jousting partner since youth the equally impressive Charles Brandon. Surrounding himself with the accoutrements of royalty and his loyal friends, Henry holds his younger sister, Mary Rose, most dear. Certainly Mary displays the Tudor arrogance and singleness of purpose, at thirteen balking at her betrothal to Charles of Castile, a boy younger than herself. Mary's life becomes all the more complicated when she falls in love with the charming Brandon, who is always at her brother's side, their attraction natural as both are young, accomplished and beautiful. But even Mary senses the danger in her infatuation with Charles Brandon; as a royal princess, she has no say in whom she is to wed.

Unfortunately, love respects no such logical restrictions; when Mary realizes Charles is equally enamored, she is determined to make him her husband, first manipulating the dissolution of her betrothal to Charles of Castile. To Mary's dismay, Henry, who has been crowned following the death of his father, has learned of the treachery of the Spanish and contracts to marry his sister to the ageing Louis XII of France, binding the countries together in alliance. As much as she begs, Henry will not be dissuaded, having recently noted Mary's attentions to Brandon. Promising to let his sister choose her next marriage partner if only she agrees to wed Louis, the die is cast, Mary sailing into the longing arms of an old man grasping at an opportunity of begetting an heir.

One of the first people to attend Mary in France is Francoise, Duc de Valois, the Dauphin in line for the throne should Louis die without issue from his new bride. Almost as alluring as the dashing Charles, Francois captures the new queen's attention; she indulges in a merry, if dangerous, flirtation while wed to Louis. As expected, Louis succumbs to age and exhaustion, leaving Mary once more in the eye of the storm, Francoise, the newly anointed King of France and Henry busy making plans for her future. Rebelling, the clever Mary cajoles Francois to her cause, secretly wedding Charles Brandon, the newlyweds returning to England to face Henry's wrath.

Throughout the novel, the strong-willed Tudor brother and sister face off in a battle of wills, Mary only belatedly learning that her beloved Henry has changed from the indulgent older sibling to unpredictable despot, she and her husband barely escaping his displeasure many times as the years pass. Meanwhile, Henry has become disillusioned with his wife, Katherine of Aragon, and her inability to provide him with a son. Bored by her piety, he seeks solace in the dark charms of Anne Boleyn. Mary is perhaps the last woman able to charm the increasingly irascible king, but even the former Queen of France quakes at his the demeanor of a man thwarted in his desire for a son. The young, exuberant Henry of memory disappears, only to be replaced by a petulant, demanding bully who will have his way no matter the cost to the women in his life, beloved sister forgotten along with all the rest. Luan Gaines/2006.

Mary Rose Tudor is one of the great romantic figures of the Tudor family who is overshadowed by her brother Henry VIII and his many wives. Jean Plaidy--a fantastic novelist who's finally back in print thanks to Three Rivers Press--tells the story of a beautiful princess who was celebrated throughout Europe, but died too young. Mary was doted on by her older brother, Henry VIII, but she was sent off to be married for dynastic purposes to the elderly, toothless French king Louis. She hated her husband, but loved the gorgeous, cultured French court. Fortunately, Louis did not live long, and Mary schemed to marry her true love, Charles Brandon. She and Brandon knew that Henry would never approve of their love match--Mary was too valuable a pawn in the marriage market. So they eloped--a disobediant and reckless move that could have resulted in their execution. Yet Henry was surprisingly soft-hearted towards Mary, and he eventually made peace with the match and was pleased to have his beloved sister home again.

Unfortunately, true love escaped Mary. She and Brandon had children, but she died tragically young, which broke her older brother's heart. His daughter, Mary I, was named in honor of her aunt, Mary Rose, Queen of France.

I was delighted to see this book back in print, because it has been nearly impossible to find in used book stores, and it's one of the few good books that tells the story of Princess Mary. I wholeheartedly recommend it to all fans of Tudor lore, and to any historical fiction reader who wants to learn about a less well-known, but fascinating woman of history.

The plot fits the known facts. The love story of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor was well-imagined and plausible. It is a fast read and leaves one satisfied at an average level.

What then was wrong? The facts were there--the great love story of Charles and Mary. A marriage that was treason. A dowry that was released by the new King of France after only a three-month marriage. An enraged Henry but one who succumbed--although he extracted a high financial price that was paid by Charles and Mary for years.

Mary was a beautiful and charming woman....but how did she handle power and how did she charm such powerful men? This power was certainly later seen in Elizabeth I. The love between Charles and Mary was there in the writing but seemed to lack the great passion that fits the known facts.

The book was good...but could have been great.

Mary is the younger sister of Henry VIII, and he dotes on her. This book covers much her life - her betrothals to prices of Europe, hermiserable marriage to the King of France, her love affair with Charles Brandon (the king's best friend), and finally her marriage to Brandon against her brother's wishes - a very dangerous game to play against Henry VIII.

The book's pacing was not even. At times the story raced and I flew through the pages; at other times it dragged on and seemed much longer than its 290 pages. Over all I liked the book, and I'm planning on eventually collecting all of the re-published books by Jean Plaidy.

I loved Plaidy's book about Margaret (The Thistle and the Rose) and was excited to read this book about Henry's younger sister. I was not disappointed. I loved the politics of royal marriage and I was so happy when she was able to marry Charles Brandon. It was a great story about Mary's journey to find love while being a princess and a pawn of her brother. I highly recommend it! I am so glad that I got to learn about her. (It is hard to find other novels about Henry's sisters.)