Customer Reviews

When Knighthood Was in Flower: Or; The Love Story of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor the King's Sister and Happening in the Reign of His August Majesty King Henry the Eighth

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I purchased this book based upon the impression that it was a biography. Consequently, I stopped reading early in chapter one when the author has an adult Charles and his father engage in a dual -- in reality, Charles' father was killed at the battle of Bosworth when Charles was less than two years of age. This book is probably fine if one is interested in a romance novel, but if one is looking for historically factual insight into these fascinating characters, one should look elsewhere.

When I was 13 years old, my mom handed me a cloth-bound book with what I thought was the corniest title ever. After some reluctance and my mother's urging (I believe she used the words "favorite book"), I finally started reading. I could not put it down. To this day, many years later, I haven't ever come across a more readable biography. For historical accuracy, Major even throws in some text from time to time taken from the official court historian for the Tudors. The biography was so readable I thought it was fiction, and the references also fiction, just like William Goldman's "The Princess Bride." I was overjoyed when I realized it was a true story. (If you liked the book "The Princess Bride," you will probably like this book too.) Perhaps there were some flights of fancy or supposition of what was said between Mary and her brother, and Mary and her love, but you have to fill in some blanks when writing a book about people who lived several hundred years ago. This story is well-told and is absolutely romantic without being, to use my mom's word, schmaltzy.

There's a newer book out on the story of Mary Tudor by Dianne Haeger called "The Secret Bride." I did not read it, and therefore can't give a well-qualified review, but I paged through it at the library and from my brief reading of several passages, it seems much more modern and liberal in its rendition of this story. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just saying give Major a try because I personally think his version is superior in depth and romance. Not to give anything away, but if you read Haeger's version of the scene at the church near the end of the book, and compare it to Major's version, you will see what I mean.

It's a lovely book that's stayed with me for years. I highly recommend it (despite it's corny title).