"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." — Madeleine L'Engle

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer

Title: Mary, Bloody Mary
Author: Carolyn Meyer
Published: 1999
Pages: 227
Rating: 4/5
Summary: The story of Mary Tudor's childhood is a classic fairy tale: A princess who is to inherit the throne of England is separated from her mother; abused by an evil stepmother who has enchanted her father; stripped of her title; and forced to care for her baby stepsister, who inherits Mary's rights to the throne. Believe it or not, it's all true.
Told in the voice of the young Mary, this novel explores the history and intrigue of the dramatic rule of Henry VIII, his outrageous affair with and marriage to the bewitching Anne Boleyn, and the consequences of that relationship for his firstborn daughter.

Review: The thing that made me want to read this book was that I've been wanting to read more historical books and thought this was a great way to know more.

The story start with Mary as a young girl who lives a happy life near her parent. She has everything that she could possibly want when things start to change. All of a sudden she can see that things are changing and soon she leaves the life she had to one that she couldn't possibly imagine.

I really liked the Mary that Meyer showed the reader. I could feel the way she felt when she had to go through everything that she was put through. Even though at times I didn't like the choices she made during and after the book, I could understand why she acted that way.

The book covered all her life up until her father decided to be with someone else that wasn't Anne Boleyn. At times it was sad to see how she was treated but I think she did good while she could. I know we don't live in those times anymore so I still have a hard time imagining all this happen. It was a good book that I would recommend to others.

2 comments:

  1. Oooh, this brings back memories! It was my introduction to the Young Royals series, which is one of my favorite historical series and started my obsession with Tudor England. Great review!

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  2. I read this several years ago when I was very, very young, so young that I can't remember anything about it. Maybe I should get it from the library sometime? It's nice to see people reviewing older books. Nice review!

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