The Tudor Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Category: Historical Fiction
Published: Originally 1971, Re-published 1 Oct. 2009, 336 pages

Review: 4/5

The Tudor Rose had a bit of a slow start for me. I don't know if that was the books fault or my own because I just wasn't in the mood for it. In the end, however, I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel about Elizabeth of York. I visited London when I was a senior in high school and I vaguely remember the tour guide in the Tower of London pointing out a room where two young princes had been imprisoned to allow someone else to take the throne. That story is in this book. It also gives a lot of history that leads up to the other two Margaret Campbell Barnes books that I've read, Brief Gaudy Hour and My Lady of Cleves. This is fascinating history. I wonder how accurate it all is but it sure lends credence to the adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction." I don't think the story and writing always flows really well and at times I got confused about people and places but I still really enjoyed this book in the end. All of Margaret Campbell Barnes' books have been that way for me--a little hard to get into but in the end, worth the read.

Rating: 2.2.1 Contains some talk about sex in general and has a little bit of the violence associated with battles and war.

The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Category: Historical Fiction

Published: Orginally 1971, republished Oct. 1, 2009, 336 pgs.

I haven't quite finished this book yet but since I received it is an ARC and it has recently been released, I wanted to tell you about it. The Tudor Rose is about Elizabeth of York, the daughter of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville. As I have read these books by Margaret Campbell Barnes I have been amazed at the immorality, greed, conniving, and deceipt that went on in the English monarchy back then. It helps me appreciate again the amazing democracy we live in today.

This book has been really interesting so far and I definitely want to finish it. I wouldn't say that it is compelling because I have had a hard time getting through it but it is a great way to get a history lesson. I'll let you know my final thoughts about it when I've finished.

My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Rating: 2.2.1
Category: Historical Fiction
Published: 1946, 2008
328 pages


Review:

Princess Anne of Cleves was the 4th wife of Henry VIII and, in my opinion, the most fortunate of his six wives. This book was quite interesting and I really liked Anne of Cleves. She was an admirable woman who made the most of a sorry situation. I really don't know how much of this book was truth and how much conjecture but it was a good read; not necessarily fast paced or un-put-downable, but still interesting. From what I understand, Henry VIII was a good king and good for England but he was a despicable person. While you do see a slightly softer side of him at times in this novel, I just hated him. Yet since I've read this book and Brief Gaudy Hour, I have found myself thinking about reading a non-fiction book about him and his wives. Isn't it funny how we become interested in things, sometimes with a morbid curiousity? This book also has made me very curious about Henry Tudor's children who succeeded him, King Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and especially Queen Elizabeth I. Even if I never read anything about Henry VIII and his wives again, I will definitely pick up something about his children.

Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Rating: 2.2.2

Category: Romance, historical fiction

Published: 1949, 378 pages

Review:

I received Brief Gaudy Hour as a review book from Sourcebooks a while ago and it took me a long time to read it. If it hadn't been a review book I may have abandoned it. I'm not sure exactly why I couldn't get into it at first. It's written well, and although I don't know a lot about the Tudor time period, I understand that Margaret Campbell Barnes was a meticulous researcher, so I could be pretty certain of the validity of this account of Anne Boleyn. I think my problem with the book initially was that I didn't really care for Anne Boleyn and I certainly didn't like Henry Tudor (King Henry VIII). Anne Boleyn was too ambitious and conniving and I didn't like her for much of the book. King Henry was a completely immoral, arrogant jerk in my opinion and it was okay for him to be that way because he was King. That drove me crazy. You are probably wondering, why 4 stars? Well, since it was a review book and I had to finish it, I did, and in the end I liked it a lot. I came to appreciate Anne Boleyn in the end and was moved to tears by her horrible fate. Even though I knew how the story would end, it was still quite suspenseful in parts. I would recommend this book if the Tudor time period interests you or if you want to learn more about it. I haven't read any of Phillippa Gregory's novels but if you have read those and like them I would say that you should definitely read Brief Gaudy Hour .