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Summary: Battle for the crown between Edward, Jane, Mary and Elizabet
Review: This was a wonderful book. Most historical books read like a text book from History 101. But Weir's book was novel-like, which completly held my interest from cover to cover, unlike most of my text books from high school or college! Reading this book you can see the growth of Edward, Jane, Mary and Elizabeth. This book really piqued my interest in this era of history.
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Summary: Alison Weir never fails to inform and entertain
Review: Alison Weir's "The Children of Henry VIII" is as informative and entertaining as Ms. Weir's other works. Her research is in depth and she tells the tale in a very readable and enjoyable way. The era and times described remarkably well, very educational with the emphasis on accuracy.
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Summary: Another great book by Alison Weir!!
Review: I recommend this book to anyone interested in King Henry the VIII's children. A very good read. I couldn't put it down. She writes in a very personal way making this piece of History come alive again.
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Summary: I found this book to be enthralling, educational and excitin
Review: This is the first historical biography I have ever read and I am grateful to Alison Weir for that. Since reading this book I am hooked. Befor ereading this I knew nothing of that period of time n'or the players involved. The subject matter is enthralling, shocking and I have enthusiastically recommended it to everyone I know. The format is easily digestible and allows the story to tell itself without being dragged down by dates and dull facts. She tells history as it is meant to be told, as a tale.
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Summary: An enthralling book about some interesting people.
Review: I was already a fan of Alison Weir's after reading The Princes in the Tower and The Wars of the Roses, and this book did not disappoint me in any way. The equal amount of time allotted to each character as well as descriptions of what each was doing during the time of another's reign made this book read like a story and hard to put down.
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Summary: Reads like a novel.
Review: This is one of the most interesting historical novels I have ever read. Based on only a superficial interest in the era, I picked up this book and put it down with a very clear idea of events and chronology related to the events surrounding Elizabeth I, "Bloody Mary" and Lady Jane Grey, and all the other players in this fascinating drama. Highly recomended for lovers of history and historical fiction.
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Summary: A fascinating look at a tumultuous time
Review: If you'd like to gain a better appreciation for the necessity of separating church and state, or for the orderly change of governments (for the most part) today, check this book out. Ms. Weir does a great job of putting together history books that communicate the intrigues and difficulties of British politics in the 15th and 16th centuries. I can't wait to see her book about Elizabeth I; this one ends just as Elizabeth gains the throne of England. I learned so much about the short lives of Edward and Lady Jane Grey, and the politics of marriage, through Weir's books. "The Princes in the Tower" and "Six Wives of Henry VIII" are also terrific reads.
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Summary: Entertaining and easy to read. Find out who lost Calais.
Review: Alison Weir has made reading about the High Middle Ages very entertaining. It is most enlightening to read how human each of the monarchs during this period were. I also like how even minor characters are detailed. For instance, what happened to Katherine Parr after Henry VIII died, Alison will tell you.
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Summary: Four British Monarchs and Their Relationship with Each Other
Review: I am fascinated with the Tudors, particularly Elizabeth I and her cousin, Lady Jane Grey. I have read many biographies on the different players in this time frame yet I have read few books that focus on the relationships between those people. I yearned to know those details, however. How did Mary and Jane go from being on friendly terms to rivals? How did Mary react to Edward VI? How did Elizabeth react to the news of Jane's death?Weir started off doing a splendid job addressing all of those issues. She started off addressing the character of Mary, Elizabeth, Jane and Edward and their feelings and relationships with each other. She painstakingly chronicled in great detail the tumultuous nature of Mary and Elizabeth's relationship, as well as how Mary viewed Edward VI and him her. Yet after Edward's death, she sort of lost touch of that track, and focused primarily on the nature of Mary's relationship to those around her, which while interesting, still did leave me with some unanswered questions. For instance, I never did get a good feel for how Elizabeth reacted to the news of Jane's death (it might be one of those mysteries of history, but if nothing was written about it at the time, I would at least like to know). The writing style is good and clear, especially for a work of history, and the pages seem to fly by. My only complaint was her repetitiveness. For instance, she mentioned that Mary thought that Elizabeth was the daughter of Mark Smeaton three times. In all, the book definitely addressed a lot of personal issues I had not yet seen addressed and was a pure pleasure to read. It would also, I believe, serve for those who know little of the time period or of Mary I, be an excellent starting place, for the work is not so bogged down in details as many other historical works are.
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Summary: Mrs. Weir clearly did not do the in-depth research required.
Review: Mrs. Weir clearly did not do the in-depth research that she should have. Among the glaring inconsistencies is on page 248 in which Mrs. Weir indicated that Elizabeth was taken from Ashridge on Feb. 12, 1554 later spending a night on Feb 21 at the village of Highgate. Raphael Holinshed in his chronicles of 1587 indicates that Elizabeth was taken from Ashridge on the 15th of March.
John Foxe and Henry Ellis (Two early historians)concur that Elizabeth was moved to the Tower on Palm Sunday, the 17th of March, not February 22nd as Mrs. Weir indicates.
There are other inconsistencies, please enjoy the story and do not rely on the facts.
Speaking as a professor of early European history for 18 years, these types of accounts only serve to distort history for future generations.
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