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Rating: 
Summary: Plodding, sometimes dull, but educational
Review: I found this book to be slow-moving and sometimes quite dull. Still, the historical information Plaidy has gathered in this novel makes it worth reading despite the plodding pace of the plot. Very little has been written about Henry VIII's sister Margaret, and I found the historical details of how a young noblewoman lived day-by-day and how she had to scheme and plot just to keep her children quite interesting.
Not on my Top 10 list, but educational. I'd recommend checking it out of your local library before I'd recommend buying it.
Rating: 
Summary: THE THISTLE OF SCOTLAND AND THE ROSE OF ENGLAND...
Review: Jean Plaidy, also known as Victoria Holt to her legion of devoted fans, is a gifted and prolific writer of historical fiction. A masterful storyteller, Ms. Plaidy is known for seamlessly interweaving historical facts into a rich tapestry of fiction that is often spellbinding. Here, she writes about the beautiful Margaret Tudor, a princess of England, daughter of the parsimonious King Henry VII, and sister to the Tudor despot who would reign as King Henry VIII. At the tender age of twelve, Princess Margaret was betrothed to the handsome and chivalrous King James IV of Scotland, who was sixteen years her senior. Her betrothal arose out of the Treaty of Perpetual Peace and was designed to bring about an end to the age old border wars between Scotland and England. Initially, Margaret viewed her forthcoming marriage with trepidation, only to find herself falling in love with her betrothed upon their first meeting. Theirs would be a love match, despite his philandering and siring of children outside their marriage. Unfortunately, their marriage did not have the intended effect upon the peace between Scotland and England, as King James IV courted the friendship of France, England's avowed enemy. This put Margaret, now Queen of Scotland, in an awkward position. Her brother Henry VIII, now King of England, looked to Margaret to bring her husband back into the fold, but James IV had his own ideas and paid little heed to the advice of his wife. Consequently, Scotland waged war on England, only to be defeated at the battle of Flodden Field, by the army of King Henry VIII. There, King James IV was slain, and Margaret found herself widowed at a young age. Her baby son was crowned King James V of Scotland, and she was named Regent in accordance with her late husband's wishes. Margaret, imbued with the same Tudor passion and tempestuousness as her brother, remained in Scotland, where she engaged in a lifelong battle for power and for control over her beloved young son. Ousted as Regent after a scandalous second marriage to the very handsome Archibald Douglas, head of the powerful Douglas clan and Earl of Angus, she eventually found herself battling not only her brother, but her craven second husband, as well. She ultimately sought to divorce him, much to the horror of her brother, King Henry VIII, who, unbeknownst to Margaret, was secretly mulling over the same marital resolution for himself. Margaret would later fall in love with one of her son's courtiers, his Master Carver, Henry Stuart. This infatuation would ultimately lead to yet a third marriage for Margaret. Again, this marriage was, as were all her marriages, an initially happy one, but would, ultimately, end in infidelity by her husband, causing Margaret to despair of ever finding true love and happiness.
Throughout her life, Margaret's behavior would scandalize many, including her brother, King Henry VIII who, given his own behavior, should have been more tolerant, but it was definitely a man's world in those days. Still, notwithstanding her many disappointments, it would ultimately be Margaret's descendants who would, for a time, rule a united Scotland and England.
This book is a tribute to a woman who has been largely eclipsed by her brother, King Henry VIII, and her granddaughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. In the hands of an acclaimed writer of historical fiction, such as Jean Plaidy, her story comes vividly to life. Filled with larger than life historical personages and well known historical events, this book cannot help but capture the imagination of the reader. Those who like well-written historical fiction will especially enjoy it, as will those who simply enjoy a tale well told.
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent Plaidy novel about the Tudors!
Review: Princess Margaret Tudor was one of those pivotal figures of English history who most of us haven't read about. She was overshadowed by her brother, Henry VIII and her granddaughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, but Margaret's life is definitely worthy of a novel, or two. Margaret was lucky--she married for love. At least, she fell in love with the handsome James IV of Scotland when she met him. He was older than her, but not too much older, and although he was a constant womanizer, their marriage was happy. Still, James was constantly at war with England, and Margaret was torn between her husband and her brother. The marriage never brought the peace it should have, and James died young, leaving Margaret with a baby son, the heir to the Scottish throne. Margaret went on to live a life that scandalized many--she married, and divorced, and married again, not unlike her famous older brother. Jean Plaidy has been a favorite author of mine for many years because she tells the story of famous and not-so-famous women of history. Her novels about the Tudor family are among her best, and I'm glad to see that they've been brought back into print. I hope there will be more of them. I also recommend Mary, Queen of France, which is about Margaret's younger sister, Mary Rose Tudor. It's another great read about the Tudor's.
Rating: 
Summary: Historical yet Entertaining
Review: Prior to reading this book, Henry VIII's sister Margaret Tudor was an individual that I knew nothing about. It is easy to see why she has been overshadowed by the engaging history of her younger brother - but unjustly so. Married at 12 to a MUCH older man and sent away from her sheltered life to a strange country would frighten the best of young girls - not Margaret. She relished the idea of the adventure and the passion of a marriage she imagined would be perfect. The story also gives a wonderful depiction of James IV of Scotland - a likeable yet philandering man who I believed loved Margaret and his country...and just about any other pretty woman he ran across. True to Tudor history, Margaret suffers the deaths of several children only to be widowed at a tender age and left as a foreign queen desperately seeking to keep her 17 month old son safe to one day become James V. Like her more famous brother, she, too,is ruled by nearly uncontrollable passion - though unlike her brother she longs for true love and the fidelity that her first husband was unable to provide. Political turmoil, religious beliefs and the ever present recollection of her two uncles' mysterious disappearances from the Tower of London only add to her strife. The author does an admirable job of bringing to life a woman who deserves a place in history along side her younger brother - only I believe a more honorable place.
Rating:
Summary: Historical yet Entertaining
Review: Prior to reading this book, Henry VIII's sister Margaret Tudor was an individual that I knew nothing about. It is easy to see why she has been overshadowed by the engaging history of her younger brother - but unjustly so. Married at 12 to a MUCH older man and sent away from her sheltered life to a strange country would frighten the best of young girls - not Margaret. She relished the idea of the adventure and the passion of a marriage she imagined would be perfect. The story also gives a wonderful depiction of James IV of Scotland - a likeable yet philandering man who I believed loved Margaret and his country...and just about any other pretty woman he ran across. True to Tudor history, Margaret suffers the deaths of several children only to be widowed at a tender age and left as a foreign queen desperately seeking to keep her 17 month old son safe to one day become James V. Like her more famous brother, she, too,is ruled by nearly uncontrollable passion - though unlike her brother she longs for true love and the fidelity that her first husband was unable to provide. Political turmoil, religious beliefs and the ever present recollection of her two uncles' mysterious disappearances from the Tower of London only add to her strife. The author does an admirable job of bringing to life a woman who deserves a place in history along side her younger brother - only I believe a more honorable place.
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