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Summary: Mary
Review: This excellent and intriguing novel tells the horrifying story of Queen 'Bloody' Mary's life and her insane,inhumane father,King Henry the 8th.It is a shame that brave Mary became somewhat like her father later in life.Mary's childhood(or lack of childhood)consisted of duties and several betrothels to many different much older men.At the age of 2,she took her first betrothel ceremony,at the age of 12,she is considered marriagable.She was never,ever allowed to play,as the princess was forbidden from 'trifling' activities.This isn't where the horror ends.Her womanizing father eventually became "bewitched" by the horrendously evil Anne Boleyn and divorced his wife,Catherine,and his daughter as well.Mary was sent away and for years fought against signing the document her so-called father had drawn up to claim she was no longer his daughter,no longer a princess or heir to the throne.He eventually tries to chop off her head.(No Father-of-the-Year awards for this fellow).The only gripe I have with this fantastic novel is that Anne Boleyn's guillotine experience was described in such graphic detail.ewwwwwwww!!I recommend this novel to everyone,if you suspect that historical fiction may be boring,trust me,this is NOT boring!!I wish I could also read the Elizabeth novel..(the nice queen!!).
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Summary: A Girl Who Had a Bad Past, Who Became a Bad Queen
Review: When you first see the cover of this book and the title, it makes you wonder.
Mary Tudor is the daughter of King Henry VIII and his wife Queen Catherine of Aragon, a country in Spain. All of them are the Royal Family of England. Mary truly seems to be a nice girl. She has loving parents and incredible wealth.
Then, King Henry VIII is said to have a mistress, a woman by the name of Anne Boylen. Mary has seen her before. Anne seems to love the king, and the king seems to love her. Mary doesn't want to know what she thinks could happen. So, she investigates this woman, and she hears some rumors. It is said that Anne is a witch who has cast a spell on the king to love her. They also say she has a witch's mark on a part of her neck, which is always covered by a brooch. It's also said she has a sixth finger on her left hand, which is probably why Anne wears long sleeves.
Then, the king wants a divorce from Queen Catherine, to marry Anne. The Pope won't allow it, so, Henry VIII now has found the Church of England, a non Catholic church. He becomes head of church, even today, present monarchs are always head of the church. So, secretly, he gets married to Anne, and things change.
With Anne now Queen, she treats Mary horribly. Anne is selfish and cruel. Mary can't even see her mother any more. Soon, Anne gives birth to a new member of the royal family. Is it the son the king wanted? No, it's a girl, now Elizabeth. Mary's title, the Princess of Wales, has been given to Elizabeth, including most of her riches. Her title is Lady Mary. Mary's father even hates her, and it seems that Mary is doomed.
In the near end, it tells that the king loses interest in Anne, and Anne is charged with adultery, so Anne is found guilty and is executed by being beheaded. Also, that Elizabeth is Mary's new enemy. For what?: the throne. As Mary grows up, Henry marries more women. In total, Henry had married 5. His first and only son Edward, is king at a young age after Henry dies, his last wife was Catherine Parr. Edward, dies at a young age, and Mary inherits the throne. Mary became as cruel as Anne, Elizabeth's mother. A strict Catholic, she burned 300 non Catholics at the stake just because of their different Christian faith. Thus, she is called Bloody Mary.
When Mary died in her 40's, her sister Elizabeth ruled for 45 years, and I think was one of England greatest queens of all time. So, where did Mary go wrong? Maybe her troubles childhood.
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Summary: Mary I's sad childhood
Review: I read this book quite some time ago but it has to be one of the best books I have ever read. Mary was born into a world of jewels, silks, and countless pleasures, despite the fact the she was not the son Henry VIII wanted so dearly. Showered with royal titles by the age of three, Mary was what every girl wnated to be-unitl her beloved father met Anne Boleyn, sister to his former mistress and lady-in-waiting to Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon. Now, she fears for her jewels, titles, and above all-her life, every day! Mary is reduced from the richest girl in England to a servant, awarded no titles whatsoever, to become a bastard-illegitimate to the English throne. Although she achieves a commoner's title compared to a royal's, Lady, she declares that she will become a queen,and get rid of her new sister, Elizabeth. She can't help but loving this little baby, but she must hold back the love, in order to achieve her goals. Now living in the servant's quarters to Elizabeth( Mary, who is seventeen, is Elizabeth's servant while Elizabeth is a few months old!) Mary achieves the kindness of her former nursemaid and other servants and escapes the dreadful prison of serving her baby sister. This is a sad story- one of the girl everyone has hated for her religious intolerance, Bloody Mary. But when you finish this book, you will love Mary and pity her, and hate Anne and Elizabeth. But when you read the sequel Beware Princess Elizabeth, you will definetly hate Mary instead! This is one of Meyer's best works, and as a devoted Royal Diary fan, it is better than her two titles-Anastasia and Isabel. I highly recommed this book to anyone of historical interest or fans of English history. Make sure to read the sequel and the third book-Doomed Queen Anne!
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Summary: An Incredible View on Mary I's Life
Review: After reading the entire collection of The Royal Diaries, I found this book two years ago. At first, I was a little hesitant on purchasing it, but it has been one of the best choices I have made. This book will give you incredible details on Mary's life. She was favored by her father once, then King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth I was born, Mary was forced to become her servant. Mary and her mother, Catherine of Aragon, were literally abandoned. This amazing book will give you the real story, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves history.
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Summary: Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: I had never heard of Mary Tudor before I bought this book, it was the title that attracted me, and I'm glad it did! This book gives you a different perspective on the life of Mary Tudor, she had so many horrible times in her life and now I don't blame her for some of the awful things she did! It's a wonderful book that will suck you in!
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Summary: The horrors of patriarchy.
Review: This book is excellent for a look at the time of Henry VIII through the eyes of his daughter, Mary Tudor, when she is a girl and a teen. It is also a story that illustrates the horror of being a woman in a time of deep-seated, full-blown patriarchy. Mary is a princess, seemingly with all the advantages of life, but in reality she has nothing: no power to feed or clothe herself, find a place to live, find an occupation, or find love without the approval of her father the king, or another powerful man.One of her high-born ladies-in-waiting says, "Have you not wondered why so many women are happy to shut themselves up in a convent? It is because they are safe there from the demands of cruel fathers and husbands." This same woman's father later screams at her, "Do you not understand that I have the power of life and death over you?" The women themselves are not immune to the poisoned thinking of patriarchy: everyone believes that Anne Boleyn is a witch, a sorceress who has "bewitched" the king into ruining his first family and overspending and other crazy behaviors. Perhaps she wasn't a woman of admirable character, but it's as if the king had no free will of his own to begin behaving in this way. This book will let all young ladies be deeply grateful that they weren't born in the 16th century. The life of a princess was nothing to be desired. This was an engrossing read but I was glad to put the book down at the end of the story and leave Mary's world.
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Summary: Amazing!
Review: Before I read Mary, Bloody Mary, I thought she was an awful, mean person. She was, i suppose, but the book made me able to sympathize. I used to intirely take Elizabeths side, but this book really made me think. (And cry)
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Summary: Mary, Bloody Mary
Review: I have always found the royal families fascinating, especially the Tudors. This book didn't let me down. Meyer's portrayal of Mary humanizes her instead of focusing on the cruel Mary of adulthood. Meyer tries to show that Mary didn't start out as Bloody Mary, but was forced into this mindset by her own experiences as a child. I found myself feeling extremely sorry for the child Mary. However, there were conflicting feelings there. Meyer tells the story of innocent and caring Mary, but in the back of my mind, my prior knowledge of the adult Mary kept crowding in. I kept having the nagging thought that this innocent Mary grew up to be a more cruel ruler than her father! This is an excellent read for a high school student. The story flows along making the reader want to read it all at once. It would be wonderful to use as a compare/contrast with an account of Mary's adulthood.
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Summary: Mary, Bloody, Mary
Review: This book was excelent! It really made me see her veiw on her life. I have also read the Royal Diaries Series and highly recomended it for people who like historical fiction. I plan to read Beware Elizabeth in the near future. I've read Elizabeth I in the Royal Diaries Series and who ever likes Mary, Bloody, Mary would like this too.
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Summary: Born to be Queen!
Review: This story kept me involved. I simply had to read it cover to cover to live along side of Mary Tudor and the ups and downs her father, King Henry VIII, put her through. Although she is thrown into many hard situations by her father, she stays so strong and faithful to her mother, by whom she is separated from. This story shows you a different time and different expectations of woman. Mary, Bloody Mary is a facinating view of one woman's life of courage, strength, and loyalty. A delightfully written historical fiction.
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