A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Danya
Mary Tudor, now known to generations of young girls as a ghost in the mirror called by the name "Bloody Mary", she is one of history's most misunderstood queens. From being the apple of her father's eye, then tossed aside as a bastard when Henry VIII declared his marriage to Queen Katherine null to wed his new favorite, Anne Boylen, Mary rode the tumultous waves of history in sixteenth-century England. With a deft hand and political maneuvering, Mary kept her faith, her honor, and her head, gaining finally the throne of England. Searching for love that had long been denied her, Mary finally married, hopeful of children that would never be. An epic tale of passion, intrigue, tragedy, betrayal, and treachery all combine into a story too powerful for history to contain.
Julianne Lee's book, Her Mother's Daughter, is an interesting read that after an intially rocky start, quickly pulls the reader into one of history's most tumultous times. Queen Mary is known as Bloody Mary for her burning of Protestants in an effort to pull England back to the Catholic fold after Henry VIII's break with the church. But Mary's life consisted of so much more. With creative weaving, Julianne Lee has combined true characters with possible dialogue and intent that ring true to the story and time period. For any fan of historical entertainment, Her Mother's Daughter is a definite must read book.
Dec 28, 2009 | 9780425230084
5 = Rare - Top Pick | 4.5 = I Loved It - Top Pick | 4 = Good Solid Read
3.5 = Enjoyable | 3 Stars = OK - Needs a few changes | 2 Stars = It just didn't click / DNF
Book Blurb for Her Mother's Daughter
A new novel of sixteent-century royalty from the author of A Question of Guilt
Her name was Mary Tudor. First of the Tudor queens, she has gone down in history as Bloody Mary. But does she deserve her vicious reputation?
She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, and half-sister to Edward VI and Elizabeth I. Mary Tudor’s life began as the sweetly innocent, pampered princess of Wales—until the age of eleven when the father she adored cast aside the mother she worshipped and declared Mary a bastard. Only after years of exile did Mary finally rise to the throne alongside the man who, aside from her father, was her greatest love—and her greatest betrayer.
Told by Mary herself and the people around her, this grand-scale novel takes us back to the glittering court of sixteenth-century England, and tells the tragic story of a fascinating, largely misunderstood woman who withstood the treachery and passion around her only to become one of England’s most vilified queens.
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