Book Review: Mary Queen of Scotland by Margaret George

 

Goodreads Summary: She became Queen of Scots when she was only six days old. Life among the warring factions in Scotland was dangerous for the infant Queen, however, and at age five, Mary was sent to France to be raised alongside her betrothed, the Dauphin Francois. Surrounded by all the sensual comforts of the French court, Mary's youth was peaceful, charmed, and when she became Queen of France at the age of sixteen, she seemed to have all she could wish for. But by her eighteenth birthday, Mary was a widow who had lost one throne and had been named by the Pope for another. And her extraordinary adventure had only begun. Defying her powerful cousin Elizabeth I, Mary set sail in 1561 to take her place as the Catholic Queen of a newly Protestant Scotland. A virtual stranger in her volatile native land, Mary would be hailed as a saint, denounced as a whore, and ultimately accused of murdering her second husband, Lord Darnley, in order to marry her lover, the Earl of Bothwell. She was but twenty-five years old when she fled Scotland for the imagined sanctuary of Elizabeth's England, where she would be embroiled in intrigue until she was beheaded "like a criminal" in 1587. In her stunning first novel, The Autobiography of Henry VIII, Margaret George established herself as one of the finest historical novelists of our time. Now she brings us a new, mesmerizing blend of history and storytelling as she turns the astonishing facts of the life of Mary Queen of Scots into magnificent fiction that sweeps us from the glittering French court where Mary spent her youth to the bloodstained Scotland where she reigned as Queen, to the cold English castles where she ended her days. Never before have we been offered such a rich and moving portrayal of the Scots Queen, whose beauty inspired poetry, whose spirit brought forth both devotion and hatred, and whose birthright generated glorious dreams, hideous treachery, and murdered men at her feet.

Goodreads Rating: 4.06 stars with over 12,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, Scottish Culture, French Culture, British Literature 

Goodreads Challenge: 43/60

2020 Reading Challenge: #34 Read a book about a historical figure (fiction or nonfiction) (find the full challenge here)

Book Review: 

Happy belated Thanksgiving, Readers! I hope everyone had a good holiday. I've been on vacation this week, and I am not ready to return to work tomorrow. I think I need another break. Tress and I finalized the 2021 Reading Challenge today. We're pretty excited with how it turned out and plan to release it to the world next weekend, so stay tuned!

So on to Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles. I told myself that I would try and get a bunch of books knocked out before I read this one since it's nearly 900 pages. However, I can't resist a historical fiction that somewhat involves the Tudor family. Ever since I watched Reign, I've been reading Mary Queen of Scots books when I can find them. 

The book follows her entire life, which is about forty-four years, I believe. A lot of what I've read or watched covers a lot more of her early life, especially in France. So it was interesting to read a take on what her life was like when Mary returned to Scotland and then her imprisonment in England. I didn't realize how long she was actually imprisoned or that she had a third husband. The novel seemed pretty well researched, and from what I could tell after reading it, Margaret George has been praised for the research involved in her books. She includes an overview of what she took liberties with, which I thought was interesting. 

I thought that Margaret George's version of Mary was a complex and interesting one. She was young and trying to be everything that everyone wanted her to be. I think she tried to make everyone around her happy but was unfortunately caught in a massive power struggle. I felt like she was portrayed as a kind and caring individual, but also one who was really impulsive and easily swayed. I thought the contrast between Mary and Elizabeth was interesting. I think they both wanted to find common ground, but the scheming and plotting surrounding them prevented it. Plus, where Mary was naive and impulsive, Elizabeth had already been on the throne for some time and planned for the long game.

There was a lot of plotting and scheming involved in this book. I'm not really sure how true to history it was, but I think that's a big reason why I like Historical Fiction based on royal courts so much. There's always some kind of drama going on. There's still someone trying to get ahead by any means necessary. Even though Mary was ultimately tried for her scheming, I didn't really feel like she was the mastermind in any of it. It was all people either doing it to get rid of her or to help her, and she was more of an accessory. There was definitely plotting all the way up until she was executed, which was insanely gruesome and a bit of a circus.

The final chapter was a bit odd for me. Obviously, there needed to be a way to tie the book up and show what happened after her death, but the idea of it being her spirit looking over things just didn't feel like it fit for it being a Historical Fiction. Given that there were other perspectives used in the book, I think for me, it would have been better if it was told by one of the different views like her son's or someone close to her. By that time, it would have been nice to see James' perspective since he was portrayed as hating her but then called for mourning colors to be worn. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I definitely had to bargain with myself to stop, and I stayed up way too late a lot of nights reading it. If you love Historical Fiction and can tolerate a nearly 900-page book, I definitely recommend it. 

Blog review of The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas

Goodreads Summary: MORE THAN 7 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE.
Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg is not like other policemen. His methods appear unorthodox in the extreme: he doesn't search for clues; he ignores obvious suspects and arrests people with cast-iron alibis; he appears permanently distracted. In spite of all this, his colleagues are forced to admit that he is a born cop.

When strange blue chalk circles start appearing overnight on the pavements of Paris, only Adamsberg takes them - and the increasingly bizarre objects found within them - seriously. And when the body of a woman with her throat savagely cut is found in one, only Adamsberg realizes that other murders will soon follow.

Winner of The Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie International Dagger.

Goodreads Rating: 3.67 stars with over 5,300 ratings
Genre Listing: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, French Culture
Get the book: Amazon, Book Depository
Goodreads Challenge: 7/30
2018 Reading Challenge: #57 A book that was originally published in a foreign language. The challenge can be found here.

Book Review:

When I originally decided to read this book, I wasn't sure where I was going to put it on my challenge. I found out about halfway through that it was translated from French to English, so it was a perfect fit for #57 on the challenge list. Unfortunately, I think this could have been more of a hindrance for me while reading.

This book was tough for me to get through. It's under 300 pages, and I started it in January. I'm just now finishing it in Mid March. It's not that the book was terrible, the language was just so hard for me to read. The entire flow of the book just seemed to ramble on and on, and I wonder how much of that was the translation. I wonder if I knew how to read French and read the original French version if I would feel the same. Unfortunately, I lost my train of thought while reading this fairly often. I had to frequently go back to other pages to remember what happened.

In addition to the rambling, I didn't feel really any connection to this story. I didn't get any feelings toward who the characters were. I like being invested in the characters I read about, and to me, all of the characters were just page fillers. The main character Jean-Baptiste was especially dull. He was supposed to be odd, and I just didn't really get that from the pages described. In regards to Reyes, there was a lot of eye-rolling directed at the numerous puns about being blind. I did appreciate Mathilde's theory on the week being in sections. Monday- Wednesday being the harder portion of the week, Thursday-Saturday being more leisurely, and Sunday is its own section. Despite my indifference to many of the characters, I did like the random connections between some of them.

I think that like Adamsberg, I was more interested in the chalk circles than the murders. I was hoping there would be some psychological reason behind the objects themselves, but there wasn't, unfortunately. I will say, I was surprised at how the events unfolded. The book did pick up for me a little bit after the first murder, and I was never sure who the murder actually was. Vargas did an excellent job and making it seem like it could be any of the characters discussed. The book tied up all of the loose ends nicely, however, it was mainly just Jean-Baptiste recapping everything in a way that made me feel like he knew it all along. 

For the most part, I enjoyed the book, and I found it interesting. I just had a tough time getting through it. Even once I started to get interested in it I could only do a chapter or so at a time before I needed to put it down. Not sure I'd go out of my way to recommend it, but I can't say I hated it either. 

Book Review of Fate's Mistress by Laura Du Pre

Goodreads Summary: Cousins to the King of Navarre, the Cleves sisters, witness the glamour and danger of the French royal court firsthand. Middle sister, Catherine, is married to the Duc de Guise, the most rabid Catholic in France. Ambitious and well-connected, Guise is the main rival for the French throne, which is currently occupied by an unpopular Henri III.

Guise managed to win concessions from Henri, but concessions come with a steep price on his head. As his Duchesse, Catherine is in a dangerous position of her own. Determined to play her part in bringing about the downfall of the Valois and the rise of the Guise, Catherine will risk her own safety.

But is the risk worth the rewards? Will either of them escape with their lives? Catherine has to take a chance for herself, and the consequences will change French history.

Based on a true story

The Cleves sisters' story concludes with Catherine, who stands in the middle of court politics in France of the 1500s. Like most great noble families of the period, the web of intermarriages and alliances made enemies out of blood relatives. It also meant that the stories of the people who served the Valois monarchs were as intertwined and as complicated as their marriages.

Led by the ever-vigilant Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France and a force of nature, the members of the court shaped the political and religious future of France of the Sixteenth Century. In the trilogy, you'll meet the often- derided Charlotte, Madame de Sauve, and enough royal mistresses to satisfy your need for scandal.

˃˃˃ Don't miss out!

France will never be the same by the time Catherine's story ends. You'll instantly be front and center at the world of the Valois court and all of the danger and splendor of Renaissance France!

Goodreads Rating: 3.63 stars with under 100 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, French Culture 

Get the book: Amazon

Goodreads Challenge: 5/30

Reviews of the series: Almost a Queen by Laura Du Pre (Book1),  Lady of the Court by Laura Du Pre (Book 2)

Review:

Fate's Mistress is the final book in the Three Grace's trilogy. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a category to put it in for the 2018 Book Challenge. The third book follows the oldest of the Cleves sisters, Catherine. Where the first two books overlap, I believe this one takes place right after the second in the trilogy. 

At first, I really enjoyed reading Catherine's story. Like the other two books, Fate's Mistress is under 150 pages. I couldn't say where exactly, but towards the end of the book I started to lose interest in it. I felt like it needed a lot of editing work done. The entire series needed it, but this book especially needed it. I felt like a lot of minor details weren't consistent in the story.  Things like how many children Catherine and Henri had as well as their names seemed to change quite a few times. 

I think that Fate's Mistress covered quite a few more years than the other books did, which made it kind of keep track of. I found most of the details somewhat forgettable, and am struggling to get my thoughts out about it. The ending felt anti-climatic. It was more or less a bunch of battles for change, but nothing actually changed except for a few key players. Overall, I really enjoyed the first two books of the series, but Fate's Mistress fell short for me. 

Book Review of Lady of The Court by Laura Du Pre

Goodreads Summary: Cousins to the King of Navarre, the Cleves sisters witness the glamour and danger of the French royal court firsthand. Middle sister, Henriette, sits at the apex of the royal court, wife to one of King Henri III's most trusted advisors

In a country torn apart by religious war, things can change in an instant, and no one in France is safe. Henriette is desperate to hold onto her life and hand it on to the next generation. To do so, she must have an heir, something that she has so far failed to do.

Based on a true story

The Cleves sisters' story starts with Marie, the youngest sister introduces you to the world of court politics in France of the 1500s. Like most great noble families of the period, the web of intermarriages and alliances made enemies out of blood relatives. It also meant that the stories of the people who served the Valois monarchs were as intertwined and as complicated as their marriages.

Led by the ever-vigilant Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France and a force of nature, the members of the court shaped the political and religious future of France of the Sixteenth Century. In upcoming novels, you'll meet the often- derided Charlotte, Madame de Sauve, and enough royal mistresses to satisfy your need for scandal.

Goodreads Rating: 3.47 stars with under 100 reviews

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, French Culture

Get the book: Amazon

Goodreads Challenge: 4/30

2018 Reading Challenge: #8, A book under 300 pages (Challenge can be found here.)

Previous reviews of the series:  Almost a Queen by Laura Du Pre - the first book in the Three Grace's Trilogy

Book Review:

I read Almost a Queen by Laura Du Pre in 2017, and I really enjoyed it. Lady of the Court follows middle Cleve's sister Henriette. The second story has some overlap to Almost a Queen as it takes place towards the end of Marie's story. Because of the overlap in events, I highly reading these two books close together. Each of the books is under 200 pages, and because of that, I spent a good portion of Lady of the Court trying to remember who was who, and what happened. Once I got past that, I really enjoyed Lady of the Court.

Laura Du Pre has a fantastic gift of telling a very detailed historical fiction in very few pages. Her books are concise but enjoyable. I'm amazed that she was able to tell a story that spanned several years in just 150 some pages. That being said, thus far I feel like the two books could have been combined into one since it has the same characters and overlaps in events. I think it would work well as one book.

Even though she was more the best friend type character of Henriette, I really liked Margot's character. She enjoyed the games of court and the scheming. I would love to read a story on her if depicted the same level of conniving as Du Pre's version of the Navarre Queen did. These books and similar ones are making me want to research dissolved nations. Weird, I know.

My main issue with this book is the editing and formatting. It wasn't anything significant, but the frequency of extra spaces and punctuation was distracting. I'm not sure if it was my kindle or the book, but at the start, there were some pages that were duplicated, and it made it hard to follow along. Aside from that, I really enjoyed the story, and as soon as I finished it I went straight into the third book Fate's Mistress.

Book Review of the Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson

Goodreads Summary: Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her life--from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution.
Carolly Erickson takes the reader deep into the psyche of France's doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her; her fears on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family; her harrowing attempted flight from France in disguise; her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity; her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined, and her young son was torn from her arms, never to be seen again.

Erickson brilliantly captures the queen's voice, her hopes, her dreads, and her suffering. We follow, mesmerized, as she reveals every detail of her remarkable, eventful life--from her teenage years when she began keeping a diary to her final days when she awaited her own bloody appointment with the guillotine.

Goodreads Rating: 3.61 with over 5,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, French Culture

Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope that everyone is enjoying their holiday season! I actually finished The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette about a week ago, but I'm really behind on the doing of things. Marie Antoinette is regrettably a queen I've not read much on. I'm trying to branch out into reading about different historical figures.

I really enjoyed The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson. I felt that Erickson's depiction of Marie Antoinette was an interesting one. I found myself both hating Marie and feeling sorry for her. What little I knew of her definitely made her seem like a vain child, and I think that was shown really well here through her love of fashion and parties. On the other side of that, Marie Antoinette is depicted as trying to offer some sort of assistance to her people. I think that Erickson's version of Marie Antoinette's life shows a young queen trying to do what she can, but hindered by her husband's inability to rule.

Based on this book, I'm inclined to believe that Louis had some severe anxiety issues, which led to his failure as a king and ruler. I'm wondering how true this actually was, or if it was just invented for the sake of this story. I did appreciate that even though Marie Antoinette obviously was not in love with him, she came across in the story as having a fondness for him and friendship with him. I also thought it was interesting how Marie's affair was depicted and how it sort of made her a tiny bit less shallow, and in a way was what led her to try and do more for her people (in her own way).

I'm having a love/hate relationship with the book being in diary style. On the one hand, it made it much easier to read, and quick to get through. On the other hand, some of the scenes didn't seem plausible for her to have her diary with her let alone write in it. I realize I'm being petty, and I mostly enjoyed the style so I won't overthink it. I do feel that it gave the story a more personal feel, I'd be curious to read more historical fictions in this setup.  I know that Carolly Erickson has several other Historical Fiction works, and I'm probably going to add most of them to my want to read list. I'd also be interested in reading a story following Marie and Louis's daughter after their deaths.

Book Review of Almost a Queen by Laura Du Pre

Goodreads Summary: Travel back to the court of the French Renaissance
Almost a Queen: Book One of the Three Graces Trilogy

Who wouldn't want to be Queen?

Cousins to the King of Navarre, the Cleves sisters, witness the glamour and danger of the French royal court firsthand. The youngest sister, Marie is trapped in an unhappy arranged marriage with her cousin, Henri, Prince de Conde. Determined to make the best of her situation, she awaits the wedding of the King of Navarre in Paris.

Paris of 1572 boils with religious war, and few will make it out of the wedding celebrations alive. Those that do survive face an impossible choice: convert or die. Will Marie and Conde make the decision to abandon their Protestant faith to save their lives? Will it cost them their souls?

Along with the threat of death comes a change for true love with the king's younger son, the Duc d'Anjou. Yet Marie promised to love honor and cherish her husband till death did them part. Will death part them soon? Is it possible to find love in the midst of tragedy?

Goodreads Rating: 3.68 stars with 50 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, Romance

Get the Book: Amazon

Reading Challenge: #45 A book that takes place in another country

Review:

I devoured this book. There's no other way to say my reading habit with it. It was under 200 pages, and I did not put it down. I think I had it done in a couple of hours. I think the best thing about this book was that it didn't feel like it was as short as it was. I felt like Laura Du Pre was able to create great imagery in details without cutting corners. The pace of the story moves incredibly fast, but I was able to feel connected to Marie and the French Court.

In The Almost Queen, we follow Marie a young woman forced by her aunt to marry her own cousin Henri, Prince de Conde. It's an unhappy and mismatched marriage, but Marie tries to make the best of it while in the court of King Charles and Queen Elisabeth. She and Elisabeth become dear friends and confidants. During this friendship, she begins a friendship with Catherine de Medici's younger son the Duc d'Anjou. I really love how Du Pre portrayed this relationship. Marie tried desperately to hate the Duc d'Anjou since he was her husband's sworn enemy, but a friendship persisted, and eventually, a love grew out of it. I enjoyed that beyond words, they never acted on their love. I think it kind of gave a different spin on the ordinarily scandalous historical fiction romances. Despite her dislike of her husband, she did try to make it work and make peace out of duty to her aunt who had raised her.

Between the love triangle and the ongoing war between the Protestants and Catholics, I thought there was a fair bit of action packed into this short novel. It kept it interesting, and as I said before, I couldn't put it down. I tend to glance over Wikipedia after reading historical fictions like this, and while I don't consider Wiki a reliable source, the story did seem on par with the article regarding Marie, Princess de Conde.

I believe there are two other books by Du Pre about Marie's sisters. If I can get my hands on them, I plan on reading them. If you're looking for a short Historical Fiction, I definitely recommend this one. 

Book Review of The Agincourt Bride by Joanna Hickson

Goodreads Summary: 
The epic story of the queen who founded the Tudor dynasty told through the eyes of her loyal nursemaid.
Her beauty fuelled a war.
Her courage captured a king.
Her passion would launch the Tudor dynasty.

When her own first child is tragically still-born, the young Mette is pressed into service as a wet-nurse at the court of the mad king, Charles VI of France. Her young charge is the princess, Catherine de Valois, caught up in the turbulence and chaos of life at court.

Mette and the child forge a bond, one that transcends Mette’s lowly position.
But as Catherine approaches womanhood, her unique position seals her fate as a pawn between two powerful dynasties. Her brother, The Dauphin and the dark and sinister, Duke of Burgundy will both use Catherine to further the cause of France.

Catherine is powerless to stop them, but with the French defeat at the Battle of Agincourt, the tables turn and suddenly her currency has never been higher. But can Mette protect Catherine from forces at court who seek to harm her or will her loyalty to Catherine place her in even greater danger?
Goodreads Rating: 3.79 Stars with over 1500 ratings
Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, French Culture, European Literature
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Book Challenge: #8 A Book about Royalty

Review:

I finished this a few days ago, and just now got a chance to sit down and post my review, so I'm sorry for the delay. The Agincourt Bride by Joanna Hickson was surprisingly delightful historical fiction. It was something I picked up for relatively cheap on Kindle, and I had a really hard time putting it down.

The story is narrated by Mette, who when the story starts is a young girl barely 15 years old. Her tale begins when she has just lost her first child and ends up becoming a midwife to the Royal Princess, Catherine. After a series of unexpected events, Mette finds herself rising above her station as Catherine grows from a princess to a queen. 

I really liked Mette as a character and a narrator. I thought she was brilliant and had a lot of wisdom for her age. It was interesting to see the court life from a servant instead of just the royal character or a lady in waiting. I felt that Catherine was a strong character as well. She was witty, charming, and valued things like what someone was reading or how they treated someone. 

The thing I appreciated the most about this historical fiction is it didn't make the time seem glamorous. It didn't skip over the unsavory parts of the time frame like the disease, rape, or unclean living conditions. It made it seem more realistic. I'm not saying that I necessarily want to read about those terrible things, but regarding historical accuracy, it feels appropriate. 

I was really surprised by the living situation of the royal children when they were younger. It is not at all what I expected of princes and princesses, and there were a few spots in this book I gasped at the depravity they faced. Joanna Hickson does a fantastic job of making the reader feel 100 different emotions throughout this book. 

Due to the length of this book, readers not only get to read about Mette being in service to Catherine but also Mette's husband and children. While I enjoyed reading about Mette's daughter Alyc, I kind of felt like Mette's husband and son got the raw end of the deal. There's something that happens to Mette's husband, and he ends up disappearing for a while and it felt like that part of the story could have been polished up a bit more. The same with her son. Sometimes it felt like Mette even forgot that she had a son, though it was interesting that he kind of ends up on the opposite side of the war. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read about a royal character I haven't read about yet, and it gave me a chance to learn about the French court instead of the English court. It looks like this is a series, and if so I have every intention of checking out more of the books.