New York Times Bestseller The latest novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory features one of the most famous girls in history, Lady Jane Grey, and her two sisters, each of whom dared to defy her queen. Jane Grey was queen of England for nine days. Her father and his allies crowned her instead of the dead king’s half sister Mary Tudor, who quickly mustered an army, claimed … Tudor, who quickly mustered an army, claimed her throne, and locked Jane in the Tower of London. When Jane refused to betray her Protestant faith, Mary sent her to the executioner’s block, where Jane transformed her father’s greedy power grab into tragic martyrdom.
“Learn you to die,” was the advice Jane wrote to her younger sister Katherine, who has no intention of dying. She intends to enjoy her beauty and her youth and fall in love. But she is heir to the insecure and infertile Queen Mary and then to her half sister, Queen Elizabeth, who will never allow Katherine to marry and produce a Tudor son. When Katherine’s pregnancy betrays her secret marriage, she faces imprisonment in the Tower, only yards from her sister’s scaffold.
“Farewell, my sister,” writes Katherine to the youngest Grey sister, Mary. A beautiful dwarf, disregarded by the court, Mary keeps family secrets, especially her own, while avoiding Elizabeth’s suspicious glare. After seeing her sisters defy their queens, Mary is acutely aware of her own danger but determined to command her own life. What will happen when the last Tudor defies her ruthless and unforgiving Queen Elizabeth?more
It’s been awhile since my last Philippa Gregory book and this one reminded me why I shouldn’t wait that long to pick up another one. As usual, this story was fast-paced and riveting with tons of twists and turns. And the fact that these twists actually happened in real life only makes them more shocking! But Philippa Gregory’s ability to develop historical characters in such rich, three-dimensional ways makes every one of her books an absolute treat to read.
Loved Phillpa Gergory’s series on the Royal Tudor Family. How they came to power and how they stayed there. A must read for anyone for love historical fiction, like I do
I love all of Phillipa Gregory’s books but I think this is one of her best. By developing the entire family saga, you became empathetic to the three women.
This book follows the lives of three sisters. Jane Grey, Katherine Grey and Mary Grey.
When King Edward VI who was the sickly son of King Henry III, Jane Grey’s father and his conspirators want to block the accession of papist Princess Mary, so they put Jane on the throne.
Jane Grey was Queen of England for nine days. Using her position as cousin to the deceased put her on the throne ahead of the king’s half-sister Mary, who quickly mustered an army. After bloody battles Mary claimed her crown and locked Jane in the Tower.
Jane refused to betray her Protestant faith and was sent her to the executioner’s block. Jane’s father’s greedy grab for power turns to dust. ‘Learn you to die’ is the advice that Jane gives in a letter to her younger sister Katherine before she is beheaded. Kathrine intends to enjoy her beauty and her youth and find love. But her lineage makes her a threat to the insecure and infertile Queen Mary.
Katherine falls in love but cannot ask to be allowed to marry as Queen Mary is not allowing any of her court this privilege. Queen Mary has a lover, who is married and is openly committing adultery.
As a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, who has succeeded Princess Mary, Katherine can’t wait any longer for the Queen’s permission for this marriage. So she marries her lover Edward “Ned” Seymour in secret, without royal permission. She is too busy with love and lust to worry about the future. When Katherine’s secret marriage is revealed by her pregnancy, she too must go to the Tower. She spends many months in the tower and eventually is allowed to see her ‘husband’ which the Queen declares is not a legal marriage as there are no witnesses to be found. The only two witness to this marriage is the priest, who can’t be found and Ned’s sister who as died due to illness. Katherine gives birth to another son but these two children are snatched from her and she eventually dies from pining for them . ‘Farewell, my sister,’ writes Katherine to the youngest Grey sister, Mary. A beautiful dwarf with a twisted spine who is disregarded by the court.
After watching her sisters defy the queen, Mary is aware of her own perilous position as a possible heir to the throne. Mary too falls in love and has a secret marriage but is sensible enough to ensure there are witness to this union so they can vouch for the validity of the vows. Mary is under guard for some time but she will not let the Queen have her way and wait for her to die. So Mary makes a vow to outlive the Queen and things turn out much better for her in the end.
The characters are great. The historical context drives the plot. The book takes characters who have not received much historical interest and forces them into the limelight. Well done.
A bit tedious
Philippe Gregory is a master of weaving fact and fiction in telling the tale of the Royals in the times preceding and leading up to the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Excellent source to learn about the events and lives of the cousins of Elizabeth I. Easy to read, but informative. Philippa Gregory has always been one of my favorites.
Once again Philippa Gregory shines through….her books make history so easy to follow. I bought the Barnes & Noble edition and liked that it included the actual letters of the Grey sisters.
Another great Ohillipa Gregory read., one of her best.
The world building is amazing.
Author is always spot on.
I always enjoy all of her books.
Have always enjoyed historical fiction, & I’m particularly drawn to books written about England in the 1500s. & I Love any book written by this author!
Another enthralling read from Philippa Gregory. Three sisters, three stories…it’s a story of heartbreak, courage and resilience. Jane the martyr, Katherine the lover and Mary the dwarf. A very well-written book about the perils of being an heir to the English throne. Gregory shows that it is indeed “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” or those related by blood to royalty. None of the Grey sisters get their happily-ever-after but it’s still fascinating to read their stories especially Mary Grey’s.
I expect better from Phillipa Gregory. This novel is her “search for more money”; it’s just a rehash of earlier books. Nothing new here. Don’t waste your time. Not recommended.
Every one of her books is outstanding. The history is accurate, and the characters credible and consistent with the era. Always a good read.
I am a big Tudor fan. I enjoyed having a look into what type of woman Anne Bolyen’s sister in law( that turned evidence into Henry the 8th ,which enabled the king to kill both his 2nd wife, her brother, Jane’s husband, amoung a group of other innocent men..) All put to death because Anne didn’t provide Henry with a male child. And then the plot continues to thicken…exciting look into Tudor history.
Historical fiction with realistic timelines and fictional and real characters.
With no prior history relatively on the whole storyline of the Tudors, I had to persevere to get to s point of understanding the characters & the situations. Once I grasped the the story and understood some of the history it moved much quicker.
I had always thought Elizabeth I was a “good Queen,” but after reading this I was rather astonished how cruel & brutal she was. I’m interested now to explore her story a little closer – it may have been there all along, and I just missed it!