Lady Mary tells the story of Mary Tudor, Daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon as told by TV Historian Lucy Worsley, the book itself is aimed more towards the younger teen side of young Adult but as a 30 year old, I really enjoyed this book, the Tudor period is a particular point in history that has always fascinated me so I went into this knowing with a bit of background on these characters and as you would expect with the author being a historian, it was very factual and doesn't stray from the history books. I loved reading this from the view point of Lady Mary who is sometimes lost in history for her fairly short reign that preluded the much more notorious Queen Elizabeth but Mary really does have such a fascinating story. Each chapter starts with the year and also which home or palace Mary was staying in that time, I quite liked looking them up as I was reading to help build a picture of what it was like.

As I mentioned, this is aimed towards the younger demographic but even if as an adult you just want to delve into British History a little more, this is a really enjoyable read, we're introduced to characters in this that you will likely have heard of such as Thomas Cromwell, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and you start to get a picture of what they were really like from the viewpoint of Mary. Also, Lady Mary was a child from a broken home so there's themes of this throughout the book as she tries to come to terms with her parents separation along with themes of religion and politics with the books showing the birth of the Church of England with King Henry VIII denouncing the Catholic Church so he could marry Anne Boleyn. 

Finally, this book shows a very strong female character as the lead, who fought on even in the face of adversity, obviously sometimes this was a little extreme and historically Mary with her moniker of Bloody Mary is known as being ruthless and savage but my view point is that she was no different to any other leader in this time period, I see her as a great role model for younger girls as someone who truly believed in her self and her beliefs and wasn't swayed by people that tried to tell her she was worth less. A great read and definitely one I'd recommend for anyone interested in Lady Mary.

4 stars for this historical fiction aimed at children and young adults.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lady Mary, Lucy Worsley's novel about the childhood and young adulthood of Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. A writer has to know her history extremely well indeed to be able to narrate a story so simply and clearly - and that this is the case with Lady Mary should come as no great surprise since historian Lucy Worsley is well known in the UK as a presenter of popular BBC TV historical programmes.

Through Mary's eyes we are shown huge events in English Tudor history including the political intrigues and religious upheaval sparked by Henry's dissatisfaction with his first wife Catherine and his infatuation with Anne Boleyn. We learn how it affected Mary that her father described himself as childless because he had no male heir, and we feel with Mary how it was to be a pawn in turbulent times: that she was stripped of the title of Princess Mary when her parents' marriage was dissolved, that she was manipulated, mistreated and half-starved is all shown painfully clearly.  Mary may be hurt, lonely, and unsure what to do at times, but the writer also makes obvious her determination and dignity. Many readers' knowledge of Mary is restricted to her nickname as queen: Bloody Mary. This novel of her early years offers some nuance and balance, and it is also a really enjoyable read.

2 stars.

There's three things this book wants to make perfectly clear:

1) Anne = sl*t
2) Catherine = scorned
3) Mary = victim

And that's... pretty much it. The blurb calls it thrilling and dramatic, there's nothing thrilling about this but the drama is in abundance.

Young Mary even as a child is a whiny little brat straight out of Mean Girls. Often I found myself just wanting her to shut up, and that never changed. In theory this should have been a fascinating POV of a broadly known story, no matter your source there's not a single character of this time you haven't heard of if you're into history. That being said, the characters were more caricatures than anything else.

Catherine of Aragon was portrayed as this fierce woman who cared for nothing but her husband but he was an asshole, she was bold and loud and so damn dramatic in every scene. Anne Boleyn was written as a villain - didn't shock me at all to be honest - and Mary remained a child from start to finish obsessed and mad that everyone kept calling her Lady instead of Princess.

I only enjoyed Anne Boleyn, the more the author portrayed her as this awful woman, the more I loved her.

3.5 stars

I'm not a history buff by any means, but I think everyone knows about Queen Mary's dark and bloody stories. In Lady Mary, we meet an entirely different side of her. I don't know how much of this is based on facts and how much is the author's creativity, but I thought it was refreshing. We see Mary grow up through a divorce and a tyrannical stepmother among other things. With the influence of her mother, she is still very headstrong and adamant on keeping her right to the throne, but there is also a kindness in her that you don't hear about in the history books. I would have liked to see Mary's relationships with her father's other wives (this is the notorious Henry VIII), but overall it was a nice story, and I think readers with a bigger affinity for history (and the Tudor era) will eat their hearts out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy

I really enjoy Lucy Worsley's programmes, so I was excited to try a historical novel by her, especially because I like Mary Tudor and I think her bad reputation is largely undeserved.

Unfortunately, this book did not work so well for me. First of all, it felt not very historical: the characters spoke very freely and their actions often felt too modern. The characterizations of some historical figures was disappointing as well. Catherine of Aragon was portrayed as a very proud and bold woman who mainly cared about her status, and not so much for her daughter. On one hand, I appreciated Worsley's trying to paint her more strongly and not only as a meek and devoted wife, but on the other hand she didn't convince me. Anne Boleyn was instead similar to a villain from fairytales, and, while I was expecting it, it still made me roll my eyes. 
The plot was also quite slow. I liked the first and the third part, but the second part dragged a lot and I felt bored at times. I think the book could have been shorter over all.

That being said, I think Mary's characterization was quite well done. She went through a lot during the book and it was easy to sympathize with her. Her desire for a normal family, and her pain at being used as a pawn by her own parents and everyone else, felt real and understandable. I also appreciated the relationships she formed with Lady Shelton, which was unexpected but well portrayed, and Jane Seymour, another character which was remarkably well portrayed despite appearing so little. 

All in all, not a satisfying read for me, but I think younger readers, and maybe readers who want to start reading historical fiction, might enjoy it more.

This book isn't my normal read, other than alternative histories like And I Darken I haven't really delved into the world of historical fiction, odd for an ex-history student! This book deals with the childhood and teenage years of Mary the first, also known as Bloody Mary. I'll confess I knew very little about 'Bloody Mary' before reading this, as most of my Tudor knowledge is Elizabeth I centred. As a result, I can't speak to the historical accuracy of this book, but I do think it was clever to make Mary the main character of this story, as it was interesting to see how her character might have been corrupted by Church history throughout the years. 

When this book first started I thought I was really going to hate Mary, she was written as quite a whiny individual, dependant on others to make decisions for her. I think that's partly because I'm not used to reading characters who are so young, particularly not in a first-person narrative. However, Mary grows into her own pretty quickly and she quickly becomes a strong-willed individual. I'm actually quite glad she started out as unlikeable (for me) as it's a fun experience for a reader to grow to love the main character. I'm reminded a little of Emma and how you have to be willing to like the character. 

What I particularly enjoyed about reading this book was the huge sense of dramatic irony you get from reading it, knowing a bit of the background to the Tudor age. It's heartbreaking to see Mary's parents divorce through her eyes, especially knowing Henry the eighth isn't even started yet, so many more women are going to end up hurt. I think this would be a great book to read if you knew absolutely nothing about this period (I don't know how much they teach the Tudors in schools outside England) but it's got a certain power to it when you do have that additional knowledge. 

This is a powerful story of the role of women (for there are more women than just Mary in this story) in a time which most people write off as being just for the men. Mary, Elizabeth and their subsequent female monarchs did huge things while in power (obviously not all of them good) and this book goes some way to showing that Mary was exceptional even before she was made Queen. 

Should you read this? If you enjoy a good bit of political intrigue and some strong-willed ladies then I would say so. As a fantasy reader, I could have done with more dragons, but maybe I'm just being picky.

My rating: 4 stars

This book comes out on April 5th 2018.

I did receive a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A fascinating look into the early life of the now infamous Mary I, Bloody Mary.

Told with Lucy Watson’s superb eye for detail coupled with historically accurate insight into the early life of Mary Tudor, this book really made me think about her in an entirely new light. 
She is, at the heart of the matter, a young girl who’s parents are splitting up and she no longer knows where her place in her own family let alone the world. 
This would be a superb introduction to the Tudor period and hopefully fuel readers into a love of historical fiction and non-fiction alike.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this.

I started reading this book because I absolutely loved the idea of taking the incredibly famous story of "Bloody Mary" and looking at it from a point of view not many people ever thought of. After I read the summary, I actually really wanted to know how Mary felt during her parents divorce. I don't think the people of that time really considered the consequence a divorce has on a child, because absolutely no one divorced back then. I love the combination of fiction and non-fiction, it's a really great mix.

Other than Mary, who is a small child at the beginning of this book and a woman at the end, there isn't much character development. her mother and father aren't that much in the picture most of the time and their character stays more or less the same. But, I love how the writing changes when Marie grows up. Sometimes it did sound a bit too young I think, Children back then grew up faster than they do know and even if Mary had been a child that lived today, it felt a bit like 9 year old Mary actually was a 6 year old.

I loved how fast paced this book was. Historical fiction can be a bit boring if the story goes too slow (at least for me it can be boring). everything happened quite fast and that made it more enjoyable and it also made it easier to focus on this book. I think sometimes it went a bit too fast and it can be a downside for other people, but I liked this ritme a lot.

I think I would have loved this book a little bit more if it the story would have ended later in her life. Now the book had quite an open ending. Of course it's not really an open ending because if you don't know how her story ends you can just read the Wikipedia page about her, but obviously that's not the same.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

The time will come for bravery…

Princess Mary has grown up with expectations on her shoulders. Daughter to two of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, Queen Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII of England, Mary is expected to bring marriage alliances to her family, forging connections that will help her father, and England, remain the most influential in the world. But Mary is reluctant– all she wants is for her family to stay together.

Unfortunately, Mary is only a princess, a girl, and so she’s not about to get what she wants. Instead, hoping for a male heir and apparently in love with the Lady Anne Boleyn, Henry decides to divorce the faithful Catherine of Aragon, creating a schism across England that threatens to divide families, and loyalties, forever. In the chaos, Mary’s fate is uncertain as her father tries to claim his marriage, and Mary herself, were illegitimate. Now separated from her mother, and clinging desperately to any support she can muster, Mary is forced to watch as her father remarries, and she’s sent to become a servant to her new half-sister, Princess Elizabeth. But Mary is a princess too, a rightful heir of England, and she’s prepared to fight for her recognition, no matter what the cost.

The Tudor dynasty has always been one of my favourite periods of English history to study. I covered from Edward IV to James I in my A-level classes, so I was quite eager to get my hands on a copy of this novel from Netgalley, curious to see how well the story worked when told from a YA viewpoint.

Unfortunately… it didn’t quite work for me. I’d read a veeeeerrrryyyy similar story when I was in high school, a narrative of the divorce from the perspective of Princess Mary, entitled Mary, Bloody, Mary. Lady Mary is essentially the same, with a different approach to Mary’s character, a different voice, and a glimpse at Henry’s marriage to Queen Jane thrown in for good measure.

“I am a daughter of Spain, who never feels pain.”

Beyond that, the main problem I had was with the voice itself, which came across as fairly… young. At the beginning of the novel, Mary is nine years-old, which means the childish voice makes sense. However, the book continues to follow Mary right through to her mid-twenties, meaning it starts to look less like a deliberate choice and more like an unhappy accident. It mostly came across in a lot of exposition, such as in this section:

“She heard the tentative tread of gravel behind her, and turned around with a sigh. What was it now? It was Nan’s husband, Sir John, or to give him his full name, Sir John Hussey.”

I mean, it was fun, and informative, but I really felt like there were lots of moments when readers could have been given information a lot more subtly. It got old quite fast, especially considering I knew quite a lot of the names and events going on around Mary, and I just couldn’t get into the childish language as Mary first questions something, then answers her own question. It’s not a style I’m all that keen on, and while I get that it may work for some readers, especially those unfamiliar with Tudor history, I think the language style makes it much less enticing for older YA readers. There were other examples of this peppered throughout the text too. If I had a pound for every time I read the ‘daughter of Spain, never feels pain,‘ line, I could have probably bought myself several new hardbacks. In addition to this, I wanted to cringe everytime I noticed Mary referring to Anne Boleyn as ‘the wicked lady.’ Yes, I get that she is responsible for tearing Mary’s family apart, but it just seemed like a really petty and pointless response from a character who is meant to be dignified and feisty.

Of course, there were some redeeming factors in Lady Mary too. Worsley is a history graduate, and she’s clearly done a lot of research in preparation for writing this book. It definitely comes across, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the names and settings that popped up throughout the novel. There were a few nit-picky mistakes, most likely choices made with a modern audience in mind, such as when she refers to Catherine as a ‘teenager’ [a word not used in this period, and Catherine’s blue eyes [in every painting, Catherine has brown eyes]. However, for the most part the story seemed accurate. I also really liked the portrayal of Mary and her mother, both of whom are often overlooked in the annals of history, or [in the case of Mary] vilified. Worsely seems to have really hit the nail on the head with both characters. Catherine comes across as fierce and headstrong, by turn adoring of her husband, and then calling him as weak as ‘soft curds of cheese.’ Her religious fervour is stark here, but it is also tempered by her belief that she’s sacrificing herself for her daughter, as well as her Catholicism. There’s a true sense of her betrayal here, which I thought worked very well.

“Life as a princess was rather like being a piece of fine furniture, to be admired, cooed over, then swiftly forgotten.”

You can’t help but feel for Mary throughout the novel, as she is jostled from one place to another without ever being truly in control of her destiny. She has moments of brilliant intelligence, and she does what she can in each desperate situation, but, as Lady Mary reminds us, history is rarely so kind to daughters and princesses. She comes across as very stubborn, moral and forthright, and I think it’s probably a fairly accurate representation of Mary I in her earlier years. This is also tempered by her kindness, and her capacity to do good, even if, at times this is portrayed in a very naive way, with Mary wondering if perhaps it would be quite nice to do manual labour all the time, and choosing to give an old coat to a beggar, rather than throwing it away. These seem like nice gestures, but really they reveal someone so high on the hierarchy that they can’t see the world at their feet. I guess that makes a lot of sense, considering she’s royalty, but even so, it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, I’d give Lady Mary a 5/10. It’s not a bad read, and for anyone studying Tudor history, it’s quite a nice way to ease yourself into the subject, but I found the writing style quite childish, and it chafed a bit too much for me.

The Tudor "thing" in portraits was to hide subtle messages and clues for the viewer, in fact Elizabeth The First often hid a pelican in her portraits, which was a sign of motherly love for all her subjects. This idea is cleverly continued in the cover of Lady Mary, where you can see knives, birds, coins and poison amongst the leafy background, all things that give subtle clues as to what you will be reading in the book.

The writing in this book kept well to the period, sometimes too well. I was trying to read this from a children's perspective as it's stated that this is what it's marketed towards and I had to look up a few words - forswear for one and obsequious, which apparently means "obedient or attentive to an excessive degree".

"She knew that her mother would insist that she should detest this baby girl. And yet how could she hate something so weak and powerless. How could God really want her to do that?"

The Mary we know as Bloody is a vicious, violent woman, obsessive in her Christian beliefs and she took the throne by force in 1553. She was known for her hatred of Protestants and history paints her as a truly evil Queen. The Mary we meet here however, is a teenager, watching her parents marriage fall apart before almost becoming a servant under Anne Boleyn, a woman who is shown to have a truly cruel side in this book, that I've never seen before.

I love books that takes people from history that have become characters, or caricatures in Thomas Cromwell's case, and shows us a different side to the one we know. We know that Mary takes the throne eventually, but watching her suffer as she slowly starves to the brink of death after refusing to sign away her rights to the throne is gut wrenching. She ends up completely alone, in a house she does not know, with servants she does not know.

"'They should not use you this way in their quarrels. You are a girl. They must let you be a girl!' 'But,' Mary whispered, 'I'm not just a girl. I'm a princess.'"

We visit Mary at key points in her life from a young age up to young adulthood, showing us her relationships with her mother, her father and her servants. She comes across as a kind girl, while refusing to act below her station she treats everyone with equal respect and sees no problem with sitting down for dinner with her trusted servants. We also see her relationship with her father, from when she saw him as truly perfect until she started to see him as he truly was.

What really shines though, is her strength. She decides she would rather starve than compromise her faith and she knows how much it will disappoint her mother. After being shipped from house to house and losing everyone she loves she comes away with a steely determination that has to be admired. As Lucy points out at the end of the story, Mary's actions against Protestants weren't any different to what Kings before her had done, she was mostly a victim of Catholic propaganda.

I really enjoyed this book, it has a feel of historical drama and I am a big fan of that. I actually know a lot about this era so reading about it in this style was refreshing as it is fiction, but with historical aspects which is good because it makes me feel as though I'm reading about them as if I were privy to gossip amongst the ladies in waiting! Always thought Anne B was a bit fishy! 
Sent via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy Worsley's writing and this book is no different. It tells the story of Mary (future Mary I) during the divorce of her parents, her subsequent exile and readmittance to court. I love that it shows a story that seems to have been largely forgotten.

Lady Mary is the story of the childhood of Mary I, the eldest child of Henry VIII, who has gone down in history (unfairly) as Bloody Mary, Catholic maniac, the burner of Protestants. Instead of going down this path, Lucy Worsley instead takes it down a different route, exploring how the events of her childhood, the divorce of her parents, the death of her mother and the rise of Anne Boleyn (and, later, Jane Seymour) shaped her character. I am a massive Lucy Worsley fan and will take to anything she writes or produces like a duck to water, but this book, to me, was amazing. My one problem with it is that I don't think it went far enough - I would have enjoyed seeing Mary's dynamic with Henry's later three wives - but for what it covered, and the person it explored, it was a really interesting read.

I was provided this ARC via NetGalley in turn for an honest review.

First off I was so glad when I was approved to read the ARC of this book. Because the period of time is one of my favorites and reading more about it was such a delight. It was also really interesting not having to read a non fiction and instead a YA about this time period. Don't get me wrong I love reading history non fiction about this era. And that it was written by a historian was just the cherry on top. 

I really enjoyed this book a lot. Seeing a different part of Mary Tudor's life then just the one that is always perceived which is Mary being the Bloody Mary. I loved seeing how it all came into being and not worrying about it not being historically correct. 

Mary is a very layered character of history and Im glad we have seen in this book that she wasn't just Bloody Mary. We tend to just remember the bad things about history and that is extremely sad. But this took a different route of presenting history and Im happy it did.

I can't wait to read more of this author

Hello, my name is Trish and I'm Tudor obsessed.  So reading Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley was a forgone conclusion for me.  And within the pages, I discovered a fascinating blend of Tudor trickery and human insight into a character that I grew to like and admire.

[book-info]

First Line of Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

"Press a little harder with the pen, Mary."

My Thoughts on Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

Before I read this book, my impressions of Mary were that of a vengeful queen who killed for religious reasons without qualm. After all she earned the infamous title The Bloody Queen Mary.  She is the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, and became Queen after Lady Jane Grey was beheaded.

I knew the facts, but now I feel like I know the young woman before her assent to the throne.  This book vividly set the scene of the infamous Tudor dynasty, the luxurious palaces, the indulgent lifestyle, the hundreds of servants at the beck and call of the privileged few.  However after Henry's separation from Catherine, Mary was banished from that lavish lifestyle.

I admired her strength as she refused to deny her birth right despite physical and emotional hardships.  And I raged at the lack of respect that Henry had for her, as she was only a daughter.  He had the cheek to consider himself childless, as daughters don't count.  Of course I knew how little women counted, but being inside the head of Mary, while all this was demonstrated out to her again and again, made me sigh with indignation.

Factually, I can't fault the book.  The Tudor period is never boring to read about.  There are far too many betrayals, beheadings, acts of treason, and colourful characters to be entertained by.  Queen Mary is one of those colourful characters, and this book shades her out nicely.  I'd love if there was a follow on book, or if this was the start of a series.  As it has just whet my appetite for more Tudor treachery!

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Who should read Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

I'd highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, especially the Tudor period.  And even more so if you want to see what teenage/new adult Lady Mary was like.  Fans of the Philippa Gregory series should enjoy, I know I found it fitted in perfectly with my reading of those books.  And if you think history is boring, then I challenge you to read this book and see if your view stays the same.

An enjoyable read and one that struck me as most suitable for younger teens, Lady Mary follows the struggles of a young princess both sheltered and made to grow up too soon. The author strikes a good balance between sharing historical information and turning what we know of Mary into a believable and sympathetic character, creating an engaging narrative that draws you in, even if you are already aware of the details of Mary's life. Potentially a useful book to engage students studying the Tudors, to be read alongside a History unit or as a cross-curricular class novel in English.

s there anything that Lucy Worsley can’t do? 
She’s one of those women who, if I see that she is in any way involved, I know that I’m going to watch / read it and what’s more, I’ll love it. 
This book is no different. 
We have the story of King Henry Viii falling in love with Anne Boleyn, the divorce of Catherine of Aragon and how this is all seen through the eyes of Henry and Catherine’s daughter, Princess Mary.

All Mary wants is to be a family with her mother and father. 
The attention to detail is as authentic as one would expect from Lucy Worsley and she does well in portraying Mary as a young woman being used as a pawn. A woman who may have been born into royalty but she still has feelings and you can’t help but root for Mary, whether you know the outcome or not.