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Review

The Virgin’s Lover

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The Virgin’s Lover is book 14 of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. It takes place between Summer of 1557 and Autumn of 1560. It follows Queen Elizabeth, Robert and Amy Dudley, and William Cecil. This book has a number of firsts for the series. It is the first book to have Queen Elizabeth as a main character, and it is the first book to have many scenes from a male viewpoint (Robert Dudley and William Cecil).

This book is a mix of genres. In many ways it’s a romance novel between Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth. It is a book of court politics. But most importantly, it is a murder mystery. Combined, it makes for a book I really enjoyed reading. Really, I liked this one.

I’m going to talk about this mystery without spoilers, but I want to talk about it. Because if you read this book knowing it’s a murder mystery, it’ll make a lot more sense.

This book is a ‘Who Will Do It’ murder mystery.

What does that mean?

Glad you asked.

This book ends in 1560, which is 13 years before the previous book, The Last Tudor, ended. Which means we, as readers of the entire series, know how the romance between Robert and Elizabeth concludes: Robert’s wife, Amy, dies under mysterious circumstances. The nature of her death tarnishes Robert’s reputation, and he is no longer considered a suitable partner for Elizabeth. They part ways, in love but unable to be together.

So, we know that Amy is going to die. The question of this book is: who is going to kill her? All four characters have motives, and you spend the book wondering who is going to be the bad guy.

Let’s take a look at the suspects.

Queen Elizabeth I

Full-length portrait of Queen Elizabeth in her early 40s. She has red hair, fair skin, and wears a crown and a pearl necklace.
From Wikipedia

Elizabeth has not had a happy life. Her father spent much of her childhood claiming she was illegitimate. Her mother was executed for adultery and incest. She was disinherited by her Protestant brother, then forced to assume a religion she didn’t agree with for her Catholic sister. She was a pawn in many, many games.

Finally becoming queen, Elizabeth is expected to marry an advantageous male who will become king. Over the book, many kings and archdukes and princes are brought forward, and Elizabeth makes and breaks promises on a whim. But she develops true feelings for Robert Dudley, a courtier who she bestows gifts and affections on. The two of them fall in love.

Elizabeth is a suspect because she loves Robert Dudley, but he is married. If she were to get rid of Amy, she may be free to marry Robert and find some happiness. As the head of the Church of England, she could declare a divorce, but that would come at too high of a price. But if Amy was to die, then Robert would be free.

I liked the Elizabeth of this book. She was not perfect: she was a person, trying to balance the expectations of her throne with her desires as a person. She wanted to be loved, and for a time had that love with Robert. I found it entirely believable that she could order the death, hoping it would go one way and finding it going against her.

Robert Dudley

Robert Dudley starts the book in disgrace. His father tried to put Jane Grey on the throne, and was executed for treason. Robert himself barely survived, rehabilitating the family name through service to Queen Mary and King Philip, then continuing his service to Queen Elizabeth. He endears himself to her by using his knowledge of court etiquette to prepare her processions and her court.

Robert is a schemer. He wants power and influence. He may or may not love Elizabeth — I found the book to be pretty vague on his true feelings — but he works to advance himself. At the height of their romance, he considers himself all but king, acting in unofficial capacities that he was not authorized to act in.

Robert demands a divorce from Amy, which she rejects. He wants to marry Elizabeth and cement his position in the court, but she stands in his way. If she dies, then he is free. And Robert is just self-centered enough to not understand why such an act might tarnish his reputation and keep him from Elizabeth.

I did not like Robert as a character, though that’s only because the author writes him so well. He is constantly scheming, grabbing power for himself. Which, given his history, I can understand. But I detest how much he doesn’t think of Amy. And, quite frankly, when he’s strutting about the palace and the height of their romance, he seems to completely forget how quickly anyone can fall in a Tudor court.

Fun Fact: When Robert returns from Calais early in the book, he returns with Hannah Green, the main character of The Queen's Fool, book 12 of the series.

William Cecil

William Cecil is the adult of the story. An experienced Protestant statesman, he is the voice of reason in Elizabeth’s court. It is he who explains to Elizabeth — and to the reader — the working of diplomacy and politics.

William constantly finds himself butting heads with Robert. He has England’s best interests at heart but finds Elizabeth to be indecisive and Robert to be an impediment. William is a true friend to Elizabeth, but he isn’t the sort of relationship she’s desperate for.

William is a suspect because he actually understands what the murder of Amy Dudley would mean: the fall of Robert Dudley. He is no stranger to assassination; he mentions it several times as an option and it is heavily implied he is responsible for the death of a Scottish queen. He is definitely capable of it.

William is my favorite character of the book. He is objective and thinking only of England, without any of the personal desires of Robert or the indecisiveness of Elizabeth. He is a good advisor. My only issue with him as he’s portrayed is the number of times he thinks or says that a woman could never be queen by herself, and they must get a king on the throne.

Amy Dudley

Amy Dudley is the tragic character of the book. She married Robert Dudley when they were young, and stood beside him when he was imprisoned, fell from grace, and fought his way back up. She was a loving and devoted wife.

From Wikipedia

But Amy does not want the court life. She wants a house and farmlands. She wants to maintain the fields and grow a family. Amy has no interest in anything else. Which is why she spends most of the book largely forgotten by Robert, hopping from friend to family member, few of whom are glad to see her. When Robert does see her, it is not as a husband, except to demand she give him a divorce, which she refused.

Amy spends much of the book in a terrible depression, always excited when she sees her husband, and let down by how little he cares. The idea of suicide is one she actively rejects (being a Catholic), but there’s always the chance she could simply give in during a darker moment.

I found Amy to a be a frustrating character. On one hand, she has my sympathy. She has done nothing to deserve the insults she is given on a daily basis, and she has no agency over her life. On the other hand, she rarely stands up for herself, actively apologizing in confession for her actions when she does. Maddening.

Historically

Well, obviously I’m not going to tell you what the book does. That’d be a spoiler.

Historically, an inquest determined it was an accident and no one was to blame. The event was used by Robert’s political enemies to tarnish his reputation, and he never married Queen Elizabeth. Accusations of his involvement occurred over the next few years, but none of them had any substance.

There is actually a theory that arose in the 1950’s, that Amy died because of breast cancer. The cancer could have weakened her bones, so that even a short fall could have been fatal. There’s no way to verify this, but the book does make reference to this theory by having Amy complain of chest pains, which she claims are due to a broken heart.

Conclusion

This book was one I couldn’t put down. I was excited to read it. And much of that was the mystery of who will kill Amy Dudley. My only disappointment was that I didn’t realize what the book was until halfway through. If I had known the whole time, perhaps I could have enjoyed it even more.

The book has a lot of other things to officer a reader. Court politics, international diplomacy, romance. It’s a great book, full of vivid characters.

If you decided to read this book, I hope the mystery pulls you in as much as it did me. I promise, it’s worth the read.

Review

Horus Heresy Series – Intro

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“I was there,” he would say afterwards, until afterwards became a time quite devoid of laughter. “I was there, the day Horus slew the Emperor.” It was a delicious conceit, and his comrades would chuckle at the sheer treason of it.

-Opening line of “Horus Rising”, Book 1 of 54.

In spring of 2017, I found a Humble Bundle with eBooks of the first fifteen titles of the Horus Heresy series. I was intrigued; I knew the series was being written, but I hadn’t thought to read it. I’d read one book in the 40K setting, and I’d enjoyed it, but I thought that would be it. So, when this came up, I decided to grab it. I mean, it was a dollar an eBook. That’s a great deal.

The Horus Heresy Series Logo, courtesy of lexicanum.com

I didn’t realize I would be starting a journey that would take seven years and 54 books to finish. But in spring of 2024 I did so. And I want to share some thoughts.

This will be the first of several blog posts.

I’ve got a lot of thoughts.

What is the Horus Heresy Series?

The answer could be a whole blog post by itself, so I’ll try to be succinct.

There exists a tabletop wargame called Warhammer 40,000. This science fiction universe takes place in tens of thousands of years in the future. Humanity fights against wonderous aliens, monstrous gods, and their own fractious nature.

It is not a happy universe, but it’s based off a wargame, so what can you expect?

The Horus Hersey is an even that occurs around the year 30,000, (10,000 years before the wargame) when the resurgent Imperium of Mankind suffered a schism. Some followed the God-Emperor, while others followed his favorite son, Horus Lupercal. The war broke the golden age of humanity that could have been, and plunged mankind into millennia of darkness.

Though long referenced in 40K literature, it happened so far in the past that it was considered mythology. But in 2006, Games Workshop (the company that runs 40K) started the book series. It ended in 2019 with book 54. After that, the narrative shifts from the greater heresy to the massive fight in the Sol system.

But I haven’t started that series.

Yet.

What did I think about the series?

I’ve spent several passes at this blog post trying to figure out how to answer this question. I like most of it, I hated some of it. I liked some characters, hated others. Some events I was looking forward to reading about were worth it, others were disappointing.

It was worth reading. Some of the books I would read again. Some of them I wouldn’t.

In some cases, there were books that were mediocre in their story, but I hold in high regard because they involved POV’s from sub-sets of humans, and the author put in the effort to make those POV’s feel unique.

So…why do this blog post? Or a series?

This is an introduction blog post. I have a lot of miscellaneous thoughts I want to write up, but if I did them in one post, they’d either be over too quickly, or it’d be so long I should have it published.

I’ll be doing more blog posts on this series over the next few months. I’m planning a list of books I’d love to read again, some I didn’t enjoy, and some books it was fun to read for the POV reason stated above.

How many blog posts? I don’t know. I’ll write what I want to say, and that’ll be it.

One Scene to Remember

I didn’t want this post to just be ‘hey, I read some books, expect a flood of posts afterwards’, so here’s a scene from one of the books that I think about a lot. It’s a scene where, in the midst of giant war machines and great strategies, we see humanity.

Cover Art for ‘The Master of Mankind’, courtesy of lexicanum.com

The book is The Master of Mankind, book 41 in the series. It is set on Earth, and in the webway, a extra-dimensional network of transit hubs that allows people to move from one planet to another without going into space. The enemy is approaching through the webway, and there is a battle coming.

Two characters are walking through a crowd of refugees. One is a space marine, Zephon of Baal, a genetically modified human build for war, and the other is a custodes, Diocletian Coros, an even bigger and better genetically modified human build to protect the Emperor.

A young child approaches, a refugee from a world already burned. He looks up at the two enormous warriors, asking for his parents and seeking comfort. Zephon provides some comfort to the child, while Diocletian is dismissive. Leaving the refugees, Diocletian chides Zephon.

‘You are a creature of pointless sentiment,’ Diocletian voxed to his new companion.

He heard Zephon’s sigh as they walked onwards. ‘You said I disappointed you, Custodian. I assure you that the feeling is mutual. I had not imagined conversing with one of the Ten Thousand to be such an exercise in soulless discourse.’

Diocletian didn’t believe that deserved a reply.

I’ve thought a lot about why I like this exchange, and it is due to the humanity of Zephon. So many space marines we meet are focused only on the war, or on the rituals of their legion. So much of the game and its books are de-humanizing, and here’s a great warrior taking a moment to comfort a child. While everyone else is looking up the hierarchy, he’s taking a moment to look down.

This is not the only example of humanity in the series, but it is my favorite.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you for the next post in this series, where I will discuss my favorite books from the Horus Heresy.

Keep on writing!

Michael

Review

The Last Tudor

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I finally figured out how to use the Libby app to finish the Last Tudor, book 13 of 15 in Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. It helps when the app actually tells me when a book is available, and not just when I’ve missed it.

This book follows the three Grey sisters: Jane, Katherine and Mary, from Spring of 1550 to Spring of 1573. These sisters have a claim to the throne of England through their grandmother Mary, sister to Henry VIII. The claim means the sisters are involved in the intrigues around the succession, whether they wanted to be or not. Each sister must deal with their situation in their own way.

The book is divided into three sections, each following one sister in sequence: Jane Grey (Faith), Katherine Grey (Hope), and Mary Grey (Determination).

Jane Grey (Faith)

Lady Jane Grey, courtesy of Wikipedia

The first section of the book follows Jane Grey, the oldest sister. In this section, we meet a young woman who is either a pitiable victim of circumstances, or an annoying zealot who needs to calm down, wholly depending on the scene.

Historical Jane

Jane Grey is known as the Nine Day’s Queen, elevated to the throne for a short time after the death of Edward VI. Edward declined to follow his father’s wishes on succession, skipping over Mary due to her religion (she was devoutly Catholic), and Elizabeth (because Edward wanted the throne to go to a male heir). Jane was believed to be young enough to produce one quickly.

Upon his death, Jane was declared queen, but lacked broad support. The country flocked to Mary, and Jane was imprisoned in the tower. After may letters, and several refusals to convert to Catholicism, Jane was executed in February of 1554.

Story Jane

Story Jane is a girl — she’s sixteen — who is caught up in events she cannot control. She has no desire to rule as queen, but the machinations of powerful families force her forward. And here we see Jane’s faith as a devout Protestation, which is often a source of strength to the character, and sometimes an annoyance to the reader.

The strength of the faith shows in how she processes the situation. Forced to be queen, Jane choses to be a queen. She will not be ruled by family, or by her would-be husband. Though this may not aide in her defense when she’s tried by Queen Mary’s court, the scenes where she act as the queen are some of the best she’s in.

That being said, her faith can be an annoyance. She constantly speaks of Catholics as heretics, and looks down on anyone who isn’t as pious as she is. Even her sisters, the only constant allies she has, she sees through a judgmental lens.

Of the three sisters, Jane is the most learned. Her chapters approach the story from an educated perspective, tinged with a fairly selfish faith that God will protect her. In the end, her faith aides her in facing the execution with grace.

Jane Response

As much as Zealous Jane annoys me, I thought this was the best of the three sections. Jane’s intelligence allowed me as a reader to see the flow of the politics and decisions around her. And the moments when she tries to assert herself as queen, upsetting the noblemen around her who expected her to be docile and submissive, were great to read. If Jane was \going to be queen, then dammit, she was going to be queen!

Katherine Grey (Hope)

Lady Katherine Grey, courtesy of Wikipedia


The second third follows Katherine Grey, the middle sister of the three. After the execution of her sister, Katherine conspired to marry a nobleman for love and without the permission of the queen. For that, she was imprisoned for the rest of her life, which ended seven years later.

Historical Katherine

Katherine Grey survived both her sister and Queen Mary, living into the reign of Elizabeth. Her relation to the throne made her a diplomatic and political asset, as her marriage could seal unions between nations and families. Instead, Katherine participated in a secret marriage with Edward Seymour, without Elizabeth’s knowledge or consent. They kept this marriage so secret that it was hard to prove it was legitimate when Katherine became pregnant with their first child.

Katherine and Edward were removed to the Tower of London, where they continued to meet with each other and produce a second son. As the children were a source of potential conflict (male heirs to the throne), Katherine was finally removed from the tower and spirited around the country to various estates, kept under house arrest and unable to see her husband. She died under arrest in 1568.

Story Katherine

Story Katherine is not as pious or intelligent as her older sister; she enjoys the social benefits of her station. When her family is exiled after Jane’s death, she misses the dances and the dresses. She maintains a menagerie of pets, at various points including cats, dogs, a bear and even a monkey.

Katherine’s lack of religious determination helps her to survive; she can act the Catholic in Mary’s court, and the Protestant in Elizabeth’s, because she doesn’t care. She simply wants to be a princess and enjoy the benefits. This is a stark contrast to Jane, who died rejecting conversion, but it works for her.

But Katherine constantly fails to understand her position, especially after she falls in love with Edward Seymour. She expects Elizabeth to be happy with her: she’s removed herself from the scheming around the throne, and provided an heir that Elizabeth can use. Instead, she suffers Elizabeth’s wrath, confined to the Tower and then exiled from London.

Katherine’s section doesn’t end with her death; it ends with Katherine losing hope. Separated from her husband and eldest son, bereft of any support from the court, and at the mercy of a queen who can’t marry the man she loves, Katherine finally gives up.

Katherine Response

Katherine’s section was okay. She was a good viewpoint to watch the transition of the court from Catholic Mary to Protestant Elizabeth. But she could not stand up for herself the way Jane did. She kept hoping for the best and then being surprised when she didn’t get it.

Mary Grey (Determination)

Hans Eworth Lady Mary Grey 1571.jpg
Lary Mary Grey, courtesy of Wikipedia

The last section follows the story of Mary Gray, the youngest and physically smallest of the three sisters. Like Katherine, Mary weds someone out of love, trying to protect herself better than her sister did. Against Elizabeth’s fury, she does barely any better at avoiding punishment, but she does endure it.

Historical Mary

Mary Gray is a small woman, standing under five feet tall. She has spent her whole life learning to overcome and adapt to her body’s failings. As part of Elizabeth’s court, she interacts with many nobles and courtiers. And there she finds true love with a porter, Thomas Keyes. They marry in a secret but well documented wedding in 1565.

Mary hopes to be spared the same fate as her sister, but Elizabeth’s anger at the marriage separated the two of them for the rest of their lives. Thomas would die in1571, still writing to the court for permission to see his wife. Mary would remain under arrest for a bit longer, before finally being released to care for her step-children.

Story Mary

Story Mary is more of a realist than her sisters. She sees Elizabeth as a jealous and contemplable woman, who cannot marry the man she loves and therefore cannot stand to see anyone else marry. Mary understands Elizabeth’s actions and decisions better than Katherine did.

Which leads to my biggest problem with the book: why does Mary wed?

Mary watched Elizabeth react poorly to Katherine’s marriage. She knows the storm she is inviting upon herself. But she does it anyway. The only difference is that Mary makes sure there are enough witnesses and documents proving she is married. But the book lacks any explanation for why she takes the chance.

It doesn’t go her way. Mary’s protections do little against Elizabeth’s wrath. Separated from her husband and banished from the court, she spends most of the rest of the book confined to small rooms, limited to one maid and no personal possessions.

Mary’s determination to survive is born mostly of spite. She hates Elizabeth for destroyer her and her sister’s lives. Mary views Elizabeth’s maneuverings as those of a jealous woman, who punishes those who love as she cannot. Her choices as queen are always done for a selfish reason. Even when Mary acknowledges the practical reasons for Elizabeth’s maneuverings, she cannot help but interpret the choice as a failing of Elizabeth’s.

In the end, Mary is freed, but it’s not adequately explained why. The flow of the book indicates to me that it’s because Elizabeth feels secure enough on her throne (having eliminated most contenders) that she can release Mary. But the end comes so quickly, it’s really hard to say.

Mary Response

Mary’s was the most disappointing section for two reasons. First, the decisions of her story aren’t adequately explained. Why did she marry? Why was she released? The reader’s left to guess at why.

Second, much of her section wasn’t even about her. She recounts Elizabeth’s choices in regard to being married, to foreign alliances, and to the Scottish throne. But while interesting, it did make large portions of her section sound like a historical record, not a personal story. Fun, but distracting.

Conclusion

This book is an okay transition, moving the series from Henry VIII to Elizabet I. The three stories involved were all interesting, with their characters each telling their own narrative, but only Jane really had any impact on the throne. Katherine and Mary suffered for their proximity, but otherwise did not influence the course of history.

The book doesn’t do much to make Elizabeth stand out as a monarch. She seems just as jealous and vindictive as her father was. Perhaps we’ll meet a different Elizabeth in the near future?

Only two books to go.

Review

2023 in Review

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I started 2023 with a number of goals in mind. I wanted to publish a book, and revise my writing process to be more efficient. Then, I wanted to do more events. And I wanted to cross some media off my various lists.

Writing and Publishing

I accomplished a lot of writing goals this year. First, I got one draft out to Beta Readers, with a second close behind. Then, I wrote scenes for various projects, and did research and world building for others.

And while I was doing all this, I was revising my writing process. I need to write more efficiently, and by the end of the year I was. I’m planning some blog posts on the topic, but essentially I paid attention to everything that slowed me down when writing, and worked out a process to counter it before it becomes a problem.

Events

I only got two events in this year, but they were good events. One convention where I sold books, made contacts, and partook in a panel. And one pop-up bookstore.

I’ve already signed up for another convention next year, and I want to do more. I know pricing is an issue, but I’m going to have to figure something out. It’s too important to not pursue.

Media

One trade off of writing more is experiencing less. I watched fewer movies and TV shows, and played threw fewer games, than I expected to. I still read a decent amount. And now that I’m listening to podcasts, I can get some research and entertainment done while I’m working. So, while the quantity may be down, I don’t regret it.

2024

My goals for 2024 are similar to this year. Publish and get my writing out there. Do more events. And continue to enjoy the stories that are out there to experience.

So, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and supports me. It was a good year, and I look forward to next year being even better.

Cheers!

Michael

Review

Book Report: The Queen’s Fool

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The Queen’s Fool is Book 12 of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction series. Set between 1548 and 1558, the book follows Hannah Green, a fool in the service of the Royal Court. A unique character for several reasons, Hannah is has interactions with all three children of Henry VIII, and is present for the religious and political upheavals that follow Henry’s death. Her interactions are particularly interesting when it comes to Henry’s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.

What I want to talk about in this post is not so much the structure and story of the book, but the three women we follow through it. Hannah, as the POV character, and then the sisters Mary and Elizabeth. With the sisters, I particularly want to discuss how their portrayal was much different than what I expected.

But first, a quick synopsis.

Synopsis

Hannah Green is a Jewish woman of Spanish descent, hiding in London with her widower father. She has a supernatural power called the Sight, a divination that allows her to tell the future of individuals or events. Hannah cannot control when it occurs, nor can she lie about what she sees.

After an event in front of a nobleman, Hannah is taken to court as a holy fool, an entertainer of sorts. While in this guise, Hannah becomes involved in the court politics, spying first on Mary Tudor, then on her sister Elizabeth. Her allies also use her Sight, attempting to foresee and influence events to their advantage.

Hannah develops relationships with Mary and Elizabeth, becoming friendly with both, though devoted to Mary. She is present with Mary for the event surrounding the rebellion of Jane Grey, Mary’s victory and subsequent coronation.

With Mary now crowned Queen of England, Hannah is eager for the future. But that future quickly sours. Mary is devoutly Catholic, and England is now largely Protestant. The religious differences drive a wedge between Mary and her people. It also causes a rift between Mary and Elizabeth, as Elizabeth is the protestant claimant to the throne and a natural opponent to Mary.

Queen Mary’s reign descends into that of Bloody Mary, with the return of the Catholic Church and the Spanish Inquisition. When an accusation of heresy threatens Hannah’s safety, she joins her family in Calais, the last English stronghold on the continent. The fall of that city later forces the last confrontation between Hannah and the two sisters.

Who is Hannah Green?

Hannah Green (born Hannah Verde) is an entirely fictional character. She is, as stated above, Spanish born, of Jewish faith (though she hides it), and possesses and intermittent divination she refers to as ‘the Sight’. She spends much of the book employed as the Queen’s Fool, (an entertainer at court) and as a spy. As a character, she has a unique point of view to watch the reign of Mary dissolve into a mess.

First, being Jewish. This is important because Hannah’s experience at hiding her faith allows her to easily adapt to whatever religion is in ascendency at the time. As a character, she can act as a Protestant or a Catholic as the situation dictates. This lets Hannah be part of an increasingly Catholic court, while fearing the rise that follows.

Second, being Spanish. Being a foreigner in the English court gives Hannah an excuse to be discounted from the normal family feuding of the court. She isn’t part of a family with a history to answer for, so she is free to make her own connections. It also means that when King Phillip and the Inquistion come to England, she views their arrival with different eyes than the Catholic Mary. She knows what they bring.

Third, Hannah’s progressive feminist attitudes. Hannah is not interested in being feminine, either in a common or noble sense. She doesn’t wear dresses or gowns and knows little about how to work in a kitchen or garden. She knows about selling and trading books, about playing a court fool, and about the politics of court. As such, she has a belief that women are capable of much more than what they’re generally believed capable of.

The first two points allow Hannah to be present in the story without getting caught up in the tides of it. They let the Hannah be the reader’s eyes. The third point is about Hannah’s concept of a queen, which I’ll get into with the two sisters in a moment here.

Queen Mary

Portrait of Queen Mary I of England by Anthonis Mor, 1554

Queen Mary is the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. She is a devout Catholic, like her mother. She becomes queen in 1553 and rules for several years. Due to her attempts to reintroduce Catholicism, and the violence that introduction incurs, she is often known as Bloody Mary. That’s what I knew her as before starting this book.

Hannah’s view on Mary is one of love and compassion. This is a woman who has spent her life prepared to die for her beliefs. She is strong and capable, and wants to be a good queen. But her reign is marred by tragedies that are, ultimately, her own fault.

The Tragedy of Wisdom

The first tragedy of Mary is that for all her suffering, she has gained no wisdom.

Mary suffered during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. Only the conviction of her faith carried her through many humiliations and embarrassments, until such time as she could take the throne. That conviction was admirable when she was the victim.

But that conviction carries Mary from the new queen to the bloody one. Being a Catholic Queen, Mary sees it as her responsibility to bring England back to the church. But she’s now ruling a strong protestant nation, that resists the reunion as much as elements of the nation resisted the separation a generation earlier.

If I hadn’t known how the history would end, I would have hoped that Mary would have learned not to push the issue of religion. Or to wield the power of her station with more grace than she does. Hannah sees Mary want to display that wisdom, when she looks for reasons not to execute Jane Gray and her sister. But ultimately, Mary refuses to be any more graceful with her power than her predecessors were.

The Tragedy of Strength

The second tragedy of Mary is that for all her ability, she is firm in her belief that as a woman, she shouldn’t wield it.

No sooner is she crowned queen than Mary beings to wonder about a king. Part of this is no surprise: Mary needs to have children, and that requires a consort. But as Mary points out, once she has a king, he becomes the King of England as well, and her superior as her husband. And while she indicates she isn’t entirely happy about that, she never questions that’s how it must be.

Hannah does question it. She sees Mary’s strength and ability. She understands the need for an heir, but not why Mary must automatically become less of a leader to her country because she marries. Her own personal journey influences this journey as much as anything else. She questions why any woman – Hannah or Mary – must be subservient. But while Hannah refuses to accept that role, Mary embraces it.

Part of the tragedy is that we’re aware of how her sister, Elizabeth, managed to be a Queen without a King. Mary, at least as Hannah sees her, has the strength and ability to be a queen without a king, but she refuses to see it.

The Tragedy of Connection

Finally, there is the tragedy that Mary, having lost her loving family as a child, never builds one as an adult.

Mary does eventually find a king: Philip II of Spain. But while Mary comes to the marriage as a willing wife, Philip sees the marriage as a political act. He brings her none of the warmth she believes a husband should, and she becomes more depressed by that absence as he campaigns on the continent.

The couple do try for children, which results in two false pregnancies. Mary is particularly devastated by these failures, which she sees as punishment for leading a protestant nation. Not only does Mary respond with excessive prayer, but it leads to increased persecution of her population.

Finally, the one family member Mary is left with, Elizabeth, draws further away from her. Elizabeth is a protestant, and in this book is a constant member of the schemes against Mary. Mary wants Elizabeth to join her faith, and to marry her off as one does with princesses. But Elizabeth refuses to comply, and for all their past affection, the two are now rivals. Especially as Elizabeth, as the next in line and a Protestant, is a threat to everything Mary is trying to fix.

Princess Elizabeth

Mary may see Elizabeth as a threat to what she’s trying to fix, but for most of the nation, Elizabeth is the next step in the separation Henry VIII and Edward VI were enforcing.

Elizabeth as a Teenager, by William Scrots, c 1546

Princess Elizabeth is the second daughter of King Henry VIII by his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She is a Protestant, following the faith of her father and most of England. in the book she is constantly scheming against her sister, plotting for the throne and then feigning innocence when the plots fall apart. For a queen I’ve only ever seen in a positive light, a negative portrayal was quite a surprise.

Hannah sees Elizabeth as a very promiscuous and devious princess. She is constantly flirting with the men of the court, even King Philip after his marriage to Mary. She is plotting and scheming to raise rebellion against Mary. But never does she suffer any serious consequences. Elizabeth is able to bluff her way out of execution, remaining in exile from the court for most of the book.

Yet, it’s important to remember that this is how Elizabeth survives. Where Mary passively endured, Elizabeth actively plots. *

Conclusion

This post is about the three women of The Queen’s Fool: Hannah Green, Queen Mary, and Princess Elizabeth. There are many things from the book I didn’t cover. There’s a whole plot with Hannah and her father and betrothed, musings on what it means to be Jewish in Christian Europe, and Hannah’s developing concept of romantic love.

The Queen’s Fool brought a unique POV character and two new twists on historical characters I already knew. The use of a third-party character to experience the era was a great choice on the part of the author. And the Sight was a fun mechanic to experience. All in all, a fun book to read.

Only three more books in the series. How exciting.

Review

Last of Us: Video Game to Screen

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I’ve always been fascinated by how stories change when they shift mediums. Usually, I watch books I’ve read come to screen. But with The Last of Us, there’s a chance to see how a great video game story can become a great show. I’ve worked through both the game and the show recently, and I wanted to write down some thoughts I had. Simply put, The Last of Us is a good example of how a studio can take a game and turn it into a show.

The Last of Us Poster

If you don’t know anything about The Last of Us, a quick synopsis. Humanity has fallen prey to a fungal infection inspired that leaves people in a state similar to zombies. Society fell apart, leaving the survivors to fend to themselves or gather in small towns and enclaves in the ruins of cities. Two characters — a middle-ages man name Joel and a teenage girl named Ellie — have to make their way west from Boston. They fight against infected, and other people, to reach their goals.

There are three topics I’m going to cover. First, the story of the game and why it needed to change for the show. Second, the world building opportunities that changing mediums provides and what the show does with it. And third, I’m going to look at the attitudes towards violence in both game and show.

Now I’m going to do those three topics without spoilers. Then I’m going to do a fourth, spoiler section where I discuss a few things without worrying about spoilers. Feel free to skip that section.

One: Changing the Story

The common story of The Last of Us is the story of Joel and Ellie and their journey west from Boston across a land of fallen cities, fungus-fueled zombies, and factions of survivors. The game and the show tell the same story, but do so differently.

There are many reasons to change the story. For starters, there’s the obvious issue of time. The video game takes 15 hours to beat the story only, and 22 hours to play everything. Of that, roughly 90 minutes are cut-scenes instead of playing time. Add an additional few hours for the DLC. The show runs about eight and a half hours.

Doing a direct cut-scene to show translation would be too short. Doing the entire game to show would be too long. The writers had to consolidate and modify the story-line to make it fit.

Slightly less obvious is the idea that doing a replay of the game exactly is boring. Yes, the creators should hit the high points of the game. They should include the scenes that the fans enjoyed and remember with fondness. But this is a chance to add to the story, not just re-tell it on camera.

I like most of the differences in the story the show does (beyond the World Building and Violence that I’ll discuss later). One big change is they streamline the story, consolidating several events into one scene to save on time and exposition. A second change is to modify the context around an event, so its impact on the story is the same but the specifics of how and why are different. The game and the show tell the same story, but each in a unique way.

Did you notice I said I liked “most” of the differences? Yeah, there were some things they did that I wasn’t happy with. One or two key scenes that they changed in such a way that they didn’t have the same impact as their game counterparts. Not enough to seriously hamper my enjoyment, but enough that I took note. But hey, nothing’s perfect.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey from The Last of Us. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO

Two: World Building

World Building means expanding the setting beyond what we know from the game. If the Story has Joel and Ellie leaving Boston, World Building is telling us more about Boston. This is an area where the show’s creators can take as much or as little from the game as they want, or need to, in order to tell their story.

The video game has two different extremes with world building. One on end is the world built by playing the bare minimum of the game, with everything every player will experience. The other end includes every found artifact, hard to reach vantage point, and unique conversation the player can possibly uncover, usually through great time and effort. The player must experience the one, but has to work to uncover the other.

Shows have the one world every viewer will see. This has its tradeoffs. The world is built more tightly to the narrative, but the excess details are lost. Like the story section, the show has the chance to build a slightly different world, if not outright contradictory. They need to support the story they’re telling, and if that means clashing with the game world, so be it.

The World Building can be further divided into three section: history, locations and specific characters.

History

The history part we can get through pretty quick. The show spends more time exploring the world before the game. There several scenes that take place before the pandemic that are completely new. They provide a context for the pandemic that the game doesn’t, something a viewing audience would expect.

Locations

It’s hard to describe how the show builds the locations different from the game without describing the people, so I want to point out here that this section will make references to the populations and factions of cities. This is meant to be separate from the individual, named characters I’ll get to in a moment.

The Last of Us uses the same sequence of eight locations as the game. The one big change is that the fourth location changes from Pittsburgh to Kansas City, but fulfills the same narrative role in the story.

For The Last of Us, the show makes an effort to humanize and give depth to the locations. The black-helmeted soldiers of Boston are no longer generic neo-fascist villains; now we see several of their faces, and see them reacting to the trials and fears of the world. We feel some sympathy for them and their role in their society. This change makes more sense when you consider that they are no longer some of the first opponents you fight and kill (see Violence, below). But it doesn’t contradict the game.

The Kansas City/Pittsburgh exchange is the biggest opportunity to expand on the world: the writers need to fill several story points, but otherwise have free reign to build a new location. They do so really well. The Kansas City location fills the same story development niches Pittsburgh does, but the opposing faction Joel and Ellie contend with is not a one-dimensional villain. We get why they’re doing what they’re doing, even as we hope they fail.

The other locations don’t differ too much from their game counter parts. We learn more about them, and appreciate them, but their impact on the story doesn’t change.

Named Characters

The last aspect of world building I wanted to discuss are changes to named characters. This is where the show greatly changes from the game. They need to do this to fit their story and the differing expectations of a viewing audience.

Every named character is different than their game counterpart. Some changes are small and don’t contradict the game, adding depth to even simple characters. Take the character of Maria. in the game, we know nothing about her other than her relationship to other characters and her position of leadership. in the show, we learn more about who she was before everything fell apart. We don’t know if game Maria is the same or not, and it doesn’t really matter.

Some of the characters are drastically different. Their biographies, and how they influence the show’s story, are big departures. Now, I’m not a purist. I don’t expect everything to be exactly the same. So when this happens, I ask myself, what were they trying to do? Do the changes they make work within the context of the new story?

I say yes. I say that the two biggest character departures absolutely make sense. Neither character would have worked if they’d been brought over exactly as they were from the game. Both stories would have been heavily influenced by the different expectations of violence, and one’s context was completely changed by differences in the story. This is what I’m going to talk a lot about in the spoiler section below.

Image from the official trailer for The Last of Us by HBO

Three: Differences in Violence

The last topic I want to go over is the way the two mediums use violence to tell their story.

The video game uses violence as a way to engage the player. It’s a challenge that must be overcome, either through stealth, guile or straight up combat. It is so common that the game only managed to make it intense by limiting your resources, forcing you to count bullets and manufacture traps, otherwise you’ll run out of ammunition and be forced to fight hand to hand.

The show uses violence much more sparingly. One online count I found put Joel’s kill count at over 200 in the game, but less than 40 in the show. It makes sense that the show would have a more realistic portrayal of violence than the game would. If they’d tried to mimic Joe’s kill count, it would feel like an 80’s action film, or at least a parody of one.

As a result, death in the show is much more impactful. Take the first time we see Joel kill someone in the show. The scene has a companion scene in the game. But in the game, he’s killed a few dozen infected and Boston guards by that point, and the death is just one more. In the show, it’s his first kill, and the context of the kill makes it all the more impactful.

The change in violence increases the lethality of the world. The infected are all the more dangerous for how few of them Joel and Ellie kill. The ease with which some factions kill is more jarring. It feels more real than the game does, and the characters react accordingly.

Spoilers

This section I want to discuss two things that require the spoilers tag.

Spoiler

Welcome to the spoiler section. The two topics I want to discuss here are the Bill and Frank story, and the Sam and Henry arc.

First, Bill and Frank. I loved this story-line. The characters were so much better than their game counterparts. But the big question I had was: why do things differently at all? The obvious answer is that Bill’s chapter in the game was one long combat sequence, something the show was not doing. so they had to do something different.

Slightly less obvious is that they needed a catalyst for Joel to decide to take Ellie further. Marlene had tasked him and Tess to take Ellie to the capital building; Tess’s last wish was for him to take Ellie to Bill and Frank’s. Bill’s letter, and the comment about finding someone to protect, gave Joel the impetus to take her all the way to Wyoming. The game didn’t really have a counter part; it just railroaded Joel into doing it.

FYI: Probably my only big complaint of this show comes from the Bill and Frank episode. Bill is a survivalist by nature. When raiders finally come, he stands in the middle of the road with a rifle while Frank is running around wildly. That makes no sense. Bill would have a plan that involves a safe place for Frank, and a nice firing position to defend the perimeter.

Now, Sam and Henry. Tying Sam and Henry’s background to the Kansas City rebellion was great. It gave the Kansas City faction a reason to keep coming after them, one that made sense. But the point I wanted to bring up had to do with violence.

in the game, Henry kills a number of infected and Pittsburgh hunters to protect Sam, and eventually Ellie. It’s just part of living in that world. But the show makes a point of him not being violent. He’s never killed anyone, and he doesn’t until Sam turns at the end of the episode.

The game is heartbreaking enough, fighting through Pittsburgh with him for several hours and then losing them. in the show, it’s worse. The only person Henry ever kills is his brother. It’s heartbreaking.

[collapse]

So ends the spoiler section.

Conclusion

Obviously, a lot of thoughts about this show and game. I think it is a fantastic example of translating a video game story to screen. The writers consolidate and rework the story to fit the new medium. They expand the world to meet the expectations of their audience. And they consider the influence of violence on the story and treat it well.

I recommend the show to anyone who can handle the violence and intensity of it. I also recommend the game, to anyone who enjoys games and has the time to sit down and play.

Thank you for reading through this post with me. Let me know what you think below, especially if you’ve experienced one or both of these examples of The Last of Us.

Review

Book Report: The Taming of the Queen

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“I have seen too many queens,” [WIll Sommers] says. “And too many of them are ghosts now. I don’t want to see a queen in danger; I don’t want to see another ghost. indeed, I swear that I won’t see one. Not even one.”

“You did not see me?” I ask, catching his meaning.

“I did not see you, nor Kitty Howard creeping down the stairs in her nightgown, nor Anne of Cleves, pretty as her portrait, crying at her bedroom door. I am a Fool, not a guard. I don’t have to see things, and I am forbidden to understand them. there’s no point in me reporting them. Who would listen to a Fool?”

-Will Somers, Court Fool, to Queen Kateryn Parr, after discovering her eavesdropping on Henry’s private discussions, The Taming of the Queen, page 194.

Kateryn Parr wants to survive. In the court of King Henry VIII, that means bowing to his shifting whims, even for his wives. Chosen by Henry to be his sixth queen, Kateryn is determined to avoid the fates of her five predecessors. She adopts several defensive strategies to placate and mollify Henry. But as the ominous title of the book suggests, in Henry’s court, survival requires submission.

In The Taming of the Queen, the eleventh historical fiction novel in Phillipa Gregory’s series, we follow Queen Kateryn from Henry’s first proposal in the spring of 1543 to his death in the winter of 1547. The book is not about her ascension to power or her scheming and plotting for the throne. The book is about her survival.

Synopsis

Kateryn is a reluctant queen. She has watched five predecessors come and go; two of them set aside, two of them executed, one neglected and died in childbirth. She has a secret lover that she hopes to wed. In short, she does not want to be queen. But Henry chose her, and queen she will be.

Queen Kateryn lives in apartments that other queens have lived in. She wears dresses and jewels commissioned by her predecessors, and her ladies have served several of them as well. Half of the court sees her as an impediment to their agenda; others see her as an avenue to riches and power.

Her biggest threat, however, is not another family or the next aspiring queen; it is Henry himself. Henry has been absolute ruler of England for decades, and has become quite adept at removing queens. He plays the factions of his court against each other, and not even Kateryn is safe from his tests and games.

To protect herself, Kateryn works to be the best queen she can be.She used her power and position to hire tutors. and teachers. She reconciles Henry with his children, bringing them together as a family for the first time in Henry’s reign. Kateryn even goes so far as to publish books in support of Henry’s reformation, the first woman to publish in her own name in English history. All in the hopes of keeping her position long enough to survive the king.

The Threat – Henry the Tyrant

King Henry VIII has been a threat to the characters for four books. He has executed four of the last eight POV characters and deposed two more. The absolute power he developed over previous novels is now perfected: he is the Divine King of England. He has long removed anyone who could — or would — argue with him.

But in Taming of the Queen, the threat is much more intimate. In previous books, Henry was a threat, but not a very present character. His will was known to the reader through correspondence, conversation with other characters, and the appearance of his officials to execute his orders. In Kateryn’s story, Henry is more present and more forceful. He actively debates with Kateryn, giving the readers a chance to see Henry’s mindset and trains of thought.

Henry is also old. His age and infirmities are taking their toll. He is aware that he is no longer a young man or the ‘handsomest Prince in Christendom.’ Death is coming, and Henry has but one male heir to the throne. Knowing this, Henry is scared, and that fear manifests itself in his whims and moods.

This is the tyrant Kateryn must placate to stay alive. A king, close to death, who is fearful of the future and lashing out with the power he has. A very dangerous foe indeed.

The Queen’s Defensive strategies

Kateryn Parr becomes queen with the goal to survive. To do so, she is dependent on Henry’s good graces. Kateryn sets to work immediately, learning from her predecessor’s successes and mistakes. Some of it is easy and obvious: don’t take a lover, as Kitty Howard did. Most of it is difficult, requiring constant application of intelligence and influence.

Kateryn never sits down and plans out her campaign for the reader to see. The campaign starts from page one, and Kateryn develops her defenses over time. The actions Kateryn takes in her defense can be grouped into three categories, based on what she is providing Henry. First, she is providing intimacy. Second, she is providing family. And third, she is providing religious advocacy.

Providing Intimacy

Kateryn Parr is no fool. She understands that the primary reason Henry has chosen her is because she is an attractive young woman who can bear children. Providing intimacy is the first strategy she is forced to employ.

Sex is the first and easiest intimacy Kateryn provides. Henry is used to getting his desires met, and he is still worried about having only one male heir to the Tudor line. But Henry is also old, and his health is failing. He is morbidly obese, to the point of needing pages and wheelchairs to move about. An open leg wound fills the room with the smell of decay. And Henry faces some level of impotency. Kateryn has to ignore all of that, and play the young, virginal bride for her husband.

Kateryn’s act must extend beyond the bedroom. Henry is her third husband, but Henry must be the best at everything. Luckily for Kateryn, Henry asks guiding questions. Kateryn is smart enough to answer the correct way, and placate Henry’s ego.

Of the three strategies Kateryn pursues, this thread is the most disturbing to read through. Henry is not a considerate lover, and the submission he expects is demeaning. Kateryn’s descriptions of their bedroom atmosphere are oppressive.

Providing Family

The second avenue Kateryn uses is as new mother to the three existing children from three previous queens. Mary (Catherine of Aragon) is almost the same age as Kateryn, while Elizabeth (Anne Boleyn) and Edward (Jane Seymour) are much younger. Henry has declared the two daughters illegitimate, and barely sees his son.

Kateryn makes an effort to bring them all together, to provide Henry with the family he never realized he had. If she can make him realize he has potential heirs already, perhaps he would calm down.

Kateryn is largely successful at this. She befriends Mary, brings Elizabeth back to court, and corresponds with Edward. Henry appreciates this effort, and revises the articles of succession to include the two daughters (after Edward, of course).

Of the three strategies, this one is the most rewarding to read. Mary and Elizabeth are innocents, declared illegitimate because of Henry’s falling out with their mothers, and largely disregarded because of their gender. Kateryn bringing them back together, and mending the family that Henry was at best oblivious to, is the best success she has. The submission for family is humiliating, but ultimately is not as terrible as some of the other things Kateryn must endure.

“The Family of Henry VIII”, Artist Unknown, c1545. Royal Collection Trust

Religious Advocacy

The third and most dangerous avenue Kateryn pursues is the be part of Henry’s reformation. Kateryn is a dedicated Protestant, and her family pressures her to keep the king committed to the reformation. Henry has begun the reformation, but has not completed the process. He shifts from protestant to catholic leanings, based on internal court debates, the shifting alliances of Europe, or just his own whims and desires.

Kateryn uses her position as queen to educate herself. She learns languages, studies the Bible and religious texts. She invites learned scholars and popular speakers to lecture to her and her ladies on reformation topics. All this she does within the bounds of the Church of England, with Henry at its head, using his teachings and writings.

But Henry’s inconsistency can trap Kateryn as easily as anyone else. Henry rules that religious texts should be in English, so everyone can read them. Then he rules that only learned men should read them, as they’re too difficult for everyone to have an opinion on. Kateryn’s works that Henry praises one day he condemns her for the next.

Of the three strategies, this one is the most aggravating to read. Kateryn works hard, and yet her work is contently dismissed for reasons far beyond her control. The submission for this strategy is not one event. It is a constant stream of little abuses that Kateryn endures. Hence, aggrivation.

Conclusion

The Taming of the Queen is a hard book to read. Kateryn Parr is a likable, intelligent woman who spends the book simply trying to survive. She works hard to please Henry, only to find he’s more interested in her submission than her hard work. She is a character who constantly receiving my sympathy and respect.

On the plus side, with the death of Henry VIII, we can finally move on and into the next generation of Tudor leaders. I’m sure the next few books will be about easier times and perfect rulers.

Right?

Review

Book Report: The Boleyn Inheritance

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Book 10 of 15 in Philippa Gregory’s series is The Boleyn Inheritance. The inheritance is a reference to the impact of Anne Boleyn’s brief tenure as Queen on those who followed her, though this does take on different connotations depending on the character. The book begins in July of 1539, which means we have skipped ahead a few years from The Other Boleyn Girl, past Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour in 1536 and her death in 1537.

The book is a first for the series in that it has three different view point characters, switching between the three each chapter. They are (in order of appearance):

  • Jane Boleyn, wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law of Queen Anne Boleyn. One of the witnesses against her husband and sister-in-law, she begins the book in exile from the currently queen-less court. She is waiting for a chance to return.
  • Anne of Cleves, a young noble woman from a German duchy. She is in the running for the next queen of England. Her portrait, from the master Hanz Holbein, will entice Henry. Henry will make her queen, and bring an alliance to her brother.
  • Katherine Howard, a 14-year-old excitable teenage and cousin to Anne Boleyn and, by marriage, of Jane Boleyn. Katherine is living in a house of many young women, with little supervision and many gentlemen callers. Despite being 14, she is already an experienced lover, and has the Howard desire for social climbing.

Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford

‘My mother commanded me to trust nobody at court. She said, especially Lady Rochford.’

-Catherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn

Jane Boleyn is an experienced hand at Henry’s court, having participated in three previous queens. Her actions against Anne Boleyn and her husband haunt her, yet she longs to return to court. Her Boleyn inheritance is the literal wealth she kept after her husband’s execution.

Jane Boleyn comes off as a very sympathetic character when reading her scenes. She is constantly telling herself, and the reader, how much she regrets her actions with Anne and George, and how much she missed both of them. You can’t help but feel sorry for her. At least, until you read other character’s scenes.

Jane may speak of guilt, but her actions show none of it. She joins Anne’s court to spy for the Howard family, with Katherine as a confederate. When Anne falls from favor, Jane makes a token effort to refuse to participate in the scheming against her, but eventually falls in line. In Katherine’s court, Jane continued her service to the Howard family, participating in Kitty Howard’s affairs without much thought, knowing what the penalty will be when they are caught.

When Jane falls from grace, it’s hard to find much sympathy for her. She had many chances to defy her uncle, or to guide Anne and Katherine better, but chose to follow the family line, even as she stresses her regrets over and over to the reader. Only once does Jane do something noble: at the height of the danger to Anne, Jane provides wise counsel that Anne accepts, and survives.

Jane is a character who talks about guilt but makes no effort to avoid repeating her offensive acts. While I did not despise the character, I do think her end at the block was well deserved. Which might be a first for this series.

Anne of Cleves

‘If it were not so tragic, this would be the highest of comedies: this gawky girl stepping into the diamond-heeled shoes to Anne Boleyn. What can they have been thinking of when they imagined she could ever rise to it?’

-Jane Boleyn

Anne of Cleves begins the book excited to come to England, to escape a smothering religious family in Germany and finally exercise some agency in her life. She is aware that there are problems in the way; she and her entourage stand out in their dull dress ‘fat little ducks besides these English swans’, and she does not know the language, but she is committed. Her Boleyn Inheritance is a poisoned throne.

Anne is an immediately sympathetic character, due to the puritanical family life she leaves in Germany. Her approach in England and the throne is one of a scared woman who is eager to prove she can do the job, sort of like Katherine of Aragon only without the confidence. I read her scenes happy to watch her try, and eager to see her succeed.

Anne also brings an outsider’s perspective to the English court. Unlike every other character, who knows what Henry’s court is like and what to expect, Anne has to learn. Her presence, and her actions, put Henry and his nobility to shame. Also, because Anne is not from an English family, Anne is not immediately part of the court schemes.

Of the three arcs, Anne’s was my favorite, not only because she critiques the court with her presence, but because she gets a happy ending. From the oppressive German family to the dangers of Henry’s court, Anne finally ends up with estates and a stipend, and freedom. She ends up happy.

The only thing I wish we could have seen: Anne writing a letter to her brother, telling him off. Oh, well.

Katherine ‘Kitty’ Howard

‘She is a foolish, frivolous little thing, but she has the cleverness of a stupid girl, since, like any stupid girl, she thinks about only one thing, and so she has become very expert in that. And the one thing that she thinks about? All the time, every moment of every day, Kitty Howard thinks about Kitty Howard.

-Anne of Cleves

Katherine Howard is a vain, greedy teenager who grew up always wanting more: more lovers, more wealth, more stuff. She is brought to the court to act as another agent of the Howard’s. When she becomes queen, it is only because she is young and pretty. Her Boleyn Inheritance is the family’s insatiable need for more.

Katherine’s scenes are written from a very unique viewpoint for this series: they’re shallow. Her descriptions of characters are always about their dress. She loves parties and frivolity. Many of her chapters start with ‘Now let me see, what do I have,’ followed by a list of what she currently owns, the length of which charts her rise and fall. Compared to the educated and measured viewpoints of pretty much every other character in 10 books, it might be the most unique voice so far.

Katherine’s rise is entire due to her beauty, and her willingness to be a trophy queen to show off Henry’s virility. She’s pretty, and she knows it, and she uses it. Her downfall is because she is never happy. She demands so much she irritates the king, and bemoans marriage to a man old enough to be her grandfather.

I’m mixed on Katherine’s story. On one hand, she had a unique view point, and being a young woman who goes through what she does incurs some sympathy. On the other hand, she’s well aware of the dangers of King henry’s court yet makes no effort to learn any lessons. Thus, Katherine walks to the same end as her cousin.

Conclusion

The Boleyn Inheritance was fun to read. Three characters, with different backgrounds influencing their actions. Three stories, ending in wildly divergent and deserved endings. And three inheritances of Anne Boleyn’s trek to the throne.

I’d put this book above average. While we never get too intimate with any of the three characters, their contrasts help sharpen each individual’s arc. It helps that the viewpoints are diverse, so each one stands wholly separate from the other. It makes for an exciting read.

With this, we enter the last third of the series, one step closer to the end of Henry VIII and the rise of Queen Elizabeth. After so many kings, it’ll be good to see a queen.

-Michael

Review

Movie Review: The Other Boleyn Girl

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DVD Cover, link to IMDB Page

I watched The Other Boleyn Girl, a film adaptation of Philipa Gregory’s novel that I finished and reviewed not too long ago. I was interested to see how this would go. Growing up my parents would often make me read the book before taking me to see a movie, so I have come to appreciate the difficulties in taking a story from print to film. It can be difficult, but not impossible.

First, I’ll state the obvious: the movie is incredibly simple compared to the book. This is one of the problems of transitioning mediums. Books allow a writer to give exposition far greater than a movie allows. The movie acknowledges this by making big changes to the relationships between the characters, particularly the three principals: King Henry and the Boleyn sisters. Simply put, the movie over-simplifies the events and provides only the main points, and provides no details or background.

Note: I am going to discuss the differences between the book and the movie. Historical notes and changes can be checked on the IMDB page (click the movie poster above).

The Family Plotters

The first big change of the story is that of the family itself. The Boleyn family of the movie is not a family of schemers and plotters. Mary and Anne have a rivalry, but it is sisterly to start with. It is only when their Uncle arrives to include them in his plotting that their interactions with Henry begin.

Everyone is different. The mother is more affectionate, showing concern for both her daughters. The father is less assertive, more deferential to his brother-in-law. Mary becomes more innocent, though not completely blameless. Anne is the only character of the family I thought was diminished. Anne of the book is calculating and cunning. In the movie, she’s shrewd, but it’s never explained how, so she just comes across as extremely manipulative.

I did notice an obvious goof of the movie. The movie starts with Mary Boleyn’s marriage to William Carey. William is present for the Uncle’s decision to put Mary in Henry’s view, and a few subsequent scenes. He is obviously unhappy with the plot but goes along with it. And then he disappears. The movie never mentions that he dies of sickness. William Carey just ceases to be.

The Boleyn Siblings

The movie makes great changes to the relationships of the three Boleyn siblings. In short, their relationships become extremely shallow. The brother, George, is all but removed from the story, which makes sense as there’s not a lot of time to spend on his plot.

While Mary is still a co-conspirator, her increased innocence means she appears much more the victim of circumstance. Removed are her manipulations of Henry on behalf of Anne, and the scenes where she supports Anne when Anne is exhausted or needs advice are largely absent. Her character growth and rebellion against Anne – and therefor her survival of the fall of her family – is completely gone.

Anne’s maliciousness is missing scenes where she delights in torturing Mary, such as taking Mary and Henry’s son away from her, or refusing to reward Mary as she does the rest of the family. Indeed, for much of the second half of the movie, she ignores Mary to focus on Henry. Another sacrifice of switching mediums.

I found this most disappointing. Most of the book is about their relationship, their mutual support and rivalry. Without all the extra scenes of their bickering and scheming, their depth is gone. And without the depth, all the events of the movie seem sudden.

King Henry VIII

Henry VIII is a fairly one-dimensional character in both movie and book. He is a King of England who needs a male heir to secure his throne. If his queen cannot give him one, he will find a way. That’s all he needs to be, for either story.

Henry’s relationship with both sisters is also shallower than the book’s. He never develops much of a relationship with Mary, and they have one child together, not two. His turn to Anne is sudden, a result of her manipulations and not the family’s.

Henry’s movement away from the church and Katherine of Aragon is overly simplified, which isn’t a surprise. One of the things that I’ve learned from reading the series is how long of a process the separation was. To explain it in the film would take more time than they had, So, again, we see the entire process reduced to a few scenes. Henry wants a son. Anne wants to be queen. Katherine is in the way. Schism.

While the oversimplification of Henry and his quest isn’t a surprise, neither is it a strike. Henry’s part in this story is always simple. He’s the prize for both sisters, with the power to make – and break – their lives.

Conclusion

The book is better than the movie. Not exactly a risky stance to take, I know. But it’s important to understand how switching mediums change the basics of the characters.

Mary is no longer a naive character who grows into an independent woman, she is a victim of her circumstances. Anne is no longer a cunning strategist in a game of court politics, she is a manipulative opportunist. The events of their lives, devoid of any depth, become a sequence of rapid actions, observed without understanding anything but the immediate, personal consequences.

Was it a terrible transition of book to screen? No. There are definitely worse ones. And it did follow the basic themes of the book, while ignoring the nuances that a novel allows. That’s about all you can hope for when taking a book to screen. All in all, not a bad movie, but not one I feel the need to see again.

Review

Book Report: The Other Boleyn Girl

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The Other Boleyn Girl is a book about Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn and mistress of King Henry VIII. The story begins in Spring of 1521 and ends in May of 1536 with the execution of Anne after her brief stint as Queen. This is the first book from the perspective of the Boleyn sisters; so far they’ve only been referenced as villains in other women’s stories. The sisters, Mary much more so than Anne, come across in a sympathetic light.

When the story begins, Katheryn of Aragon is still queen and is failing to produce a male heir. Henry already has one illegitimate son he has acknowledged and is looking to sire more. The Howard family – of which the Boleyn’s are a branch – seeks to put Mary in his view to gain influence. Anne is with her to support her in her quest. Both sisters are in service to the queen, while trying to seduce her husband.

Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn ranks high on the list of sympathetic characters in Gregory’s pantheon so far, perhaps at the top. She is a very passive character, much like Anne Neville and Margaret Pole, never attaining much authority or power for herself. Her family treats her like a pawn in their game of power around the king with no empathy or care for her. In one scene, when Mary expresses a desire to return to their family lands to be with her child, her mother wonders why she would do so, declaring she had never shown such affection for her own children. As the reader, I’m not surprised.

What little support she has comes from her two siblings, George and Anne. George offers sympathy enough to keep her moving with the family’s plots, but never enough to protect Mary from them. Anne offers advice to win the attention of the king, proving to be a fairly sage advisor. Yet the three never forget they are plotters for the Howard family, and that knowledge colors their entire relationship.

I found myself hating the position Mary was in, while hoping she would find enough strength to pull herself out of it. She is commanded to betray her first husband to seduce the king. She is forced to betray the queen – a woman she has tremendous respect for – to bear the children the queen cannot. What’s worse is what happens when she’s ultimately successful and bears Henry two illegitimate children. Her family benefits from her success, and Anne becomes the focus of Henry’s attention, while Mary is cast aside by both king and family without a second thought by either. She becomes the other Boleyn girl.

Anne Boleyn

This is the first book in which Anne Boleyn is a major character. Through Mary’s eyes, she sometimes provokes sympathy, and other times outrage.

As both Mary and Anne are pawns in the family game, there are shared experiences. Mary provides Anne with intelligence with how to keep Henry interested and excited without getting into bed with him. Mary sees Anne’s exhaustion in private and provides her with emotional support. It is hard to read about Anne’s efforts without feeling at least some sympathy for her.

At the same time, Anne knows that her star is ascendant over Mary’s, and never lets Mary forget it. She takes Mary’s support for granted, even as she does nothing to help. In one instance, when Anne is informing Mary of all the titles and lands she’s managed to win over for their family, Mary asks if anything is coming her way. Anne dismisses her request as irrelevant, as she is only the other Boleyn girl. She even goes so far as to take custody of Mary and Henry’s son, as much to secure her position in Henry’s court as to prove her superiority over her sister.  

`Anne wins her crown. King Henry divorces Katherine and locks her away. Anne is crowned queen, `though London is disturbingly silent at her coronation. All she has to do now is produce an heir, which is easier said than done.

Here I once again found myself sympathizing with Anne. Modern science tells us a lot about how children are conceived and carried to term, but in the 16th Century there was a lot of religious belief mixed in with both. Anne bore only one child, a daughter (Queen Elizabeth), and has several miscarriages. In King Henry’s court, this was seen as a sign of sin, either due to the conspiring of Anne or due to darker acts. As much as Anne was an antagonist to Mary, to see her heading to an end caused by factors beyond her knowledge and control was difficult.

Mary’s survival and Anne’s fall

Mary survives because she, finally, rebels against her family. Her first husband dead, she falls in love with a man in the service of her uncle, William Stafford. After secret courting, Mary chooses to run with him and marry in secret, returning in time for the coronation of her sister. They keep the secret for almost a year, and are banished when found out, at least until Anne becomes pregnant again and sends for Mary.

Mary, without the influence of her family and away from court, finds life enjoyable. She worked on the farm with her husband, bore another child, worked with her hands. She was happy.

Anne does not have a happy ending. The protections Henry destroyed to remove Queen Katherine no longer remained to protect Anne, and she is one of many taken and accused to incest and witchcraft, along with George. Historians generally agree this was a trumped-up excuse, but the book hints there to be some truth to the charges. The family leaves both siblings to be executed.

Mary survives because her act of finding happiness – putting herself before her family – removed her enough from Anne’s schemes that she was hunted. William kept her from coming forward and out of danger. The two focused instead on getting the first two children out of danger. With Anne’s execution, her hold on the children is severed and Mary has her family back.

Conclusion

The Other Boleyn Girl has two dynamic characters interacting with each other. Mary, the passive pawn whose rebellion eventually leads to her survival, and Anne, the committed strategist who plays her part to the end. Both women elicit sympathy for the game they are forced to play from a young age, and for the toxic family they grew up in. Both elicit disdain for their actions as part of the family plan.

What I like most about the book is how both character’s fates are tied to their response to the game. Mary, upset over how she’s treated by her family, rebels against the family’s plan and is ultimately saved. Anne, an expert manipulator when she can control Henry, falls victim to intrigue when she cannot. Mary stops playing and wins; Anne keeps playing and loses.

I rate this as one of the better books in the series. I get to see a sympathetic character survive (unlike Anne Neville and Margaret Pole) to have a happy ending. It has not been a common ending in the series, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.