REVIEW: The Women of the Cousins War by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, and Michael Jones

 In The Women of the Cousins War: The Duchess, The Queen, and the King's Mother, Philippa Gregory and historians David Baldwin and Michael Jones endeavor to give readers some insight into the leading ladies in the War of the Roses (aka The Cousins War). 

The book opens with a 47 page introduction addressing why women are often in the background or not represented at all in historical records.  The answer to this is quite simple: medieval England was a man's world baby! The ladies of those noble households were supposed to be behind the scenes with bun after successive bun in the oven supervising the kitchen staff as they baketh the noble lord his brownies.  Okay, so this may be a slight exaggeration.  As this book shows, women were present at important events in this time period (and throughout history).  Its just the focus was on men and the histories were written by men so it kind of makes sense that women were not given their due.  She also goes on to explain what history is, what fiction is, and the difference and similarities between the approaches in writing straight history and historical fiction.

Finally we move on to the subjects of the book and kicking off these short histories is Gregory herself tackling the Duchess-Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville.  Gregory is careful to note that not a lot is written in the history books about Jacquetta and therefore a lot of what she covers in this section is what may have happened and when Jacquetta was very likely present for certain historical events.  In this somewhat slowly paced section, we are taken through both of Jacquetta's marriages and the birth of her 16 children, 12 of which survived to adulthood.  This section read more as a history of the happenings at the time with mentions of when Jacquetta may have been present or what her role might have been instead of the focus being solely on Jacquetta herself.

Next up was David Baldwin with his essay on Elizabeth Woodville, Queen to Edward IV.  I have always been fascinated with this widowed mother of two boys who had a tremendous change in fortunes and became queen of England.  In many accounts this lady gets a bad rap as a vain and greedy social climber whose main objective is to place her numerous family members in influential positions.  While she did elevate many of her relations, Baldwin shows Elizabeth Woodville as both beautiful and educated-a woman who valued her books! I really enjoyed this section as it made me look at her in a different and more positive light.

Last up was Michael Jones with his history of Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII.  Of these ladies Margaret is the one I knew the least about so this would have to be the most informative section for me.  This lady did not have an easy time of things.  Jones discusses Margaret's family history including the actions of her father which cast a shadow over the family, her marriages, the political upheaval she endured, and finally her years of patience in regards to her ambitions for her son paying off when he ascends the throne. 

Overall, I enjoyed the brief histories of these women provided here.  This is Gregory's first whack at non-fiction and I have to say it was a smart move to call in other historians to give their perspectives.  I thought all sections were balanced and well written, although I thought the nearly 50 page introduction was overkill and a bit tedious at times.  I think this is a great starting point for anyone wanting to read historical fiction about the war of the roses and is curious to know the real history involved.  This is also a great book to have when reading Gregory's Cousins War books starting with The White Queen (about Elizabeth Woodville), The Red Queen (about Margaret Beaufort), and The Lady of the Rivers (about Jacquetta of Luxembourg).  I read The White Queen when it came out, just finished reading The Red Queen, and am starting The Lady of the Rivers.  I wish this book had come out first so I could have used it for reference when reading all three, especially because it includes family trees for all.  I have read several books about the war of the roses and I still get the family histories confused!  I definitely recommend this as a good starting point for anyone wanting to read about the women of this period.  I plan to dig up more to read on all three of these fascinating ladies.

 I received this book from Simon & Schuster via Galley Grab.  These are my honest thoughts on the book.

REVIEW: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

The year is 1933 and with Adolph Hitler the newly appointed Chancellor in Germany, the situation in the country is starting to heat up. President Franklin D. Roosevelt needs a man on the ground as Ambassador in Germany who can handle the delicate situation that is starting to unfold there. The problem? No one wants the job. After rejections from multiple candidates, Roosevelt settles on William E. Dodd, a history professor for the University of Chicago. Dodd accepts the position in the hopes he will have more time for writing his novel than his current grueling schedule at the University allows. Dodd, his wife, son, and his daughter Martha set off for Berlin and for the next five years find themselves occupying a front row seat to the rise of Nazi Germany and the injustices committed as Hitler seeks ultimate power. Larson's In the Garden of Beasts is a fascinating eye-witness account of the rise of Nazi Germany as seen through the experiences of Ambassador Dodd and his daughter Martha.

Before picking up this book, I had never heard of Ambassador William Dodd but through him and his family Larson does an excellent job of answering the questions: What was it like in Germany during Hitler's rise to power? and Why didn't the US react to the events that were unfolding there sooner? Here we get an insider view of the main players during this time in history: Gestapo chief Rudolf Diels (who seems to have been one of the few in the Nazi party with a conscience), Hitler's henchmen Goebbels and Goring, head of the SS Heinrich Himler, Ernst Rohm-head of the SA (the brown shirts), and the Fuhrer himself. We see why Dodd had such a challenging job-he didn't fit the mold of a typical Ambassador which caused others to dislike him, he took Hitler's assurances that violence against the Jews and Americans in Germany would cease at face value which would prove to be a mistake, and he faced opposition at home from the Harvard educated good old boys club that made up the state department-a group he wasn't a part of.

We also get an insider look at the volatile situation in Germany through Dodd's daughter Martha. At first she is enchanted with the Nazi party and the idea of a new Germany but over the course of time as she realizes the seriousness of the events unfolding around her, and comes to see the Nazi regime for what it is. Martha is a social butterfly who entertains many suitors throughout the course of the book, from Diels to Boris Winogradov, a Russian who worked as a spy for the Soviets. Martha had a very active personal life which gave her access to Ambassadors for foreign embassies and influential members of the Nazi party. Truthfully, I didn't care for Martha with her many lovers (and a husband back home!). She came off as very naive but her side of the story proved to be quite fascinating.

As with Devil in the White City which I read a few years ago and loved, this book is very detailed and well written. Through this book I have come away with a clear picture of the dangers of living in Berlin during the rise of Hitler and of the failure on the part of the US to act with their approach to the situation being the equivalent of an ostrich with it's head in the sand-if I do not see the threat it isn't there. I really felt for Dodd and the seemingly insurmountable task he was up against. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this time period, the events leading up to WWII, the US point view, and the rise of the Nazi party.


I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

REVIEW: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff

Odds are when you think of Cleopatra VII, the first image that pops into your mind is this:


A dolled up Liz Taylor as the sultry Cleopatra who uses her feminine wiles to seduce the two greatest Romans of the time.

In Cleopatra: A Life, Stacy Schiff paints a picture of a much different Cleopatra than the movies would have us believe. Cleopatra was born into the Ptolemaic Dynasty which had ruled Egypt for over 250 years-since the time of Alexander the Great. Apparently it was all about keeping it in the family since it was common for brothers and sisters to marry and rule together. As the biography opens we meet a teenaged Cleopatra. Her aging father named her co-regent toward the end of his reign which he lost and regained due to his subjects unhappiness with his taxing them to pay large bribes to the Romans to ensure he kept his throne. His intent was to have Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII rule Egypt together. As I read along, it became apparent that this family did not like having to share power with each other which led to many murders in the 275 years they reigned. As expected, soon after the death of Ptolemy XII war broke out between Cleopatra and her brother/husband. Taking refuge in the desert with her Army, she famously smuggled herself into the palace to meet with Caesar by hiding in a rug. They soon became lovers, a union which produced a son.

When Caesar was murdered by his fellow Romans, Cleopatra knew she had a decision to make: who should she back in Rome to keep Egypt safe? Eventually she would decide her wisest course of action was to support Mark Antony against Octavian-a move that would prove to be unwise.

The first thing I look for in a non-fiction book is whether or not it reads like a textbook. I can never get into a book that reads sentence followed by notation all the way through. I find it distracting. Fortunately, this book did not read like a textbook at all. It was interesting, informative, and easy to follow. It was also evident that it was well researched given that there was a lot of information about the conflicts Cleopatra faced as a ruler. Schiff does an excellent job of dispelling the notion that Cleopatra seduced to get her way. She may have turned on the charm but she was also one smart cookie. During her time Egypt was the richest country in the world despite her father repeatedly draining the treasury during his reign. As Schiff points out, many of the accounts of the Egyptian ruler were made well after her death and by people who sought to paint a negative picture of her. I thought the author did a decent job of taking all accounts into consideration in trying to paint the most accurate picture of Cleopatra that she could. It can't have been easy considering how long ago she lived and how little historical documentation from her time exists. Concerning the end of her life, Schiff puts forth some ideas about how the Queen really met her end that were quite different than any I have read before. There where also a few tidbits that I probably should have known but had no clue, most notably that the Ptolemy's were Greek-not Egyptian, and that Cleopatra VII was really the 6th Cleopatra (I guess counting was not a strong suit).

Overall I enjoyed this account of Cleopatra's life. I would have liked to read a little more about her girlhood as the book shifted focus pretty quickly to her teenage years but I understand this route was probably taken due to a lack of credible resources. Also, when the book was discussing the parts of Cleopatra's life that dealt with Caesar and Mark Antony it seemed like the focus was more on them than on Cleopatra. Obviously we have to know what was going on in Rome as it impacted Egypt, but at times accounts of Caesar/Mark Antony's doings would go on for several pages, then be followed by a much briefer synopsis of how Cleopatra was handling the situation. I would have preferred the focus stay on her. I think a fascinating topic for a biography would be to chronicle the entire Ptolemaic dynasty. This is a ruthless, back stabbing, power hungry family that would give several of the most notorious families in history a run for their money.



I received this book as part of an ARC tour from CrazyBookTours

REVIEW: The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir

From Amazon: "The tempestuous love affair between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn scandalized Christendom and altered forever the religious landscape of England. Anne's ascent from private gentlewoman to queen was astonishing, but equally compelling was her shockingly swift downfall. Charged with high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London in May 1536, Anne met her terrible end all the while protesting her innocence. There remains, however, much mystery surrounding the queen's arrest and the events leading up to it: Were charges against her fabricated because she stood in the way of Henry VIII making a third marriage and siring an heir, or was she the victim of a more complex plot fueled by court politics and deadly rivalry?

The Lady in the Tower examines in engrossing detail the motives and intrigues of those who helped to seal the queen's fate. Weir unravels the tragic tale of Anne's fall, from her miscarriage of the son who would have saved her to the horrors of her incarceration and that final, dramatic scene on the scaffold. What emerges is an extraordinary portrayal of a woman of great courage whose enemies were bent on utterly destroying her, and who was tested to the extreme by the terrible plight in which she found herself."

Much has been written on the tumultuous history of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Weir's novel covers just the last four months of Anne Boleyn's life and seeks to explain the contributing factors to her speedy downfall. You can tell from the first chapter that a lot of research went into this book and you would think that with a women who has been written about so much there would be nothing left to say. Even with the many novels I've read about her, I was still surprised by a few things: that Anne may have been Rh negative which would have caused her not to be able to carry a second pregnancy to term and also the explanation of who is buried at St. Peter ad Vincula along with Anne and how when it was excavated some of the bodies where not where they were originally thought to be. For example, some believe that the body found where Anne is supposed to be buried is Kathryn Howard.

I thought the book was very evenhanded when presenting the evidence. Weir uses letters and accounts from Anne's supporters and detractors although Eustace Chapuys and the Spanish Chronicle were cited more often than others. Some of the more interesting points of the book for me:

• That Anne was very influential politically and one of the reformation's strongest supporters
  
• That Thomas Cromwell was the architect of Anne's downfall because she was his political rival and Henry just went along with it all because he wanted her gone
• That Jane Seymour felt nothing about the predicament of her former mistress and just patiently bided her time until things were concluded and she could become Queen
• That given the time frame of the trial and execution, the swordsman from Calais would have to have been summoned before Anne's trial which would mean there is little doubt that the outcome of the trial was decided before it ever began

I had not previously thought of Anne as the political player we see here. Also while I do think Cromwell was instrumental in Anne's demise, I really don't think that Henry was led along like a hapless sheep. I'm more inclined to believe that Henry was directing some of the actions behind the scenes and Cromwell didn't engineer her downfall all on his own. I've never seen Jane Seymour portrayed as being so heartless either.

I'll admit even though history has often portrayed her as a scheming witch I have always had a soft spot for Anne Boleyn. While I don't believe she was completely without fault (her treatment of Princess Mary was deplorable) she certainly didn't deserve her fate.

One thing that irked me about this book though: Weir would mention another author's work as a source but then say that source as not very creditable. Why even mention it at all if she thought the author's work was so far off the mark? Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox comes to mind. Other than that this was a very detailed and compelling look at one of the most fascinating ladies in England's history.



I borrowed this book from the Norton Shores Library

REVIEW: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

My introduction to the fascinating life of Queen Elizabeth I was Jean Plaidy’s Queen of this Realm. I also really enjoyed The Queen’s Bastard and Virgin: Prelude to the Throne by Robin Maxwell and the Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory and also watched Elizabeth I and Elizabeth the Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett and the television mini-series Elizabeth I starring Helen Mirren so needless to say I am 1) fascinated by this Queen and 2) pretty well versed on the ins and outs of her story. That being said, there wasn’t really much that Weir’s biography could tell me that I didn’t already know. Even so, I found her account of Elizabeth’s life to be interesting and detailed. I especially enjoyed her account of the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Weir made Elizabeth come alive and definitely left me with a sense of why she was so revered. The way she is described she reminds me of Princess Diana in that she had “common touch” and captured the hearts of her people. That she fended off all outside threats and managed to make her country prosper in a time when women were still looked upon as weak, feeble, and unfit to rule is remarkable.

There were a few things in this account that I didn’t care for. Weir used some passages (speeches and the like) more than once to demonstrate her point which could be a bit confusing. I had a sense of déjà vu a couple of times and rightly so. Also I felt (like many who have reviewed this book on Amazon) that the book was a bit narrow. It just briefly touched on Elizabeth’s childhood, the cultural aspects of the reign and England’s foray into the new world like they didn’t rank as high in importance as her issues with Philip of Spain, Mary Queen of Scots and her numerous courtships. To those truly interested in all facets of Elizabeth and her reign these topics probably would have been of interest also.

Although a little daunting in size, I found it to be a worthwhile read. Some histories tend to be so dry and boring I would rather gouge my eye out with a rusty spoon than continue to read them. This book was definitely not in that category. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a detailed account of Elizabeth’s reign but I’m not sure I would tackle this if it is your first foray into Elizabeth’s world. I suggest reading a few other books about this Great Lady (fiction or non-fiction) first.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This one started out really slow for me. It actually took me three tries to be able to complete it. I'm glad I did stick with it because after the first 100 pages the story really started to pick up. Devil in the White City tells two stories that intertwine: the story of the Chicago World's Fair and the story of H. H. Holmes, America's first serial killer that operated in Chicago during the time of the World's Fair.

First the story of the World's Fair-This book gives a detailed accounting of all obstacles that were faced to make this a reality, and there were many. Apparently at that time Chicago was viewed as an inferior city and no one thought that the architects brought together to design the World's Fair could pulll it off. Miraculously they did and ended up blowing the World's Fair in Paris (where the Eiffel Tower was unveiled) out of the water. It really was an interesting story, at times with too much detail which kind of made the story drag a bit here and there. Still it was good and I kept trying to picture present day Chicago in my mind throughout the book, mentally comparing what was still there of the fair. Not much I'm afraid.

The second story which details the operations of H. H. Holmes, stealth serial killer at large was equally fascinating. The book focused more on the timeline of who Holmes killed and offered a little here and there of how he accomplished it but did not focus on the details of how all the individual murders were committed. This is something that I think actually ended up being a good thing because I think it would have bogged down the book. I will not give away how he was finally caught but the manner in which he was caught and the fact that the Chicago Police Department was completely oblivious just boggled my mind.

Definitely a good piece of history that doesn't read like a boring history book at all. I'm glad I stuck with this one.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library