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1315 ratings, 3.86 average rating, 330 reviews
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published
July 2006
binding
Audio CD
isbn
1428120300
(isbn13: 9781428120303)
description
New York Times best-selling author Alison Weir has earned her reputation as the preeminent historian of British royalty. Now with Innocent Traitor, We...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2200)
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Patty Jones, Sara Copher
Most people have never heard of the queen who reigned for 9 days after the son of Henry VIII died. It is a shame because I have always found the story of how Lady Jane Grey, great niece to King Henry VIII and girl of 16, was placed on the throne after Edward's death and bypassed Mary and Elizabeth's right to the throne as one of the more intriguing stories about the infamous Tudor family and the efforts taken to keep England a protestant country. Little did Jane know that her parents and Queen K...more
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Read in May, 2007
of the blood. . .I think i might have mentioned once or twice that i am a tudorphile. As such, i have read (and own) many of Alison Weir’s excellent histories. So i was rather excited to hear of her debut novel Innocent Traitor (which may sound like a Nora Roberts title but is actually the story of the rather tragic nine day reign of Lady Jane Grey). The story is told from multiple points of view from various members of the Tudor court (the prologue, told from Jane's point of view, waiting in ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
historical fiction buffs
Pros: strong female characters, solid basis in history, intriguing discourse on the Protestant vs Catholic ways of thought and rule
Cons: I found the protagonist's obsession (in the form of fear) with beheadings a bit of an eye-roller. We all know what is in store for Lady Jane; does it have to be alluded to in every chapter?
Other: (1) I found Jane's mother interesting in that she was a strong, ambitious female without want of the crown. I would love to explore the tr...more
Cons: I found the protagonist's obsession (in the form of fear) with beheadings a bit of an eye-roller. We all know what is in store for Lady Jane; does it have to be alluded to in every chapter?
Other: (1) I found Jane's mother interesting in that she was a strong, ambitious female without want of the crown. I would love to explore the tr...more
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It’s much better if you love history. Even if you don’t, the format of the book should compensate for the lack of interest in historical books. This is not historical fiction, though the writer (Alison Weir) has taken the liberty of imagination at certain points, and to good effect.
The places where the text adds imaginative adornments are described at the end of the book, so, if you are persnickety about poetic license, you wouldn’t be too upset.
Personally, interest...more
The places where the text adds imaginative adornments are described at the end of the book, so, if you are persnickety about poetic license, you wouldn’t be too upset.
Personally, interest...more
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Read in September, 2007
Alison Weir, a noted historian, tries her hand at historical fiction in this account of the short life of Lady Jane Grey. Told from shifting first-person points of view, Jane, her mother, and even Mary Tudor all get a chance to explain their points of view.
The novel is well-researched and full of detail that brings life in Tudor England fully to life. I also enjoyed the characterization of Jane - she truly is a teenager with all of a teenagers conviction that she and only she can po...more
The novel is well-researched and full of detail that brings life in Tudor England fully to life. I also enjoyed the characterization of Jane - she truly is a teenager with all of a teenagers conviction that she and only she can po...more
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Read in September, 2007
Take my review of Innocent Traitor with a grain of salt. I am an infrequent reader of historical fiction especially ones based around monarchs. So I came to this book already feeling skeptical.
Innocent Traitor covers the life and death of Lady Jane Grey, known sometimes as the "nine day queen" for her brief reign before Mary. With all the political machinations on the various sides all vying for the throne should make for an interesting novel but throughout the novel I fou...more
Innocent Traitor covers the life and death of Lady Jane Grey, known sometimes as the "nine day queen" for her brief reign before Mary. With all the political machinations on the various sides all vying for the throne should make for an interesting novel but throughout the novel I fou...more
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Read in April, 2006
In Weir's first foray into historical fiction, she sticks to what she knows. This story of Lady Jane Grey and the people who propelled her to the throne of England is relentlessly sad. The period is conjured up so deftly one can almost smell it, and the characters are well drawn. My only complaint is that the rapid-fire changing of narrators is hard to follow unless on pays very strict attention to the chapter headings. Recommended for Tudor history fans.
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Read in November, 2008
It was extremely interesting to read about someone who was only briefly mentioned in the other books of the Tudor dynasty I've read. It really gave a different perspective of that time and how cruel people could be and how far people would go in their quest for absolute power. It was heartbreaking to read about an innocent girl, Lady Jane Grey, who had no interest in being queen and was used as a pawn by her parents and their friends to gain the power they craved. I was appalled at Jane's parent...more
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Read in September, 2008
Yet another Tudor historical fiction that was a great read...This book is a really solid depiction of the use and abuse of the women of this era in the play for royal power. Told from several characters' points of view, it gives good insight into what the various players were likely up to as King Edward VI lay on his deathbed.
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Read in January, 2009
I'll start by saying that I have a fascination with Tudor England. Normally, I tend to read more about Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth or Katharine of Aragon but this year I thought I'd branch out to the other five wives of Henry VIII. This story was extremely interesting, in large part because the Lady Jane Grey was not a wife of Henry or Edward, the son who succeeded Henry after his death. The Lady Jane was the first Queen of England who was put up to the throne at the hands of her greedy parents an...more
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Alison Weir the author has learned how to entertain her audience while educating them at the same time. Lady Jane Grey is a memorable figure during King Henry VIII rule that relates the life of the wealthy in a way that is powerful and not always so glamorous. Money does not buy happiness!
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
almost anyone.
If you are a fan of British history, particularly the Tudor period, you are probably familiar with this author. Alison Weir is a noted historian and proliferate writer of many well-received non-fiction books, including 'The Princes in the Tower' and 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII.'
'Innocent Traitor' is the author's debut fiction work and I'm pleased to report that she succeeds quite well. The story of Lady Jane Grey is a small footnote in British history. Upon the death of young Edw...more
'Innocent Traitor' is the author's debut fiction work and I'm pleased to report that she succeeds quite well. The story of Lady Jane Grey is a small footnote in British history. Upon the death of young Edw...more
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I have always been a big fan of Alison Weir and so I was excited to find that she had written a non-fiction book. Couple this with the fact that I have always found Jane Grey to be one of history's greatest tragedies and I was hooked! To be so manipulated and used to further other's ambitions...
One of the great aspects of this book was that it gave me a better feel for the relationships between the characters. I have always tended to separate them into Catholic and Protestant camps...more
One of the great aspects of this book was that it gave me a better feel for the relationships between the characters. I have always tended to separate them into Catholic and Protestant camps...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Smokinjbc by:
Goodreadsrecommends it for: Tudorphiles and Those Who Crave Kleenex Moments
We all know what is in store for Lady Jane, so this novel doesn't hold much in suspense-even more due to the author being a history expert as well as a fiction writer. As she mentions in her afterward, no embellishment is needed as the stranger parts of this story are established truth. I enjoyed the characterization of Jane, she became a very real person in both her virtues and her failings. In our modern times, it was, at first, almost impossible for me to have sympathy for a person who allows...more
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Read in December, 2007
This book covers what is, in my opinion, one of the saddest stories of the English monarchy. This is Allison Weir's first novel--usually she sticks to non-fiction. But although it is fiction because Weir allows herself to imagine more circumstances and conversations instead of just sticking to bare facts, it still has the more non-fiction traits of being researched and therefore, as far as verifiable details go, pretty accurate.
Lady Jane Grey was a distant cousin of Henry VIII, and as su...more
Lady Jane Grey was a distant cousin of Henry VIII, and as su...more
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Read in June, 2008
"Innocent Traitor" was our book club's selection for June. It is also Allison Weir's first attempt at a fiction novel about this time period. I have read a couple of other non-fiction books by her and really enjoyed them. There is no doubt that she knows her stuff when it comes to Henry VIII and the Tudor Dynasty.
I was not like her fiction writing as well as the nonfiction. Throughout the book she writes from different characters point of views, which I thought could ha...more
I was not like her fiction writing as well as the nonfiction. Throughout the book she writes from different characters point of views, which I thought could ha...more
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Okay, this is my first time reading this author. I thought she did a good job. This book was written in the first person, which was a nice change to what I'm used to reading.
I know a bit about Tudor history, and it seemed that this author got her facts straight - which I appreciated!
I liked the book - it went into the "thoughts" of some of the main charachters surrounding this time period, as they had little chapters/sections for them to speak/share.
...more
I know a bit about Tudor history, and it seemed that this author got her facts straight - which I appreciated!
I liked the book - it went into the "thoughts" of some of the main charachters surrounding this time period, as they had little chapters/sections for them to speak/share.
...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Kim, marty
currently reading this book and I'm only a few pages in, but it is starting to get really good. Allison Weir really puts forth so much effort to describe everything in the Tudor period that Lady Jane Grey is growing up in and it just really gives a great mental picture for the reader. I picked up this book after reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory as I've developed a new-found passion for this period and I have to say that compared to Gregory, Weir adds a lot more description to he...more
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Read in August, 2007
Alison Weir is a name familiar to anyone interested in English history, having written a number of well-received and accessible biographies of key figures of English royalty from the 15th-16th centuries.
This is her first attempt at fiction. It's interesting that she chose this approach with Lady Jane Grey's life. Perhaps that's because the actual historical material surrounding Jane's life is so scant (given the briefness of her life) that speculation was needed to fill in the ga...more
This is her first attempt at fiction. It's interesting that she chose this approach with Lady Jane Grey's life. Perhaps that's because the actual historical material surrounding Jane's life is so scant (given the briefness of her life) that speculation was needed to fill in the ga...more
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Read in March, 2008
It seems wrong to say that I loved this book when the story is so sad. It took me a while to get into the book. I'm not sure if it's because there were a lot of people to keep straight or if it was just my own fault for not being in the right mood when I first picked it up. But, after getting through the first 100 pages, I was sucked into Lady Jane's world. I wasn't familiar with her life story, but I did know how things would ultimately end. Despite that, I kept rooting for things to go in ...more
