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Murder Most Royal (Tudor Saga #5)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 1,790 ratings · 64 reviews

One powerful king. Two tragic queens.

In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king’s eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry’s passion was all-consuming–and fickle.

Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in lo...more

Paperback, 480 pages

Published January 24th 2006 by Broadway

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The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Best Books About Tudor England

36th out of 350 books — 904 voters

Life & Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives

The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

Best Books about Anne Boleyn

8th out of 34 books — 43 voters

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Nov 17, 2012 Cintia rated it 4 of 5 stars

No me atreví a darle cinco estrellas simplemente porque este es mi primer libro de Jean Plaidy. En realidad, es el primero de ficción histórica que leo, por lo tanto no tengo ninguna obra con la cual compararla. Sé que no es la mejor opción leer el quinto volumen de una saga sin haber leído ninguno de los anteriores, pero el interés por este episodio de la historia inglesa pudo más. Es increíble que una mujer que fue tan interesante y admirada en su tiempo, lo siga siendo hoy, ¿no es así? ¿No es...more No me atreví a darle cinco estrellas simplemente porque este es mi primer libro de Jean Plaidy. En realidad, es el primero de ficción histórica que leo, por lo tanto no tengo ninguna obra con la cual compararla. Sé que no es la mejor opción leer el quinto volumen de una saga sin haber leído ninguno de los anteriores, pero el interés por este episodio de la historia inglesa pudo más. Es increíble que una mujer que fue tan interesante y admirada en su tiempo, lo siga siendo hoy, ¿no es así? ¿No es acaso increíble que Anne Boleyn y Catherine Howard, siendo primas, hayan sido esposas del mismo hombre, y tenido el mismo fin?

Fue muy interesante el hecho de poder conocer a Anne Boleyn a través de su propia voz y ser testigos, paso a paso, de la pérdida de su inocencia, la cual empezó a una edad muy temprana de la vida: a los siete años, enviada a la corte francesa como parte de la comitiva nupcial de Mary Tudor, hermana del hombre a quien ella todavía no hubiera podido considerar como su futuro marido, ni tenía la más leve idea de lo cerca que un día estaría a él. Y ya entonces se vislumbraba un atisbo de la cautivadora mujer en la que Anne se convertiría, porque, a pesar de su edad, despertaba la envidia de otras cortesanas por su porte y elegancia, algo que la acompañó durante toda su vida. A los diecinueve, ella es descrita como una mujer hermosa, sagaz y atrevida, y aunque los datos históricos que se tienen indican que no era de belleza especialmente destacable, era su personalidad la que suplía aquello, constituyendo su mayor encanto, un encanto que la rodeó de admiradores, le ganó la devoción de tres hombres, y el odio de muchos, entre ellos su cuñada, Jane Parker, quien desesperaba por el aprecio de un marido al que amaba y a la vez odiaba, pues Anne ocupaba en su corazón un lugar que debió haber sido suyo.

Henry, lord Percy, y Thomas Wyatt, alimentaron sueños y espejismos de felicidad que no se concretaron, y en la figura del rey Henry surge la posibilidad de aspirar al enlace más importante del mundo. En una corte donde todos bajaban la cabeza y decían "Sí, su Majestad", Anne desafió al rey, tratándolo como al hombre detrás de la corona, y cautivándolo de tal manera que se transformó en una amenaza para Catalina de Aragón, ya que, como favorita y amante del rey, hizo uso de su papel como reina no oficial con aplastante determinación. Miembro de una familia desesperada por poder, procuró no correr la misma suerte que su hermana, y aunque fue tenida por bruja y ramera por el oprimido pueblo inglés, eso no constituyó un obstáculo en su camino al trono. Y resulta una ironía que Elizabeth, la Reina Virgen -la mujer más aclamada de Inglaterra- haya sido la hija de una de las más despreciadas. La corte de los Tudor rebosaba de intrigas y traiciones, el favor del pueblo no bastó a Catalina de Aragón en la lucha por conservar su trono, pero la ambición fue lo que le costó la cabeza a su sucesora, la condenada Reina Anne.

La construcción de Henry como personaje es genial, por más que nada de lo que lea hará que deje de verlo con asco. Con el poder supremo en sus manos llenas de anillos, el rey lideraba las falsedades y perversiones de su corte, escondiendo con él -y con sus ropas resplandecientes de joyas- la magnitud de sus pecados. Elizabeth Blount y Mary Boleyn fueron dos de sus favoritas, entre otras, y resulta repugnante la manera en que, una vez que pierde el interés en ellas, las deja un lado, lidiando solas con las consecuencias que puedan derivarse. Como la mayoría de los hombres, Henry era rápido para ver las faltas ajenas, y, en mi humilde opinión, seis esposas e innumerables amantes hablan de un vacío interior que no pudo ser llenado (más allá del laberinto de maquinaciones políticas).

Por otro lado, está Catherine Howard, y la conocemos en una época en que ella nunca hubiera podido imaginar que algún día todo lo que oía acerca de su prima, Anne Boleyn -por quien ella sentía respeto y admiración- sería su propia realidad. Joven, ingenua y manipulable, parece casi imposible que esta niña, en un futuro, vaya a sentarse en el trono de Inglaterra como la quinta reina de un envejecido Henry Tudor. La historia de Catherine se cuenta a través de sus ojos, y aunque el lente de su inocencia la protege durante un tiempo, eso no es garantía de seguridad. Thomas Culpepper fue su primer amor, y Jean Plaidy lo retrata como alguien casi tan ingenuo como la propia Catherine. Prometidos en secreto, con apenas conciencia de lo que eso significaba, Tom desaparece de la vida de ella, dejándole a la vez un dolor y una ilusión. Y Catherine, al igual que Anne, comienza a perder su inocencia, a partir de la perversión que presencia cada noche en compañía de las damas de la casa de su abuela, una mujer por otro lado perezosa y sin cariño ni interés por su nieta. Es allí donde Catherine descubre el amor de Henry Manox y comete el error que la perseguiría y sellaría su perdición.

Dos primas. Dos reinas. Dos mujeres víctimas de la ambición, peones en un juego de poder mucho más siniestro, peligroso y grande que ellas mismas, pagando un precio demasiado alto por el crimen de decepcionar a un rey, un precio que manchó de sangre las páginas de la historia. Jean Plaidy escribió una obra muy bien investigada, atrapante, y para cerrar me gustaría dejar un párrafo que, si bien no mencioné anteriormente, me dejó helada:

"En los días que siguieron al encuentro de los reyes, Anne bebió, comió y flirteó con los demás. Hoy los miembros de la corte francesa eran huéspedes de los ingleses: desfiles, deportes, torneos, un baile de máscaras y un banquete. Mañana la corte francesa agasajaría a la inglesa. Todo debía ser generoso; la corte francesa debía exceder en brillo a la inglesa; y luego los ingleses deberían mostrarse aún más fastuosos. No importaba el costo para las naciones sobrecargadas de impuestos; no importaba que los dos reyes, detrás de sus demostraciones de amistad, fueran enemigos jurados. ¡No importaba! Este es el despliegue más brillante y más rico de la historia, y si es también el más vulgar, el más inconcebiblemente estúpido, ¿qué? Los reyes tienen que divertirse".(less)

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Mar 25, 2012 Michelle Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-european-fiction

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

I felt that it was well researched and seemed more accurate according to what researchers seem to have to say about this particular period in history.

I found that hearing the voice of Anne Boelynne helped me to connect with her, as a person, as I never have before. I felt that I had a much better understanding of who she might have been and of her motivations. I still cannot say that I really liked her but I had to admire her courage and the way she faced her deat...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Jinny (SkyInk.net) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, england

More books about the Tudors! Although to be fair, this one was written in 1949 so I wouldn’t say it’s a part of the current Tudor craze. As usual with such historical novels, though it says it is a part of a series, you can most certainly read them in any order you like.

Murder Most Royal takes place during the reign of Henry VIII and it focuses on two of his wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, who were cousins of one another. As per usual, if you have an understanding of history, than the p...more More books about the Tudors! Although to be fair, this one was written in 1949 so I wouldn’t say it’s a part of the current Tudor craze. As usual with such historical novels, though it says it is a part of a series, you can most certainly read them in any order you like.

Murder Most Royal takes place during the reign of Henry VIII and it focuses on two of his wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, who were cousins of one another. As per usual, if you have an understanding of history, than the plot of the story is going to be predictable and familiar for you. The story begins with Henry being dissatisfied with his current wife, Katherine of Aragon (who is, by the way, my favourite of Henry’s six queens). Anne Boleyn catches the eye of the king, but Anne is steadfast in her initial decision to not have anything to do with the king. She has seen how her sister, Mary Boleyn, is treated by others after Henry has enjoyed her and then, discarded her. Henry is absolutely smitten though. Eventually, with her own love gone and lost, Anne decides to embrace her ambitious side and be with the king.

As this is happening, we also have young Catherine Howard, beautiful and passionate. She flits from lover to lover, believing herself to be truly in love each time, until someone “better” comes along. She is proud that her cousin Anne is the soon-to-be queen and never would have dreamed that one day, she will be filling in Anne’s shoes.

I think this is probably the most historically accurate Tudor novel I’ve read yet. That’s not to say it’s 100% historically accurate, just that it’s the most accurate I’ve read so far. I really enjoyed it, especially being exposed to some more historical figures and learning about them. There’s a whole slew of minor ones, but also the characters of Catherine Howard and Anne of Cleves. There’s so few current novels that feature those two queens. Usually they are kind of glossed over, or just mentioned in passing. Although Anne of Cleves’ part in this novel is brief, I finally got to be “acquainted” with her and Catherine Howard. Of course, their characters’ are the author, Jean Plaidy’s interpretation of them, and it was a very likeable and enjoyable perspective of these two ladies.

As for Anne Boleyn, I was pleasantly surprised that she was portrayed rather positively in this book. It’s so easy to portray Anne Boleyn in a negative light and a lot of current Tudor novels do indeed do that. In this book, Anne is not shown to be ambitious right from the start. Anne is shown to be a clever, witty, and beautiful young lady. She sees the way her sister ruined her reputation, and she has no interest in following in her footsteps. Anne is shown to be passionate and loving when she was with Henry Percy, and devastated when they could not be together. Believing that she will never have the happy love life she wanted, she decides to answer the king’s flirtations and begin scheming for power, so she may hurt those who have ruined her chances for happiness.

The funny thing with this novel is that although the book is supposed to be about Anne and Catherine, I feel like it is disproportionately more about Anne Boleyn. Fair enough, she is the more “exciting” queen and all. It just felt a bit unequal while reading. 80% of the book focused on Anne, interspersed with bits and pieces about Catherine’s childhood and lovers. Then the last 20%, when Anne dies, focuses on Catherine, but she frequently thinks about her tragic cousin. Henry, too, also continuously thinks about Anne, even as he takes new wives. This book shows how deeply involved Henry was with Anne Boleyn and he could do nothing to remove her from his life, even having her killed.

With all that said, I did not find this book to be a “page turner” as sometimes the passages can feel quite dry. I wouldn’t label this book as exciting, but it definitely is emotional and full of drama. Maybe it’s just because I am so accustomed to reading about Henry and his wives now … However, for the most part, it was a pleasant read and I truly enjoyed the different take on Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. I definitely want to try out more books by Jean Plaidy.(less)

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Sep 02, 2011 Marissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

In line with Plaidy's other novels, this one is a sweeping fictional history about Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. In my opinion, however, Henry VIII is truly the central character.. though he is hardly likeable so one cannot call him the protagonist. This novel is really about all of Henry's first 5 wives.

What kept me from loving this novel was merely my over-exposure to the Tudor era. I think I've oversaturated myself with Tudor-era novels, especially those centering around Anne Boleyn so I...more

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Jul 01, 2009 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't know if it's because I've almost practically exhausted the Tudor historical fiction genre, or if this book just was not written as well as it could have been, but it seemed very bland to me.
There was a LOT more intrigue and scandal in that time period, I'm sure, but she tends to skip over a lot. The majority of the book is spent on Anne Boleyn, which I understand since she was around longer. However, it takes a lot away from the character of Catherine Howard, leaving her a little empty....more

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Nov 23, 2009 Tania rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 26, 2010 Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, monarchs-tudors-and-stuarts, 4-stars

This was the book that got me interested in the Tudors was back in the early 90s. Who knows what Twilight-esque literary phenoms were raging through my high school at the time, but I was gobbling up Plaidy by the armful.

I have no idea if I would like this book now - as I've found Plaidy to be a bit dry in recent years - but this book had me turning the pages frantically to find out what happened to both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. So I'll simply keep it on the memory shelf where so many bo...more

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Jun 21, 2012 June Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history-of-the-monarchy, england, general-history, historical-fiction, old-england, medieval, terrible-tudors, series, best-of-the-best, favorites

"His great weakness had its roots in his conscience. He was what men called a religious man, which in his case meant he was a superstitious man. There was never a man less Christian; there was never one who made a greater show of piety. He was cruel; he was brutal; he was pitiless. This was his creed. He was an egoist, a megalomaniac; he saw himself not only as the centre of England but of the world. In his own opinion, everything he did was right; he only needed time to see it in its right pers...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Ashley W rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-royalty, historical-fiction, tudor-period

Everyone knows the story of Henry VIII and his six wives whether from USA to Australia. That being said, Murder Most Royal doesn't add any new information, but was pretty entertaining all the same. The novel mostly focused on wives two (Anne Boleyn) and five (Catherine Howard), the two queens with two connections. One being that they are cousins, the other that they are beheaded...murdered, as the title suggests by the man they both called husband.

Anne goes from precocious seven-year-old, leavin...more Everyone knows the story of Henry VIII and his six wives whether from USA to Australia. That being said, Murder Most Royal doesn't add any new information, but was pretty entertaining all the same. The novel mostly focused on wives two (Anne Boleyn) and five (Catherine Howard), the two queens with two connections. One being that they are cousins, the other that they are beheaded...murdered, as the title suggests by the man they both called husband.

Anne goes from precocious seven-year-old, leaving England for France in the train of Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's younger sister, to the bitter woman some of know her to be, because of a chance love affair with Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, gone wrong. However, when the King falls for her, she sees her chance to become Queen of England. My feelings for her went up and down throughout her whole story (I hated how she treated Katharine and Princess Mary; I felt sad when she failed Henry in giving him a son; I hated how she seemed to not think of doing something for the poor until she needed to put on a show of humility; I was nearly sobbing when she went to the block). However, I see why she became the way she was and can't help but wonder if she would've found happiness with Percy or even Wyatt, who she also held dear.

Anne's story is intertwined with Catherine Howard's, who we meet as a young girl growing up in poverty. Her mother dies when she is about seven, and she is first given into the care of her mother's brother at Hollingbourne, where she meets and falls into puppy love, with her young cousin, Thomas Culpepper, and then into the hands of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, her stepgrandmother, where I believe everything went wrong. The Duchess was definitely not attentive to the young ladies of her household, who she was meant to instruct in everything, but mostly slept or ate. Of course, the girls were going to take that as a sign of "It's time to party!"

It's also easy to see why Catherine became the girl she was. When Catherine threatened to tell what the other girls were up to, the poor girl was bullied to tears, the other girls telling her they would tell what she did with Thomas Culpepper, even though she knew she did nothing with him. The other girls even vied to find her a lover, so she would participate in their late night parties, but that wasn't needed as Catherine found one for herself: Henry Manox, her music teacher. Towards the time she found Francis Derham, she was portrayed as a senseless, naive, hopeless romantic, who believed everything everyone tells her. Of course, that leads to her downfall.

Now, for the three characters I couldn't stand:
1.) Henry VIII - In Murder Most Royal, he is portrayed as the most cold, arrogant, egotistical, selfish man ever! He always thinks about himself, never his wives, children, courtiers, or subjects. Whatever Henry wants, Henry gets, no matter how many heads have to roll. He divorces Katharine just because she's old and can't bear any children, not to mention screwing up Bible verses in the process, he contemplates murdering Anne herself when he finds out about her "adultery", and threatens "dear" Jane with the same fate when she asks him to rebuild monasteries. And that's only three wives!

2.) Jane Rochford - The catalyst of Anne and her husband and Anne's brother, George's deaths. She is an evil, vindictive, shrewish, b****! No more needs to be said about her, except that I was nearly cheering in the end when she met the block...

3.) Mary Laselles - The catalyst of Catherine Howard's execution. She's the prudish, stuck-up girl who rats out Catherine and Francis Derham to the Duchess under a show of piety, when she was really angry about Henry Manox choosing Catherine, and not her, and that can't find a man of her own. She also tells her brother, John, of Catherine's PAST, knowing how dangerous that was, who then told Cranmer, who then told Henry, etc.

All in all, I very much liked Murder Most Royal. But I did get somewhat annoyed with it for this reason. Not only was it in the POV of Anne and Catherine, but also of Henry VIII, Katharine of Aragon, Princess Mary, Wolsey, Cranmer, Cromwell, Jane Rochford, Jane Seymour, etc. (less)

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Jun 18, 2010 Kelly A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: some-i-own, 1500s, since-may-2010, historical-fiction, england

It’s hard to believe that this is a piece of history. We get personal, yet fictionalized looks into the lives of two of England’s most infamous queens. The first chapter begins around the year 1510, with Anne as a seven-year-old girl, and ends in 1542, after the execution of her younger cousin Katherine (NOT a spoiler, I think the title gives away enough). What follows in between is such an interesting, engaging story, so wild it almost seems made up.

One thing I ask of you, please don’t base you...more It’s hard to believe that this is a piece of history. We get personal, yet fictionalized looks into the lives of two of England’s most infamous queens. The first chapter begins around the year 1510, with Anne as a seven-year-old girl, and ends in 1542, after the execution of her younger cousin Katherine (NOT a spoiler, I think the title gives away enough). What follows in between is such an interesting, engaging story, so wild it almost seems made up.

One thing I ask of you, please don’t base your facts off of this book. The general facts and events are correct, but many historical discrepancies are taken. These are some that bothered me most as I read:
-Katherine of Aragon (Henry’s first wife) is described as never being beautiful, even as a young woman. This is definitely not true; she lost her beauty as she aged, but she was a very beautiful young woman, literally called the most beautiful woman in the world.
-On a related note, Anne Boleyn’s beauty is gushed over in this book. According to historical documents, she was rather mousy looking. She attracted men and friends because of her charm and wit, not her beauty.
-It is highly doubtful that Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard ever met, even though they were cousins. They ran in completely different circles. It does add a good story-telling element, two future doomed Queens innocently meeting when they are very young.
-Even more doubtful is that Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper were childhood friends...even though they were cousins (too many family relationships going on here!).
-In the book, Jane Boleyn (Anne’s sister-in-law) is arrested and taken to the Tower of London shortly after Anne’s marriage to Henry for speaking treason against her. She may have been banished from court, as she was later on for trying to get rid of one of Henry’s mistresses, but she was never arrested on that charge.
-This can’t really be called an historical error, but Jean Plaidy does take on the rumor that Anne Boleyn had a sixth finger and odd moles on her body. (Not literally an extra finger, just second nail on her left little finger. Still weird.) This is still up for debate.

If you think you may be interested in this period of time, I wouldn’t recommend starting with this book (start with The Other Boleyn Girl, many historical errors, but a nice overview). Since I am familiar with this era, I thought I might be bored. Jean Plaidy is an author you either love or hate, and even though I nitpicked my way through this book, I still loved every minute of it. The writing style is easy to read, I couldn’t even tell it’d been written in the 1940s. I am definitely interested in reading more of her books (that may take me awhile, she’s written around 100!).
4 stars.(less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Joy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is absolutly the worst book I've read about Anne Boleyn and the other wives of Henry VIII. I realy struggled with it.

First there's the language. The old English makes it hard to read and makes it boring.

Second there's the ever changing storyline. There's Anne, Catharine Howard, Henry, Jane, Old Duchess of Norfolk, Mary Boleyn... Especially the parts of Catharine Howard and the Old Duchess bored me. Sometimes I couldn't bothered to finish those parts. But I do have to tell, I've never had...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Helene Harrison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical, i-own, setting-tudor, author-female, setting-british, format-paperback, 2000s-publication

I didn't like this one as much as The King's Great Matter because I felt that the story was far too abbreviated and there wasn't enough detail in either story. It would have been better to look at Anne Boleyn's story in one book and Katherine Howard's in another, so that their stories could be fully explored and explained. I felt this was a major flaw, but that what was written was well written and interesting, if abbreviated.

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May 19, 2013 Kristi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been fascinated with Henry VIII lately. I like how Jean Plaidy brings these historical characters to life. Her interpretation of their motives and personalities makes the reading interesting. Sometimes I skimmed or skipped some of the longer parts to get through it. the obvious conclusion is that Henry VIII was a horrible person on so many levels. (!) Now I'm ready to read about Elizabeth I.

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Dec 31, 2012 ladywallingford rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This installment wasn't as interesting as the Katherine of Aragon novel that preceded it but I did prefer it over the first of the series. Most of the book took place during Anne Boleyn's reign as Queen with little snippets here and there of Catherine Howard's life. Howard's time as Queen, however, was highly glossed over to the point where I don't know why Plaidy included her in this book. Overall, this novel wasn't too terrible but I found myself really wanting to very quickly finish it and mo...more

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Jun 22, 2009 Ashlee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this one because it flipped between two stories. That of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's 2nd wife, and Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's 5th wife! Not only are both of their storie's interesting but they had the same fate and were cousins! It is one of my favorite Jean Plaidy novels. I liked both stories and how she compared Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.

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Apr 16, 2010 Karissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

It starts off slow, with a lot of politics. The stories of Anne's childhood are not rooted in fact, but make the leading up to her meeting with Henry have some flow and consistancey. The book flitters back and forth between the minds of every character mentioned, which was sometimes interesting, and other times very boring.
I like how the author portrayed Anne and the love between Henry and Anne. I especially loved how she deleved into the mind of Henry after Anne's death and showed how much he...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Crystal rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

I wanted to like this book -- Plaidy tends to stick with historical facts, unlike Phillipa Gregory, who completely twists history in her novels -- but I never felt myself being pulled into this book. The Tudor era, and the lives of Henry VII's wives, is such a fascinating time period, and this book never brought the intrigue and scandal of this time to life.

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Nov 16, 2012 Amy Stergar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Became obsessed with King Henry after the Tudors aired on HBO. This book did not disappoint. I loved the way the author told the story among the girls and whether only 10% was actually historically accurate, it does not matter because it was that interesting!

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Nov 27, 2011 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I usually love books by Jean Plaidy but this one to me was just okay. I like the way she writes about Anne Boleyn and it was extremely interesting in parts. I will still carry on reading the Tudor Saga, I just don't think this is one of the best ones of the series.

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Mar 18, 2013 Mervyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I originally read this book as a teenager in the 1960's and re-read it just out of curiosity. I was very glad I did as it was just as good as I remembered. Well written and enjoyable particularly if you have a liking for history.

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Jul 15, 2009 Tiffany Williams rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads

This book was like an old train that takes a while to get going. And then once it is going it almost has ADD and skips around a bit. Should not be your first choice of Tudor England books... has a lot of the same information about Anne Boleyn but I did learn some about Catherine Howard and those surrounding both of their murders. Interesting, but a heavy read (because you really have to pay attention to what's going on while reading.).

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Jun 08, 2012 Bert rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicalfiction

Very slow in places plot wise, but extremely well researched and accurate which is often unusual for books of this type!
Interesting for the most part, definitely worth a read if 16th Century England is your thing.

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Sep 09, 2012 Janice Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I did something different here, reading this book in tandem with "The other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory. This one is sympathetic to Anne as a romantic interest of the king, and the other to her sister.

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Aug 29, 2009 Mikel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Like the story, love the time period. I have novel's on almost ever one of King Henry VIII's wives this is a good parallel between the death of his second and his fifth wife.

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Aug 30, 2011 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: tudors

I read this when I was about 12 and really loved it - Jean Plaidy has introduced so many people to the Tudors and was the first author to really make them "sexy".

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Jan 13, 2011 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

More of the same in this series, except for a different queen. If you have never studied the Queens of England and their history, this is an entertaining way to do that.

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Jan 28, 2010 Heather Domin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wish I'd had the time to read it faster, but it was worth the delay. At first a modern reader might find this story overly romanticized; but then it gets its hooks in you, and you see it as it really is. It's easy to see how Jean Plaidy earned her reputation, and the passage of time hasn't dulled it one bit. Excellent.

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Sep 21, 2011 Katie Lorsch rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I read this because of my continued interest in Anne Boleyn. Unfortunately, this novel read more like a textbook and I skimmed over various parts.

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Jan 06, 2013 Sara O'flaherty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Really not as good as I had hoped. The parallel stories of Ann and Catherine made it interesting, but too many historical inaccuracies for the sake of making the stories sync.

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Apr 01, 2011 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, series

This was an interesting approach to the story of the Tudors. By juxtaposing the lives of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, Plaidy puts their stories in a different perspective from what is usually presented. She also weaves in the stories of Wolsey, Cromwell, Smeaton, and others who were victims of Henry VIII's violent reign. The characters seemed more developed here than in some of Plaidy's other books, and the story moved quickly. The book helps the reader to see that the lives of these people...more

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Historical Fiction

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Literature > 16th Century

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About Jean Plaidy

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million)....more

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Books by Jean Plaidy

The Lady in the Tower (Queens of England, #4)

Katharine of Aragon: The Wives of Henry VIII (Tudor Saga, #2-4)

The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII (Queens of England, #11)

To Hold the Crown: The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Queens of England Series, #11)

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Trivia About Murder Most Royal

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Quotes from Murder Most Royal

“Trust Anne to turn a disadvantage into an asset!” — 1 person liked it

“What a good thing it is to have in this world one person of whom who need not cherish the smallest fear!” — 1 person liked it

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Murder Most Royal (Tudor Saga #5)

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