Helene Harrison's Blog, page 5

Book Review – ‘The Life and Death of Mary, Queen of Scots’ by Jan-Marie Knights

Thanks to Amberley Publishing for a copy to read and review. I enjoyed this book on Mary Queen of Scots. It’s different to other books I’ve read on her, it feels a lot more readable because it’s broken down a complex life into smaller and more digestible sections. It’s also well-written and engaging, though some […]

Guest Post – Beverley Adams on Elizabeth of York

Today I welcome the lovely Beverley Adams back to the blog, this time to talk a bit about her new book, Elizabeth of York and the Birth of the Tudor Dynasty: Uniting the Roses. You can read my first interview with her, about Lady Jane Grey, here. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer […]

Book Review – ‘Lady Anne Bacon: A Woman of Learning at the Tudor Court’ by Deborah Spring

Thanks to University of Hertfordshire Press for a copy of this to review. Lady Anne Bacon wasn’t someone I knew a lot about. I’d heard the name as mother to Francis Bacon but that’s about it. I hadn’t even realised that her sister was Mildred Cecil, wife to William Cecil, Baron Burghley! So, I went … Continue reading Book Review – ‘Lady Anne Bacon: A Woman of Learning at the Tudor Court’ by Deborah Spring

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 – 80 Years Since the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

In a step away from my usual Tudor content, today I thought it was important to talk about Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls each year on 27 January. On this day in 1945 the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland was liberated. This was the largest labour and death camp in the Nazi German … Continue reading Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 – 80 Years Since the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Two-Year Anniversary of ‘Elizabethan Rebellions’

Today, 16 January 2025, marks exactly two years since my first book, ‘Elizabethan Rebellions: Conspiracy, Intrigue and Treason’ was published. It still sometimes feels like it’s not really real, like it’s a dream. And that’s with my third book coming out in July! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me, from my … Continue reading Two-Year Anniversary of ‘Elizabethan Rebellions’

Book Review – ‘Emblems of Monarchy: Royal Portraiture in Yorkist and Early Tudor England’ by Frederick Hepburn

Thank you to Brepols Publishers for sending me a copy of this for review. This book is really interesting, looking at portraiture and image from Edward IV through to Henry VIII – eighty years of royal portraiture. It is very detailed and there are images of portraits, stained glass, coins, and manuscript images throughout. The … Continue reading Book Review – ‘Emblems of Monarchy: Royal Portraiture in Yorkist and Early Tudor England’ by Frederick Hepburn

Book Review – ‘Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor’ by Nathen Amin

Thanks to Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this for review. Wow, what a much needed and brilliant book! I always think you can’t really understand yourself without understanding your own history and experiences. It’s the same with other people, although this is much harder with people who lived 500 years ago. This … Continue reading Book Review – ‘Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor’ by Nathen Amin

Media Review – ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ Episodes 4-6

See my review of episodes 1-3 of ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ here. Episode 4 – Jenneke This episode opens with the Whitehall Mural of Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII, and Jane Seymour. It was interesting to see this recreated – the historical work that has gone into this series is … Continue reading Media Review – ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ Episodes 4-6

Media Review – ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ Episodes 1-3

Episode 1 – Wreckage Episode 1 felt a little slow most of the way through, though I suppose it was supposed to just be setting up the story for the rest of the series. It introduced some new characters and re-castings including Timothy Spall at the Duke of Norfolk and Harry Melling as Thomas Wriothesley. … Continue reading Media Review – ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light’ Episodes 1-3

Book Review – ‘The Pretender’ by Jo Harkin

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for a chance to review this novel. It’s always interesting to consider the life of the boy we today know as Lambert Simnel, and I’d never actually considered that Simnel was the real Earl of Warwick which is a suggestion made in this story. Could Clarence have swapped his real … Continue reading Book Review – ‘The Pretender’ by Jo Harkin