Helene Harrison's Blog, page 5

Book Review – ‘Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage – and Why He Failed’ by Jerry Rabow

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Period: Tudors Thanks to Amberley Publishing for a copy to read and review. This book intrigued me from the first time I heard about it. Writing a book myself at the moment about Henry VIII’s Great Matter I thought that this could be a very interesting alternative point of view, and one […]

‘Henry VIII and His Rabbis: How the King Relied on Jewish Law to End His First Marriage – and Why He Failed’ by Jerry Rabow

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Period: Tudors Thanks to Amberley Publishing for a copy to read and review. This book intrigued me from the first time I heard about it. Writing a book myself at the moment about Henry VIII’s Great Matter I thought that this could be a very interesting alternative point of view, and one […]

Who Didn’t Make the Cut for Tudor Executions?

Other Executed Nobles of the Tudor Period Writing my second book Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block I couldn’t write about every single noble executed under the Tudors just for space reasons. I had to narrow it down, so I wanted to make sure I covered the full span of the period from Henry […]

Guest Post – Sharon Bennett Connolly on Scotland’s Medieval Queens

Today I’m excited to welcome Sharon Bennett Connolly! Sharon has written eight books now, and her latest is Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From Saint Margaret to Margaret of Denmark. Her focus is largely on the women of the medieval period, having written on women of the Anarchy, Tudor heroines, and women of the Norman conquest. I […]

Book Review – ‘Cecily’ by Annie Garthwaite

Publisher: Penguin Books Period: Wars of the Roses, Medieval What a triumph of historical fiction! It’s rare to find a book that is so well-written and engaging yet with a very obvious historical accuracy. Garthwaite has done her research, going back to the primary sources to find what actually happened, and who was where when […]

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: More Than the Rhyme

Why the Six Wives Deserve Their Own Stories Told The six wives of Henry VIII are often condensed down to the children’s rhyme ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived’. However, these were interesting women beyond their relationship with Henry VIII, and beyond their connection to each other as a result of Henry VIII. Katherine of […]

Guest Post – Rebecca Batley on Anne Neville

Today I welcome Rebecca Batley, whose most recent book is Anne Neville: Queen and Wife of Richard III. I was delighted to share a publication date with Rebecca for her Anne Neville and my Tudor Executions! Her first book was ‘Ann Walker: The Life and Death of Gentleman Jack’s Wife’ – very diverse periods of […]

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