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Innocent Traitor

Alison Weir

3.95 · Rating details · 31,458 ratings · 1,787 reviews

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn.

I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.

Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane G BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn.

I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.

Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen” –a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century.

The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. With the premature passing of Jane’ s adolescent cousin, and Henry’s successor, King Edward VI, comes a struggle for supremacy fueled by political machinations and lethal religious fervor.

Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.

Alison Weir uses her unmatched skills as a historian to enliven the many dynamic characters of this majestic drama. Along with Lady Jane Grey, Weir vividly renders her devious parents; her much-loved nanny; the benevolent Queen Katherine Parr; Jane’s ambitious cousins; the Catholic “Bloody” Mary, who will stop at nothing to seize the throne; and the Protestant and future queen Elizabeth. Readers venture inside royal drawing rooms and bedchambers to witness the power-grabbing that swirls around Lady Jane Grey from the day of her birth to her unbearably poignant death. Innocent Traitor paints a complete and compelling portrait of this captivating young woman, a faithful servant of God whose short reign and brief life would make her a legend. ...more

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Hardcover, 402 pages

Published February 27th 2007 by Ballantine Books (first published 2006)

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Mar 03, 2011 Iset rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: renaissance-age-1400-to-1650ce-fict, wall-bangers

The Lady Elizabeth was bad but mildly entertaining, possibly because of the appearance of one of the most interesting figures from history, but Innocent Traitor is just plain bad. It begins with two very dull parallel birth scenes and gets worse from there. The language is tedious and pedestrian, sending me to sleep rather than catching my attention. The plot drags and is utterly predictable, for example, one day after the family has heard news that some heretics are to be burned, Jane’s nurse d The Lady Elizabeth was bad but mildly entertaining, possibly because of the appearance of one of the most interesting figures from history, but Innocent Traitor is just plain bad. It begins with two very dull parallel birth scenes and gets worse from there. The language is tedious and pedestrian, sending me to sleep rather than catching my attention. The plot drags and is utterly predictable, for example, one day after the family has heard news that some heretics are to be burned, Jane’s nurse decides to take the children out for the day on a trip to visit her sister who lives in Smithfield. Gee, I wonder what will happen?! Yep, that’s right, it all ends in tears and traumatised kiddie-winks. This writing is just so juvenile and limp. The descriptions read just the same as in Weir’s non-fiction histories – incredibly dry, unmemorable lists. The worst of by far though was Weir’s poor research and total misunderstanding and the era.

Weir completely misunderstands the social mores of the day when she has Frances Brandon and Henry Grey acting all doom and gloom over Jane’s birth because she’s a daughter. She’s transferring the concerns of Henry VIII onto the couple. How she manages to do this when she’s a writer of non-fiction histories boggles the mind. Frances and Henry were still young at 20 years old and had only been married for four years, and whilst sons were undoubtedly desired, it was hardly a disaster for the Greys to have only daughters. King Henry VIII meanwhile, at the time the future Edward VI was born, was 46 years old, on his third marriage after almost 30 years of married life, and had only two surviving acknowledged but illegitimated daughters, and it was important to him to have a son because it was unprecedented for a woman to be accepted as ruler of England in her own right and the young Tudor dynasty could still be overthrown.

Weir also includes the nonsense about the Duke of Northumberland poisoning Edward VI and then smothering a lookalike and switching the bodies so that the “king’s corpse” would have no evidence of foul play. I cannot stress enough how absurd this is. In her author’s note Weir claims that the evidence for this is written in a letter by one of the duke’s sons, but that is completely made up - it's hearsay, and not mentioned in any letter written by one of the duke's sons. Mary and Elizabeth Tudor are titled "Princess" in the book when they were actually titled "Lady". Jane Parker is once again condemned for taking down Anne and George Boleyn. Frances and Adrian Stokes are described according to the painting which for years now has been known to actually be Mary Neville and her son. Oh, and of course, Frances and Henry Grey beat their poor daughter Jane black and blue. Tempted as I am to explain in detail exactly why all of this is wrong, I'm simply going to link y'all to that business and you can click on it if you're interested.

Jane Parker and the Boleyns' downfall

What really happened to Edward VI's body

The many misconceptions about Frances Brandon

Essentially, Weir shoves in every scrap of rumour and gossip from the era. Whether she did this out of sheer bad research or purposely to make things "juicier", I don't know, but it doesn't improve the pedestrian prose, only adds a repellent splash of lurid crassness.

Innocent Traitor is dull, wildly inaccurate, and unimpressive.

2 out of 10 ...more

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Mar 30, 2014 B the BookAddict rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Historical fiction, Tudor history lovers

Recommended to B the BookAddict by: Chrissie's review

Shelves: hist-fiction

Lady Jane Grey, born either 1536 or 1537, was highly gifted, precocious and intelligent but she was born into a time when her life was constrained by her parents and their machinations at the royal court. Her birth was a disappointment to her parents who, like most medieval parents, had longed for a son although they soon pinned their hopes on her marrying Henry VIII's son, Edward VI. But during Edward's final illness their choice for Jane changed, due to the machinations of John Dudley, Duke of Lady Jane Grey, born either 1536 or 1537, was highly gifted, precocious and intelligent but she was born into a time when her life was constrained by her parents and their machinations at the royal court. Her birth was a disappointment to her parents who, like most medieval parents, had longed for a son although they soon pinned their hopes on her marrying Henry VIII's son, Edward VI. But during Edward's final illness their choice for Jane changed, due to the machinations of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and Edward's Regent, and she was betrothed to the Duke's own son, Guildford Dudley. Jane was, of course Edward's cousin and had been named his successor to the throne, apparently after much 'handling' by the Duke.

One of the few joys in Jane's short life was the two years which she spent as a lady in waiting to Queen Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's last wife. Upon Katherine's death in 1548, Jane was unceremoniously and unwillingly returned to her family home. It was then that Jane met tutor to Elizabeth I, Roger Ascham. Ascham noted Jane's complaint about her parents:

“For when I am in presence either of father or mother; whether I speak, keep silence, sit, stand, or go, eat, drink, be merry, or sad, be sewing, playing, dancing, or doing any thing else; I must do it, as it were, in such weight, measure, and number, even so perfectly, as God made the world; or else I am so sharply taunted, so cruelly threatened, yea presently sometimes with pinches, nips, and bobs, and other ways (which I will not name for the honour I bear them) so without measure misordered, that I think myself in hell, till time come that I must go to Mr Elmer; who teacheth me so gently, so pleasantly, with such fair allurements to learning, that I think all the time nothing whiles I am with him. And when I am called from him, I fall on weeping, because whatsoever I do else but learning, is full of grief, trouble, fear, and whole misliking unto me. And thus my book hath been so much my pleasure, and bringeth daily to me more pleasure and more, that in respect of it, all other pleasures, in very deed, be but trifles and troubles unto me.”

Roger Ascham was so impressed with Jane's intelligence that he set up correspondence between her and many learned men, in England and Europe. A staunch Protestant, she would correspond and debate with them on various subjects including theology. Edward VI died on July 6 1553 and the unwilling Jane's famously short reign as Queen began on July 10th, ending on July 19th when Mary I was named the true monarch and Jane was charged with treason. Her sad life ended on Tower Green in Tower of London on 12th February 1554.

Alison Weir has selected a tragic heroine for her first historical fiction novel but I felt that she doesn't impart much personality into any of her characters. You are getting the facts but there's not a lot a feeling here. Of course, you'd have to be a rock not to feel for Jane's situation or to dislike Frances Brandon, Jane's mother but I did not feel the characters speaking to me. I loved the nurse Mrs Ellen who, unlike her parents, actually loved Jane and was with her from a very early age right up until the moment of her death. While the cover exhorted me to cry for Jane, I did not but I have felt an overwhelming sense of sadness for this young girl since I read her story. While I would recommend that you read this novel because it provides much historical detail, I can only rate it 3.5★. ...more

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Apr 01, 2017 Elizabeth rated it liked it

Shelves: family-saga, i-own, historical-fiction, british-history, religion, kings-and-queens

Innocent Traitor is what should be a fascinating narrative of the life of the young Lady Jane Grey, the little known queen that reigned for a mere 9 days - yet somehow it isn't. Perhaps it's because it's written by someone who normally sticks to non-fiction, but something is lacking.

It's written from several different perspectives, which reveals Alison Weir's shortcomings. She fails to give her characters strong, unique voices, and they tend to blend together. Though I've found myself consumed ...more

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Aug 24, 2017 Connie G rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, england, intl-book-discussion

Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554) was born during the reign of Henry VIII to ambitious parents who trained her for an important position. She was a quiet, precocious girl who loved learning and was extremely well educated. Jane was a Protestant who spent much of her time on religious studies. Jane always felt that her parents were disappointed that she was not a boy. After forcing Jane into a marriage that she did not want, they hatched a plot to gain power in the royal court.

Henry VIII's heir was Edwa ...more

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Mar 07, 2009 booklady rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009, biography, historical-fiction, fiction

Lady Jane Grey, the grand niece of Henry VIII, and queen of England for just over a week in 1553 is the subject of Innocent Traitor, Alison Weir’s first work of historical fiction. With over ten works of history to her credit, Weir is one of my favorite British Renaissance and Reformation historians mostly because she presents the Catholic and Protestant theological differences of the era in an impartial manner without resorting to inflammatory or stereotypical rhetoric.

Innocent Traitor is a ve Lady Jane Grey, the grand niece of Henry VIII, and queen of England for just over a week in 1553 is the subject of Innocent Traitor, Alison Weir’s first work of historical fiction. With over ten works of history to her credit, Weir is one of my favorite British Renaissance and Reformation historians mostly because she presents the Catholic and Protestant theological differences of the era in an impartial manner without resorting to inflammatory or stereotypical rhetoric.

Innocent Traitor is a very ‘good read’. It presents the story of the young Jane’s life from the perspectives of those closest to her, through the major, known events of her all too short life. The few historical ‘facts’ I’ve checked out all did—as if I had any doubt. I really knew they would, mostly I was just curious on one or two points. If Innocent Traitor has any weakness, it would be in the beginning where it seemed/sounded like all the characters spoke with the same voice. I didn’t notice this as much later on in the story, so I don’t know if I got to know the different characters, if I just became so engrossed in the story, I stopped paying attention, or if in fact the characterizations did get better. In the beginning, it especially bothered me that Jane sounded like an adult at three and five.

That criticism aside it’s a very absorbing read. Why anyone would have wanted to be a monarch back in those days is beyond me. And yet so many did—and paid the ultimate price for such ambition. Poor Jane only wanted a quiet life with her books and look what she got?! After the Reformation equivalent to a Dickensian childhood, she became the pawn of her parents and the Duke of Northumberland, was given in marriage to an abusive husband, maneuvered into a crown she didn’t want, lost it, was abandoned by everyone, thrown into prison and finally—thanks to her father’s second treachery against the Crown—Jane received the verdict of treason and was executed.

There were some speculative additions to fill in parts of history which remain unknown, and yet Weir's choices are still probable.

Recommended.

...more

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Jan 08, 2009 Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction-romance

I have read lots of books on Catherine, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth, Mary and of course Henry VIII.
But I haven't ventured into his other wives stories/history yet nor any other Tudor relations.
And I really knew very little at all about Lady Jane Grey.
I really enjoyed her story, and found her to be quite a resourceful character.
Loved the part where she had to go to the "Privy" but was to scared to leave, so she just lifted her skirts and let it go and hoped the dogs would be blamed!
As the reader, w ...more

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Dec 15, 2016 Tania rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, historical-fiction

This is the story of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for nine days in 1553. Alison Weir normally write historical biographies, this is her first historical novel. I've never read anything about Lady Jane Grey, and thought the detail provided on the major role of religion at this time, in all political decisions was very well portrayed. This was my first multiple narrator audio book and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I think it helped me connect to the different characters. Althoug ...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Amanda rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-i-have-abandoned

I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but Weir's writing style makes me nuts. I can't read her. I've tried three times now and never made it more than a quarter of the way through the book. My s-i-l, normally a woman with decent taste in books, swears by her and in fact loaned me this book and "The Lady Elizabeth." And I know lots of people like her style... I wish I could pin point what about this make me cringe. But her language use just leaves me flat, bored, and irritable. ...more

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Dec 07, 2007 Atul Sabnis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, history, all-i-own, history-europe

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 in the life of Lady Jane Grey 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 in the life of Lady Jane Grey was kindled because of a painting that hangs in the National Gallery in London – The Execution of Jane Grey, Paul Delarouche. While I consider myself to be a fairly illiterate in terms of art appreciation, this particular masterpiece, has somehow always attracted me to it, sent many a question to my head. It was indeed fortuitous that my artist friend picks up the book and asks how come I missed noticing this book. I am happy, however, that she did notice the book and I did pick it.

The book is written in the first person, which helps change, the perspective of looking at history. You look at the events from the point of view of the character, in the event, at that time. It adds certain emotion and ‘personality’ to the event(s) and allows history to become warmer than a chronological the presentation of cold facts. And a brave attempt, may I add, for Alison says:

[…] I have tried to penetrate the minds of my characters, which is something that serious historians attempt only at their peril.

There are, I know, a few fussy writers who insist on the facts and the gaps in availability of historical data to be left as empty and dark as a question mark. However, this book, does offer a glow in that abyss. John Man speculates fairly well when he has to deal with gaps in history. His fillers, however, are more based on reason and logic. He does wonderful justice too – makes for interesting reading. Yet, it is all in the third person.

To read something written by the character, is a new found pleasure for me.

...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Catherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing

I enjoyed this book, sad and flawed as it was. I knew the bare outline of the life of Lady Jane Grey, although, in spite of having read some version or other of Foxe's Book of Martyrs several times in my childhood, had forgotten that she is considered a martyr by the Anglican Church. It was therefore interesting to read a more detailed version of her story. Yes, I know the account is fictional but with such a reknowned historian writing we can be fairly certain that the events, if not the motive I enjoyed this book, sad and flawed as it was. I knew the bare outline of the life of Lady Jane Grey, although, in spite of having read some version or other of Foxe's Book of Martyrs several times in my childhood, had forgotten that she is considered a martyr by the Anglican Church. It was therefore interesting to read a more detailed version of her story. Yes, I know the account is fictional but with such a reknowned historian writing we can be fairly certain that the events, if not the motives for them, are fairly accurately recounted.

The device of having multiple narrators is a useful one, making it easy to reveal the thoughts of key characters, but I'm not convinced that Wier has the novel-writing expertise to pull it off. There were places where she showed her pedigree as an historian by having people describe the quotodian in a way that helped to set the scene but that no-one talking to a contemporary would have thought to do. For example, a subtle anachronism - a reference to the discomfort of travelling in an unsprung carriage at a time when few, if any, benefitted from this convenience - was the very one I remember being cautioned against by my Latin teacher.

It was also hard to remember just how young Lady Jane was. There were obvious gaps in her understanding when she was very small, and no doubt she was forced to grow up quickly, but there was little difference between her voice at four years and at sixteen. Even the most precocious and formal of children betray their age at some points and she would have been a more endearing - rather than merely sympathetic - character had we seen more of her childish, as opposed to technical, innocence.

What does come across in this account is Jane's integrity: she may have been a pawn of more powerful people in terms of being placed on the throne, but here she has to be convinced that there is some justification for it first, and it is her courage in holding fast to what she believes to be right that is the ultimate reason for her death at the hands of a reluctant Mary.

In spite of its flaws, a powerful and gripping telling of the tale of one of Britain's often overlooked monarchs. ...more

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May 05, 2011 Lora rated it it was ok

Hrm. I think I would've enjoyed this more if it had been a straightforward history textbook instead of an attempt at prose. The multiple POVs are mutually indistinguishable, Jane at age 4 sounding the same as her mother as the queen as the duke and so on. The dialogue all sounds scripted, and the emotions are overwrought and rarely wring true.

This, from what I could tell, is much better researched than the usual Tudor trope, but the writing made it less enjoyable than the lesser works. I defini ...more

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Jan 28, 2017 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, really-long-books, 2017-reading-challenge, 2017-new-authors-challenge, 2017-library-challenge, tudor-fiction-group-reads, 2017-audio-books-challenge

*****This is a review for the audio book.
This was well-written. I loved how detailed the history was. The author did a lot research and took few liberties with telling the story. I really loved getting to know Lady Jane Grey. This is one of most tragic story I've heard in awhile. However, I would recommend it. I would say this should be read before most of these other books set in the Tudor era, though. This was my first book I've read by Alison Weir, but it definitely won't be my last. ...more

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Feb 05, 2018 Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) added it

Shelves: jumped-ship-dnf

DNF @ 11%.
I especially couldn't get into the different points-of-view as they all sound the same..it was difficult to distinguish the 4 year old Jane Grey from her nanny or mother. I also don't know if I'm interested in 400+ pages on Jane Grey. ...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Chrissie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: european-royalty, text-checked, religion, alt, hf, kirkus, great-britain

ETA: I later read The Life of Elizabeth I, one of her non-fiction books. I found it much better. I gave it four stars! Amazingly enough it was the non-fiction book that drew me in, where I totally empathized with the characters.

*****************************

On completion:

So what do I like (and not like) about Innocent Traitor? I like that in a relatively short book one gets a quick summary of Tudor history; Henry VIII, his wives and progeny, are quickly summarized so you can understand how Lady ETA: I later read The Life of Elizabeth I, one of her non-fiction books. I found it much better. I gave it four stars! Amazingly enough it was the non-fiction book that drew me in, where I totally empathized with the characters.

*****************************

On completion:

So what do I like (and not like) about Innocent Traitor? I like that in a relatively short book one gets a quick summary of Tudor history; Henry VIII, his wives and progeny, are quickly summarized so you can understand how Lady Jane Grey came to be queen for nine days. There is a clear family tree in the front of the book. What are the themes? Religion, more specifically Protestantism versus Catholicism, faith and power and personal gain. Royalty too. I am not religious, and I do not have faith, and I prefer reading about people from the lower classes, so the chances I could like this book are pretty slim, but I wanted to have a basic understanding of the Tudors. It says on the cover, “If you don’t cry at the end you have a heart of stone.” I guess I have a heart of stone.

So what went wrong? Alison Weir published ten books of historical non-fiction before writing this, her first book of fiction. She knows the topic and she says in her author’s note, “Most of the characters in this novel really existed, and most of the events actually happened. However, where the evidence is scanty or missing, I have used my imagination.” She then clarifies where in the books she has done this. That is exactly the kind of historical fiction I look for. Still, this did not work for me. The author also says she tried to penetrate the minds of her characters, and that is where the problem lies, at least for me. I kept thinking, this character would not do that, she would not say that! The author did not get me inside the head of Lady Jane Grey. I felt that she did exactly what she was told…..until the day she became Queen. Her thoughts and actions were to me unbelievable. Neither could I comprehend the faith she had. Everyone else around her was motivated by personal gain, her parents in particular. I could not believe that her mother came to regret her own behavior. No, I could not empathize with the characters because the author did not succeed in making me see through their eyes. Neither did I find genuine the words the author put in the characters’ mouths. They were too modern. In addition, there was absolutely no humor in this book!

If I read another book by this author it will be non-fiction.

The book was OK, and by GR rating that means it should be given two stars, so that is what I am giving it. Only two stars!

*********************

(ETA: Nurse Ellen is the one and only character I empathized with.)

Through page 50: Will I understand who is who? Will I like reading about the Tudors?

YES, to both questions. Wow, I am impressed at Alison Weir's writing skills. She knows the details so well that she can interweave them in a fascinating and engaging manner. Nurse Ellen is fantastic. I need her as much as Lady Jane Grey does! She so well understands how to explain sex and such to a small child and how to explain more as the child matures. Beautifully written. Relationships are expertly depicted! I am astonished and impressed. I don't like reading about royalty, but this I very much enjoy. Because even royalty are real people with feelings. Please continue in this manner. There is a map and family chart that is simple to comprehend, for a quick glance now and then. What a surprise.
...more

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May 06, 2013 Elena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tudors, read-in-english, historical-fiction, reviewed, england, 2014, ebooks

Jane Grey is one of the most tragic figures of Tudor England. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII (her grandmother was Mary Tudor, Queen of France and sister to Henry VIII) and a first cousin of Edward VI. When Edward died, she was crowned Queen of England, but was deposed after just nine days by Mary I, and executed a few months later.
Alison Weir explores Jane's life, from her birth to her early death, in her first work of fiction, Innocent Traitor.

The book is not perfectly accurate. Jane Grey is one of the most tragic figures of Tudor England. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII (her grandmother was Mary Tudor, Queen of France and sister to Henry VIII) and a first cousin of Edward VI. When Edward died, she was crowned Queen of England, but was deposed after just nine days by Mary I, and executed a few months later.
Alison Weir explores Jane's life, from her birth to her early death, in her first work of fiction, Innocent Traitor.

The book is not perfectly accurate. I read it as a group read at the Tudor History Lovers group, right after Leandra de Lisle's biography about the Grey sisters; therefore, it was easy to see that Weir mostly embraces the traditional portrayal of Jane as a completely innocent victim and a martyr. While I did not dislike her, I often found Jane to be too perfect to be true and therefore hard to relate to. Similarly, her parents are depicted as cruel and opportunistic, especially Frances, who is a completely negative figure, (view spoiler) Weir could have been a little braver in her characterization: I would have liked Jane to be a stronger, even more ambitious figure; and Frances to be more complex.

Apart from these complains, I must say I greatly enjoyed the book. Weir proves to be a rather good storyteller: the plot is always involving and never boring. I really appreciated her choice of narration: the story is told from the point of views of several different characters, like Jane, Frances, Mary Tudor and even (view spoiler) I love first person narrators, but they can be frustratingly restricted in historical fictions. Here, the different narrators enrich the story, adding many interesting subplots like Catherine Parr's last years and John Dudley's machinations. I think the characters had rather different voices, and, even if some of them lacked a more complex characterization, I enjoyed all of their narrations.

I would definitely recommend the book if you are interested in Jane Grey and the historical period; but if you like Frances Brandon you should be careful, because here you won't find a sympathetic portrayal of her. ...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it it was amazing

Lady Jane Grey was born as a disappointment—a daughter instead of a son. Her mother said upon her birth in this historical novel (Page 5): “I should be joyful, thanking God for the arrival of a lusty child. Instead my spirits plummet. All this—for nothing.” Daughter of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and Frances Brandon, grand-daughter of King Henry VII and related to King Henry VIII, her parents’ ambition dominated Jane’s life. Her parents’ goal? A marriage that would bring the family power. The or Lady Jane Grey was born as a disappointment—a daughter instead of a son. Her mother said upon her birth in this historical novel (Page 5): “I should be joyful, thanking God for the arrival of a lusty child. Instead my spirits plummet. All this—for nothing.” Daughter of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and Frances Brandon, grand-daughter of King Henry VII and related to King Henry VIII, her parents’ ambition dominated Jane’s life. Her parents’ goal? A marriage that would bring the family power. The original hope was for her to marry Edward, son of Henry VIII.

As a child, Jane is treated poorly by her parents, although her father shows some interest in her. She is an engaging child, with a curious mind. She enjoys learning—from languages to music to the classics. The book’s treatment of her makes her into a little woman when she was probably too young to think in the manner attributable to her. Still, in that era, childhood as we know it did not exist.

Events in the book are portrayed first person, through the eyes of a number of people—from Lady Jane Grey to her parents to Mrs. Ellen to Queen Jane Seymour to Queen Mary to the Duke of Northumberland and so on. While this adds a personal perspective that works pretty well, it can sometimes be a bit too kaleidoscopic for my taste. Through these various characters, we learn of the great events of the day as they happen—Henry VIII’s marriages to Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, Katherine Parr, Edward VI’s brief reign, internal and external crises facing the country.

But, of course, the arc of this work is the brief reign of Lade Jane Grey as Queen Jane. Her parents and important figures such as Northumberland maneuvered to make her Queen rather than allowing the Catholic Mary to gain the throne. They trusted that the English citizenry would reject Mary and that they could manipulate Jane as a figurehead to run England as they chose. The novel shows how Jane tried to be a Queen but found herself thwarted by those who would use her. Her miserable marriage to a Dudley did not help matters. After only a fortnight as Queen, forces loyal to Mary overthrew the lot of nobles who had plotted to make Jane Queen. Then, the slow denouement, as Mary slowly came to see that, for many reasons, she had to remove Jane from the scene—although she saw her as innocent. The very title of this work, "Innocent Traitor,” says a great deal. The novel ends with real emotional pop, as Jane prepared a simple speech to give before her death. Her dignity, compared with the whimpering of men much more guilty than she, provides a remarkable contrast (this isn’t a spoiler; if people don’t know what happened to Lady Jane Grey, they don’t know much about history!).

Anyhow, despite some problematic choices by the author, Alison Weir, this is a compelling piece of historical fiction. Do read the author’s note at the end. The author discusses the choices that she made in writing portions of the book where there is uncertainty in the historical record or where she took a certain degree of creative license.
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Jan 24, 2010 Carolyn rated it it was ok

Not quite finished with this, but don't care for it all that much. It utilizes an extremely contrived narrative perspective. It rotates among first-person narration from many perspectives, but the problem is that all narrators speak in the dramatic present, as if the speaker were speaking at the moment of the experience. I don't care for that anyway, but when one of the narrators (the main one), Lady Jane Grey, starts her story when she is three, and the vocabulary, sentence structure, and capac ...more

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Mar 25, 2016 Caidyn (he/him/his) rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, tudor-times

9:30AM is too early for my indignant rage. Full disclosure: I skimmed the last 60 pages because I just couldn't do it.

It breaks my heart to rate this book two stars. Honestly, it does. I love Alison Weir. Love her nonfiction books, specifically. Her fiction books? Not really. They just don't do it for me, and I wish I had learned my lesson through The Lady Elizabeth and my attempt at her fiction book about Eleanor of Aquitaine, but how much I enjoyed The Marriage Game: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth 9:30AM is too early for my indignant rage. Full disclosure: I skimmed the last 60 pages because I just couldn't do it.

It breaks my heart to rate this book two stars. Honestly, it does. I love Alison Weir. Love her nonfiction books, specifically. Her fiction books? Not really. They just don't do it for me, and I wish I had learned my lesson through The Lady Elizabeth and my attempt at her fiction book about Eleanor of Aquitaine, but how much I enjoyed The Marriage Game: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth I made me hope things were different.

Nope. Not one bit.

First off, the characters. They all felt so stilted. The only one I liked was Mrs. Ellen. Having read The Sisters Who Would Be Queen, I side with de Lisle on the charges of abuse laid against Jane's parents. There's not a lot of evidence for it, and most likely it's something that's been played up to undermine Jane's contribution to the plot for her being Queen. Then, Jane felt... off. She was an incredibly smart woman, and if she hadn't been in this plot it would have been amazing to see how she turned out as an adult. In this, she just didn't see things that were pretty obvious. It felt unbelievable to me that she had no clue about the plot.

Which, sort of bridges me into the second thing. Jane's innocence. From what I interpret from history, she likely didn't have too much of an idea how far her parents would go, but she knew what she was doing. That whole praying scene? Probably a ruse to show her piousness, which was a very smart one. And, I completely go with that she wanted to be Queen on her own. The history shows she refused to make Guilford king, so she obviously didn't want to be married to him.

The marriage itself portrayed in the book didn't do it for me. If I remember correctly (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) they didn't consummate their marriage. At all. They wanted to make sure that their plot worked before really committing themselves to anything. Beyond that, those rape scenes. God, I could do without a book trying to make a character more innocent through using rape. It's ridiculous and the scenes were pretty graphic. So, just a warning for anyone going into this book. There is rape. Same with The Lady Elizabeth.

Just skip this one. I got really excited when I remembered this book was out there in the world, but now I just regret it all. ...more

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May 23, 2010 Monique rated it really liked it

Shelves: king-and-queen-tudor-dynasty

Wow...okay just added a new author to my lists of favorites, Alison Weir now joins Phillippa Gregory and Margaret George as some of my favorite historical fiction authors.. This book was about one of my favorite time periods of history--the Tudor dynasty and the drama, romance and royal misdoings by King Henry VII, his wives, and his children. In this novel the King has passed away and the son from Queen Jane Seymour, Prince Edward becomes King, however Edward is a sickly boy and doesnt live pas Wow...okay just added a new author to my lists of favorites, Alison Weir now joins Phillippa Gregory and Margaret George as some of my favorite historical fiction authors.. This book was about one of my favorite time periods of history--the Tudor dynasty and the drama, romance and royal misdoings by King Henry VII, his wives, and his children. In this novel the King has passed away and the son from Queen Jane Seymour, Prince Edward becomes King, however Edward is a sickly boy and doesnt live past fifteen and never fathers an heir..It is in this turmoil that our heroine the Lady Jane Grey is forced through the manipulations of her father and the Duke of Northumberland to take the crown and rule England..This sad tale recounts the treachery and scheming it took from "adults" to selfishly convince an entire nation that the King's own daughters Lady Mary and Elizabeth were unfit to take the crown and that it should pass to the great neice of the King..As the church of England was changed and reformed so often during King Henry VII's rule it was imperative from King Edward's dying wishes that the Lady Mary not be ascended to the throne as she is a devout Catholic and the church of England is now Protestant. So the Lady Jane becomes Queen of England, is married to the Duke of Northumberland's son and poised to be a puppet for the manipulative men of the privy council until the Lady Mary resurfaces, reclaims her throne and begins her reign as Bloody Mary starting with the beheading of her own cousin the Lady Jane Grey, only fifteen and only in power for nine days...Although the ending of the book is well known throughout history Weir draws out her characters, in particular the devious Frances Brandon (Lady Jane Grey's mother) and makes you believe you know these people, share their fears, dreams and hopes...Extremely rich descriptions of royalty and court life and fashion as well as changing viewpoints that tell the whole story...Recommended for lovers of tragic heroines.. ...more

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Mar 01, 2017 lacy white rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: fans of historical fiction, Lady Jane Grey

Shelves: 2017, 4-stars, library-reads, w

This is a rewrite of the review. The previous one that I written was so god awful, that I didn't like it. So enjoy this one instead.

This is the story about the nine day queen known as Lady Jane Grey. Her life was hard. She had a strict mother who essentially hated her because she wasn't a boy. She had a father that really couldn't care less about her. The only shining parts of her life were her books, Mrs. Ellen and Katherine Parr, King Henry's last wife.

I felt just so awful for poor Jane. Her ...more

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Jan 23, 2009 Christine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction-tudors, minority-and-women-writers

Innocent Traitor is good historical fiction that isn't smutted up. The only real problem is the multiple points of view. It is not there are too many speakers, but that too many speakers sound alike. There does not seem to be that much difference in tone between Katherine Parr and Frances Brandon in tone. This could be explained by the education that woman received, but some difference in tone would be nice. The only voice that really stands out in this regard is the voice of Mrs Ellen, Lady Jan ...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Elizabeth(The Book Whisperer) rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. his time period has always been a major love of mine, and this one was great. It was told from several points of view which I find interesting. The story of Jane Grey is a sad one and this book portrayed it well.

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May 25, 2008 YoSafBridg rated it really liked it

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 th 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 the Tower of London for her pardon from Queen Mary tells how

"in my tormented reverie I hear voices, clamoring to be heard, all speaking at once. I know them all. They have all played a part in shaping my destiny."

she goes over, in her head~although she is exhausted and all she wants to do is sleep~i can definitely relate to that~for the thousandth time how she came to be there), beginning with Jane's birth up to her execution.

It is so interesting, how, even when you know the story well, it can still move you to tears when it is well told, as it is here in Weir's expert hands. Weir is an accomplished and much respected historian, her accuracy is not in question, but she writes in her afterword about how freeing it is to be able to speculate on the psychology and inner workings of the players in this very real drama (it's also interesting to note that some of the most unbelievable pieces of the story are the ones that are of undisputed fact). This story is not only about Jane, but about the life and death intrigue of the day to day life of the Tudor court~and many of the voices in this novel often wish to be commoners rather than players on the royal, and very public stage (although i've always said IF i HAD to live in that place and time the only person i would want to be would be Anne of Cleves, because, though she was said to be ugly {which i'm not entirely convinced of} and smell bad), she had the most freedom of all {once her marriage was annulled}).

To be of the blood, by the by, means to be of the royal blood, which also, i am convinced carries with it a high possibility of inheriting the migraine gene (Henry, Mary, Elizabeth, and Jane also suffered from them...hmm, perhaps i am of the royal Tudor line after all...). But i also relate it to the blood soaked politics that goes along with playing that game. Family and Politics. Sex and Politics. Religion and Politics (in this case though, it is not Christianity versus anything else, or whose God is God, but which Christianity is the True Faith, and as always people must shed blood over it). All of it is here. This is a great read (though i must admit to being a slightly partial to the story between Jane and Guildford Dudley depicted in Lady Jane~i know, i know call me a romantic if you must...
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Jul 22, 2012 Joan rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: English history lovers

Shelves: adult-books, bio-and-autobiography, english-history, herstories-history-of-women, historical-fiction

I couldn't put the book down. Alison Weir clearly rather relished being able to speculate what made a person come to the actions and decisions which as a historian she can't do. Nonetheless, she is completely faithful to the history involved.

I rather doubt her last view of Jane Grey's horrendous mother who spends the night before Jane's death regretting being a lousy mother. I never got any impression that she subsequently brought up her other two daughters with kindness (both of whom came to b I couldn't put the book down. Alison Weir clearly rather relished being able to speculate what made a person come to the actions and decisions which as a historian she can't do. Nonetheless, she is completely faithful to the history involved.

I rather doubt her last view of Jane Grey's horrendous mother who spends the night before Jane's death regretting being a lousy mother. I never got any impression that she subsequently brought up her other two daughters with kindness (both of whom came to bad ends themselves). I do absolutely believe how nasty she was to Jane. Now of course, she would be condemned as a vicious child abuser but it seems even in those harsh days, people were appalled by how she and her husband treated Jane.

I hadn't known that Jane was examined before the execution to see if she were pregnant. The impression is given that Mary was hoping to use that as an excuse to reprive Jane. She also had several Catholic religious figures try to debate Jane in hopes of her conversion which would give Mary another excuse for a reprieve. This all makes sense. I wish she had mentioned in her afterword whether Mary had actually been threatened with the cancellation of marriage to Phillip if she didn't put Jane to death. I can't quite see Mary being that easily bullied. She had all the Tudor stubborness. In many ways I think the character of Mary may be the weakest in the book. She comes across as rather weak and depressed. I can believe the depression. I'm not so sure about the weakness.

This may be the first book I've ever read where Elizabeth plays a supporting role rather than being the focus of the book. I suspect that Elizabeth's rather feminist attitude is slightly incorrect. She wasn't a feminist in general terms. She was a feminist only as regards Elizabeth herself.

Lady Jane Grey is beautifully drawn. She comes across as a very naive unworldly scholar. I hadn't realized that she was close to what would become a Puritan attitude of Protestantism. Again, I'd love to see evidence that she avoided colorful clothing and jewelry. I'll have to go ahead and find more of Weir's books to read. I've read a number of them, but not all by any means. ...more

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May 10, 2016 Kristin rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

The different pov’s are interesting, but there are a lot of them. It’s interesting seeing the story form a young Jane’s pov, but it’s hard to believe that at four years old she would have that kind of understanding of what was going on around her. It might have been better for Weir to start using Jane’s pov a little bit later. The chapters from Lady Mary’s pov seem to have had less effort put into them; they make her seem flat and simplistic. Some changes in pov seem useless and confusing (the c The different pov’s are interesting, but there are a lot of them. It’s interesting seeing the story form a young Jane’s pov, but it’s hard to believe that at four years old she would have that kind of understanding of what was going on around her. It might have been better for Weir to start using Jane’s pov a little bit later. The chapters from Lady Mary’s pov seem to have had less effort put into them; they make her seem flat and simplistic. Some changes in pov seem useless and confusing (the character needs more of an introduction before being used as a pov).

I found the writing a little feeble to begin with, but it does improve. The start of the book could do with another edit in order to improve this and some grammatical errors. One passage later on was given up to trying to explain how one character was related to another, I know family relations in the Tudor period where complicated, but this passage seems unnecessary and confusing.

Each chapter title uses the full title of the person that is narrating it, this compliments the novel. I love that Jane’s title changes in the chapter titles depending on which stage of life she is, particularly when she goes from Queen Jane to Lady Jane Dudley. The novel also taught me things I didn't know about Lady Jane Grey, for example the fact that she was married.

I like the introduction of the topic of female rulers, showing opinion at the time through the male characters and the modern opinion through Jane’s thought. I love the way that Elizabeth is portrayed, very bold and opinionated. She knows that she is equal to any man. I also love that Jane is portrayed as passionate (especially about religion) rather than a fool which could have easily been done. I love the scenes where she really shows her passion and defies those around her.

When they are in the tower of London towards the end of the novel Weir makes a point of referencing back to different people that have inhabited the tower and the different events that have happened, I found this really interesting and it helps to place the novel in time.

The ending is very emotive and it’s clever of Weir to have the last chapter from the pov of the executioner.
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Apr 25, 2017 Marialyce (absltmom, yaya) rated it really liked it

This was such a tragic novel based on a very tragic young lady, the Lady Jane Grey. Every time I read a novel detailing the life of the Tudor court and its aftermath, I can't help coming away with the sense that many fathers and mothers literally prostituted their children for the gain of power. They were so filled with the drug called power that they were willing to sacrifice their own progeny to fulfill their desires. Truly, this was the case with Lady Jane's family. They in their insatiable l ...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Megan rated it did not like it

Shelves: historical-fiction

I was excited when I first learned of this book. There is so little known about Jane Grey, so for some reason I was under the impression that this book was the result of years of research. Boy, was I wrong. It doesn't really reveal much more about Jane Grey and her life than what is shown in the movie "Lady Jane"
That would be tolerable, but it just isn't written very well. All of the characters have the same voice. Weir's attempt to tell the story from different angles doesn't work. In an after ...more

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Aug 11, 2007 Sarah Sammis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: released

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 found my attention wander ...more

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Oct 08, 2017 Hillary rated it it was amazing

I loved this book so much that I did not want it to end . I learned a lot about the lady Jane Grey who was only queen for 9 days . I can not believe how our family treated her and used her to make themselves have a better life . They treated that poor girl so bad that I can not believe that she still loved her parents in when she was beheaded for being the queen of England. I also feel sorry for her because of the way her husband treated her and used her to gain flavors of the court. This was a ...more

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Dec 28, 2018 Bridget Vollmer rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2018-audio-book

This was fantastic from the story to the narration! Even though it is common knowledge how Lady Jane dies, I kept hoping her story would have a happier ending. I feel like the lives of the royalty are akin to being pieces in a chess game.

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Madison Mega-Mara...: #127 Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir	1	1	Sep 30, 2017 03:56PM
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About Alison Weir

Alison Weir

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Alison Weir is a British writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training ...more