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The Tudor Chronicles #1
The Nymph from Heaven
The First Book of the Tudor Chronicles:
The Nymph from Heaven (1502-1533)
The Nymph from Heaven is the story of
possibly the most famous love triangle in
history, the results of which still ring down
the centuries to us today; that of Henry VIII,
Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.
This intriguing story is juxtaposed with the
captivating tale of Henry’s younger sister,
Mary Tudor. Almost everyone knows that
King Henry VIII of England had six wives
and two daughters, but many do not
realize that he also had two sisters. Both of
King Henry’s sisters became queens
through dynastic marriages. Margaret,
King Henry’s elder sister, became Queen
of Scotland, while Mary, his younger sister,
became Queen of France. The Nymph
from Heaven is based on the life of Henry’s
younger sister, Mary Tudor. Mary, not to be
confused with her niece, “Bloody” Mary,
graced the stage of European politics for
only a few short years, but her story is a
fascinating one. Born a beautiful princess
into Tudor England in the late Middle Ages,
Mary’s hand was sought in marriage
practically from the cradle. But bound
to duty by her high position, Mary knows
that any match arranged for her will
almost certainly take her out of England
for marriage with a stranger in a foreign
land. But Mary falls in love with a poor
English knight, and is determined to marry
him. Against all odds, Mary marries her one
true love. But the price may prove too high.
The Nymph from Heaven (1502-1533)
The Nymph from Heaven is the story of
possibly the most famous love triangle in
history, the results of which still ring down
the centuries to us today; that of Henry VIII,
Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.
This intriguing story is juxtaposed with the
captivating tale of Henry’s younger sister,
Mary Tudor. Almost everyone knows that
King Henry VIII of England had six wives
and two daughters, but many do not
realize that he also had two sisters. Both of
King Henry’s sisters became queens
through dynastic marriages. Margaret,
King Henry’s elder sister, became Queen
of Scotland, while Mary, his younger sister,
became Queen of France. The Nymph
from Heaven is based on the life of Henry’s
younger sister, Mary Tudor. Mary, not to be
confused with her niece, “Bloody” Mary,
graced the stage of European politics for
only a few short years, but her story is a
fascinating one. Born a beautiful princess
into Tudor England in the late Middle Ages,
Mary’s hand was sought in marriage
practically from the cradle. But bound
to duty by her high position, Mary knows
that any match arranged for her will
almost certainly take her out of England
for marriage with a stranger in a foreign
land. But Mary falls in love with a poor
English knight, and is determined to marry
him. Against all odds, Mary marries her one
true love. But the price may prove too high.
889 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2017
322 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 30, 2018
An Interestingly & Curiously Original Novel
The author of this novel, Bonny Smith may just have pulled off a literary first in the field of Tudorian literature! You see most novels set in the reign of the mad & bad Henry the 8th & thereabouts are about the entanglement of this monarch & his wives are set in the midst of the latter 17 years of his reign or take the long view and make the subject of the book the entire life of the king. But this fine novel makes the first Princess Mary Tudor the protagonist of that era & the time -frame is the last years of Henry the 7th to the first 23 odd years of the reign of his son, Henry the 8th, king of England. During this stretch of time, Henry the 8th was a much different person then the stereotypical view of the grossly fat, ugly, mean old tyrant. In fact, he was the most handsome & accomplished Prince & King in Christendom (until le Roi Francois le premiere, was coronated, at least!) He was idolized by his people, beloved of his court & playful, romantic & his attitude was friendly to all but his enemies or political rivals. It was a golden time followed by decades of danger! This novel is a fine one, well written & researched, except for bad editing in chapter 29, location 13147 of the book. In this passage, Wolsey is mortally ill & Mary is nursing him. Confusion for the reader occurs at this time. There are 2 Mary's in the novel, the Princess & Mary Boleyn (sometime mistress of Henry the 8th & sister to Queen Anne Boleyn.) At first it seems that the Princess is nursing the Cardinal Wolsey ( who the reader has been told is like a father to this princess) but then one finds that this Mary starts an emotional aside about the way her relations are treating her, including her sister Anne & brother George Boleyn?!? My guess is that this is an anomaly & the Mary of chapter 29 is indeed the royal one, because of events that occur later in the book. Besides, it makes more sense! Were it not for this anomaly in chapter 29, I would have given this period novel, 5 stars & lauded it in many admiring phrases. Despite the bewilderment
of chapter 29, I recommend this book, most highly.
The author of this novel, Bonny Smith may just have pulled off a literary first in the field of Tudorian literature! You see most novels set in the reign of the mad & bad Henry the 8th & thereabouts are about the entanglement of this monarch & his wives are set in the midst of the latter 17 years of his reign or take the long view and make the subject of the book the entire life of the king. But this fine novel makes the first Princess Mary Tudor the protagonist of that era & the time -frame is the last years of Henry the 7th to the first 23 odd years of the reign of his son, Henry the 8th, king of England. During this stretch of time, Henry the 8th was a much different person then the stereotypical view of the grossly fat, ugly, mean old tyrant. In fact, he was the most handsome & accomplished Prince & King in Christendom (until le Roi Francois le premiere, was coronated, at least!) He was idolized by his people, beloved of his court & playful, romantic & his attitude was friendly to all but his enemies or political rivals. It was a golden time followed by decades of danger! This novel is a fine one, well written & researched, except for bad editing in chapter 29, location 13147 of the book. In this passage, Wolsey is mortally ill & Mary is nursing him. Confusion for the reader occurs at this time. There are 2 Mary's in the novel, the Princess & Mary Boleyn (sometime mistress of Henry the 8th & sister to Queen Anne Boleyn.) At first it seems that the Princess is nursing the Cardinal Wolsey ( who the reader has been told is like a father to this princess) but then one finds that this Mary starts an emotional aside about the way her relations are treating her, including her sister Anne & brother George Boleyn?!? My guess is that this is an anomaly & the Mary of chapter 29 is indeed the royal one, because of events that occur later in the book. Besides, it makes more sense! Were it not for this anomaly in chapter 29, I would have given this period novel, 5 stars & lauded it in many admiring phrases. Despite the bewilderment
of chapter 29, I recommend this book, most highly.
July 7, 2020
Better than average historical fiction of about Mary Tudor, sister to Henry VIII. Covers not only Mary's life, but also parts of Henry's and their sister Margaret, who was Queen of Scotland. As well the French Court (Mary was married to a French King briefly), and Charles V.
Not particularly a Phillipa Gregory bodice ripper.
Didn't agree with the author's imaging of some events, but that can be the way of historical fiction. However, for the most part there was nothing improbable or completely out of character from what we know from the records.
Book would have benefited from a better editor, there was a sprinkling of mistakes like discrete instead of discreet, and a few typos.
Not particularly a Phillipa Gregory bodice ripper.
Didn't agree with the author's imaging of some events, but that can be the way of historical fiction. However, for the most part there was nothing improbable or completely out of character from what we know from the records.
Book would have benefited from a better editor, there was a sprinkling of mistakes like discrete instead of discreet, and a few typos.
January 12, 2020
good book
July 21, 2021
A great read, which I recommend highly! The author’s attention to detail is amazing and helped me feel as if I were in the scene with her well-developed characters!
August 21, 2020
I love historical fiction. But this book is staggeringly boring. There's far too much focus on how the ladies' clothes always sparkle with diamonds, how the fabulous feasts are staged by Cardinal Wolsey to impress and placate an already unsteady Henry VIII. There's a tiny bit of off-the-cuff discourse about the one mistress (Bessie Blount), who birthed the royal bastard Henry Fitzroy, and then just dropped that bit of narrative over the cliffs. Page after page hinted at the pompous and oleaginous Cardinal Wolsey, who amassed great wealth and prestige only to be ultimately driven to the depths of despair and eventual obscure death just before he would have met his already determined ugly death in penury. This book was supposed to be about Mary Tudor and her great beauty, her influence on Henry VIII as a royal sibling of great influence. But every time Mary appeared in the story the most we ever read about was her clothing, her disgust with Francois of France, and her inability to do anything more to help Queen Katherine in what were truly disastrous days of perfidy and disgrace since she wasn't able to provide the king with a viable male heir. We all know how that little bit of history worked out.
I became bored very quickly with the intense focus on who wore what to where and why it should have made a difference. I am more interested in the fast-moving stories of Hilary Mantel, Phillippa Gregory, and others. This book just did not capture my attention and I found myself paging through lengthy chapters, not caring how the characters moved, spoke, or behaved. Far too much emphasis was on these ubiquitous descriptions of the beauty of Mary Tudor, but I did a quick historical search for any likeness and from my point of view she was nothing much to look upon. Of course, the portraits of the period were often distorted and unflattering, but still-she wasn't this epitome of royal appearance or drop-dead-stopping-gorgeous.
I also thought the absurd posing of bloodlines drew the ultimate storyline into a vague and detached relating of bare-bones information easily ignored. Tell the story once and move on. Chapter after chapter dragged out the same phrases and inferences. All I was able to parse out of that repetition was an annoyance. I "got" it; move on already. Apparently, all the figures of historical note had nothing better to do with their time than grouse about their patronage rather than actually represent how society as a whole helped form the presence of the church as the ultimate authority. There were so many persons of note who were influential throughout the time period, like Luther with his 99 treatises nailed to a cathedral door; Joanna, the mad queen of Spain; Maximillian, the emperor.
All in all, I just couldn't finish this book. I got as far as 61% and just had to stop. I kept falling asleep with my tablet falling to the floor, waking me up. I thought giving up was the best option for me. Normally my tastes are geared to much more revelatory discourse, shored up with fact rather than weakly established speculation.
The book could have benefitted from a bit of improved editing, and for historical facts I think the narrative might have been backed up by following recorded history rather than speculating how the royal kitchens served gamefowl for feasts.
This is an author new to me. I read this book on Kindle Unlimited, but I don't think I will bother trying to read the rest of the series. Sorry, not for me.
I became bored very quickly with the intense focus on who wore what to where and why it should have made a difference. I am more interested in the fast-moving stories of Hilary Mantel, Phillippa Gregory, and others. This book just did not capture my attention and I found myself paging through lengthy chapters, not caring how the characters moved, spoke, or behaved. Far too much emphasis was on these ubiquitous descriptions of the beauty of Mary Tudor, but I did a quick historical search for any likeness and from my point of view she was nothing much to look upon. Of course, the portraits of the period were often distorted and unflattering, but still-she wasn't this epitome of royal appearance or drop-dead-stopping-gorgeous.
I also thought the absurd posing of bloodlines drew the ultimate storyline into a vague and detached relating of bare-bones information easily ignored. Tell the story once and move on. Chapter after chapter dragged out the same phrases and inferences. All I was able to parse out of that repetition was an annoyance. I "got" it; move on already. Apparently, all the figures of historical note had nothing better to do with their time than grouse about their patronage rather than actually represent how society as a whole helped form the presence of the church as the ultimate authority. There were so many persons of note who were influential throughout the time period, like Luther with his 99 treatises nailed to a cathedral door; Joanna, the mad queen of Spain; Maximillian, the emperor.
All in all, I just couldn't finish this book. I got as far as 61% and just had to stop. I kept falling asleep with my tablet falling to the floor, waking me up. I thought giving up was the best option for me. Normally my tastes are geared to much more revelatory discourse, shored up with fact rather than weakly established speculation.
The book could have benefitted from a bit of improved editing, and for historical facts I think the narrative might have been backed up by following recorded history rather than speculating how the royal kitchens served gamefowl for feasts.
This is an author new to me. I read this book on Kindle Unlimited, but I don't think I will bother trying to read the rest of the series. Sorry, not for me.
November 10, 2021
Such an odd title for a book, but this historical fiction about Princess Mary Tudor (the younger sister of King Henry VIII) was incredibly interesting and I could not put it down! It told her life story while, at the same time, telling the story of King Henry growing up, his early reign, and marrying Catherine of Aragon, as well as his “Great Matter” in trying to cast her aside in order to marry Anne Boylen. It covered Princess Mary becoming queen of France, her secret marriage to Charles Brandon, and her return to the English court. One of the things that I liked most about this novel was that it was frequently told from different perspectives, and we got to hear the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters throughout the story. And what a lengthy story it was! 800+ pages! Smith kept the plot line moving by not getting bogged down in paragraph upon paragraph of lineage and ancestry, dates and historical explanations, which I have seen in multiple other historical fictions. It becomes more of a dry, tedious history book than historical fiction. Smith did a fantastic job bringing these people, and their stories, to life. She touched on key historical moments and either let them play out in her writing, or touched on them briefly through a letter that a messenger delivered to a character. For an 800+ page book, I tore through it very quickly and the pages seemed to fly by. The title is odd though. There are one or two sentences where an ambassador makes a comment referring to Princess Mary as a nymph from heaven because she is so beautiful, but I don’t think that I would have chosen that phrase for the title. Anyways, aside from that, it is very well written and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!
January 6, 2019
Lots of history
I enjoyed the story of Mary, but it took a detour and became a bit of a long-winded story about a very bitchy Anne Boleyn. I wasn’t really interested in “Nan Bullen” this time around. Otherwise it was ok.
I enjoyed the story of Mary, but it took a detour and became a bit of a long-winded story about a very bitchy Anne Boleyn. I wasn’t really interested in “Nan Bullen” this time around. Otherwise it was ok.
January 5, 2022
Mary Tudor
This was pretty good. A little slow in the beginning, but it got better halfway through. I really like this author she tells a great story and is very knowledgeable about English royal history.
This was pretty good. A little slow in the beginning, but it got better halfway through. I really like this author she tells a great story and is very knowledgeable about English royal history.
February 21, 2019
Good book
Easy to read. Offered a different view of England leaving rome. Got to see how court reacted to ann e
Easy to read. Offered a different view of England leaving rome. Got to see how court reacted to ann e
September 22, 2019
J loved the parts of the story that pertained to Mary. However mean Ann grew tiresome. The era and places were depicted beautifully.
May 17, 2021
Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
March 17, 2021
A brilliant read a fictionalised story of Mary Tudor
July 13, 2019
I loved this book. I feel like the author took me back in time and I was there with Mary Tudor. I loved that the character was someone who has not been written about to death. A woman overlooked by history.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews