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The Tudors #1
The King, the Queen, and the Mistress
A king torn between two women could lead to a kingdom torn.
Troubled by religious unrest in his kingdom and changing alliances with other countries, weighing most on King Henry VIII of England's mind is his impending divorce to Queen Katherine of Aragon. The matter is of extreme urgency, as the king desires an heir and has just met the woman who holds his destiny -- Lady Anne Boleyn, eighteen and in the flower of youthful beauty. But was their meeting by chance, or part of a plan devised by her father for the furthering of his family?
As the new romance blooms, it causes heartache for the queen and headaches for the king's personal chaplain, Cardinal Wolsey, who once worked on behalf of the kingdom to organize diplomatic talks, but now toils to obtain the Church's approval for the king's divorce. As loyalties are questioned and the Church's influence is threatened by the emboldened king, the fate of the kingdom lies in the balance.
An irresistible story of love, lust, ambition, and political intrigue, this novelization of season one of The Tudors introduces us to a young, virile king of one of the most powerful nations in the world, and the women who will cause him to forever alter the course of history.
Troubled by religious unrest in his kingdom and changing alliances with other countries, weighing most on King Henry VIII of England's mind is his impending divorce to Queen Katherine of Aragon. The matter is of extreme urgency, as the king desires an heir and has just met the woman who holds his destiny -- Lady Anne Boleyn, eighteen and in the flower of youthful beauty. But was their meeting by chance, or part of a plan devised by her father for the furthering of his family?
As the new romance blooms, it causes heartache for the queen and headaches for the king's personal chaplain, Cardinal Wolsey, who once worked on behalf of the kingdom to organize diplomatic talks, but now toils to obtain the Church's approval for the king's divorce. As loyalties are questioned and the Church's influence is threatened by the emboldened king, the fate of the kingdom lies in the balance.
An irresistible story of love, lust, ambition, and political intrigue, this novelization of season one of The Tudors introduces us to a young, virile king of one of the most powerful nations in the world, and the women who will cause him to forever alter the course of history.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2007
10 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Anne Gracie
97 books1,542 followersI've always loved stories. Family legend has it that I used to spend hours playing in the sand pit, with a dog on either side of me and Rocka the horse leaning over me, his head just touching my shoulder, while I told them stories. I have to say, dogs and horses are great audiences, apart from their tendency to drool occasionally. But people are even nicer.
In case you imagine we were a filthy rich horse-owning family, let me assure you we weren't. The horse period was a time when my parents entered a "let's-be-self-sufficient" phase, so we had a horse, but no electricity and all our water came from the rain tank.
As well as the horse and dogs, we had 2 cows (Buttercup and Daisy and one of them always had a calf), a sheep (Woolly,) goats (Billy and Nanny) dozens of ducks, chooks, and a couple of geese, a pet bluetongue lizard and a huge vegie patch. I don't know how my mother managed, really, because both she and Dad taught full time, but she came home and cooked on a wood stove and did all the laundry by hand, boiling the clothes and sheets in a big copper kettle. Somehow, we were always warm, clean, well fed and happy. She's pretty amazing, my mum.
Once I learned to read, I spent my days outside playing with the animals (I include my brother and 2 sisters here) and when inside I read. For most of my childhood we didn't have TV, so books have always been a big part of my life. Luckily our house was always full of them. Travel was also a big part of my childhood. My parents had itchy feet. We spent a lot of time driving from one part of Australia to another, visiting relatives or friends or simply to see what was there. I've lived in Scotland, Malaysia and Greece. We travelled through Europe in a caravan and I'd swum most of the famous rivers in Europe by the time I was eight.
This is me and my classmates in Scotland. I am in the second front row, in the middle, to the right of the girl in the dark tunic.
Sounds like I was raised by gypsies, doesn't it? I was even almost born in a tent --Mum, Dad and 3 children were camping and one day mum left the tent and went to hospital to have me. But in fact we are a family of chalkies (Australian slang for teachers)- and Dad was a school principal during most of my life. And I am an expert in being "the new girl" having been to 6 different schools in 12 years.The last 4 years, however, were in the same high school and I still have my 2 best friends from that time.
No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on -- old Enid Blyton and Mary Grant Bruce books, old schoolboys annuals. I learned history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece and Georgette Heyer. I loved animal books -- Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby books and Mary Patchett and Finn the Wolf Hound. And then I read Jane Austen and Dickens and Mary Stewart and Richard Llewellyn and Virginia Woolf and EF Benson and Dick Francis and David Malouf and Patrick White and Doris Lessing and PD James and...the list is never ending.
This is me posing shamelessly on a glacier in New Zealand.
This is me in Greece with my good friend Fay in our village outfits. The film went a funny colour, but you get the idea. I'm the one in the pink apron.
I escaped from my parents, settled down and went to university.To my amazement I became a chalkie myself and found a lot of pleasure in working with teenagers and later, adults. I taught English and worked as a counsellor and helped put on plays and concerts and supervised camps and encouraged other people to write but never did much myself. It took a year of backpacking around the world to find that my early desire to write hadn't left me, it had just got buried under a busy and demanding job.
I wrote my first novel on notebooks bought in Quebec, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. That story never made it out of the notebooks, but I'd been bitten by the writing bug.
My friends and I formed a band called Platform Souls a
In case you imagine we were a filthy rich horse-owning family, let me assure you we weren't. The horse period was a time when my parents entered a "let's-be-self-sufficient" phase, so we had a horse, but no electricity and all our water came from the rain tank.
As well as the horse and dogs, we had 2 cows (Buttercup and Daisy and one of them always had a calf), a sheep (Woolly,) goats (Billy and Nanny) dozens of ducks, chooks, and a couple of geese, a pet bluetongue lizard and a huge vegie patch. I don't know how my mother managed, really, because both she and Dad taught full time, but she came home and cooked on a wood stove and did all the laundry by hand, boiling the clothes and sheets in a big copper kettle. Somehow, we were always warm, clean, well fed and happy. She's pretty amazing, my mum.
Once I learned to read, I spent my days outside playing with the animals (I include my brother and 2 sisters here) and when inside I read. For most of my childhood we didn't have TV, so books have always been a big part of my life. Luckily our house was always full of them. Travel was also a big part of my childhood. My parents had itchy feet. We spent a lot of time driving from one part of Australia to another, visiting relatives or friends or simply to see what was there. I've lived in Scotland, Malaysia and Greece. We travelled through Europe in a caravan and I'd swum most of the famous rivers in Europe by the time I was eight.
This is me and my classmates in Scotland. I am in the second front row, in the middle, to the right of the girl in the dark tunic.
Sounds like I was raised by gypsies, doesn't it? I was even almost born in a tent --Mum, Dad and 3 children were camping and one day mum left the tent and went to hospital to have me. But in fact we are a family of chalkies (Australian slang for teachers)- and Dad was a school principal during most of my life. And I am an expert in being "the new girl" having been to 6 different schools in 12 years.The last 4 years, however, were in the same high school and I still have my 2 best friends from that time.
No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on -- old Enid Blyton and Mary Grant Bruce books, old schoolboys annuals. I learned history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece and Georgette Heyer. I loved animal books -- Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby books and Mary Patchett and Finn the Wolf Hound. And then I read Jane Austen and Dickens and Mary Stewart and Richard Llewellyn and Virginia Woolf and EF Benson and Dick Francis and David Malouf and Patrick White and Doris Lessing and PD James and...the list is never ending.
This is me posing shamelessly on a glacier in New Zealand.
This is me in Greece with my good friend Fay in our village outfits. The film went a funny colour, but you get the idea. I'm the one in the pink apron.
I escaped from my parents, settled down and went to university.To my amazement I became a chalkie myself and found a lot of pleasure in working with teenagers and later, adults. I taught English and worked as a counsellor and helped put on plays and concerts and supervised camps and encouraged other people to write but never did much myself. It took a year of backpacking around the world to find that my early desire to write hadn't left me, it had just got buried under a busy and demanding job.
I wrote my first novel on notebooks bought in Quebec, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. That story never made it out of the notebooks, but I'd been bitten by the writing bug.
My friends and I formed a band called Platform Souls a
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 22, 2023
I was excited to pick up this book, because recently I've been interested in stories about Tudor England, but overall it pretty much disappointed me. I should've known not to have high expectations, since it's a novelisation of the TV series but unfortunately, it did suffer because of that.
The plot is developed but as far as I can tell, it follows the TV show very closely and doesn't offer much besides that. I liked it that there was many details and in general it kept my interest most of the times, but the characters were really under-developed. The author jumped from one character to another, never focusing much on any of them. The writing wasn't bad but I always had this feeling that it's only a slightly expanded screenplay, almost like the author couldn't show her real writing skills, because she had to conform to that, and it took away from my reading enjoyment.
The plot is developed but as far as I can tell, it follows the TV show very closely and doesn't offer much besides that. I liked it that there was many details and in general it kept my interest most of the times, but the characters were really under-developed. The author jumped from one character to another, never focusing much on any of them. The writing wasn't bad but I always had this feeling that it's only a slightly expanded screenplay, almost like the author couldn't show her real writing skills, because she had to conform to that, and it took away from my reading enjoyment.
February 16, 2015
1 week over gedaan om te lezen.
Goed boek?
Gaat, heb betere gelezen maar ook mindere. Periode waar het over gaat is natuurlijk wel al zeer interessant om over te lezen. Leuk boek voor ontspanning.
Goed boek?
Gaat, heb betere gelezen maar ook mindere. Periode waar het over gaat is natuurlijk wel al zeer interessant om over te lezen. Leuk boek voor ontspanning.
September 13, 2022
4,25 stars- English Ebook
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
October 19, 2017
Esperaba más elementos históricos y menos novela , entretenida, nada excepcional.
May 22, 2024
Niet onaardig, maar denk pas echt leuk als je de serie hebt gezien. Het is duidelijk een verboeking van een serie in plaats van een verfilming van een boek.
July 12, 2013
Love, Love, Love... I just love this kind of "stories" that are based or kind of based on the real historical events but are told quite in more interesting way. I couldn´t stop reading it once I got to it. It was funny, it was sad, it had lots of emotions and I´m sure that I wanna watch the TV serie too (because I have never seen it before...)... :)
December 31, 2015
No es un mal libro para aquellos que quieran incursionar en la novela histórica. Su lectura es ágil, cinematográfica incluso, ya que es idéntica a la serie. Pero me resulta muy difícil de aceptar la falta de detalles o incluso errores históricos.
February 6, 2016
Loved the series even if not historically accurate.
August 12, 2025
"The Tudors / de koning, de koningin en de maitresse" is een boek uit 2007 en gebaseerd op het eerste seizoen van de gelijknamige serie over de eerste jaren aan het hof van koning Henry VIII.
De serie heb ik (nog) niet bekeken. Ben zelf toch iets meer van de boeken, maar zeg nooit nooit natuurlijk. Het boek zelf kon me niet echt bekoren; voor mijn gevoel werd er van de hak op de tak gesprongen. het lijkt net of je een script van een film of serie zit te lezen. Het voelt alsof het allemaal niet af is. Daarnaast was het een beetje te zoetsappig. Ja, wat kun je ook anders verwachten bij een boek van een tv-serie...
Je zou in een boek met namen als Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Katherine van Aragon veel historische feiten etc. verwachten. Dat gebeurt helaas maar sporadisch. En als ze dan voorkomen, zit er te weinig diepgang in, waardoor je er nog niks van opsteekt. Als je meer wilt weten over Henry VIII etc., dan zul je toch echt andere boeken moeten lezen. Het is een boek dat meer aanvoelt als een script voor een tv-serie dan als een echt boek: gehaast en scènegedreven, wat maakt dat het voor jou als lezer moeilijk is om de aandacht erbij te houden.
Een groot deel van het boek gaat over Henry VIII, de vervreemding van Catharina van Aragon en zijn verliefdheid op Anna Boleyn. Dan heb je ook meteen het meest boeiende van het boek benoemd.
Boeken over Henry VIII zijn over het algemeen interessant om te lezen, maar in dat rijtje hoort of komt dit boek zeker niet.
De serie heb ik (nog) niet bekeken. Ben zelf toch iets meer van de boeken, maar zeg nooit nooit natuurlijk. Het boek zelf kon me niet echt bekoren; voor mijn gevoel werd er van de hak op de tak gesprongen. het lijkt net of je een script van een film of serie zit te lezen. Het voelt alsof het allemaal niet af is. Daarnaast was het een beetje te zoetsappig. Ja, wat kun je ook anders verwachten bij een boek van een tv-serie...
Je zou in een boek met namen als Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Katherine van Aragon veel historische feiten etc. verwachten. Dat gebeurt helaas maar sporadisch. En als ze dan voorkomen, zit er te weinig diepgang in, waardoor je er nog niks van opsteekt. Als je meer wilt weten over Henry VIII etc., dan zul je toch echt andere boeken moeten lezen. Het is een boek dat meer aanvoelt als een script voor een tv-serie dan als een echt boek: gehaast en scènegedreven, wat maakt dat het voor jou als lezer moeilijk is om de aandacht erbij te houden.
Een groot deel van het boek gaat over Henry VIII, de vervreemding van Catharina van Aragon en zijn verliefdheid op Anna Boleyn. Dan heb je ook meteen het meest boeiende van het boek benoemd.
Boeken over Henry VIII zijn over het algemeen interessant om te lezen, maar in dat rijtje hoort of komt dit boek zeker niet.
August 21, 2023
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
"The Tudors: The King, The Queen, and The Mistress" is about interesting people from the past, but there are a few things to think about. The book has good talks, but sometimes it feels like you're reading a script from a movie, which might not be what everyone likes.
Normally, in stories, you get to hear what characters say, but you also learn about their feelings, thoughts, and where they are. This helps you feel like you're really there. But in "The Tudors," there's a lot of talking, and you don't always get those extra details. This can make it harder to feel like you're part of the story.
The book is good because it shows characters with many sides. But this can also be a bit hard. If you find it tough to remember lots of details, you might get a bit lost trying to understand who's who and what they're doing.
To sum up, "The Tudors: The King, The Queen, and The Mistress" lets you learn about history through interesting characters. The talks make it feel real, but the missing parts might remind you of a movie script. So, I'd give it 2 out of 5 stars. It's okay, but not everyone might like the movie-like parts. And for my that was saddly what happened. I didn't even manage to finish the book, because of this
"The Tudors: The King, The Queen, and The Mistress" is about interesting people from the past, but there are a few things to think about. The book has good talks, but sometimes it feels like you're reading a script from a movie, which might not be what everyone likes.
Normally, in stories, you get to hear what characters say, but you also learn about their feelings, thoughts, and where they are. This helps you feel like you're really there. But in "The Tudors," there's a lot of talking, and you don't always get those extra details. This can make it harder to feel like you're part of the story.
The book is good because it shows characters with many sides. But this can also be a bit hard. If you find it tough to remember lots of details, you might get a bit lost trying to understand who's who and what they're doing.
To sum up, "The Tudors: The King, The Queen, and The Mistress" lets you learn about history through interesting characters. The talks make it feel real, but the missing parts might remind you of a movie script. So, I'd give it 2 out of 5 stars. It's okay, but not everyone might like the movie-like parts. And for my that was saddly what happened. I didn't even manage to finish the book, because of this
March 17, 2019
Si bien las adaptaciones cinematográficas o televisivas dejan mucho que desear a un lector, creo que igual pasa cuando ahora lo hacen al revés, no lo es todo y aunque pareciera mas sencillo sacarle jugo a una serie para escribir un libro siempre se dejará partes inconclusas, desconectadas, sin sentido. Anteriormente me había pasado con Merli, Los peripateticos del siglo XXI.
March 28, 2018
Poutavě napsaný příběh z dob vlády Jindřicha VIII. Tudora a i když je to podle scénáře, neubírá tomu na kvalitě. I když se zde objevuje nějaká chyba, mohu příběh doporučit jako odpočinkovou četbu, kde není o napětí a intriky nouze.
December 31, 2020
I wonder why people like to write about the Tudors so much, especially Henry VIII? I read Wolf Hall and really want to read more about the era!
November 14, 2021
Klart bättre än förväntat, men boken förmedlade kanske inte de allra djupaste psykologiska insikterna. Men, klart läsvärd.
September 23, 2022
I prefered watching the tv show rather than reading about it.
June 10, 2023
Die Zeitsprünge haben mich ziemlich durcheinander gebracht, zusammen mit den Ortswechseln
October 4, 2023
Een van de slechtste boeken die ik in tijden heb gelezen
March 6, 2017
Solitamente amo qualsiasi libro su Enrico VIII e Anna Bolena, ma ho trovato questo piuttosto scarno. è un libro che sembra più il copione del telefilm che un vero e proprio libro: frettoloso e fatto a scene non avvolge il lettore completamente. Prima di leggere questo libro bisogna informarsi sulla storia di Enrico e Anna perché il libro non racconta in dettaglio né i personaggi né la storia. Sicuramente mi aspettavo di meglio!
March 4, 2012
El libro está escrito por el creador de la serie y la galardonada escritora de novela romántica Anne Gracie.
En este primer volumen de los tres que componen la serie, los problemas religiosos y políticos azotan Inglaterra mientras Enrique VIII, su soberano, busca la forma de divorciarse de su esposa, Catalina de Aragón. El país necesita un heredero varón al trono y Enrique VIII cree haber conocido a la mujer que podrá dárselo. Ana Bolena es una joven y bella muchacha de dieciocho años por la que el Rey siente auténtica pasión. Sin embargo, en el entorno real hay dudas acerca de la naturaleza de ese encuentro. ¿Ha sido realmente casual o forma parte de una estrategia del padre de la joven para medrar socialmente?
La historia de amor entre Enrique VIII y Ana Bolena genera profundo pesar en la Reina y dolores de cabeza para el Cardenal Wolsey, capellán del Rey y antiguo diplomático, empeñado ahora en conseguir el divorcio para su majestad. Sin embargo, la Iglesia católica no está dispuesta a conceder la anulación tan fácilmente. En un mar de traiciones, el poder religioso se ve amenazado por la arrogancia del Rey, que no aceptará un no por respuesta, mientras el destino del país está en la cuerda floja.
Una irresistible historia de amor, pasión, deseo, ambición e intrigas políticas, que nos presenta al joven e impulsivo rey uno de los países más poderosos del mundo y a la mujer que le hará cambiar para siempre el curso de la Historia.
En este primer volumen de los tres que componen la serie, los problemas religiosos y políticos azotan Inglaterra mientras Enrique VIII, su soberano, busca la forma de divorciarse de su esposa, Catalina de Aragón. El país necesita un heredero varón al trono y Enrique VIII cree haber conocido a la mujer que podrá dárselo. Ana Bolena es una joven y bella muchacha de dieciocho años por la que el Rey siente auténtica pasión. Sin embargo, en el entorno real hay dudas acerca de la naturaleza de ese encuentro. ¿Ha sido realmente casual o forma parte de una estrategia del padre de la joven para medrar socialmente?
La historia de amor entre Enrique VIII y Ana Bolena genera profundo pesar en la Reina y dolores de cabeza para el Cardenal Wolsey, capellán del Rey y antiguo diplomático, empeñado ahora en conseguir el divorcio para su majestad. Sin embargo, la Iglesia católica no está dispuesta a conceder la anulación tan fácilmente. En un mar de traiciones, el poder religioso se ve amenazado por la arrogancia del Rey, que no aceptará un no por respuesta, mientras el destino del país está en la cuerda floja.
Una irresistible historia de amor, pasión, deseo, ambición e intrigas políticas, que nos presenta al joven e impulsivo rey uno de los países más poderosos del mundo y a la mujer que le hará cambiar para siempre el curso de la Historia.
April 19, 2012
If you love the Showtime show The Tudors, then you should read this book. It is a historical fiction novel based on (and sometimes is word for word) from the first season of The Tudors. It is provocative and captivating, just like the show. It's a quick read so it's a great beach read or for when you want to escape for awhile.
If you are not a fan of the show or have never seen it but are interested in historical fiction or novels based off of shows or movies, then you will probably like this book.
This is a pretty good book, nothing too deep or thought provoking but it is interesting and does give you a sense of what Henry VIII was like and Anne Boleyn.
If you are not a fan of the show or have never seen it but are interested in historical fiction or novels based off of shows or movies, then you will probably like this book.
This is a pretty good book, nothing too deep or thought provoking but it is interesting and does give you a sense of what Henry VIII was like and Anne Boleyn.
October 16, 2008
I have always been fascinated by the English Royalty/Monarchy. Including the English Monarch Henry VIII who had many wives in which two of them were beheaded. Anne Boelyn was the second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. She was executed(beheaded) on false charges of adultery that the King had put against her so he could re-marry. Anne was not able to give him a son because they died within seconds of birth. Anne promised King Henry a son and failed so she was disposed of.
July 10, 2012
Based on The Tudors tv show this book essentially documents the period of Henry VIII's split with Katherine of Aragon and infatuation with Anne Boleyn.
I happened to turn on the TV and saw one of the episodes from this book and actually it appears that the author has taken the dialogue directly from the screenplay and has simply added a little extra detail to provide a context. Whilst it was an easy read and good for getting to grips with the complexities of the different relationships and characters, it wasn't a particularly thought provoking and intellectually stimulating read.
I happened to turn on the TV and saw one of the episodes from this book and actually it appears that the author has taken the dialogue directly from the screenplay and has simply added a little extra detail to provide a context. Whilst it was an easy read and good for getting to grips with the complexities of the different relationships and characters, it wasn't a particularly thought provoking and intellectually stimulating read.
March 7, 2015
This is a novelization of the first season of the Showtime series ‘The Tudors’. As with most (if not all) TV and film novelizations it’s pretty much a standard retelling of what was filmed, with a few additional scenes. It’s an easy read true, however, it doesn’t add anything to the overall experience. There is nothing gained here in terms of characterisation, historical context, or even dramatic content that makes it differ from the show. You could just as easily watch the series and have the exact experience albeit in a more passive format.
May 13, 2009
I watched the TV series and then realized there were books to accompany it. I enjoyed both, but if you've seen the TV show, then the books are nothing new. They may add just a tiny bit more depth or reason for something they did on the show, but not much.
Overall, the writing was okay, sometimes it's hard to imagine the characters and the language acting quite like they do. It certainly doesn't paint Henry in a very good light at all. Interesting, easy read.
Overall, the writing was okay, sometimes it's hard to imagine the characters and the language acting quite like they do. It certainly doesn't paint Henry in a very good light at all. Interesting, easy read.
March 24, 2013
Amikor eldöntöttem, hogy elkezdtem olvasni a könyvet, úgy voltam vele, hogy biztos fele annyira sem lesz jó mint a sorozatos verzió. Örültem, hogy tévedtem, mert egyszerűen tökéletes volt! Nem találkoztam még olyan könyvel, ami ennyire tükrözi a megfilmesített változatát! Boleyn Annát nagyon megkedveltem, Katalin királynét pedig nem. Összességében nagyon tetszett, elbűvölt!
April 1, 2011
I haven't read it all, just parts of it. It was pretty ok, but not that much that I Wanted to know that badly how it ended. And I have my Exams to learn so I am not going to read it now. Maybe when they are over, but we'll see.
Date brought back to library: 1 April 2011
Date brought back to library: 1 April 2011
March 8, 2013
Het boek leest heel vlot, maar is toch niet het sterkste in het ruime aanbod Tudorboeken. Er komen te veel korte scènes in voor, waardoor de spanning wat ontbreekt. Sommige van die scènes hadden best geschrapt kunnen worden, zonder aan belang in te boeten.
April 30, 2008
As a romance novel it was fine. My question is: what happened to the Tallis/Compton romance? It's been totally erased. LAME.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews