These sound truly horrible Josephine as well as highly unlikely.

What was wrong with "The Tudor Wife"? Jane Boleyn was truly vile.

Just the fact that the author had the Tudor women saying
things like 'sure'. As if they were in Texas!

ARRGHHH!

Josephine and Laurie: Couldn't agree more with bells on.

:D

What is going on with American writers of historical fiction? Just stop please! Thank heavens for Sharon K. Penman at least.

Yes, and I've heard that Margaret George is also very good. I've got her mammoth novels about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I waiting to be read. She has also written about Mary Stuart, I'm glad to say.

Soairse wrote: "Yes, and I've heard that Margaret George is also very good. I've got her mammoth novels about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I waiting to be read. She has also written about Mary Stuart, I'm glad to say."

Margaret George is excellent. I've read all of her books and she does a marvelous job with the characters and events.

I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with Ms George's writing .

The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers is one of my favorite HF novels - you might want to consider reading it first Soairse.

Thanks Laurie, I have a copy, so when the time is right (I've been saving the George books up) I'll start there. I see that you've read her book on Mary Queen of Scots but although you liked it, you gave it a lower rating. I don't have that one yet so I'll wait until I've read the volume on Henry and Elizabeth before I commit.

While her Autobiography of Henry 8th was pure magic to read I found her book on Mary Stuart to be a little dull and plodding at times. I've ready so many books about her maybe I'm a little tired of the subject. George is an excellent historian though.

I also have her Elizabeth tome but I have to be in the right mood before tackling this one.
What are your favorite Mary Stuart HF novels?

Josephine and Laurie, I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read any novels on Mary Stuart but I enjoyed the late Katherine Hepburn and Frederic March in the film 'Mary of Scotland'. Lady Antonia Fraser's biography of Mary is good although a little dated now. My favourite biography is the more recent one by the historian, John Guy, 'My Heart Is My Own'. Guy's work reads like a novel. His book on Sir Thomas More's daughter, Margaret is also excellent in my opinion.

Oh I like the sound of the book about Sir Thomas More's daughter I shall add it to my list. Thank you Soairse

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did Josephine, I found it very readable.

I recently bought the Jean Plaidy book titled "The King's Confidant" - It's an older book that I think once had the title "St. Thomas Eve".
I'm also very interested in reading more about Meg More.

I read Plaidy's Mary Stuart novels as a teen and loved them then, don't know if I'd find them as interesting now.

I've also read Fraser's bio of Mary - rather dry as I recall but quite detailed.

I think I have every single one of Jean Plaidy's books and Norah Lofts also! Very good reading.

Two of my very favorite authors too Josephine. I've been collecting Lofts books for awhile now, always fun to track one down at a thrift or antique shop.
I'm also a big fan of Maureen Peters and Hilda Lewis.
Jan Westcott was my favorite HF author of them all when I was a teen. I tried to buy a hardcover copy of Queen's Grace but since it cost $500.00 I decided against it.

Oh gosh some of my favourites too Laurie I still have some of the Maureen Peters. I also still have some Margaret Campbell Barnes.

I've read a few of Barnes books too, Brief Gaudy Hour and Isabelle the Fair.
Do you remember any British HF authors writing around the 1960's and 1970's, the golden age of HF ?

Evelyn Anthony wrote a few good ones too - I wish she'd written more. Are you familiar with Margaret Irwin? I'm about to begin her trilogy of Young Bess.

Oh yes I was eighteen in 1970 and I had just started working in a library, I took home so many books it was heaven. I read Evelyn Anthony. I have several Margaret Irwin in my spare room, and I have read (I keep a list of all the books I have read, although my mum did throw one of the lists away by mistake so some of the childhood and teenage ones are missing) Elizabeth Captive Princess, The White Pawn and My Lady of Wycherley. I have been having a look in Spare Room and I have a lot of Barbara Michaels, Maureen Peters, Victoria Holt, Dorothy Eden, Susan Howatch, Phillippa Car and Anna Maybury. I also have loads of Catherine Cookson which I go to for a change and an old favourite that I started reading whilst at school was Miss Read, I don't know if you have read any of her books but they are lovely, she was headmistress of a tiny village school and she is such a gentle writer, she writes about life in the village and the school.
One series is the Village School series set in Fairacre and the other is set in Caxley the nearby town. They are enchanting, funny and bring back a time in the English country village that I remember so well. I went to a little village school and it was a very happy place.
By the way, thank you for the invitation to join the Historical Book Group, I have done so and I shall enjoy reading what all the other members think.
Jo x

Josephine wrote: "Oh yes I was eighteen in 1970 and I had just started working in a library, I took home so many books it was heaven. I read Evelyn Anthony. I have several Margaret Irwin in my spare room, and I have..."


How lucky for you being able to work in a library. I worked part time in a book store once and found it heavenly.

Now that we have interlibrary loan available I've been able to get my hands on some of the older British HF authors so thanks for the list. I wish we'd had this when I was a child, so many good children's books I missed.

Another author I recall liking was Mary Luke.

I read one Cookson book and loved it, Miss Martha Mary Crawford and I've been meaning to read more. I haven't found many of her books at antique or 2nd hand shops though.

I have heard of the Miss Read series and often thought I'd love to read them. Sometimes I think I have OCD as I can't begin reading a series out of so I'll have to find the first book and go from there. She's another author that I haven't had much success in finding here. You're so lucky to have grown up in the English countryside, sounds so lovely.

Even though they didn't write HF I do love reading Barbara Pym and Dodie Smith.

So glad to see you joined the HF group - let me know if I can help you there.

I like Pym and Smith also but I don't know Mary Luke. I can't imagine not being able to get all those popular books. I am exactly the same with reading the works of an author in order, we probably have some sort OCD you are right. I wish we were neighbours then I could lend you hundreds of them!
Jo x

I can't even imagine the hidden treasures we would find if we could go through each other's books :D

I just remembered another author I loved:

Sylvia Pell