European Royalty discussion
European Royalty Discussions
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What have you read lately?
Posie Graeme Evans. I only knew who she was talking about because I recognized the book and the storyline.
I've started The Two Dianas by Alexandre Dumas, his take on Diane de Poitiers and the Diana that was supposedly her daughter.
How was the rest of the accuracy of The Innocent? I can deal with the illegitimate child part being a bit silly if the background - what's going on politically, etc - is accurate. I've not read anything about Henry VI and would like to. This one actually sounds decent - but then I like me some gratuitous sex scenes ;)Misfit - can't wait to hear how you like The Two Diana's! I found the purchase request/ILL form on my library's web site, but it's broken. I'm heading in today and hoping to be able to fill something out while I'm there.
I just finished Stealing Athena. Didn't love it. I thought it was going to be more interesting but I found the first half of the book just dragged along.
Mandy wrote: "How was the rest of the accuracy of The Innocent? I can deal with the illegitimate child part being a bit silly if the background - what's going on politically, etc - is accurate. I've not read a..."It really only touches on the politics of the time lightly...through the main character's perspective. There's talk about how Edward needs the support of London to raise money to fund his battles. When I think back on the book and try to remember what was in it, all I remember is the main gal always trying to avoid Edward and not give in to him.
And Mandy, I think you'll be pleased with the sex scenes. Lol! There's a decent one involving Hastings, a laundry maid, and a bath tub. Lol! :)
Mandy wrote: "How was the rest of the accuracy of The Innocent? I can deal with the illegitimate child part being a bit silly if the background - what's going on politically, etc - is accurate. I've not read a..."I was going to try these books at one time until I heard the sex was over the top.
Mandy, I'm at about page 130 and loving it. Diane de Poitiers is very very different in this book than The Courtesan. And I foresee quite a pair of star crossed Romeo and Juliet lovers coming up soon.
When I picked up what was supposed to be Volume I at the library it was actually Volume II and I was nashing my teeth at having to wait. Laura found an ebook - if you can't get it I'll drop you the links. A bit of a pain (you can't cuddle up with it in bed nor take it to the loo) but one must do what one must.
Just picked up four books the library had on hold for me and I can't wait to start them. I've got Emma Darwin's "A Secret Alchemy" and three Plaidy books, "Hammer of the Scots," "Follies of the King," and "The Star of Lancaster."[image error]
Wow Robin, you must be a fast reader!!! :) I would never be able to finish four books from the library in time. Even with a couple I usually have to renew at least one of them! :)
I finished Hammer of the Scots last night and I enjoyed it for the most part. Certainly not Plaidy's best writing but still interesting. I did want to reach back in history and slap the ***t out of Edward's daughter Joanna (and sometimes him for allowing her to get away with stuff).Working on The Follies of the Kingnow and I want to smack Edward and Gaveston as well.
So...finished "Follies of the King" and "The Star of Lancaster."I have to say I wanted to smack Edward throughout "Follies." Was he really that blind to everything?? I started out feeling a bit sorry for Isabella but by the end, knowing what was to come, I wanted to smack her as well. I did get a laugh out of the fact that she kept thinking she'd be able to rule through her son. Little did she know...
"Star" gave me a bit more info on the early years of Henry Bolingbroke. There was quite a bit about his marriage to Mary de Bouhn (sp?). Did Henry IV have leprosy? That seems to be what they were hinting at. I wish there had been more about Henry V but then again, he unfortunately wasn't king for very long.
Wow Robin you've been reading like a speed train! I'm impressed!
For those who enjoy Dumas he wrote a six book series on the revolution, from the point of view of the lower classes but also the Royal Family, as well as some real mystical spookiness with Joseph Balsamo (google him, he really existed). Joseph Balsamo
Memoirs of a Physician
The Queen's Necklace
Taking the Bastile
The Countess de Charney
Knight of the Maison Rouge
I would tread very cautiously with any new editions - there are some very bad translations out there. There are still libraries out there with the old 1910 editions from Collier.
Robin wrote: "I finished Hammer of the Scots last night and I enjoyed it for the most part. Certainly not Plaidy's best writing but still interesting. I did want to reach back in history and slap t..."I think Hammer of the Scots is my least favorite Plaidy - it felt like a bunch of facts just strung together.
Which of Margaret Campbell Brown's books do you think are worth reading?
Susan C wrote: "Wow Robin you've been reading like a speed train! I'm impressed!"Lol. Thanks. I have always been a very fast reader. I could finish GWTW in just about 2 or 3 days when I was still a young teenager.
Susan C wrote: "Which of Margaret Campbell Brown's books do you think are worth reading?"I enjoyed Margaret Campbell Barnes' The Hollow Crown and Isabel the Fair; my favorite is her novel about Anne of Cleves, called My Lady of Cleves. I also liked The Tudor Rose, though I suspect if I read it now some of the historical errors would bother me. She also wrote Mary of Carisbrooke, set during the English Civil War--I didn't get around to finishing it, but I think it was more by being distracted by something else than the book itself.
Just finished "A Secret Alchemy" by Emma Darwin and I have to say, I was not impressed. The only parts I enjoyed were those from Elizabeth or Anthony Woodville's POVs and even then the constant jumping around between memories and "present day" got confusing.
My husband jokingly challenged me to reading 5 books at the sime time. So I took the challenge and picked 5 very different books, so I would not be confused. 2 of them I'm already pretty far into. Here they are: Twilight, The Killer's Wife, Courts of Love, Deviant, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.Any thoughts out there?
Oh I really liked Plaidy's Courts of Love. I hated Twilight. Lol.Just requested some books at the library and I can't wait to get my hands on them! I have Penman's "When Christ and his Saints Slept," B.Cornwell's "Azincourt," and Edith Felber's "Queen of Shadows: A Novel of Isabella, Queen of Edward II." I'm so excited. :)
Robin wrote: "Just finished "A Secret Alchemy" by Emma Darwin and I have to say, I was not impressed. The only parts I enjoyed were those from Elizabeth or Anthony Woodville's POVs and even then the constant jum..."I enjoyed it, but I can definitely see how this formula would not work for everyone.
I am ever so slowly dragging through Tess of the d'Urbervilles. It's a good story, just super slowww.The last book I finished was The Other Boleyn Girl, which was absolutely amazing. Philippa Gregory is a genius in my opinion; can't wait to read more of her books though I don't know exactly which one to start with! Decisions decisions!
Janine wrote: "The last book I finished was The Other Boleyn Girl, which was absolutely amazing. Philippa Gre..."Hey Janine,
I personally thought "The Boleyn Inheritence" was much better then The Other Boleyn Girl. Didn't much care for The Queen's Fool.
I just finished Blood Royal by Vanora Bennett last weekend. I really enjoyed it. I had never read anything about Catherine of Valois and was curious as to how she, a french princess, after being married to Henry V, was then married to Owain Tudor. It was an interesting read - Queen Isabeau was a great character and I felt extremely sorry for King Charles VI of France suffering so from mental illness.
That was pretty much my feeling, Hannah.I really liked Virgin Earth, though (one of her non-Tudor ones).
Susanna wrote: "That was pretty much my feeling, Hannah.I really liked Virgin Earth, though (one of her non-Tudor ones)."
Susanna,
Is Virgin Earth part of the Wideacre series?
Nope - I tried the first Wildacre book and couldn't get through it.Virgin Earth A Novel is, I think, a sequel to Earthly Joys A Novel; but I read it as a standalone and it was fine that way, too.
Susanna wrote: "Nope - I tried the first Wildacre book and couldn't get through it.Virgin Earth A Novel is, I think, a sequel to Earthly Joys A Novel; but I read it as a standalone a..."
Thanks~
I just finished Company of Liars by Karen Maitland. Not about European Royalty, but is set during the reign of Edward III. It was a good read with a bit of mystery!I have now started A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick and The Devil's Queen is ready to be picked up at my library so these should keep me busy.
Yay! Got my books from the library today and can't decide which to read first!!!
Robin wrote: "Yay! Got my books from the library today and can't decide which to read first!!
I am getting ready to start In the Shadow of the Crown by Jean Plaidy. I have read the first 5 books in the Queens of England series and have liked them all so far.
I got Murder of a Medici Princess for my birthday!
Holly wrote: "I am getting ready to start In the Shadow of the Crown by Jean Plaidy. I have read the first 5 books in the Queens of England series and have liked them all so far."I like this series as well. I don't always care for first person POV stories, but I enjoy these. Have you gotten to the Queen's Secret about Katherine de Valois? I think that's my favorite one.
Holly wrote: "I am getting ready to start In the Shadow of the Crown by Jean Plaidy. I have read the first 5 books in the Queens of England series and have liked them all so far."Holly I'm reading The Courts of Love and am enjoying it very much. I'm not sure if it's part of the Queens of England series or not, but it's definitely worth reading.
Susan C wrote: "Holly wrote: "I am getting ready to start In the Shadow of the Crown by Jean Plaidy. I have read the first 5 books in the Queens of England series and have liked them all so far."Holly I'm rea..."
I'm pretty sure Courts of Love is part of that series (I own it, but haven't read it yet).
I really think you'll enjoy the book!
I finishedQueen of Shadows A Novel of Isabella, Wife of King Edward II last night and I really enjoyed it.This was the third book I've read that dealt with Isabella, Edward II, and their favorites and this one painted Isabella in a much more favorable light. She comes across as a much more sympathetic character. I liked the way the author had her actually helping her son Edward secretly escape from Mortimer at the end, seeming to have realized that Mortimer was becoming like Despenser.
Robin wrote: "I finishedQueen of Shadows A Novel of Isabella, Wife of King Edward II last night and I really enjoyed it.This was the third book I've read that dealt with Isabella, Edward II, and..."
Now get yourself a hold of a copy of Cashelmaraby Susan Howatch. Although set in 19C Ireland she parallels Edward II Isabella and of course the Huge Despenser bit. Some seriously chilling moments in that book let me tell you.
I finished Sex with the Queen 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics and now I'm reading The Lady Elizabeth A Novel. Sex With The Queen was interesting and I didn't know anything about some of the persons mentioned so it was nice read of them too. I liked the writing style but I read finnish edition. And I hate when you have make finnish version of some of the names.
Just bought two Alison Weir books and I'm looking forward to getting into them...after I finish Azincourt and When Christ and his Saints Slept.Here's what I got:
I've heard good things about both. I spent hours readingold old threads to find the best of several different authors.
Robin, I really enjoyed the Children of Henry VIII. I haven't read the War of the Roses one.
Elysium wrote: "I finished Sex with the Queen 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics and now I'm reading The Lady Elizabeth A Novel. Sex With The Queen was in..."I've been wanting to read the Sex with the Queen book. What are some of the things they do with the names in Finnish?
European Royalty
Books mentioned in this topic
The Book of Royal Useless Information: A Funny and Irreverent Look at the British Royal Family Past and Present (other topics)Katherine (other topics)
Queen of the North (other topics)
Victoria and her daughters (other topics)
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Noel Botham, Bruce Montague (other topics)Alison Weir (other topics)
Alison Weir (other topics)
Alison Weir (other topics)
Jean Plaidy (other topics)
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I read some reviews on here about the next two and I don't know if I'll pick them up or not. I don't like leaving things unfinished...but I certainly wasn't blown away by the story.