Historical Fictionistas discussion
Favorite HF Authors
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Alison Weir
oh just kidding...I own one about Henry VIII Children, not his wives. LOL.How is it that they aren't on my TBR? Now I have to go make it even longer :(
I have the one about the six wives. Well, I've borrowed it anyway.
Her non-fiction works are awesome, i would recommend anyone interested in history to try one, perhaps before the fiction, youll be amazed how easy they read and how much of a page turner they are.Eleanor of Aquitaine A Life
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
The Children of Henry VIII
The Princes in the Tower
The Wars of the Roses
Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley
Elizabeth the Queen
I've read Children of England (UK title for The Children of Henry VIII). I also own
The Princes in the Tower
The Wars of the Roses
Innocent Traitor A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
I can't wait to read them. I agree with Jon - the one I read was non-fiction and insanely easy to get through and very interesting while still being informative and accurate.
i think Jen and I want to start a campaign to get people reading the real thing!
Jon wrote: "i think Jen and I want to start a campaign to get people reading the real thing!"Sounds good to me :)
Antonia Fraser is equally as good for exampleThe Six Wives of Henry VIII
Mary Queen of Scots
Love and Louis XIV The Women in the Life of the Sun King
Marie Antoinette The Journey
Jon wrote: "Antonia Fraser is equally as good for example I have yet to actually read one of her books but I own
Marie Antoinette The Journey
Mary Queen of Scots
The Wives of Henry VIII
The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England
Guess I'd better get started? Do you have a favorite, Jon? Does AF write HF as well as non-fiction?
I think Mary Queen of scots was my favourite, i dont think she did fiction too. Ive read some others of hers but i forget which, i actually havnt read the wives of henry of the kings and queens. Antoinette was also good though
I read her novel Captive Queen. It was good but I felt like she didn't dwell on Eleanor's complete personality and instead focused on her love life which was a shame since Eleanor of Aquitaine is such a vibrant historical figure.
I'm in love with Alison Weir's non-fiction. She humbles me. But I didn't enjoy her historical fiction as much. At least not yet. I think she's tyrannized by the facts :P
I am almost finished Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, I am listening to the audio. I am so enjoying this book, I feel so sorry for Lady Jane Grey...
Margaret wrote: "I am almost finished Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, I am listening to the audio. I am so enjoying this book, I feel so sorry for Lady Jane Grey..."Loved this one!
I haven't tried Weir's novels yet - I think the initial poor reviews of Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine put me off. Her non-fiction is very impression though.
I want to read Weir. Innocent traitor and the one about Anne Bolynn appeal to me.
Diane wrote: "Just brought home from the library her Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings."I'm really looking forward to reading this. I loved her book about Anne and I'm sure Mary is just as interesting.
I got The Lady Elizabeth from the library but as soon as I started reading it I put it down. The narration was strange to me it read like someone trying to tell you something rather than a story you can get into if that makes sense. I dont know if Ill be doing anymore of her Historical Ficition yet but maybe her Non-Fic.
The Princes in the Tower is a must-read for anyone influenced by Shakespeare. It turns out, Richard II--of Shakespearean hunchback fame--was tall, straight-backed, blonde, and handsome. (But he probably did kill the princes in the tower.)
Hi DavidYou might want to read Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes for a more balanced survey of the evidence regarding the fate of the princes.
Thank you, Darkpool! I'll add that to my list. (I didn't mean to step into a hotly contended debate!)
Allison (The Allure of Books) wrote: "I just got myself a copy of Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life that I'm looking forward to reading!"I read and enjoyed this book. My parents actually named me after Eleanor of Aquitaine so I was really intrigued to know her story better.
I like Weir a lot. Of her novels, I feel the one on Lady Jane Grey is by far the best. Echoing Margret, I felt sorry for her. Her weakest in the one on Eleanor.I finished her latest Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings earlier this year.
While it was a decent read, I don't think there was enough there to justify a full biography of the Lady. It was by far her weakest book. A whole lot of speculation and not a lot of hard facts.
Of her regular histories/biographies, the one I liked the most is either The Princes in the Tower or The Wars of the Roses
Just heard about her last night in another comment. I'd like to check her out and see what she writes about. Any suggestions on where I should start? Also is she a fiction or non-fiction author?
Fiction wise I loved Innocent Traitor and want to read the sequel, A Dangerous Inheritance. Couldn't get into The Captive Queen though no matter how hard I tried!
Tai wrote: "Just heard about her last night in another comment. I'd like to check her out and see what she writes about. Any suggestions on where I should start? Also is she a fiction or non-fiction author?"
Both, so make sure you know which one you're getting! One of the other groups is about to read The Wars of the Roses (non-fiction) in Nov.
I loved Innocent Traitor also, it was an audio read for me. Didn't know A Dangerous Inheritance was a sequel, going to have to get my hands on that on now.
I loved innocent traitor and that book started of my hf addiction a few years ago. I have since read the Elizabeth 1 hf and the captive queen. I enjoyed them but innocent traitor was definately the best. I am tempted to read some of AW's fictions but can't decide where to start. The more hf I have read over the last few years the more I have got into exploring the real history alongside it.
Nikki wrote: "I loved innocent traitor and that book started of my hf addiction a few years ago. I have since read the Elizabeth 1 hf and the captive queen. I enjoyed them but innocent traitor was definately the..."If your looking to read her non fiction, I think her best are.....
I've enjoyed both her fiction and non fiction works. I liked the nf books about Eleanor of Aquitaine and queen Isabella. My favorite fictions was innocent traitor. I'm reading dangerous inheritance right now (well not at this moment) and so far I'm enjoying it.
I'm inclined to agree with Stephanie that Alison Weir's non-fiction is excellent, but I'm not so smitten with her novels. She'd plainly done masses of research and knows the period(s) inside out, but she tends to let the facts show too much. I recommend David does some more reading about Richard III and the Princes in the Tower-as suggested by Darkpool-because the skeleton recently found under a Leicester car park and believed to be that of Richard III shows scoliosis of the spine!
I'm finishing her new one (A Dangerous Inheritance) which combines the stories of Katherine Plantagenant and Katherine Grey (Jane's sister). It is very good. However, as an ex-history teacher, it needs to be said that the Wars of the Roses are VERY challenging. Even after all these years, I still have to refer back to the family trees frequently. So if you're new to Alison Weir's writing, hang in there. She is excellent and really knows her stuff.
A Dangerous Inheritance is an entertaining read. I like the way she parallels the two women's lives.
Has anyone read Elizabeth, the Queen and the Lady Elizabeth or The Life of Elizabeth I I was just wondering which was better.(I can only find Elizabeth the Queen on here in a bundle set)
Lisa I read both Elizabeth, the Queen and the Lady Elizabeth, they were both very good reads. If I had to choose just one I would go with Elizabeth the Queen. My sister read The Life of Elizabeth I and says it is the best historical book she has read. I think which ever book you pick will be entertaining.
NayNay wrote: "Lisa I read both Elizabeth, the Queen and the Lady Elizabeth, they were both very good reads. If I had to choose just one I would go with Elizabeth the Queen. My sister read The Life of Elizabeth I..."Thanks NayNay
Weird. I'm doing research on the English settlments at Roanoke in the 1580s, thinking to write a historical novel about them. I said to my wife today that I needed to do some research on Elizabeth and she suggested Alison Weir. Tonight I look over goodreads threads and I come upon this one! Very likely I'll be reading "Elizabeth the Queen."
I really can't get into The Captive Queen but both Innocent Traitor and A Dangerous Inheritance were really good!
I took my first Alison Weir out of the library today - A Dangerous Inheritance. I'd never heard of her until I saw this thread in Favourite HF Authors.
Hilda wrote: "I took my first Alison Weir out of the library today - A Dangerous Inheritance. I'd never heard of her until I saw this thread in Favourite HF Authors."Well enjoy Hilda....I never read A Dangerous Inheritance (yet) but I have to say I love all her other books, she is one of the best Historical Fiction Authors. And if you do enjoy her writing you must read INNOCENT TRAITOR: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey and THE LADY ELIZABETH, both of them are my favorite books.
NayNay wrote: Well enjoy Hilda....I never read A Dangerous Inheritance (yet) but I have to say I love all her other books, she is one of the best Historical Fiction Authors. And if you do enjoy her writing you must read INNOCENT TRAITOR: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey and THE LADY ELIZABETH, both of them are my favorite books.Thanks for this recommendation NayNay. I haven't read anything by Alison Weir although I have known of her for ages. Funnily enough I bought one of her books recently at a sale, and it is
Innocent Traitor, so I'll start with that one, and keep a look out for the other one.
I have to admit that I'm struggling with A Dangerous Inheritance. I find the intertwining of the two stories separated in time very confusing. Perhaps this is because I know very little about the period and characters in question, and the fact that their names are so similar - Katherine and Kate - doesn't help. I also don't really buy into the kind of telepathic element that is hinted at. I've started skipping the sections on Kate and am just reading the ones about Katherine now.
I've read a couple of Weir's, and have more on the shelf. Her detail is great, but as I recall, a bit on the dry side sometimes.
Yesterday, I got Captive Queen from the library. Today, I took it back. I guess I should give her other books a chance, based on the comments here.
Didn't Allison Weir start out writing actual histories/biographies? I seem to recall reading some of them. It may account for her drier approach to novel writing.
I recently read Captive Queen, and it was the first of hers that I've read. I really enjoyed it, and it definitely piqued my interest to read more of her work. But from the reviews of that book, I gathered that it wasn't her strongest, so it seems to be a matter of which of her books you start with.
This week I finished Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World and just loved it, I learned so much.
Historical Fictionistas
Books mentioned in this topic
Mary Queen of Scots (other topics)Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley (other topics)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII (other topics)
The Children of Henry VIII (other topics)
Marie Antoinette: The Journey (other topics)
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII
^^^ I own those two to read.