Another excellent review for ‘Tudor: The Family Story’ by Leanda de Lisle.
(c) Chatto & Windus
‘Unlike many books that claim to tell the story of the Tudors, but focus mainly on four characters (namely Henry VIII and his three children who all ruled England after him), this excellent book includes so many members of the Tudor family who may not always be forgotten, but are often sidelined.
Henry Tudor himself would have been nothing without the determination of his mother, Margaret Beaufort, who gave birth to him as a thirteen-year-old widow, but was still by his side when he died 52 years later. Henry VIII may be at the heart of this book, but the importance of his sisters is also recognised. His elder sister Margaret, married James IV of Scotland, acting as regent after his death, while his younger sister, Mary, was briefly Queen of France, and her grandchildren, the Grey sisters, were pawns in many a Tudor power play. From Lady Margaret, the obsessive mother of Henry VII, through to his childless granddaughter, Elizabeth, this is the full story of a fascinating family.’
The Good Book Guide – 2 January 2014
