This book was fantastic. I hate to start off a book review with such a vague word describing the book, but what else would I use? Amazing, fascinating, interesting? The book is all these and more.

The book starts when Mary Tudor is about eleven years old, and her father, King Henry VIII, has decided she should marry the king of France, King Francis. Mary does not look forward to marrying, even meeting, her future husband. During a masque while her betrothed is visiting England, Mary notices a certain lady-in-waiting named Anne Boleyn. Anne wears mostly black and white clothing, and a ribbon about her neck. Mary is not particularly interested in Anne until she catches her father, the king, staring at her during the masque. Mary is troubled, but she hears no more about Anne Boleyn until she discovers that her father has exiled her mother and is trying to marry Anne! The King, searching for some Biblical reference that supports his claim that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was illegitimate, says that since Catherine had been his brother’s wife before she had married him, his marriage to her was unlawful. And though the Catholic Church still will not allow Henry to divorce Catherine, Mary, who knows her father’s stubbornness and anger, fears her father will find a way to marry Anne despite the Church…

I really love books set in this time in history. In the time of King Henry VIII, Elizabethan times, et cetera. And this is one of the best books I’ve read that take place during that time period. Before I had read anything about Mary, my view of her was of an evil, oppressing queen. I was horrified by her persecution of protestants. While most of this view didn’t change, after reading this book, I realized Mary had had her share of hardship and suffering.

There were a couple of rather disgusting parts, including the description of Anne’s beheading and the birth of Elizabeth. They were not so horrifying, however, that I couldn’t push them out of my thoughts.

I loved seeing into a view of Mary’s feelings as though she were a real person, not just some character in history who had no personality. I enjoyed meeting Mary’s ladies-in-waiting, as though they were a part of the story, too, and not just nameless people who had no part in her life. I liked reading about her thoughts, her feelings.

It says, that before Anne was beheaded, she begged for Mary’s forgiveness. But at first I doubted whether she had really repented, because I imagine it would be easier for one to apologize to someone when you know it’s going to be the last chance you get to do it. But then I reconsidered and I like to believe that Anne really repented of how terrible she had been to Mary. I can think whatever I want to of characters in a book, no matter what they may have done. Because I suppose we’ll never really know the whole truth. And that’s one thing I really enjoyed about the book.

All that is to say, it was a great book and you should read it.