In the Shadow of the Crown

by Jean Plaidy

Book Overview

As Henry VIII's only child, the future seemed golden for Princess Mary. She was the daughter of Henry's first queen, Katharine of Aragon, and was heir presumptive to the throne of England. Red-haired like her father, she was also intelligent and deeply religious like her staunchly Catholic mother. But her father's ill-fated love for Anne Boleyn would shatter Mary's life forever. The father who had once adored her was now intent on having a male heir...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609810197
• ISBN13: 9780609810194
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

In The Shadow of the Crown

I always love Jean Plaidy's books, and this is no exception. It is delightfully written in the first person, as though Mary herself is talking. An unusual approach to historical fiction. Thanks, Jean.

Mary has finally stepped out from the Shadows

I think Jean Plaidy's novel on Mary I, aka Bloody Mary, was a fascinating take on a woman who the world believes was a monster. I'll admit that even I thought so before reading this book, and Phillipa Gregory's novel The Queen's Fool. Plaidy starts by telling of Mary's early childhood. This phase of her life is very important in shaping her later one. She goes from being the darling child of the Court, and heiress presumptive, to a [...] and being banished. From the moment she first realizes that her life will no longer be easy she falls into fanatical devotion to her mother's religion, Catholicism. Mary tells of her hatred for Anne Boleyn, who she believes is the cause of all her suffering. Mary is given the unique postion of being able to tell what life was like under all of Henry's wives. She loves most of them, and while she feels her father didn't have to have a male heir, she understands his wanting and need for one. She also tells of how life was being branding a [...], but still receiving some love from her father at the request of his wives. She shows that her father wasn't all bad toward the end of his life, just highly misguided, a thing she means to correct when she's Queen. Henry dies and her younger brother, Edward, becomes Edward VI. His reign is short and he dies young leaving Mary to become Queen if he hadn't changed the line of succession to Jane Grey. Mary is thrown into conflict because she doesn't feel any animosity towards Jane Grey, only the men and women who tried to set her up in her place. This episode will cause great grief to Mary in the coming days. Mary is then married to Prince Phillip of Spain who she lavishes affection on, but receives none in return. It is through this marriage, and other factors, that Mary allows her own subjects to be burned and tortured leading to the rise of her nickname Bloody Mary. She also goes through two "pregnancies" which end up causing her further pain and hardship. She dies a tortured and unhappy soul. Plaidy throughout the entire book shows that Mary didn't necessarily hate those different from her out of spite, but fell into a fanaticism born of suffering and uncertainty. This is a good book to show that Mary I wasn't an evil monster out to kill, but a person trying to correct her suffering in a horrible manner.

The surprising heartbreak of Bloody Mary

Princess Mary is born the beloved daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. But, when her mother can no longer bear children, Mary's life is thrust into turmoil as she is declared illegimate. As she grows to adulthood, she only wishes to bring Catholicism back to England and to marry and be a mother. This is a heartbreaking story of a woman who has been vilified by history. This makes Mary human, something for which Jean Plaidy has a great talent.

Mary Tudor

When you think of Bloody Mary, one would think of a horrible monster. No one knows how truly horrible her life had really been. Mary was brought up as the heir to the thrown of England. She enjoyed her lessons, loved her mother, and idolized her father, King Henry VIII. She had a perfect life. Being a Princess, she was naturally betrothed. Being a crown Princess and only legitimate offspring made her the only child to be used in political alliances. Mary liked the idea of marrying the Emperor, Charles, but that match was broken up. Mary had quite a friendship with Reginald Pole. He treated her tenderly. But getting a husband was going to be hard because the King was seeking to get an annullment from Queen Catherine. Mary's legitmacy was in doubt. Mary's perfect life wasn't so perfect anymore. She was forbidden to see her mother and her father married Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn's child takes Mary's place as the heir. This book tells about Mary's view of Henry's numerous wives, Edward's reign, Jane Grey and Philip of Spain. It shows that Mary wasn't really a bloodthirsty demon, but a pious, neglected woman who yearned for affection. This book is wonderful and I recommend it to anyone who liked history fiction. Anyone who liked this book should read Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer.

BLOODY MARY...

Jean Plaidy, known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, continues her "Queens of England" series of books with this, her sixth volume. It is a well written and engrossing work of historical fiction written as a first person narrative by Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII of England and Queen Katherine. Mary would eventually become Queen of England in her own right and leave a legacy whereby her subjects would remember her as "Bloody Mary". As the only child of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, the future seemed rosy for the Princess Mary. She lived a fairytale life until her father, obsessed with begetting a male heir, fell for the charms of Anne Boleyn. From that moment on, life would never be the same for Mary. Her world was torn asunder, as her father became someone whom she did not recognize. His cruelties to her and her mother, Katherine, would leave an indelible mark on her life. Divorcing her mother to marry the notorious Anne Boleyn and splitting from the Catholic Church of Rome, Henry would set England on a course that would change history. It would also serve to reinforce Mary's Catholicism, the faith of her pious, long suffering mother. Upon the death of her father, Mary would, along with her half sister Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, become a pawn in the political intrigues of the day in which religion would become a focal issue. When Mary became Queen after the premature death of her sickly half brother, Edward VI, son of her father, Henry, and his hapless third wife, Jane Seymour, she tried to make England return to the Catholic Church of Rome. Under the guidance of some of her advisors, she would make horrific examples of those who would fail to embrace what she viewed as the true faith, a policy that would not endear her to her subjects. This, unfortunately, would be her legacy and would, ultimately, shape the future religious identity of England. This is an absorbing story of one woman's struggle to survive the vicissitudes of life, the feckless love of her father, the King, the political intrigues of her day, the threat of imprisonment and death, and a loveless and childless marriage to Phillip of Spain. It is the story of a woman whose road to the throne was paved with many obstacles, and her ultimate acquisition of the crown would confer little happiness upon her. It is a spellbinding account of a life lived entirely in the shadow of the crown.