Book Description:
I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.
Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen” –a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century. The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.
Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen” –a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century. The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.
Book Information:
Pages: 416
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Review:
When I began reading this book, I didn't know anything about Lady Jane Grey, the "Nine Days' Queen". Afterwards, I found myself researching her and other characters within this novel. I went through this book quickly and really enjoyed it. The book drew me in from the prologue, and held my attention until the last word.
Throughout the entire novel, I felt sorry for Lady Jane Grey, who was essentially a pawn of her parents' desires of rising in terms of power. The book was written mostly in Jane's POV, but it also included the viewpoints of other characters like her mother and the queen. This gave more insight into those characters' reasons from acting the way they did, but it was also a bit confusing to have to go back and forth between different characters. Anyway, Jane was portrayed as very bookish and religious, and this innocence that she had made me sympathize with her. I actually got a bit teary near the end which was NOT GOOD because I was outdoors and people were starting to stare, haha.
I was able to thoroughly enjoy the book because I didn't know about Lady Jane Grey before reading this book, but I would recommend it to any person who enjoys reading historical fiction, regardless of whether or not you have already read this book!
Rating: 4.5/5
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