The Passionate Tudor

A Novel of Queen Mary I

By: Alison Weir

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the dramatic and poignant life of King Henry VIII’s daughter—infamously known as Bloody Mary—who ruled England for five violent years.

Born from young King Henry’s first marriage, his elder daughter, Princess Mary, is raised to be queen once it becomes clear that her mother, Katherine of Aragon, will bear no more children. However, Henry’s passion for Anne Boleyn has a devastating influence on the young princess’s future when, determined to sire a male heir, he marries Anne, has his marriage to Katherine declared unlawful, brands Mary illegitimate, and banishes them both from the royal court. But when Anne too fails to produce a son, she is beheaded and Mary is allowed to return to court as the default heir. At age twenty, she waits in vain for her own marriage and children, but who will marry her, bastard that she is?

Yet Mary eventually triumphs and becomes queen, after first deposing a seventeen-year-old usurper, Lady Jane Grey, and ordering her beheading. Any hopes that Mary, as the first female queen regnant of England, will show religious toleration are dashed when she embarks on a ruthless campaign to force Catholicism on the English by burning hundreds of Protestants at the stake. But while her brutality will forever earn her the name Bloody Mary, at heart she is an insecure and vulnerable woman, her character forged by the unhappiness of her early years.

In Alison Weir’s masterful novel, the drama of Mary I’s life and five-year reign—from her abusive childhood, marriage, and mysterious pregnancies to the cruelty that marks her legacy—comes to vivid life.

©2024 Alison Weir (P)2024 Recorded Books

Realistic. Empathetic. Yet, Holds Mary Accountable

Mary is passionate. That is often considered a positive trait, yet in a ruler it's absolutely fatal. Mary was a bigot, but even bigoted people can be portrayed in a human way-as Weir reveals.

Weir extolls an interesting perspective on England's first Queen. I leave this series (especially this volume) with the inpression that if Mary held no real power, but lived as an ordinary woman, she would be a lovely neighbor. Yet, her fanatical beliefs made her a despicable ruler. Her traits in another lifestyle and position could have been lovely. Today, born without authority, she would be a great social worker. As Queen however, well history speaks for itself.

Not knowing what to expect 😕

When waiting for book to come out as stated above I didnt know what to expect. Having had a preconceptions about Queen Mary I wasn't sure I would like the book. However, because it was written by Alison Weir ( in my opinion the BEST author of Tutor period ) I was willing to look past my preconceptions. The story was wonderfully told. I found myself seeing things from a very different perspective at times. Even understanding Queen Mary as I have not before. The book definitely opened my eyes as I had not expected.
That being said I can't miss the opportunity to say the narration was spot on.
Overall great book...
😉

A look inside the mind of Mary, Queen of England

I enjoyed that Alison Weir gave us a look inside the mind of a notorious Queen. her authors notes on why she portrayed Mary the way she did were especially interesting. Great book!

Overall great, one narration nit.

As always Weir delivers. Also I found the narration very captivating. One nut that drove me crazy. Whenever the word “messire” (meaning lord) appeared, the narrator pronounced it “messiah” (meaning the expected king of the Davidic line. It should have been pronounced /mɛˈsɪə/, sounding like mess-EER.