- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1 edition (Jan 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 006170427X
- ISBN-13: 978-0061704277
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.5 x 1.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,447,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Queen's Sorrow
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Praise for ‘The Sixth Wife’:
‘My, what a story…delightfully vulgar and utterly compelling.’ The Times
‘Suzannah Dunn…weaves…a love story that is both moving and believable…of second chances at love, and passion reawakened.’ Telegraph
‘Mesmerising and beautifully written.’ Scotsman
‘Suzannah Dunn…weaves a kind of love story that is both moving and believable. This is the Tudor world as seldom seen…The result is historical chick lit at its most charming.’ Telegraph
‘Dunn [sheds] possible new light on Katharine’s marriage to Thomas Seymour and her final days are treated with sympathy and skill.’ The Tablet
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Product Description
A queen brought low by love compromised and power abused – the tragedy of Mary Tudor.
Plain, dutiful and a passionate Catholic, Mary Tudor was overjoyed by joy when she became England's queen. After the misery of her childhood, when her father had rejected her mother, and effectively disowned his daughter, Mary felt at last that she was achieving her destiny. And when she marries Philip of Spain, her happiness is complete.
But Mary's delight quickly turns sour as she realises that her husband does not love her. In fact he finds her devotion irritating. Desperate for a baby, she begins to believe that God is punishing her. Her people are horrified at the severity of the measures she takes and begin to turn against their queen who is lonely, frightened – and desperate for love.
Rafael, a member of Philip of Spain’s entourage, is a reluctant witness to the unfolding tragedy and as the once-fêted queen tightens her cruel hold on the nation, Rafael becomes closer to Mary and his life – and new-found love – are caught up in the terrible chaos that follows.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read Alsion Weir, Jane Dunn, Anne Somerset and of course Phillipa Gregory so decided to try Suzannah Dunn's The Queens Sorrow. I felt misled somewhat by the title, thinking that I would have a really good insight into the true sorrows of Mary I however, this simply was not the case. The book follows the story of one main character, Rafael, who himself is actually not that interesting and I felt lacked personality. I dug deep to try and feel something for his love for Cecily but, she was cold, dismissive and did not really bring any real passion to the book. I did however feel compelled to keep reading in the hope that there was going to be a really stunning ending, but, as I have read in so many other reviews, I had to read the last two pages again in order to try and find some clarity as to how the story actually does end, I am none the wiser. If you are still curious I advise borrowing from the library before purchasing.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What a con this book is. The title and the blurb lead you to believe that this book is all about Queen Mary and her marriage to Prince Philip of Spain. I was really looking forward to getting more behind the skin of Bloody Mary and her phantom pregnancy etc but if she appears in more than 10 pages overall I'd be surpirsed. As for Prince Philip - well, I'm still waiting for his entrance.
This story is told through the eyes of Rafael Prado, a Spanish sundial maker who is one of Philip's entourage brought over to England when the Prince and Mary marry. He is made up. The household he lives in is made up. The English woman he falls in love with, and her son, are made up. This whole book is about made up people, with a story that never happened and a few fleeting appearances by Queen Mary that make her look like some pathetic, desperate old woman. Gah!
I gave it 2 stars, because having said all that the story of Rafael and Cecily (his Englsih love) is sweet enough (even if it is made up) but I did find myself speed reading trying to get the actual historical facts (of which there are precious few). I wouldn't bother with this one, especially if you are a real history buff.
This story is told through the eyes of Rafael Prado, a Spanish sundial maker who is one of Philip's entourage brought over to England when the Prince and Mary marry. He is made up. The household he lives in is made up. The English woman he falls in love with, and her son, are made up. This whole book is about made up people, with a story that never happened and a few fleeting appearances by Queen Mary that make her look like some pathetic, desperate old woman. Gah!
I gave it 2 stars, because having said all that the story of Rafael and Cecily (his Englsih love) is sweet enough (even if it is made up) but I did find myself speed reading trying to get the actual historical facts (of which there are precious few). I wouldn't bother with this one, especially if you are a real history buff.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Thank Goodness I did not spend my hard earned cash on this very disappointing novel. The blurb describes the book as being about Queen Mary and her travails. As a fan of the Tudor period it sounded as if it would be a good read. However Mary only makes a handful of fleeting appearances and the set up and dialogue are stilted and modern. The main protaganists are a sun dial maker and a servant who are of very little consequence and fail to engage the reader. I really did not care what happened to them. Some of the set pieces between them when they try and discuss religious differences and problems in the kingdom are trite and poorly written. The only good thing to say is that some of the descriptions of Tudor London are not bad. If you like historical fiction by Phillipa Gregory, Alison Weir and Tracy Chevalier then stick with them as the writing and content are far superior to this book.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not worth the time
This is the first review I've written only because this book is so bad that it deserves some sort recognition. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Shaz8blue
The Queen's Sorrow
Having read The Sixth Wife, The Queen of Subtleties and The Confession of Katherine Howard, I was looking forward to reading about Mary I, as the title indicated. Read more
Published 7 months ago by essie
Trashy
I have just finished this book and needed to share my incredulousness! I will start with a good point, I find her writing style quite nice. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ms. C. R. Hurley
Not as good as I was hoping
As a die-hard Philippa Gregory fan I thoguht it was time I tried some other historical fiction authors. Read more
Published 15 months ago by F. Pullen
Awful
Never bothered to write reviews but the book was so bad that it deserved one.Love historical novels but this one was written based on one hour research about Tudor times or so it... Read more
Published 15 months ago by inese
Did not live up to expectations
The Tudor period is my absolute favourite topic for any book - fiction and non-fiction. Mary and Elizabeth are both brilliant and interesting characters and when I seen this I... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mrs. J. L. Beal
Love and anguish during the reign of Mary Tudor
Unlike many of the negative reviews on Amazon, I really enjoyed this book. I do accept that this novel is not a pure historical account of Mary Tudor's reign and in that respect... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Martin Belcher
An unexpected pleasure
This book looks like yet another Tudor bodicebuster, but it is in fact a beautifully written story of love and betrayal which just happens to be set in the Marian period. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Daisy Goodwin
Disappointing
I have to agree with all the other reviews, the blurb on the back of the book makes you think its about Mary Tudor when in fact its about Rafael del Prado, one of King Phillips... Read more
Published 21 months ago by L. Wright
What actually happens at the end?
I found this book hugely disapointing, the characters aren't likeable, the ending is terribe, it's slow and it didn't really provide me with any insight into the sorrows of Queen... Read more
Published on 28 May 2010 by Ruffles and Ribbons
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fiction > Historical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
