Catherine Howard has been seen as a temptress, an abused child, an innocent, a whore. A review of primary resources aims to provide a more accurate depiction of an executed queen…
Young & Fair & Damned is a non fiction history book set in the sixteenth century with a focus on the life and times of Henry VIII’s fifth queen Catherine Howard.
Catherine Howard was only a teenager when she became queen of England, wife to the notorious king Henry VIII. Less than 2 years later she was beheaded just like her cousin Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife.
Unfortunately there is not much documented about Catherine at the time. This book does a good job of searching out primary sources of historical evidence to piece together details of Catherine’s life. I liked the parts of the book that focussed on Catherine and her experiences. There is a lot of supposition as is necessary due to the sparcity of documents and it is clear that each historian puts their own spin on evidence.
As is common with history books about a narrow subject, the author relies on wider information to fill the pages. The author acknowledges this and states his aim is to reveal the environment that created Catherine’s experience. So we have background information about Catherine’s family and other notable figures of the time. Foreign policy, economics and politics also feature heavily but their direct relevance to Catherine’s life is minimal.
I listened to the audio version of this book and thought the writing style flowed well.
Young & Damned & Fair is well researched but struggles to relate all of its material to its specific subject of Catherine Howard.
Book blurb:
Written with an exciting combination of narrative flair and historical authority, this interpretation of the tragic life of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, breaks new ground in our understanding of the very young woman who became queen at a time of unprecedented social and political tension and whose terrible errors in judgment quickly led her to the executioner’s block.
On the morning of July 28, 1540, as King Henry’s VIII’s former confidante Thomas Cromwell was being led to his execution, a teenager named Catherine Howard began her reign as queen of a country simmering with rebellion and terrifying uncertainty. Sixteen months later, the king’s fifth wife would follow her cousin Anne Boleyn to the scaffold, having been convicted of adultery and high treason.
The broad outlines of Catherine’s career might be familiar, but her story up until now has been incomplete. Unlike previous accounts of her life, which portray her as a naïve victim of an ambitious family, this compelling and authoritative biography will shed new light on Catherine Howard’s rise and downfall by reexamining her motives and showing her in her context, a milieu that goes beyond her family and the influential men of the court to include the aristocrats and, most critically, the servants who surrounded her and who, in the end, conspired against her. By illuminating Catherine’s entwined upstairs/downstairs worlds as well as societal tensions beyond the palace walls, the author offers a fascinating portrayal of court life in the sixteenth century and a fresh analysis of the forces beyond Catherine’s control that led to her execution—from diplomatic pressure and international politics to the long-festering resentments against the queen’s household at court.
Including a forgotten text of Catherine’s confession in her own words, color illustrations, family tree, map, and extensive notes, Young and Damned and Fair changes our understanding of one of history’s most famous women while telling the compelling and very human story of complex individuals attempting to survive in a dangerous age.
Lady Eleanor is enjoying a holiday in Egypt and is travelling down the Nile with her steadfast butler Clifford when a death occurs on board. The captain believes it was a suicide but Ellie is certain there is a murderer on the boat…
Murder on the Nile is the 19th book in the Lady Eleanor Swift series of cosy historical murder mysteries.
Ellie had booked hersef onto a bit of a ramshackle boat and Clifford is unimpressed. The situation further deteriorates when they meet the other passengers and then one of them ends up dead. The suicide note doesn;t fool Eleanor for a second and she is instantly convinced that the death was murder. The captain and chief of police are more skeptical and she needs to prove to them that there is a killer on board.
As usual in this series, there are plenty of antics, escapades and outright danger for Ellie to navigate. Luckily she has the ever brilliant Clifford by her side. Unfortunately, her fiance Hugh does not feature at all in this book and there are only a few chapters with the wonderful ladies and pets.
The historical and geographical research for this book brings the plot to life effectively. I particularly enjoyed the archaeology fever described as well as the political situation which added authenticity. Ellie subverts gender and class norms to forge ahead with life, seizing every moment. She has great respect for everyone irrespective of their social status, and this is hugely endearing.
Murder on the Nile is an enjoyable cosy historical murder mystery. Obviously the title and scenerio are reminiscent of the legendary Christie and this book is a great addition to the Lady Swift series.
Book Description:
A cruise down the Nile, a camel ride around the pyramids, lunch in the shadow of the Sphinx… And a very dead body!
1924. Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler Clifford are touring the great, ancient sights of Egypt on a much-anticipated extended vacation. But when the pair arrive at the docks in Cairo expecting to board the luxurious paddle steamer advertised in their brochure, they are baffled by the crumbling old cruiser waiting for them. And things only go from bad to worse as death stalks the decks of the SS Cleopatra…
Two days into the trip one of their fellow passengers, Lieutenant Baxter, is found shot dead in his locked cabin. Immediately suspicious and desperate to see justice done, Eleanor discovers a half-finished note addressed to her hidden in Baxter’s travelling trunk. In it he asks her to deliver a vitally important letter to the authorities at their next stop down river: a priceless treasure worthy of a king has been stolen and an innocent man’s life hangs in the balance.
But before the sands of time wipe away all evidence on board, Eleanor must uncover who among the other travellers wanted Baxter dead. Was it the anxious archaeologist who doesn’t have an alibi, the reptile expert with a passion for the murderous Nile crocodile or the art dealer with a devious secret?
With the killer readying to strike again much closer to home, can Eleanor dig up the truth before she’s trapped in a tomb under the pyramids forever?
A gripping and twisty 1920s murder mystery set in Egypt, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss!
Author Bio:
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
A young woman’s body is discovered early one morning. The race to find the killer intensifies when another woman is reported missing…
Her Last Walk Home is the 14th book in the DI Lottie Parker series of police procedurals set in Ireland. There are no spoilers about Lottie’s past cases but her personal circumstances have developed over the series.
A young woman goes out for a date but never returns home. Her body is found and a murder investigation launched but another young woman is already missing. There are interesting juxtapositions with Lottie and her own family circumstances which makes the case more personal for her. Lottie and her lover Boyd have some personal issues to resolve. They want to progress with their relationship but their family situations make it tricky. Then they find another body!
The majority of the book focuses on Lottie and her investigation. But some chapters show the victim and perpetrator, both of which adds significantly to the tension. We also see the victims’ families and there is a subplot about child neglect which is highly emotive. I found the ending a little confusing as a lots of strands seem to pull together at once.
I actually listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the experience. The narrator does a good job with bringing the text to life and I liked the Irish accent.
Her Last Walk Home is an enjoyable police procedural and I like the development of the characters over the series.
Book Description:
Her shoes pinched as she shivered in the cold night air. She just wanted to get home. A taxi slowed to a halt next to her, and as she buckled her seat belt, she noticed the child’s seat next to her and felt safe. But when she saw his eyes in the mirror, a shiver of terror shook her to her core…
When a young woman’s body is found on a patch of wet grass in the early hours of the morning, Detective Lottie Parker mourns the young life so brutally snatched away. Looking at the victim’s flimsy strappy top, damp from the dew and soaked with blood, it is clear that this young girl never came home from a night out. Lottie’s heart breaks as she thinks of the girl’s parents finding their daughter’s empty bed and she vows to catch the murderer.
The young woman is soon identified as Laura Nolan, and Lottie watches the blood drain from her mother Diana’s face when she tells her the terrible news. Diana reveals that Laura was on a date the night she was killed, but she doesn’t know who with… and Laura’s empty bedroom with make-up scattered across her dressing table offers no clues.
Lottie and her team rush to trace Laura’s last moments. But hope at a potential breakthrough turns to horror for Lottie when another young woman, Shannon Kenny is reported missing, last seen climbing into a taxi with a broken light, close to the same bar.
But then, Lottie discovers a connection between Laura and Shannon that totally overturns everything she thought she knew. The killer didn’t stalk these two young women at random. He knew exactly who they were and where they would be. But can Lottie stop him before he strikes again?
A completely compelling page-turner from bestselling author Patricia Gibney. If you like Rachel McLean, Kendra Elliott and Robert Dugoni, Her Last Walk Home will have you hooked.
Author Bio:
Patricia is the million-copy bestselling author of the DI Lottie Parker series. She yearned to be a writer after reading Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene and even wanted to be Nancy Drew when she grew up. She has now grown up (she thinks) but the closest she’s come to Nancy Drew is writing crime!
In 2009, after her husband died, she retired from her job and started writing seriously. Fascinated by people and their quirky characteristics, she always carries a notebook to scribble down observations.
Patricia also loves to paint in watercolour and lives in the Irish midlands with her children.
Oh my goodness, how did Anya turn 12 this week! She is so grown up.
In other news this week… Matthew acted as a guide for the Year 6s as part of his prefect role and also moved up to stage 3 swimming. Zach managed to injure his forehead so that will look fab in the school phtotos taken the next day. He also lost 2 teeth this week!
It has been glorious sunshine all week until the storm Friday lunchtime and the rain all weekend. Just a few miles away Aldershot enjoyed an actual tornado! Our whole house shook with the thunder. But I’m firmly in the festive mood with mince pies and brandy cream. For breakfast. In September. Oh yeah!
Emily and James are having a rare night out, leaving their baby daughter Daisy with Emily’s little sister Jess. But they arrive home to find Jess unconscious on the floor after a medical episode and Daisy has vanished…
Little Sister is a psychological thriller set on the Isle of Wight about the abduction of a baby.
Emily and Jess have had a fraught relationship in the past and were estranged until they were reunited at their mother’s funeral. Now Jess is living with Emily and her husband, acting as childcare so both can work. The household is completed with James’ 15 year old daughter Chloe from his first marriage. One night Daisy goes missing and relationships are stretched to breaking point.
The book is written from the alternating perspectives of Jess and Emily in the first and third person respectively. This allows us to feel closer to Jess as we see her emotions more personally even though Emily has more trauma as it is her child missing.
It soon becomes clear that there have been major issues between the sisters in the past which led to the estrangement. We as readers are drip-fed incidents as they reflect on the past, and there is a growing tension and unease which develops. There are other secrets and lies revealed as the plot progresses and it is enjoyable to surmise how these might be connected to the disappearance of Daisy.
Little Sister is an emotionally charged and tense psychological thriller.
Book blurb
After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. With the past now behind them, the warmth they once shared quickly returns and before long Jess has moved into Emily’s comfortable island home. Life couldn’t be better. But when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care, the perfect life Emily has so carefully built starts to fall apart.
Was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before?
