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A review by caidyn
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5
After having read Lisle's [b:Tudor: The Family Story|18460016|Tudor The Family Story|Leanda de Lisle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401074836s/18460016.jpg|24349043], I wanted to read more by her. She's a great modern writer of times past that can seem so boring. She handled this book as well, making it engaging for me as a reader -- though I didn't need much since I am absolutely fascinated with this time in history. That's the reason why it got the rating it did.
At some points, it was a bit boring for me, mainly because I already knew quite a bit about Katherine and her struggles with her children's legitimacy and her marriage, one that was highlighted well in the aforementioned book when the reign of Elizabeth was addressed.
The sister I learned most about was Jane. And, man, she was fascinating. I could have read a whole book about her. It was obvious to me that Lisle favors Jane out of all the other sisters since she portrayed her as a strong woman who stuck to her faith and never trembled in the face of her own death.
Katherine, to me, was portrayed more as a woman that was so vested in her heart and her lust. I didn't really like that since I know there's more to that, but it's what she's remembered of in history. In both of Lisle's books she was portrayed in the same way, just like Elizabeth I was portrayed as a woman terrified of any threat to her thrown. I know that there is more to both of these women and I, quite honestly, would love to read other authors and see their portrayals of each woman.
Mary, the final sister, was barely mentioned. She was spoken of in a few chapters in the beginning, then, finally, in part four of the novel she was addressed. Still, it wasn't much. I found her to be a forgettable woman. She did basically the same thing as Katherine with her husband Keyes, but she was strong and was like Jane. A good mix of each sister, but there wasn't much about her. Again, I'd love to learn more about her.
One of my complaints about the book is that it focused so much on Elizabeth and her rule. The people she favored, all the negotiations about who would be her heir, and her fears. I get that it was prudent since the Greys were people that could have taken over her thrown, but I just wanted more about them rather than other people that had something to do with them.
My final thoughts on the book is that it's a good introductory book to the lives of the Grey sisters and all the things they had to go through. It's more for someone that has almost no knowledge of any of the sisters and the times. Therefore, it was a pretty good book for me to read since I'm familiar of the times, but it went a bit more in depth. Next book I want to tackle is one book about each sister. That way I can learn even more specific things on them.
After having read Lisle's [b:Tudor: The Family Story|18460016|Tudor The Family Story|Leanda de Lisle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401074836s/18460016.jpg|24349043], I wanted to read more by her. She's a great modern writer of times past that can seem so boring. She handled this book as well, making it engaging for me as a reader -- though I didn't need much since I am absolutely fascinated with this time in history. That's the reason why it got the rating it did.
At some points, it was a bit boring for me, mainly because I already knew quite a bit about Katherine and her struggles with her children's legitimacy and her marriage, one that was highlighted well in the aforementioned book when the reign of Elizabeth was addressed.
The sister I learned most about was Jane. And, man, she was fascinating. I could have read a whole book about her. It was obvious to me that Lisle favors Jane out of all the other sisters since she portrayed her as a strong woman who stuck to her faith and never trembled in the face of her own death.
Katherine, to me, was portrayed more as a woman that was so vested in her heart and her lust. I didn't really like that since I know there's more to that, but it's what she's remembered of in history. In both of Lisle's books she was portrayed in the same way, just like Elizabeth I was portrayed as a woman terrified of any threat to her thrown. I know that there is more to both of these women and I, quite honestly, would love to read other authors and see their portrayals of each woman.
Mary, the final sister, was barely mentioned. She was spoken of in a few chapters in the beginning, then, finally, in part four of the novel she was addressed. Still, it wasn't much. I found her to be a forgettable woman. She did basically the same thing as Katherine with her husband Keyes, but she was strong and was like Jane. A good mix of each sister, but there wasn't much about her. Again, I'd love to learn more about her.
One of my complaints about the book is that it focused so much on Elizabeth and her rule. The people she favored, all the negotiations about who would be her heir, and her fears. I get that it was prudent since the Greys were people that could have taken over her thrown, but I just wanted more about them rather than other people that had something to do with them.
My final thoughts on the book is that it's a good introductory book to the lives of the Grey sisters and all the things they had to go through. It's more for someone that has almost no knowledge of any of the sisters and the times. Therefore, it was a pretty good book for me to read since I'm familiar of the times, but it went a bit more in depth. Next book I want to tackle is one book about each sister. That way I can learn even more specific things on them.