'The Favored Queen' - Book Review

I have a collection of Tudor historical fiction but in my collection, I don’t have much about Jane Seymour. You see her in passing in other books so when I saw Carolly Erickson’s ‘The Favored Queen’, I didn’t hesitate to add this to my Tudor collection.

‘The Favored Queen’ gives you the Tudor world in Jane Seymour’s eyes. She is the devoted maid of honor to Queen Catherine of Aragon and is special to the Queen because of Jane’s calming effects. This calming effect seems to be one of the factor why Henry VIII chose her.

The story begins as Queen Catherine loses another baby. After unable to produce another heir, King Henry names his bastard son, Henry Fitzroy as heir. During Jane’s storytelling, she witnesses the fall of Queen Catherine of Aragon, the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, the destruction of the monasteries, her rise to becoming Queen Jane and finally the birth of Prince Edward.

Throughout the book, Jane mentions the mystery surrounding Jane Popyngcort’s sudden departure to Flanders (with a chest full of coins) only to suddenly die. Jane Seymour learns the truth from Queen Catherine of Aragon.  Not much is known about the real Jane Popyngocort but this is an interesting scenario to her departure of King Henry VIII’s court (with the king’s blessing).

·         If you want a different story line about Jane Popyngcort, I suggest you read author Kate Emerson’s ‘Secrets of the Tudor Court: Pleasure Palace’.

Carolly Erickson told a great story about Jane Seymour but there were a few inconsistencies that I noticed as I was reading. Maybe it’s because I’ve read so many historical fiction and went online to read more details that I think, “That didn’t happen”. Also, author Carolly Erickson didn’t include at the end of the book of any historical notes or what she changed to go along with the story (like some of the books I’ve read). She does give a note to the reader that true and imaginative events occurred in writing the book but I always like to read about the real events in the historical notes by the author. It makes the historical individuals much more real.

Here are some inconsistencies that I found:

1.       Jane mentions that Anne Boleyn entering the Queen’s room at the palace in Greenwich during the sweating sickness. To my recollection, Anne Boleyn escaped to her family estate (Hever Castle).

2.       Jane describes King Henry VIII having leg pain during his courtship with Anne Boleyn. I thought that during this time, he was still a robust man and didn’t have an injured leg till after his accident during his marriage with Anne.

3.       King Henry VIII asks Jane to ask Queen Catherine on her death bed to agree to enter a convent (so that when his marriage to Anne Boleyn was dissolved, there wouldn’t be any hindrance of an earlier marriage when he married again). To my recollection, I’ve never heard of him asking this to the Queen before she died but it may be possible.

4.       There is no mention of Jane’s other brother Thomas Seymour. It makes you think that there was only the two of them.

5.       As Will Dormer writes the last entry, he mentions that King Henry VIII started sending ambassadors to find him a new wife (a week after Jane’s passing). To my recollection, he mourned her death with great sadness and wasn’t looking for a wife till after a few years.

Despite the inconsistencies, ‘The Favored Queen’ gives you a different perspective about plain Jane Seymour. Maybe there was more to her then meets the eye. After being a maid of honor for Queen Catherine of Aragon and Queen Anne Boleyn, she had an idea of what she was getting into when she married King Henry VIII.

This is what I found interesting as I was reading ‘The Favored Queen’:

1.       When Jane tries to convince King Henry VIII to spare St. Agnes church, she is yelled at for meddling. I later learned that she may have had opinions for political issues but due to King Henry VIII’s experience with Anne Boleyn, he would remind Jane of Anne’s fate. Who would want to argue after that?

2.       I thought that the Seymour clan helped Jane to catch the King’s eye when Anne Boleyn was going out of favored. In the book however, it didn’t seem that way. Being the person that you can trust helps a great deal plus being the total opposite of Anne Boleyn. In the book, King Henry VIII didn’t propose to Jane Seymour till after he couldn’t have Madge Shelton.

3.       Jane was ridiculed for not being pregnant right away. It’s interesting to read how this disturbed her, especially when King Henry VIII’s mood is darkened and the question about his manhood true. You can imagine the relief of everyone, including Jane, when it was announced that she was pregnant.

4.       Earning her the name of Good Queen Jane, Queen Jane Seymour gave alms to the poor and downtrodden.

5.       Even though King Henry VIII mourned her death severely, he didn’t do much in caring for Jane Seymour after the birth of Prince Edward. Even when she was dying, King Henry VIII didn’t stay by her bedside till the end. His fear of death and illness always plagued him. You would think that after finally giving the son that the king most wanted, the king would have done anything to get her well.

As an interesting side note, I follow the blog ‘On The Tudor Trail’ and there’s an interesting article this month about why Jane Seymour should get a second look. You can read the article through the link below:

http://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/resources/the-six-wives-of-henry-viii/why-plain-jane-deserves-a-second-look/

Overall, I thought that the book was good to read. Considering that there isn’t much known about Jane Seymour’s life, author Carolly Erickson did a good job in telling Jane’s story. The book is only 25 chapters so you can probably read it in a day or two. I hope to find more books about Jane Seymour. With Carolly Erickson’s ‘The Favored Queen’, this is a good start.

'Daughters of Rome' - Book Review

I finally finished ‘Daughters of Rome’, which has been an interesting historical fiction to read. It took me longer than normal to finish since put the book aside for two days while I was reading ‘The Hunger Games’ and between work and spending time with my toddler.

‘Daughters of Rome’ is the second book by Kate Quinn and it focuses on the Year of Four Emperors (which is after the death of Nero). This period is prior to her first book, ‘Mistress of Rome’ so if you wanted, you can read ‘Daughters of Rome’ first before you read ‘Mistress of Rome’. Prior to reading, I knew nothing about the Year of Four Emperors. I can only imagine how the Romans felt during that time as four different Emperors took the throne when allegiances were made and broken.

The book is focused on the lives of the four Cornelias of the house of the Cornelii. The four Cornelias were Cornelia Prima, Cornelia Secunda (aka Marcella), Cornelia Tertia (aka Lollia) and Cornelia Quatra (aka Diana). As Nessus says in the book, Romans didn’t have much imagination in naming their daughters.  Imagine naming your daughters and nieces this way. Yikes! The two older Cornelias were sisters and if you’ve read ‘Mistress of Rome’, Marcella is Domitia (Domitian’s wife). The last two Cornelias are cousins (who are fictional).

In the prologue, Nessus reads the fortunes of the four Cornelii as young girls. He was a charlatan but he actually read real fortunes from these young girls (which surprises him).  The fortune is that among the girls, there would be marriages, widowhood and a number of children. But the one that surprises Nessus the most is the girl with blood on her hands.

The book is separated by the four emperors’ reigns – Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian. During each of these reigns, the four Cornelii go through different lifestyles. However, being close as they are, they always have each other.

·         Cornelia loses her beloved husband Pico during the reign of Galba. This will fuel her hatred of Otho, which she will help bring down. She gets another chance in love with an unexpected character during the last two reigns.

·         Marcella is the most complex character. She loves to write histories and after witnessing Otho’s fall, she realizes that she can write her own history. She learns that she can be very persuasive to see what the outcome would be. You kind of want to hate her.

·         Lollia keeps getting married depending on the allegiances her grandfather makes. When Rome is going through different emperors, you need to make the right allegiances. Poor Lollia goes through marriage and divorce before she is even 20 but despite it all, she finds a way to amuse herself.

·         Diana is a fun character. All she cares about are the Red team. She loves watching the charioteer’s games and dreams of becoming a charioteer. She does get her chance during Vitellius’ reign, which is a good description of the races. If you have a good imagination like I do, you can almost feel the wind as Diana's horses (named the four Anemoi) run. It would get your heart pumping to find out whether she wins or not.

You will also find similar characters from ‘Mistress of Rome’ so it’s interesting how they became the way they did in the first book.  Such as Marcus Norbanus getting a limp and a messed up shoulder during his imprisonment. Also, little Flavia (Lollia’s daughter) becoming a Christian.

Like I said, this has been an interesting historical fiction to read. If you like Ancient Rome or just looking for something to read, this is a good choice to read during these rainy April weather. I do look forward to reading Kate Quinn's third book, 'Empress of the Seven Hills' sometime this year.

'The Hunger Games' - Book vs. Movie

I watched ‘The Hunger Games’ the weekend after opening weekend. I was looking forward to the movie because of all the hype and I had just finished the book in two days. Literally, if you haven’t read the book, it only takes you a day (or two days at the most) to finish the book. The first two chapters are slow but it gets exciting after that.

I never knew about ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy until the trailer. Since I kept hearing about it, my brother bought the trilogy set two weeks prior to the movie coming out. I think I shouldn’t have read the book before the movie and I probably would have liked it much more. My friend didn’t read the book and she enjoyed the movie.

It’s probably little details comparing the book to the movie but I also know that the director can’t possibly put in every detail (and they change things to fit their vision). I’m not really going to do a review on either the book or movie. Instead, here are some things my brother, my cousin and I thought about while comparing the book to the movie.

1. In the book, Katniss gets the mockingjay pin from District 12’s mayor’s daughter prior to Katniss leaving on the train to go to the Capitol. In the movie, she finds it in a bunch of junk while she was buying something. Now you wouldn’t know from the movie but the mockingjay has significance during the rebellion. Maybe it will come up in the sequel.
2. 2.     In the book, Haymitch falls during the reaping but in the movie, you don’t meet him till both Katniss and Peeta are on the train. I would have thought that scene should be in the movie. Comic relief during a horrific time. Minor detail though which can be overlooked because of the mood during the reaping.
3. My cousin pictured it differently of Rue dying. In the book, Rue is stuck in the net and the spear goes through her little body. In the movie, the scene is there but Rue is out of the net and is standing when she is pierced by the spear. Again, minor detail and probably made it suitable for those 13 and up. When you have good imagination, you picture things different while you’re reading, I guess.
4. In the book, different scenes happen during the day and night. So when you see the same scenes (or sequence) in the movie, it’s not entirely the same. Again, minor detail.
5. In the book when Katniss and Peeta are reunited, Katniss gives Peeta  a sleeping syrup so that she could go to the Cornucopia to get Peeta’s medicine. In the movie, she just watches him as he is sleeping before she makes the decision to go. At least with this scene, you can see the betrayal in his eyes as he falls asleep and Haymitch helping her by sending another parachute.
6. In the book, Katniss realizes that the genetically altered werewolves are the tributes that died. In the movie, you don’t know that and they looked like big dogs. My vision of the werewolves was like the ones in the ‘Twilight’ movies. 
7. In the same sequence, the book has Cato running away from the werewolves as he passes Katniss and Peeta. Also, he’s wearing body armor. You don’t see that in the movie other than him reappearing on top of the Cornucopia and head locking Peeta. I guess more dramatic for Cato to appear suddenly.
8. At the end, Peeta realizes that Katniss doesn’t feel the same way and he goes along with the ‘lovers’ theme one more time when they reach home. In the movie, it’s not there.  Another minor detail but what from I know about ‘Catching Fire’, Peeta continues to help her with the ‘lovers’ theme since she’s in a whole mess of trouble. In the movie, you don’t get the sense of Katniss’s mixed feelings for Peeta, which would go along with this theme since in the book, Katniss is afraid of losing him forever.
9. At the end of the movie, I didn’t really feel that there was going to be a sequel. Then again, maybe with President Snow being mad at her was enough.

I guess that’s what I get for comparing the book to the movie. At least in the movie, you saw how the Gamekeepers manipulate the scenario for the tributes (bunch of meanies!), the Districts watching the game, Gale’s reaction to Katniss kissing Peeta (which was a amusing), the Capitol’s mayor’s conversation with the Gamekeeper and Haymitch trying to get sponsors which you couldn’t get in the book since you’re seeing the world through Katniss’s perspective.

Regardless of my mix feelings about the movie, I would look forward to watching when Hollywood makes ‘Catching Fire’. In the meantime, I’ll read the book (once my brother finishes it).

Mistress of Rome - Book Review

So I took a break from reading my next Tudor book and decided to head to my local library. I wanted to read Kate Quinn's 'Mistress of Rome', which was a part of my book list. I do love Ancient Rome. After all, my son's middle name is after a Roman barbarian king.

The book follows three characters: Thea (a Jewish slave girl with a Roman name), Lepida Pollia (Thea's mistress) and Arius the Barbarian (gladiator) during the time of Emperor Domitian (the last of the Flavian dynasty).


The story begins with Thea as a slave girl. She was basically bought to serve Lepida Pollia, who is a beautiful, yet a selfish girl. Her father organizes the events at the Colosseum, which is famous for the gladiators. I came to dislike Lepida's character since she expects everything to fall into her lap. Also her character just makes you want to hate her. During the slave executions (there are other events before the gladiators), a slave from Brigantia decides to kill the Romans in the arena. Thus Arius the Barbarian was born. Kate Quinn brings to life of the gladiator games through the eyes of Arius the Barbarian.

Arius the Barbarian just wants to drown himself in wine but that's the appeal of his character to the Romans. He becomes desirable that even Lepida wants to claim him. She even sends Thea to bring letters to Arius the Barbarian. What she doesn't expect is that Thea and Arius would fall in love. Of course Thea has to keep this silent but during one of Arius's matches, Thea sort of gives herself away.

By this time, Lepida figures this out and is in a jealous rage. After all, she thinks herself to be the most beautiful in Rome and to have the Barbarian want an ordinary slave girl drives her mad. So mad that she sells Thea to become a prostitute in Brundisium. Still, Thea holds a surprise in her womb.

Several years later, Thea is still a slave but this time for a musician. She performs for clients under the name of Athena and has a son. As for Lepida, she is now married to Senator Marcus Norbanus and has a daughter named Vabia Sabina (who is an epileptic). You would think that being a mother would soften her but that's not in her case. Basically she is still so young, she prefers to go out to parties. When Senator Marcus Norbanus is called back to Rome, he leaves his wife and daughter in Brundisium. This displeases Lepida and she is watched/escorted by her step son Paulinus.

Athena and Lepida would meet during one of the parties that Athena was performing. In order to get back at her husband, Lepida seduces Paulinus. She does a very good job that he still goes back for more even though he is so guilty and is no longer interested in Athena. They are finally caught when Senator Marcus Norbanus comes home for a visit and strategically witnesses Lepida with Paulinus. Senator Marcus Norbanus would divorce her but Lepida is very persuasive. 

Soon Athena becomes Domitian's mistress, much to Lepida's dislike. She hangs onto this for five years but there's nothing happy about it. He hates Jews but for some reason, he keeps Athena. He is also very abusive towards her. Yet through it all, she never lets on that she is afraid of him. Athena's new found friend is Domitian's niece, Flavia Domitilla, where Vix stays until Athena is able to visit. Arius and Athena will finally meet during one of Athena's visits. By this point, Arius has an alias.

Things suddenly gets worse for Athena when Domitian almost kills Athena publicly when he suspects her of having another lover. Vix tries to save her by striking the Emperor. In the end, Vix becomes Domitian's slave. Thea finds Arius to explain what has happened. Now Thea and Arius must join forces with Empress Domitia Longina (Domitian's cast off wife), Senator Marcus Norbanus and Paulinus to bring down Emperor Domitian. By bringing the Emperor down, then only Thea and Arius and Vix can be finally free.

This has been a great book to read. I wanted to find out what happened to Thea and her little family so I couldn't put the book down. I was actually happy what happened to Lepida in the end. You probably would be surprised in Domitian's behavior throughout the book but Kate Quinn stays true to his character. Hopefully this is enough for you to read it if you already haven't. 

If you want to learn more about Kate Quinn and her books, here is her website.
http://www.katequinnauthor.com/index.htm