Hello, my name is Trish and I'm Tudor obsessed.  So reading Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley was a forgone conclusion for me.  And within the pages, I discovered a fascinating blend of Tudor trickery and human insight into a character that I grew to like and admire.

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First Line of Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

"Press a little harder with the pen, Mary."

My Thoughts on Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

Before I read this book, my impressions of Mary were that of a vengeful queen who killed for religious reasons without qualm. After all she earned the infamous title The Bloody Queen Mary.  She is the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, and became Queen after Lady Jane Grey was beheaded.

I knew the facts, but now I feel like I know the young woman before her assent to the throne.  This book vividly set the scene of the infamous Tudor dynasty, the luxurious palaces, the indulgent lifestyle, the hundreds of servants at the beck and call of the privileged few.  However after Henry's separation from Catherine, Mary was banished from that lavish lifestyle.

I admired her strength as she refused to deny her birth right despite physical and emotional hardships.  And I raged at the lack of respect that Henry had for her, as she was only a daughter.  He had the cheek to consider himself childless, as daughters don't count.  Of course I knew how little women counted, but being inside the head of Mary, while all this was demonstrated out to her again and again, made me sigh with indignation.

Factually, I can't fault the book.  The Tudor period is never boring to read about.  There are far too many betrayals, beheadings, acts of treason, and colourful characters to be entertained by.  Queen Mary is one of those colourful characters, and this book shades her out nicely.  I'd love if there was a follow on book, or if this was the start of a series.  As it has just whet my appetite for more Tudor treachery!

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Who should read Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

I'd highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, especially the Tudor period.  And even more so if you want to see what teenage/new adult Lady Mary was like.  Fans of the Philippa Gregory series should enjoy, I know I found it fitted in perfectly with my reading of those books.  And if you think history is boring, then I challenge you to read this book and see if your view stays the same.

s there anything that Lucy Worsley can’t do?
She’s one of those women who, if I see that she is in any way involved, I know that I’m going to watch / read it and what’s more, I’ll love it.
This book is no different.
We have the story of King Henry Viii falling in love with Anne Boleyn, the divorce of Catherine of Aragon and how this is all seen through the eyes of Henry and Catherine’s daughter, Princess Mary.

All Mary wants is to be a family with her mother and father.
The attention to detail is as authentic as one would expect from Lucy Worsley and she does well in portraying Mary as a young woman being used as a pawn. A woman who may have been born into royalty but she still has feelings and you can’t help but root for Mary, whether you know the outcome or not.