A Tudor Christmas is written over twelve chapters, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas. The food, games and traditions of the Tudor court and common people are interspersed with poetry, carols and recipes (which may not be to your modern tastes!). Although it is mainly focused on Tudor times, the banning of Christmas by the Puritans is also covered.

It is not a long book, but it is detailed, and would make a lovely Christmas gift. I will read this again and would buy for friends and family.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, Jonathan Cape and the authors Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke, for an advanced readers copy of A Tudor Christmas in exchange for an honest review. You got me on 'Tudor Christmas' as I am a huge fan of royal history and love, and slightly scared of revelations with regard to Tudor England. I knew a little about the Christmas rituals they went through but loved learning so much more. King Henry VIII clearly adored having fun when he was young, spending as much the equivalent thirteen and half million on Christmas festivities; his presents were very generous, but obviously, his generosity waned over the years. The research is very in-depth and the presentation of the book is a joy. If you love history, and the history of Christmas you'll be delighted by this. I loved it!

My thanks to Random House UK and Vintage for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With ‘A Tudor Christmas’ Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke have created a jewel of a book. I have been a fan of Alison Weir for ages and very much respect her work so knew this would be well researched.

It was a delightful read exploring the customs of Christmas in historical terms. As the title indicates its focus is on the Tudor period, though is not confined to that period as various customs had earlier beginnings. They also touch upon changes brought about during the 17th Century rule of the Puritans including the banning of Christmas, which proved very unpopular with many.

Plenty of poems, songs and recipes are scattered throughout (though its authors warn that the recipes may not suit the modern palate). There are also line drawings for each chapter in the style of woodcuts.

I found it very educational as well as entertaining and plan on buying a few copies as Christmas gifts.

I found it more a reference book than one for reading for relaxation. However, it is very well researched and full of interesting facts, especially about Tudor times. And the illustrations were lovely too.

Thank you for the ARC, this is my honest opinion

I found "A Tudor Christmas" by Alison Weir; Siobhan Clarke book a Short and Sweet read.
I am a big fan of History and I just loved this book and found it full of history of leading up to the magical time of Christmas celebrations in the time of the Tudors, of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. So many things were so different and so magical. It seemed strange reading this wonderful book 3 months before Christmas and the Sun is shining here.
This book would be a lovely stocking filler for someone to learn about Christmas celebrations so many years ago...........and to share with their family on this special day.


Big Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, and the authors Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke, for the wonderful opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of A Tudor Christmas in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I loved it.

This is an interesting and informative read. It is a look at how Christmas was celebrated in Tudor times and how long Christmas as we know it has been celebrated. It has obviously been well researched and thought out and is a pleasure to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A delightful, enjoyable and well researched book.
It was a fast and entertaining read, full of interesting facts and information.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for this ARC

Up to some years ago, I used to keep to an annual Christmas ritual. Come end September, or at the latest, early October, as soon as the first rains announced the end of a gloriously long Mediterranean summer, I would uncover my collection of festive CDs and start giving them an airing. Growing older, I’ve lost some of my enthusiasm, but I still love Christmas. And so it didn’t seem strange at all for me to be reading “A Tudor Christmas” three months before December.

This book would certainly make for a great stocking filler. I read it electronically, but even without its physical feel, it looked beautifully presented, with vintage-style line drawings to set the mood. It is divided into chapters based on each of the “Twelve days of Christmas”, each of which serves as the departure point for an article addressing some particular aspect of the Christmas in Tudor times – whether it be festive recipes, carol-singing, present-giving as well as the changes brought about by the various religious upheavals of the time – be it the Reformation with its banning of “popish” traditions or the more extreme Puritanical banning of Christmas. In actual fact, in order to give context to the central theme of the book (celebrations at the time of the Tudors, chiefly Henry VIII and Elizabeth I), Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke also include information about earlier periods (such as Medieval traditions which were retained by the Tudors) and later ones (particularly Christmas under the Stuarts). The text is complemented by festive poetry by the likes of Robert Herrick (he of "What Sweeter Music Fame", memorably set to music by John Rutter)

I read the book in a couple of sittings, but its style invites dipping into, perhaps in front of a crackling fire (though there’s little chance of that in my place of the world).

What a wonderful little book. I adore all things Christmas related and this was just a delight to read.

Easily Absorbed Historical Facts.
As a National Trust volunteer at a Tudor/Jacobean house I was keen to read this book and I wasn’t disappointed. The book is loosely structured around the twelve days of Christmas, with each day being an individual chapter. I found it a fascinating read and learned a lot of facts that I never knew before; particularly the introduction which was very informative. I found myself reading aloud to anyone who would listen to me!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a steadfast fan of Weir and her work and for the most part I enjoyed this book, set out in chapters like the twelve days of Christmas so that it is easy for readers to follow. The material is for the most part dry so possibly not for everyone but I found some of the information fascinating, such as how far back seemingly more modern traditions go. There are also clever explanations for words that have passed into common parlance such as toasting, born from the tradition of wassailing. I always love in particular the poetry, journals and other written material that Weir so carefully selects to give voice to a bygone age.

What I didn't enjoy is feeling that a lot of material is recycled, which of course is bound to happen when an historian specialises the way the author does. But in particular Tudor Christmas was examined in Henry VIII: The King and his Court from some years ago. I found parts almost twinning in this new book which made me wonder, was it really a necessary release?

Thankyou to NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, Jonathan Cape and the authors Alison Weir and Siobhan Clarke, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of A Tudor Christmas in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I am a huge fan of history, especially concerning Tudor England, so I jumped at the chance to review this offering from Ms Weir and Ms Clarke.
I loved it . It was a subject that was obviously meticulously researched which resulted in a highly informative book.
Well worth a read.

This is a short book, a presentation or gift volume really, presumably aimed at the Christmas market: and what a nice present it would make for Tudor fans.

Organised around the 12 days of Christmas, it explores expected Yuletide topics such as eating, drinking, gift-giving, masques, carols and other entertainments, as well as religious and social rituals.

The title is a misnomer since this goes well beyond the Tudor period including information taken from Pepys, for example, writing in the 1660s under the Stuart restored monarchy of Charles II. So a canny marketing ploy...

Quibbles apart, this is informative, easy to read and entertaining - perfect reading for post-Xmas-lunch, on the sofa with the Quality Street!