MARY I; QUEEN OF SORROWS looks at one of England's most hated queens, exploring what led to a reign known for its brutality.

As with HENRY VIII; THE HEART AND THE CROWN, I went into this with very firm opinions on Mary. However, this book didn't feel like it was written with a different opinion to mine (my view certainly didn't change and I was grateful not to feel that disconnect between what I felt and what the book was appearing to say.) It was interesting to read the author's note and realise how closely our opinions on Mary match.

She is a tragic, pitiful character as a child. It is not her fault that her parents' marriage breaks up and it rips her life apart, a very traumatic event that gets compounded by her father's actions. It's an awful event and I feel very sorry for her, as the book encourages, while admiring her courage to stay true to her faith.

However, as soon as she becomes queen, all my sympathy evaporates. She is a disaster and MARY I; QUEEN OF SORROWS step by step lays out her many failures as a queen. It is a tragedy, all this promise destroyed by political weakness and a stubborn desire to return to a time that is long gone.

I believe this book wraps up the series that explores Tudor monarchs who are usually seen through the eyes of others. I am looking forward to the last of her non-fiction series about England's Medieval Queens.

I'm a big fan of Alison Weir and devoured her Six Queens series. This book about Mary I has just as much detail and although it overlaps the queen's stories, it also gives much more information about how Mary lived and died. A must read for Tudor and Alison Weir fans.

Mary 1 is known to history as 'Bloody Mary' but Alison Weir takes a more rounded approach in her book Mary 1: Queen of Sorrows. She shows how Mary was affected by her parents divorce and describes Mary's sorrow at being unable to have children. Her marriage to Philip of Spain was not as happy as she had hoped. Mary lived in an age of religious turmoil and clung to her faith as a constant in her life. She was in constant danger from various factions who wished to overthrow her and place a protestant on the throne. Although the book is a novel, it is underpinned by extensive research and the author's in-depth knowledge of the Tudor period. The prose style makes the book easy to read and brought the period to life.
A great read for fans of historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book. All opinions are my own

It's so nice to see Mary I being given a historical fiction book dedicated to her life rather than just being a peripheral character. Weir dedicates over over half of the novel to Mary's early years and her cruel treatment under her father's second wife, and also pays close attention to the emotional turmoil of the end of her parents marriage. Whilst Weir's dislike for a much maligned monarch is apparent as the book goes on, it is definitely an interesting read and a refreshing approach to a monarch often forgotten, ignored, or misunderstood in fiction of this period,

A more detailed review will be shared nearer publication date on The History Belles instagram page.

Mary I might be one of the most controversial figures that Alison Weir has depicted in her fiction books. With her nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ her reputation leaves much to be desired, yet at the start of her reign she was a beloved monarch rescuing her subjects from an attempted power grab.

As Weir herself acknowledges in the historical note (it’s always worth noting how good her historical notes are), the challenge in this book was reconciling these different extremes of Mary’s character, and she landed it exactly right. It would have been easy for the book to become some sort of villain-backstory, or the tale of a tragically misunderstood anti-hero, but Weir approaches Mary’s story with the nuance needed for a real person’s life.

As with her previous book about Mary’s father, the infamous Henry VIII, Weir does an excellent job of providing the context and grounding for us to understand the person’s actions, without endorsing them. There was a sense, especially as tragedy played an ever-increasing role in Mary’s life, of delusion bordering on madness towards the end of the book. We became immersed in Mary’s world and shared in her tragedies. Even when she was far from sympathetic, I still felt like I understood her.

This book successfully takes on one of Britain’s most notorious monarchs, exploring her humanity and tragedy while still acknowledging that her reputation was not unfounded. It’s another excellent historical fiction from Alison Weir, who continues to deliver on every front.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

How the author continues to write such high quality historical fiction is quite remarkable. This book is so well researched and full of information about Mary’s life it would be easy for it turn into a non fiction book and be quite heavy to read but Alison Weir manages to keep the writing flowing, the story interesting and believable so that it’s very easy to forget that it is actually historically accurate. I really enjoyed reading about Bloody Mary as it is easy to forget her role in history given her better known father and sister. Needless to say I continue to be a big fan and highly recommend this for fans of books about the Tudor period.

I was really interested to read this book as Mary is probably the only Tudor monarch that I haven’t really read much about. Alison Weir’s novel did a brilliant job of showing Mary as she grew from an indulged, much-loved princess to a lonely woman who was suspicious of everyone around her. She showed clearly how Mary changed as she grew older and began feel that she could only trust a handful of people. This was most clearly shown by how Mary changed in her view of her sister Elizabeth. She began by loving her and caring for her but ended up almost seeing her as an enemy.
The only problem with the book was, as the author herself stated, Mary just isn’t that likeable or memorable. Her research is impeccable and I was fascinated by the details of Mary’s life but in the end, this was an interesting rather than gripping read.

As usual Alison Weir brings history to life. Her well researched novel give an insight into the possible motives behind Mary I actions during her time as queen. She almost makes you feel sorry for the Queen. She explains how complex her life was and how she was used as a pawn by more powerful men. IT would appear that the only place she felt she had some control was with religion, and in this aspect she was very strong willed. At this point she did not listen to the powerful men around her and she was then remembered as being 'Bloody Mary'.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the advance copy of this book.

As ever Alison Weir has written another well researched novel that makes history so accessible to those who found it boring when taught in school. The story is so immersive your just absorb the historical fact with effort. Why don’t schools use these books to teach history?

I really enjoy Alison's books. She has a gift to portray this type of historical fiction in an engaging way. This one was very slow in general for me, though, but also Mary I is not a super interesting character in my opinion. Yes, she achieved a few things that are important but she is not remarkable as a person. For anyone starting out with this type of historical fiction, this is a good one. For me, it didn't bring anything new.

Thank you #netgalley for this arc in return for an honest opinion.

I am a big fan of Alison Weir's work. Her research and historical content is well written with believable and courteous fiction to flesh out the story.

In history lessons, you only hear about 'Bloody Mary's and how sent so many people to their death for heresy. This book shows quite how complex her life actually was. A woman who was used as a political pawn, suffering multiple bereavements of people close to her, constantly pushed from property to property, never knowing if she was safe or ever loved. The amount of trauma she endures could quite easily have contributed to her physical and mental health. The only things she felt in control of was her religion.

For me, there was a bit of a lull in the middle when Edward was on the throne, but I guess this is due to the lack of information available about this period, other than the constant push and pull between them about religion.

Such a enjoyable read and a great insight into the life of Mary. Usually included as just a side character it was refreshing to see Mary take centre stage, even if she's not the most likeable of people.
By the end of the novel you're amazed at how the woman Mary turned into, was the hard done by child in the beginning and I feel Weir really captured her slow descent into madness (imo) perfectly

"Mary I: Queen of Sorrows" by Alison Weir offers a captivating journey through this period of Tudor history, skilfully portraying the complexities of Mary I's reign. Weir's meticulous research and empathetic storytelling humanises Mary, who is often viewed negatively for her extreme religious views and actions as a result of this. As a fan of the author I was not disappointed, and recommend this to all who enjoy reading historical fiction.

📚 Book Review 📚

Queen Mary 1 was a complicated, complex person who can divide opinion and enable strong views amongst those who read about her.

Although this is a fictional novel, it is based on historical manuscripts and evidence which adds authenticity and realism.

I started this historical novel, really not a Mary fan but as I read the first half of the book, I did warm to her. Mary was actually a strong willed and intelligent young woman, who was treated with complete disregard by one of the very people she should have been able to rely on, unconditionally.

As the book progresses, it becomes much harder to retain this warm feeling. Mary was so driven, but this drive caused her to ignore advice from her advisors, argue with her politicians and cause misery and unrest amongst her subjects. Sadly, I am left with much the same impression of Mary as I was beforehand, but Alison Weir’s great skill in weaving her story was really interesting to read. This is my first book by her and I have already ordered two more!

This really is a must for everyone who loves reading about historical events and figures, of the Tudor age.

I’d like to thank Headline, NetGalley and the author for the arc and fantastic opportunity 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a beautifully written book. I couldn’t stop reading this. Alison weir has brought Mary I to life. Mary was already an interesting figure but she made Mary ten times more fascinating. In this book, when Mary went through a hard time, I felt like I was going through it too. Being an Anne Boleyn lover also, I understood the pain and tribulations Catherine and Mary went through. Another superb book by Alison weir. I can’t wait to get a hard copy when it’s released

Alison Weir has a gift for making stories we think we know come to life and feel like the first time we're hearing it. I've read a lot of Tudor fiction and I still found this really engaging. Mary is normally in the background of every other book set at this time so it was fascinating to see her take centre stage. She came to life in her interactions with others and I was gripped from the beginning when we see the strength of her bond with her mother. The way she looks at things and the decisions she made are all the more understandable, even when we know the often terrible outcomes. Another thing I always love about Alison Weir's novels are the notes at the end that give us an even deeper understanding. A must read for those who enjoy this genre.

✝️ Mary I is a polarising figure in the history world. As usual, @alisonweir.historian gives a balanced and nuanced portrait of the woman who has divided so many across time. This book spans Mary's lifetime, charting her idyllic childhood (which was brought to an abrupt end with the rise of Anne Boleyn) to her tortured adolescence and finally her womanhood as Queen. Mary did not have an easy life and so many of her early experiences shaped the woman she was to become. After so much adversity in life, I can see how Mary leant on religion as sometimes her only comfort and how she clung to the supremacy of her religion in a misguided attempt to right the wrongs done to her in life. Weir manages to show both the vulnerability and the imperfections of Mary's character - showing her blindspots when it came to religion and her husband, the ill-received and manipulative Philip of Spain. My favourite bits were her interactions with Elizabeth, from her erstwhile caretaker to her archenemy and I highly enjoyed even their moat acrimonious encounters as it breathes life into two women who have long only existed in the pages of books

This is a difficult book to review. Alison Weir’s books are usually gripping and well woven tales, but this one falls flat for me.

In my opinion, Mary I is generally not a very interesting person to weave tales around. Whilst she was the first English Queen Regnant, and had some achievements related to that, overall her life was one of the tedious stories of sorrow that so many women live through. She is not known for her liveliness, or to have been involved in intrigue, love affairs or even much merrymaking. Overall that makes for a fairly boring “Mary did this and then she did that” type novel. One of the downfalls to this aspect is that Weir has not really been able to ascribe even interesting fictional conversations to Mary.

The afterword gives some excellent historical detail and does highlight some of the nuances of Mary’s life and reign. Overall though, a flat and disappointing tale from a usually excellent writer.

Fabulous. A must read. Unforgettable Tudor novel by the best writer of this period at the top of her game.

I love Alison Weir books. She creates fantastic atmosphere and explains political intrigue so well without it ever being boring. Her research is meticulous and she includes so much detail that you feel you are there, back in Tudor times with the characters she draws so well. This is going to be another massive seller and a must for any fans of historical fiction. You are never disappointed with this author