This is a very interesting and intriguing story of Tudor England, the reign of Henry VIII but this is not so much about that but is the story of Anys Barre, a single mother struggling to find her way, to look after her child but in these times that is not easy and when the king's quarrel with Rome becomes a war things get even worse.

This is such a intriguing book, a different take on the happenings of the time and the writing is flawless and it really takes you there, takes you to Tudor England. I love the flow, the story, the characters and the detail as it makes you want to delve deeper and deeper into the pages. I got started and then felt I could not stop reading as I just wanted to see what was going to happen. A wonderful read adn one I very much enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and The Book Guild for giving me the opportunity to read adn review this book.

Henry VIII in all his flamboyance is infamous and notorious. I was not aware of the extent of his cruelty and greed till I read this book. In his over riding and desperate need for a male heir he rode roughshod over his countryman creating the most amount of destruction and the breakdown of religious life in centuries. The breakdown removed the protection and support system that the churches and monasteries had provided to the poor and destitute.

Henry’s reforms promoted by Cromwell and an inner group of courtiers destroyed the monastic way of life, apart from the breakaway from Rome and establishing the sovereign as the head of the Church. The story centres around the life of William Morland, a young monk steadfast in his faith and in his relationship with God. We see his battles of joining a group of protestors who only wanted to protest against the proclamation of the sovereign being head of the church, but not against the king himself. Sadly it was used against tge protestors which led to the brutal murders of several Lords from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. When events caught up with William, he was dealt in a similar manner, brutally murdered by the Kings orders.

The story was different as it was the voice of this monk who was so faithful to his vocation and his religion, and in the voices of very ordinary folk who believed in the supremacy of the Pope and who were bewildered when they were asked to change their allegiance immediately.

Detailed historical accounts from the turbulent Tudor period, coupled with a deeply spiritual account of the monk William Morland.

I enjoyed the story immensely despite the brutality.

An ok read worthy of any Tudor/medieval/early modern fiction enthusiast. Emerson has a writing style that is easy to read, and it was an ok book. The subject is interesting and a great point of view of a momentous time in Britain’s history.

I did start to get a little bored halfway through though. A lot of things happen but nothing much actually happens. It was a wandering story whose threads only tighten somewhat at around the 80% mark.

The male MC just seems to stumble from one scene to the next, and though expressing emotions often, felt distant and not fully fleshed out. I felt similarly for the cadence and details of the story - all the elements were there, but didn’t much draw me in.

The female MC pops up for a chapter now and then to express anguish at her situation, then do something that doesn’t progress the plot, or just provides a view of men’s actions. Otherwise, women don’t appear to exist. The 16th century great reformation in England is a part of history that has been covered many times in fiction through men’s experiences, so I was disappointed to see a very limited coverage of women’s perspectives. It could have been incredibly interesting to experience this, given how women have been erased from history.

Those unfamiliar with this part of British history may be a bit lost when reading this book: few cohesive details are given, only a smattering of info here and there to push along the plot, so the motives of characters in the book feel distant.

As Emerson’s debut book I think she’s created something good here for those with a special interest in 16th century historical fiction. I do think there’s a lot of potential in her writing for future stories and characters and I’d be interested to see what she produces next.


Thank you P M Emerson, The Book Guild publishers, and NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy.

It is 1536 in England during Henry VIII reign. I found the story well researched and very interesting. Highly recommend.

An excellent novel which takes the reader right into the heart of the times when monasteries were destroyed by Henry VIII. I found this novel very interesting because it is written not only through the voice of a monk who had to live his monastery , but also through the lives of ordinary people in an ordinary village. Very rich in historical details and real characters, I was engrossed in their lives from the beginning till the end.
The story is also thought provoking: what do you do if you felt you had to swear to a new faith, or to publicly remain Catholic? Most ordinary people did not have the knowledge or education to help decide. They only relied on their deep belief of catholicism..... Very human, faithful to reality, the characters were convincing, whatever their religious tendencies.
An excellent novel which I highly recommend!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.