Two tales of a less merry olde England
Two nonfiction writers try their hands at novels about brilliant young women caught up in the turmoil of 16th-century politics
By Yvonne Zippfrom the April 24, 2007 edition
By Alison Weir
Ballantine Books
402 pp., $24.95
Page 1 of 2
Henry VIII is a Hollywood dream monarch: His life is larded with sex, violence, and fancy costumes, and he's even regarded in certain circles as a serial killer. Plus, if you want to wax philosophical, there's always the Reformation.
So it's not surprising that the 16th century tends to turn up in pop culture. This year, in addition to other cinematic and literary offerings, are two historical novels that delve into the political upheaval surrounding King Henry's break with the Roman Catholic Church. Both are centered on brilliant young women and written by British writers better known for nonfiction. Alas, one proves to be faux Tudor.
Historian Alison Weir wrote 10 nonfiction books before trying her hand at Innocent Traitor, a fictional look at the life of England's shortest-reigning monarch.
With a nickname like "The Nine Days Queen," you know Lady Jane Grey isn't going to be celebrating her diamond jubilee. But her life before she is executed at 16 is so appallingly grim that a reader wants to cram Social Services in a time machine and send them to her rescue. Her parents see her as a pawn from birth and are determined to marry her to Henry's son, Edward, to advance the cause of Protestantism (and their own fortunes). Her mother, Frances Brandon, makes Cinderella's stepmother look like a caring parent. She whips Jane for faults ranging from bad table manners to refusing to marry the spoiled monster her parents have chosen. (Never has the phrase "politics makes strange bedfellows" been more horribly applied.)
Lady Jane had one brief period of happiness when she became the ward of Queen Katherine Parr, the only wife fortunate enough to survive Henry and, apparently, the only nice person in London. The queen's friendship and her books are Jane's only solaces.
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