The Last Tudor (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels)
The final book of the Tudor series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory features one of the most famous women in history, Lady Jane Grey, and her two sisters, each of whom dared to defy her queen.Jane Grey was queen of England for nine days. Her father and his allies crowned her instead of the dead king's half-sister Mary Tudor, who quickly mustered an army, claimed her throne, and locked Jane in the Tower of London. When Jane refused to betray her Protestant faith, Mary sent her to the executioner's block, where Jane transformed her father's greedy power-grab into tragic martyrdom. "Learn you to die," was the advice Jane wrote to her younger sister Katherine, who has no intention of dying. She intends to enjoy her beauty and her youth and fall in love. But she is heir to the insecure and infertile Queen Mary and then to her sister Queen Elizabeth, who will never allow Katherine to marry and produce a Tudor son. When Katherine's pregnancy betrays her secret marriage, she faces imprisonment in the Tower, only yards from her sister's scaffold. "Farewell, my sister," writes Katherine to the youngest Grey sister, Mary. A beautiful dwarf, disregarded by the court, Mary keeps family secrets, especially her own, while avoiding Elizabeth's suspicious glare. After seeing her sisters defy their queens, Mary is acutely aware of her own danger, but determined to command her own life. What will happen when the last Tudor defies her ruthless and unforgiving cousin Queen Elizabeth?
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
As a fan of Alison Weir's Innocent Traitor I was excited to see that Philippa Gregory had written a book about all 3 Grey sisters. This historical novel is divided into three parts and each part is narrated by one of the sisters. I was very disappointed with the treatment of Jane Grey. She seemed one dimensional. The second part of the book narrated by Katherine Grey was more interesting and I appreciated the explanation of why Elizabeth opposed her marrying without permission. Overall an interesting installment in the Tudor series but not my favorite.
Quick notes: On the whole, I really appreciate Philippa Gregory as a scholar and writer, it is evident throughout that her writing is very well researched, and that she has been deep in the archives re access to journals, letters, correspondence, privy council records, etc. (*I would be so pleased to hear her lecture or give a book talk!)
However....as intriguing as some of the "behind the scenes" antics were, I felt completely disconnected from the writing itself...like double voyeurism.... everything is happening TO the characters and AROUND the characters....they are not "in the action" so to speak...so it was an odd reading experience...the writing is very good, but it is not immersive and atmospheric... at least not at the level where I feel utterly capsized....it was interesting reading about the accounts of these Grey sisters....so close to the Crown and yet so dismissed...also the demonizing of Elizabeth I ....was she really this shrewd, narcissistic and cruel?! Perhaps...but maybe there is a whole book devoted to her in the series that could have helped to balance the bias.... obviously she has sound grounds to be paranoid and exhibit as a self-preservationist....
Also full disclaimer....this is not a period of history that I am enamoured by ...apart from the political intrigue/diplomatic alliances (or lack thereof) textile/fashion is also a pull factor ...😂
There is just too much lamentation...looking futilely from windows...too much powerlessness and lack of agency/autonomy from even redeemable characters....
I will say though - a book on the Tudors from the perspective of Thomasina, the Queen's dwarf, would have been juicy as hell...the absolute "T" in titillating scandal....
I don't regret reading this...as it always helps me to better understand my reading life and reading wants/needs....but not my jam, lol
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.