The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England's Most Famous Dynasty
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- Create Date：2022-12-16 17:21:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Gristwood
- ISBN：1250271428
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jasminegalsreadinglog
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The Tudors in Love is a fascinating book about courtly love during the Tudor era。 The author goes into a well researched path of letters and poetry from that age。 From King Arthur to Queen Elizabeth I everyone was influenced by love or was it only a facade for bigger games behind the scenes？Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII are the most fascinating personalities of the Tudor age for me。 Once the book goes into their story， I had a wonderful time reading this book。 It is a well researched book drawing f The Tudors in Love is a fascinating book about courtly love during the Tudor era。 The author goes into a well researched path of letters and poetry from that age。 From King Arthur to Queen Elizabeth I everyone was influenced by love or was it only a facade for bigger games behind the scenes？Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII are the most fascinating personalities of the Tudor age for me。 Once the book goes into their story， I had a wonderful time reading this book。 It is a well researched book drawing from whatever material still exists。 An interesting perspective of how shallow boundaries existed for the courtly love but how easy was it for men to cast aside women。 Powerful men and their politics played their games and women were the pawn or the victim。I really enjoyed the book though the writing could have been little simpler。 With the heavy prose of Tudor era and the long sentences it was a little tough for me to follow the book especially very early on。 For the all the lovers of The Tudors， this book is perfect。 Thank you St。 Martin's Press and Netgalley。 。。。more
Monica
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Tudors？ Of course you know who they are。 King Henry VIII and his six wives， most famously Anne Boleyn。 His daughter， Queen Elizabeth I。 Gristwood takes us back in time to the Middle Ages， where courtly love was just a game to some， but others a political mean。 You may find your favor with the royals one day， and be in the Tower of London the next。 During these times， courtly love was used as a way to gain political power。 Not love as we know it， but love as a way to align countries together。 Mos Tudors？ Of course you know who they are。 King Henry VIII and his six wives， most famously Anne Boleyn。 His daughter， Queen Elizabeth I。 Gristwood takes us back in time to the Middle Ages， where courtly love was just a game to some， but others a political mean。 You may find your favor with the royals one day， and be in the Tower of London the next。 During these times， courtly love was used as a way to gain political power。 Not love as we know it， but love as a way to align countries together。 Most times you didn't see your future wife or husband until a deal had been made。 As for King Henry VIII it didn't matter if you were already to be someone else's， he was King， so if he wanted you to be his wife， you were。 As for Queen Elizabeth I， she surprised everyone by never marrying。 She came to be known as the 'Virgin Queen'， but was she really。From the Tudors， comes the line of the Stuarts， which is a direct line to today's monarch。 Read this book， and learn how what happened during these times， still effect some things today。Gristwood researched this book extensively。 You can tell by the depth of the book。 This will publish on December 27， 2022。Thanks to Netgalley， St。 Martin's Press and Gristwood for the Kindle Version of the book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。😊 Happy Reading 📚😊 。。。more
Carol lowkey。bookish
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I have read several nonfiction and historical fiction books about The Tudors， and especially about Henry VIII and his many wives。 This book added a new spin on this popular topic with a well researched look into how courtly love shaped politics and how it affected the lives of Elizabeth I， Henry VII， and The Tudors in general。 All history buffs will enjoy this fascinating and informative look at the lives of important figures in the Tudor Dynasty。 I received a free review copy of this book from I have read several nonfiction and historical fiction books about The Tudors， and especially about Henry VIII and his many wives。 This book added a new spin on this popular topic with a well researched look into how courtly love shaped politics and how it affected the lives of Elizabeth I， Henry VII， and The Tudors in general。 All history buffs will enjoy this fascinating and informative look at the lives of important figures in the Tudor Dynasty。 I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Shoshana
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When I saw on the NetGalley website that Sarah Gristwood had written a new book and it was up for review， I applied for a copy before I read the blurb。 I am glad I did because this is a fascinating look at the Tudor Dynasty through the angle of love， and how it affected them。 The Tudors， individually and as a family， have been well-studied， so it is very interesting to have a fresh approach to the research。 Most people respond to the zeitgeist of their times， and the Tudors were no different。 "C When I saw on the NetGalley website that Sarah Gristwood had written a new book and it was up for review， I applied for a copy before I read the blurb。 I am glad I did because this is a fascinating look at the Tudor Dynasty through the angle of love， and how it affected them。 The Tudors， individually and as a family， have been well-studied， so it is very interesting to have a fresh approach to the research。 Most people respond to the zeitgeist of their times， and the Tudors were no different。 "Courtly Love" was in the air， and these human beings， regardless of their place in life， responded to it。 Courtly Love was an ideal， of course， but the Tudors absorbed the tropes and tried to use them to their own advantage; who wouldn't have？You can always count on Sarah Gristwood for an interesting， well-researched and well-written book， and this tome is no different。 A little heavier and more scholarly than some of her books ``The Tudors in Love '' is a worthy addition to anyone's history shelves。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Nancy
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Courtly Love and the Tudor DynastyEurope was enthralled with courtly love from the time Christien De Troyes wrote about Lancelot and Guinevere。 Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the Courts of Love and practice of chivalry to England when she married Henry II。 However， the proponents who used courtly love to their advantage and disadvantage were the Tudors。 Jousts， greats feasts and romantic games played major role at Henry VIII’s court， particularly in the later years。 Henry had mistresses， notably M Courtly Love and the Tudor DynastyEurope was enthralled with courtly love from the time Christien De Troyes wrote about Lancelot and Guinevere。 Eleanor of Aquitaine brought the Courts of Love and practice of chivalry to England when she married Henry II。 However， the proponents who used courtly love to their advantage and disadvantage were the Tudors。 Jousts， greats feasts and romantic games played major role at Henry VIII’s court， particularly in the later years。 Henry had mistresses， notably Mary Boleyn， however， his romance with her sister Anne was in a different category。 Anne was trained in the courts of Europe and knew how to entice a man in large part through the games of chivalry。 Henry， loving to joust and seeing himself as a knight was caught up in the game。 The game became serious when Henry divorced Katherine to marry Anne， but the magic faded， and when she couldn’t produce an heir her days were numbered。Elizabeth， Henry’s daughter by Anne Boleyn， used chivalry and romantic love to her advantage。 The court was filled with her cavaliers。 She was the untouchable virgin queen for whom they all strove。 It helped her to keep her reign as a single woman supported by her male courtiers。 The book is well researched and engaging to read， particularly if you’re interested in the Tudor Dynasty。 It is written as history rather than a historical novel， but for me the reading was easy and went quickly， possibly because I was very familiar with the historical era。 If you are interested in courtly love and the Tudors， this is an excellent book。 I received this book from Net Galley for this review。 。。。more
Nicole Dunton
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Title: The Tudors in LoveAuthor: Sarah GristwoodRelease Date: December 13th， 2022Page Count: 571Start Date: December 11th， 2022Finish Date: December 12th， 2022Review:I've read many books about King Henry VIII。 Mostly fiction if I'm being honest。 It's always had me curious to learn more about that time frame。 Most of the books that I've read have mostly focused on him and sometimes his wives。 This covers the family in general。 This was very informative。 I actually wound up buying a copy so I can Title: The Tudors in LoveAuthor: Sarah GristwoodRelease Date: December 13th， 2022Page Count: 571Start Date: December 11th， 2022Finish Date: December 12th， 2022Review:I've read many books about King Henry VIII。 Mostly fiction if I'm being honest。 It's always had me curious to learn more about that time frame。 Most of the books that I've read have mostly focused on him and sometimes his wives。 This covers the family in general。 This was very informative。 I actually wound up buying a copy so I can read it a second time and make highlights and notes。 I'd also like to explore the book references made in the book for further reading on the family。 I really recommend this for all the history buffs who love to read about the time period and about the Tudors。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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Tudors in Love provides an overview of one of the most tumultuous families in British history and their loves。Gristwood begins in the medieval era until the end of the Tudor line with the death Of Elizabeth I。She offers commentary and substantiation through letters， poetry， and some conjecture。Some readers might find the genealogy a bit confusing in the early chapters but the chapters about Henry VIII and his subsequent wives are Straight forward and flow well。It’s a good addition to social hist Tudors in Love provides an overview of one of the most tumultuous families in British history and their loves。Gristwood begins in the medieval era until the end of the Tudor line with the death Of Elizabeth I。She offers commentary and substantiation through letters， poetry， and some conjecture。Some readers might find the genealogy a bit confusing in the early chapters but the chapters about Henry VIII and his subsequent wives are Straight forward and flow well。It’s a good addition to social history， royal history， and English history。 Thanks to NetGalley and St。 martin’s Press for the advance read。 。。。more
Caroline
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I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book。 I think she has a valid point about the pervasiveness of the trappings of courtly love in the Tudor court， especially in the time of Henry VIII who loved to see himself as a courtly gentleman serving his lady。 On the other hand， it seems to be a short and not entirely warranted leap from "this explains some things" to "this explains everything。" While there was a lot of courtly flummery between Elizabeth and her favorites， I am not sure the idea I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book。 I think she has a valid point about the pervasiveness of the trappings of courtly love in the Tudor court， especially in the time of Henry VIII who loved to see himself as a courtly gentleman serving his lady。 On the other hand， it seems to be a short and not entirely warranted leap from "this explains some things" to "this explains everything。" While there was a lot of courtly flummery between Elizabeth and her favorites， I am not sure the idea of courtly love explains it all or even most of it。There are many pages where courtly love leaves the building and we are just reading history， even if it is mostly a history of the Tudors' love lives which will interest most people。 That isn't bad in itself， but I think it's a sign that maybe the thesis doesn't completely work。 Since I've already read a lot about the Tudors， that was ground I'd covered before so I was skimming waiting for something else interesting to be said。This is not the first time it's occurred to me that the rules of flirtation at court were fine until a woman was to be got rid of， when suddenly they were treason。 That point does bear making again。Late in the book she says， "The cult of courtly love had made possible Elizabeth's unmarried female monarchy。" What？ I don't know exactly what she means by this。 I'd been thinking the material was overworked a little， and this went over the top for me。 It seems a major overstatement。The Postscript sums up her points， maybe grab the book at the library or in a store and read that to see if you want to read the whole book。 If you haven't already read a lot of Tudor history， maybe you will like this as a way in。 But I am really not convinced that everything love and marriage at court for the whole 16th century can be attributed to the medieval idea of amour courtois。Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Courtney
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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 I love the Tudor dynasty and their many romances， scandals， and tragedies， and while I know a lot about many of them， I love how this book contextualizes them。 In the previous centuries， the courtly love tradition was established by their medieval forebears， and I enjoyed seeing how the Tudor monarchs employed and subverted these traditions。
Oliver
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Fascinating to read about the Tudors through the lens of courtly love。
Lilibet Bombshell
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I love the Tudor dynasty。 I love new lenses with which to look at historical figures and events。 I have a great deal of respect for researchers and writers who try to take a sociocultural approach to analyzing monarchy， war， religion， and even economic systems。 The abstract of this book intrigued me so much because merely thinking about the notion of “courtly love” having an influence of such depth and breadth on European royalty made all things in me tuned to Arthuriana， Tudor， and Elizabeth I I love the Tudor dynasty。 I love new lenses with which to look at historical figures and events。 I have a great deal of respect for researchers and writers who try to take a sociocultural approach to analyzing monarchy， war， religion， and even economic systems。 The abstract of this book intrigued me so much because merely thinking about the notion of “courtly love” having an influence of such depth and breadth on European royalty made all things in me tuned to Arthuriana， Tudor， and Elizabeth I perk up as if I had just finished a quad caramel macchiato。 I don’t know if reading this book in ebook format （I’m not fond of reading nonfiction in ebook format） affected my experience， but the whole text just felt dry and flat to me。 I know for sure it’s not because the material was above my intelligence level: I’m well aware of the players spoken of， a lot of the battles and locations mentioned， and a great many of the texts mentioned。 The prologue， while very long， is truly a fascinating piece of the book you will not want to miss simply because of how Gristwood manages to connect dots between the topics in her book to topics even in the modern day。 The vast amount of material she has gathered in her research efforts for this book is absolutely mind-boggling， and the prologue is only a small taste of just how hard she worked on this book。 There are downsides， though。 Like I said， the text does come across as uneven， with some great anecdotes paired with large amounts of information dumps that managed to lull my eyelids down as the text grew dryer and flatter。 I don’t know if the physical copy is different， but in this ebook version， all of the photographics and graphics are at the back of the book， and on my Kindle Paperwhite they are of very poor resolution and too small to be of much interest （the images are one of the main reasons why I dislike reading nonfiction in ebook format so much）。 I will not comment on the validity of Gristwood’s research， because I’m not an expert in the field and not one of her contemporaries。 I did find the theories proposed to be of great interest and she makes a compelling argument。 I am not ready to say I don’t recommend the book， but for me it’s just not something I enjoyed。 Thanks to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for granting me access to this title。 Due to personal policy， this review will not be posted to any social media or bookseller website owing to the 3 star or lower rating。 。。。more
Chip （C。A。） Printup
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Did not finish at 7%。 Thought this was a fiction novel， similar to Fatal Wives based on the six wives of Henry Tudor。 Did not get that kind of book。 Do not particularly care for love in English court throughout the centuries leading up to the Tudor dynasty， everyone loves the Tudor dynasty for a reason， nothing was seen like it before。 The writer lacks the pizazz that Alison Weir has to keep me caring about things I dislike to get to the juicer bit。Special thanks to NetGalley。com， for recieving Did not finish at 7%。 Thought this was a fiction novel， similar to Fatal Wives based on the six wives of Henry Tudor。 Did not get that kind of book。 Do not particularly care for love in English court throughout the centuries leading up to the Tudor dynasty， everyone loves the Tudor dynasty for a reason， nothing was seen like it before。 The writer lacks the pizazz that Alison Weir has to keep me caring about things I dislike to get to the juicer bit。Special thanks to NetGalley。com， for recieving an Advanced Reader's Copy ahead of the rerelease of this edition。 。。。more
Joy Whiteside
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This was a very interesting read that kept me reading and needing more until the very end。 It moves along at a pace that is perfect for this story。 These characters are interesting and unique and no matter what happens you want to know more about them。 This book is a must read for those that are interested in the monarchy and history。 There is no doubt about it。
Helena
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If you know me， you know that I love the musical Six， which is about the six wives of Henry VIII。 I have been eager to learn more about the real women Henry married。 I was eager to read Tudors in Love and spend some time with the Tudors， especially the queens who have fascinated me。Tudors in Love starts off with several chapters dedicated to centuries of British history that preceded the Tudor dynasty。 Of course， it makes sense to set the stage for the beliefs on love， politics， religion， etc th If you know me， you know that I love the musical Six， which is about the six wives of Henry VIII。 I have been eager to learn more about the real women Henry married。 I was eager to read Tudors in Love and spend some time with the Tudors， especially the queens who have fascinated me。Tudors in Love starts off with several chapters dedicated to centuries of British history that preceded the Tudor dynasty。 Of course， it makes sense to set the stage for the beliefs on love， politics， religion， etc that led to the behavior of the Tudors。 However， I didn’t need a quarter of the book to be about Dante， Eleanor of Acquitane， and King Arthur。 As I read， I was just counting down to when the first Tudor monarch was going to take the throne。In my many times seeing Six， Catherine of Aragon has never won me over， but Gristwood’s portrayal of her managed to do so。 Tudors in Love spends a lot of time with Aragon， which makes sense as she was married to Henry VIII for over two decades。 Gristwood focuses on Aragon’s advisory role in her early marriage and emphasizes her education。 It was also cool to compare the text of Aragon’s plea to Henry to not divorce her to the lyrics of “No Way” （Aragon’s song in Six）。 Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss did an excellent job conveying her actual words through their song。As one of many fascinated by Anne Boleyn， I enjoyed learning more about what led to Anne’s downfall。 It is disturbing to think that her downfall was orchestrated because she was seen as a threat to Thomas Cromwell’s foreign policy （and because Henry wanted to marry Jane Seymour）。 Gristwood is sympathetic to Boleyn， and she emphasizes that Anne was likely not guilty of the adultery of which she was accused。 Unfortunately， Gristwood does not give the same thoughtful treatment to Katheryn Howard （Anne’s cousin and Henry’s fifth wife）。Katheryn Howard is my favorite of Henry VIII’s wives。 She was famously beheaded after being accused of treason and adultery （much like her cousin）。 I was very disappointed in Gristwood’s portrayal of Howard。 Gristwood dismisses Katheryn as someone who was uneducated and indicates that she had “an inability to understand that actions have consequences。” Howard was the victim of sexual abuse who was taught that her sexuality was her only worth。 It was frustrating to see her described as simply silly and irresponsible。I don’t know as much about Elizabeth I as I do about her mother， but Gristwood’s portrayal certainly brings forward dualities in Elizabeth’s reign。 She portrays Elizabeth as a regal and confident ruler who rejected the societal pressure to share her power and throne with a man。 She paints a picture of Elizabeth as educated and thoughtful， and includes a lot of Elizabeth’s poetry and other writing。 However， she also describes Elizabeth as a jealous woman who would lash out whenever one of her courtiers showed favor to another woman。Gristwood has a very distinctive narrative style。 She tends to write in long sentences that include parenthentical commentary。 This adds voice and dimension to the historical facts， but it also means that this is not an easy or casual read。 Gristwood throws a lot of information at the reader and quickly。This is certainly not Gristwood’s fault， but it was at times difficult to keep track of the players in the historical tale as so many of them had the same names。 Henry VIII’s father was named Henry， and he had two sons named Henry。 He and Anne Boleyn named their daughter， Elizabeth， as both of their mothers were named Elizabeth。I’ve spent a lot of time with fictionalized versions of the Tudors， and I enjoyed learning more about the facts and how they differ from portrayals like Six and The Other Boleyn Girl。 It left me wondering where the truth about these historical figures lies and how the Tudor women would want to be portrayed nearly five centuries after their deaths。 。。。more
TimetoFangirl
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I've followed the Tudors like they were freaking Kardashians， so I was excited to hear about The Tudors in Love， which discusses the role of courtly love in the lives of this notable family。 Unfortunately the writing style didn't really connect with me， and I feel like the writer made a lot of assertions without bringing receipts。 I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I've followed the Tudors like they were freaking Kardashians， so I was excited to hear about The Tudors in Love， which discusses the role of courtly love in the lives of this notable family。 Unfortunately the writing style didn't really connect with me， and I feel like the writer made a lot of assertions without bringing receipts。 。。。more
Bengali Girl
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If you have a keen interest about England's royals and their history， this book will be a treat。 Weaving her words and unfolding a different narrative， Sarah has presented the lives of Tudors and their romances。 Please note that you do have to have a strong liking to read non-fiction and history because this book is 400 pages long。Thank you NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this！ If you have a keen interest about England's royals and their history， this book will be a treat。 Weaving her words and unfolding a different narrative， Sarah has presented the lives of Tudors and their romances。 Please note that you do have to have a strong liking to read non-fiction and history because this book is 400 pages long。Thank you NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this！ 。。。more
Mikayla McMechan
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I haven't finished this book yet as I want to be able to take my time with it。 So far I love what I have read though。 It makes the history interesting and doesn't feel like you a reading a textbook to get the information。 I am looking forward to having the time to finish this book。 I haven't finished this book yet as I want to be able to take my time with it。 So far I love what I have read though。 It makes the history interesting and doesn't feel like you a reading a textbook to get the information。 I am looking forward to having the time to finish this book。 。。。more
Weezy
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With so many books out there about the Tudors， I thought this would be a typical story I’ve already read many times。 But this author managed to write an interesting story with a different spin on things that kept my interest from beginning to end。 It was a well researched story of the effects of love on their lives and dynasty。 Great book！
Jenny
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I enjoyed this different take on the history of England。 I just finished Hilary Mantel’s series on Thomas Cromwell， and this book was a great non-fiction companion read。 I learned a great deal about the history of courtly love， which I previously saw only through the traditions of English literature （English major here）。 It also opened my eyes to the influence courtly love had on the actions of Henry VIII， his many wives， down to Queen Elizabeth I。 Recommended for those interested in the Tudors I enjoyed this different take on the history of England。 I just finished Hilary Mantel’s series on Thomas Cromwell， and this book was a great non-fiction companion read。 I learned a great deal about the history of courtly love， which I previously saw only through the traditions of English literature （English major here）。 It also opened my eyes to the influence courtly love had on the actions of Henry VIII， his many wives， down to Queen Elizabeth I。 Recommended for those interested in the Tudors and wanting to go beyond the basic histories。 Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for a review copy。 。。。more
KKEC Reads
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The Tudors in Love by Sarah Gristwood Published: December 13， 2022 St。 Martin’s PressPages: 571Genre: Biographies of RoyaltyKKECReads Rating: 5/5I received a copy of this book for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Sarah Gristwood is the author of several bestselling Tudor histories。 Sarah regularly appears on television and radio talking about royal and historical affairs in series such as Secrets of the National Trust and The Royal House of Windsor。 One of the team providing Radio 4’s li The Tudors in Love by Sarah Gristwood Published: December 13， 2022 St。 Martin’s PressPages: 571Genre: Biographies of RoyaltyKKECReads Rating: 5/5I received a copy of this book for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Sarah Gristwood is the author of several bestselling Tudor histories。 Sarah regularly appears on television and radio talking about royal and historical affairs in series such as Secrets of the National Trust and The Royal House of Windsor。 One of the team providing Radio 4’s live coverage of the 2011 royal wedding， she has in 2020 alone featured in some dozen documentaries on ITV， Channel 4， and Channel 5 on subjects from the Royal Collection to Grace Kelly， Winston Churchill to Admiral Nelson。“…there is nothing more powerful than a good story。”Taking what we understand as courtly love and applying it to the Tudors is a vast and profound topic to tackle。 Sarah Gristwood eloquently and thoroughly walks us through the Tudor dynasty， explaining the application of courtly love。 The research alone in this novel is brilliant。 In the sources analyzed， the excepts included， Gristwood even discusses the exaggerated things we have heard over the years。This is a dense novel but filled with such beautiful history。 I’ve always been fascinated by the Tudors， especially Henry VIII and his wives， so this was brilliant。 The depth and detail are beautifully presented。 It was interesting getting possible insights into what these royals were thinking when they behaved the way they did and seeing the way love was often used as a pawn。 I would love to see Gristwood take on courtly love with Shakespeare as her focus。 。。。more
Mary
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I love anything Tudor， so I was very excited to read this。 The first part of this book is about King Arthur， Guinevere and Lancelot。 I understand the author is showing the history of the love in court。 But the Tudors are not really mentioned in the first part at all。 Finally， we move on to the Yorks and the Lancasters， that sets the stage for the Tudors。 However， there is still a lot of comparison of Elizabeth Woodville to Guinivere。 There is a lot of literary history that I found myself skimmin I love anything Tudor， so I was very excited to read this。 The first part of this book is about King Arthur， Guinevere and Lancelot。 I understand the author is showing the history of the love in court。 But the Tudors are not really mentioned in the first part at all。 Finally， we move on to the Yorks and the Lancasters， that sets the stage for the Tudors。 However， there is still a lot of comparison of Elizabeth Woodville to Guinivere。 There is a lot of literary history that I found myself skimming through。 I am familiar with the Tudors， but I did have a hard time following along。 Then going back to what Guinivere might have thought or done in this instance in comparison to what Anne Boleyn did or said。 I really didn't like this。 This was really well researched， but I just didn't like the comparisons in every chapter。Overall， this book wasn't for me。 Too long， too confusing as it jumps between the royal family with the same names， and I had a hard time figuring out who it was and too much comparison to a real historical people and characters that are fictional （although may be based on real people）。Thank you NetGalley， and St。 Martin's Press。 。。。more
Doreen Prentiss Gabriellini
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The Tudors in Love by Sarah Gristwood dives in to how Arthurian legend affected the life and relationships of the Tudor dynasty。 In an effort to ‘rightfully’ claim the thrown the Tudors connected themselves through ancestry to King Arthur。 Much of their court life was based off this affiliation。 The main focus of the book is Courtly Love。 Courtly love is a game。 If you have any knowledge of the Tudors at all you will also know that no family has ever played this game with such verve。 This novel The Tudors in Love by Sarah Gristwood dives in to how Arthurian legend affected the life and relationships of the Tudor dynasty。 In an effort to ‘rightfully’ claim the thrown the Tudors connected themselves through ancestry to King Arthur。 Much of their court life was based off this affiliation。 The main focus of the book is Courtly Love。 Courtly love is a game。 If you have any knowledge of the Tudors at all you will also know that no family has ever played this game with such verve。 This novel tries to show that courtly love influenced the monarchs。 Ms。 Gristwood makes a viable case for the each of the Tudors。 It is fascinating to see how they played the game。 Ms。 Gristwood’s writing is engaging and removes the stiffness and dryness that usually occur in historical books。 The subject was interesting especially when it discusses King Henry VIII and his wives。 I enjoyed reading this book and I feel it gave me deeper understanding of how performative court life was in this era， as well as how the royals approached relationships with the people around them。 I would like to thank the author， St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brigette
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It took awhile but I finally did it - I finished Sarah Gristwood's “The Tudors in Love。” This book focuses on the history of the Tudors specifically but also courtly love in general。 Courtly love grew out of the dissatisfaction with constraints of the church and society against affection and sensuality。 The Tudors consumed fantasy and historical fiction just like we do today， and the monarchs embodied ideals of courtly love。 This book was very detailed and thorough， involving actual historical a It took awhile but I finally did it - I finished Sarah Gristwood's “The Tudors in Love。” This book focuses on the history of the Tudors specifically but also courtly love in general。 Courtly love grew out of the dissatisfaction with constraints of the church and society against affection and sensuality。 The Tudors consumed fantasy and historical fiction just like we do today， and the monarchs embodied ideals of courtly love。 This book was very detailed and thorough， involving actual historical accounts as well as literary tales from centuries ago and even before the Tudor era。 I particularly enjoyed the quotes from archives and first hand accounts/letters。As with any good history book， there are many references and citations which I appreciated。 It did take me awhile to read， but moved faster when it got to the Henry VIII Tudor era。 I found some of the information surprising - the book makes it seem like every battle that Elizabeth the first waged was a disaster， which we know not to be true （or at least that is normally how it is taught）。 The courtly love veil also put history into a different kind of perspective。Thank you NetGalley for the arc！ 。。。more
Sierra
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I wish high school me could've read this book because it is the perfect example of writing about an overdone topic through a specific lens。 Everyone knows the Tudors。 Not everyone knows about the phenomenon of courtly love， and Gristwood synthesizes how the Tudors reflected and were impacted by it rather well。 The book's a little dense， but fascinating。 Perfect for fans of the podcast Noble Blood and Arthurian legend。ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I wish high school me could've read this book because it is the perfect example of writing about an overdone topic through a specific lens。 Everyone knows the Tudors。 Not everyone knows about the phenomenon of courtly love， and Gristwood synthesizes how the Tudors reflected and were impacted by it rather well。 The book's a little dense， but fascinating。 Perfect for fans of the podcast Noble Blood and Arthurian legend。ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lauri
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I received a complementary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 The Tudors in Love is the dense and thorough exploration of the Tudor reign and how courtly love impacted politics and shaped history。
❀⊱Shelley's Book Nook❀⊱
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My Reviews Can Also Be Found On: My Blog | Twitter | Amazon | BRC Blog | StoryGraphEveryone knows about Henry VIII and all his wives （he had six）。 I love reading about The Tudors in both fiction and non-fiction formats and I have to admit it was author Philippa Gregory who piqued my interest in them over twenty years ago and for some reason they fascinated me。 Sarah Gristwood wrote a well-researched and very compelling take on all matters of the heart and The Tudors。 I was most fascinated My Reviews Can Also Be Found On: My Blog | Twitter | Amazon | BRC Blog | StoryGraphEveryone knows about Henry VIII and all his wives （he had six）。 I love reading about The Tudors in both fiction and non-fiction formats and I have to admit it was author Philippa Gregory who piqued my interest in them over twenty years ago and for some reason they fascinated me。 Sarah Gristwood wrote a well-researched and very compelling take on all matters of the heart and The Tudors。 I was most fascinated by the fact that Henry had so many wives because they could not provide him with a son and heir。 Yet， his mistresses had male children he could not claim， what is most surprising is the fact that it was the daughter of the woman he beheaded that ended up rebuilding The Tudor dynasty， and reining for forty-five years， a dynasty that he almost ruined。 Elizabeth the first is the daughter of Anne Boleyn and her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history。 She is also known for bypassing on marriage， maybe the start of the women's movement。 Then she herself ending the dynasty for having an heir herself。I enjoyed this informative and unique look at The Tudors' lives and loves。 I see this author has a wonderful array of books to choose from， both fiction and non-fiction， and I would definitely be reading more from her catalog。 That is one of the best compliments I can give an author。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy。#TheTudorsinLove #NetGalley 。。。more
Vanessa
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I've read a couple of Sarah Gristwood's biographies before， and really enjoyed how she selects historical figures-- especially women that are not as heavily covered。 The Tudors in Love is well-researched， and I like how it comes from an angle that is different than other historical non-fiction books。 It is really detailed about the emotions， thoughts， the culture of the Tudor court and how decisions were made in this lens。 If you are looking for another book about the Tudors， I'd recommend。 Even I've read a couple of Sarah Gristwood's biographies before， and really enjoyed how she selects historical figures-- especially women that are not as heavily covered。 The Tudors in Love is well-researched， and I like how it comes from an angle that is different than other historical non-fiction books。 It is really detailed about the emotions， thoughts， the culture of the Tudor court and how decisions were made in this lens。 If you are looking for another book about the Tudors， I'd recommend。 Even if you are not， I'd recommend。 This was a really interesting read。 I think it also would be excellent as an audiobook！ 。。。more
Ashley
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I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。I was very excited to read this book after hearing an interview with the author on a podcast。 It was interesting to look at the history of the Arthurian story in the English court and how it affected the nobles and monarchs。 I have a little knowledge of the legend of Arthur but I did not realize how many different iterations there are and how they change based on who is ruling or the events of the time。 And I usually assumed that many of the courts of I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。I was very excited to read this book after hearing an interview with the author on a podcast。 It was interesting to look at the history of the Arthurian story in the English court and how it affected the nobles and monarchs。 I have a little knowledge of the legend of Arthur but I did not realize how many different iterations there are and how they change based on who is ruling or the events of the time。 And I usually assumed that many of the courts of Europe used the manners of courtly love but it appears that England was the most ardent in following the rules and let it be a part of their lives the longest。 The author did a great job of showing the major points in the Tudor history and how they were affected by courtly love and the downfalls of the lifestyle as well through the deaths of Anne Boleyn and the Earl of Essex。 。。。more
Mariama Thorlu-Bangura
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Excellent writing and a unique take on the Tudor Dynasty。 Everytime I think there cannot be another angle to view the Tudors from， I'm proven wrong。 Definitely a wonderful addition to the pantheon of Tudor history books！ Excellent writing and a unique take on the Tudor Dynasty。 Everytime I think there cannot be another angle to view the Tudors from， I'm proven wrong。 Definitely a wonderful addition to the pantheon of Tudor history books！ 。。。more
Natalie
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