The Queen’s Agent (Cooper)

When Francis Walslingham became principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth, he also assumed the duties of maintaining security for the Queen.   For much of his life,  Walsingham would investigate threats to the nation’s security.   This book investigates Walsingham’s role in defending Queen Elizabeth’s throne from foreign, Catholic threats.

This work was an engaging look at the role of intelligence through the eyes of one man.  I really enjoyed reading about Walslingham, and it is very hard to convince me to read anything related to the Tudors.    Cooper develops a well-balanced image of Walslingham and does a fantastic job of weaving an engaging narrative that also establishes the historical context.   I recommend this one.

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The King’s Rose (Libby)

(from http://www.alisalibby.com/)

Catherine Howard has done it: she has attracted the eye of Henry VIII, the king of England.   Now as his beautiful, youthful bride–his “rose without thorns”, Catherine now is faced with the task of satisfying Henry by producing an heir.    As if political and familial pressures were not enough, Catherine also has to confront her own feelings of love.

I’m going to say right now that I am not a huge fan of Tudor-era fiction.   I have yet to find a book or text that really drags me in.   That being said, Alissa Libby’s The King’s Rose didn’t do half bad.   The book covers Catherine’s time as Henry’s bride.  Libby does a great job of getting the reader into Catherine’s head; I sympathized with Catherine’s feelings of confusion, doubt, and frustration.  These emotions are what make Catherine a sympathetic character.  Libby is very good at making the reader aware of the dangerous political situation Catherine is in, and that makes her problems all the more potent.   That being said, there is a lot of telling in this book–probably due to the first person narrative.  This choice is fairly common in young adult literature, but I think that really prevented me from enjoying it fully.   That being said, The King’s Rose is one of the better Tudor-era books I’ve seen.

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