logo
Wrong email address or username
Wrong email address or username
Incorrect verification code
back to top
Search tags: Jean-Plaidy
Load new posts () and activity
Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
text 2017-11-06 00:46
Reading progress update: I've read 192 out of 393 pages.
The Lady in the Tower - Jean Plaidy

I have been in a little bit of a reading rut lately. I've been going back to "comfort" book in hopes of digging myself out. I started re-reading the Harry Potter novels but that's not helping. 

 

I have turned to Jean Plaidy to help me out. So far it seems to be working. There is just something about these books that instantly makes me feel better. Maybe it's because they bring me back to my ultimate comfort zone. These books instantly remind me of being 15, curled up in corner of my grandma's sewing room devouring book after book. My grandmother had shelves full of Jean Plaidy books. Even today, reading Plaidy instantly brings me back to that place. 

Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
text 2016-09-01 19:19
September's Reading List
The First Man in Rome - Colleen McCullough
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles - Margaret George
The Courts of Love - Jean Plaidy
Bundori - Laura Joh Rowland
The Divine Sacrifice - Tony Hays
Semper Fidelis - Ruth Downie
The Wild Girl - Kate Forsyth

September's reading list will more than likely be a short one. I currently have three books started. These three books combined are over 2,500 pages. Combine that with my children all starting school and me starting work full-time again, September might not be a great month for reading. 

 

Have no fear! Even if I get little reading done in September, I know that winter in Minnesota is coming. Winter = lots of tea. Lots of tea = lots of reading. 

Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
review 2016-01-22 18:12
The Follies of the King (Plantagenet Saga #8) by Jean Plaidy
Follies of the King - Jean Plaidy

The Follies of the King deals with the reign of Edward II, who inherited his father's looks, but is as unlike him as possible in any other way.

 

Preferring the company of men to that of women and the merry sides of life to the matters of the state from an early age, Edward II marries Isabella, a beautiful daughter of Philip IV of France, but neglects her in favour of his lovers Piers Gaveston and Hugh le Despenser.

 

Utterly humiliated, Isabella bids her time, comforted only by the admiration of her people while she plots vengeance, counting on people's ever-growing dissatisfaction with their king and their hate for his male friends.  

 

Yet, when Isabella finally manages to enact her revenge, in the end I couldn't help but feel sorry for Edward. Deposed and imprisoned, he finally recognises the mistakes he made by turning a blind eye to the world around him, admitting he was an unworthy king not made for ruling, before he meets a horribly cruel tragic end.


The Follies of the King is a suspenseful story, full of twists and intrigue and has thus definitely kept my interest in reading the rest of the saga. I will take a break from it for a while, but I am already looking forward to reading the next instalment, dealing with the reign of Edward III.

Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
review 2016-01-08 12:09
The Hammer of the Scots (Plantagenet Saga #7) by Jean Plaidy
The Hammer of the Scots - Jean Plaidy

The Hammer of the Scots depicts the rule of Edward I, who considers himself to be – and, for the most part, is – a stern, but just king, even if he brutally punishes his enemies in accordance with his belief in instilling respect through fear. 

 

Thus, Edward I proves himself to be a great king, who brings not only order to England, but also subdues Wales and brings it under the English rule, while he fails to do the same with Scotland. 

 

Taking after his father, he is a devoted husband to both of his Queens and a loving father. His children are his pride and joy, the exceptions being sometimes over-temperate Joanna and, above all, his heir, prince Edward. However, unlike his ancestors, he understands the needs of the people and brings the end to the over-the-top extravagance of the Court from the past, slipping perhaps only now and then when indulging his many beloved daughters.

 

As usually, in The Hammer of the Scots Jean Plaidy manages to give a fairly accurate historical account, while letting the reader get a stunning glimpse into the reasoning and sentiments of her characters, from Edward I to his children and his enemies, of which the most intriguing to me was that written from the point of view of William Wallace.

 

The Hammer of the Scots was a compelling book, even if it took me ages to read it, and I am looking forward to the next instalment in the series, dealing with the rule of a much different man than Edward I, his son Edward II.

 

Like Reblog Comment
show activity (+)
text 2016-01-03 21:47
Finished it!
Madame Serpent - Jean Plaidy

So my first book of 2016 was a cracker. 

 

I first read Jean Plaidy's books as a teenager and they have given me a lifelong love of European history. 

 

Her books about Catherine de Medici were written in the 1950s, and they are very firmly in the 'crazy lady with a penchant for poison' category. More recent novelists and historians have treated Catherine a little more kindly. 

 

But no matter whose version you believe, there is no doubt Catherine was one hell of a woman. And Madame Serpent is a great interpretation of her childhood in Italy, and her life as Queen of France. 

More posts
Your Dashboard view:
Need help?