Mary, Bloody Mary

Before she was Queen Mary of England, persecutor of the Protestants, she was young Princess Mary, her father's darling, soon to be betrothed to the king of France. Mary is upset about the betrothal, but she soon has more devastating problems to deal with when her father becomes enamored with Anne Boleyn. He demands a divorce from Queen Catherine, but Mary's mother is determined to hold out against him to secure her daughter's future as queen.

Mary finds herself separated from her mother and banished to a country manor, then sent to Hatfield as a servant to her new half-sister Elizabeth. As she is brought lower and lower by the rise of Anne Boleyn, Mary holds tight to her utter hatred of Anne and her determination to someday take her rightful place as queen.

Despite its title, Mary, Bloody Mary isn't about the reign of terror that earned Mary her nickname, but instead covers the years of Mary's life in which Anne Boleyn played her terrible part. Mary is humiliated at the hands of Anne and the king, and unwisely lets her grief and pain turn to bitterness and anger. Though she hates Anne for her pride and ambition, she cannot see that she herself is proud and ambitious, and it is hinted that this will be her undoing.

True to the time period, the book mentions the rampant promiscuity of King Henry's court, and the word bastard is used quite often in the traditional sense of the word as the legitimacy of Mary's birth is argued over and over. This could be a detractor for readers younger than fourteen, but Carolyn Meyer does a good job at accurately capturing the horror and grief of this time in English history from the perspective of the young princess caught in the middle of it.

Review by Lauren Shearer Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.

Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.