When Alison Weir is the author, the book is unquestionably accurate and a wonderful read. The children of Henry VIIl were exceptional. Elizabeth and Edward were incredibly intelligent. They always fascinate me. Mary, hummmm, maybe not so much. I love anything Alison Weir writes. I have yet to be disappointed in any of her books.

Recently I've become interested in the Tudors. I've been following the series on television and have also read a few historical novels. This book, however, is different because it is not a novel. It is a biography. All I can say is WOW - truth really is stranger than fiction - and much more fascinating.

It starts with a short history of the three Tudor siblings. Then, we meet King Edward VI I, a child being manipulated by the men in power. We get to know him as he grows more and more aware of his own power. He believes in the Protestant religion and he and his advisers have put restraints on Catholicism. Of course his oldest sister, Mary, who is in her late twenties and has been raised Catholic is unhappy and resists all the new laws, but he is firm in his own beliefs. By the age of 15, though, he is dying. It is a painful and tragic death and takes a long time. The reader is not spared any of the details. In order to keep England Protestant, on his dying bed, he chooses the next in succession - his cousin Lady Jane Grey, merely 15 years old at the time. She didn't want to be Queen, but was forced into it. Her reign was short (only nine days) and tragic. Soon, Mary became Queen.

This all seems so simple, but, it fact it is quite complicated. The book describes the many plots and subplots, intrigues and politics of the time. Long imprisonments and beheadings were common. And later, during Mary's reign, Protestant heretics were burned at the stake. The reader is not spared any of the grisly details. There were times I got the shivers but I was glad this was not whitewashed history. This was real, it happened, and the writing was so good that I felt I was right there. The author managed to insert constant historical references, including actual letters, into the narrative.

I learned a lot. I didn't know that Queen Mary had been married to a Spanish prince. I hadn't realized that the younger sister, Elizabeth, had spent much of her life imprisoned. I didn't understand the complexities of the constant warfare with other countries. And, even though I knew about the division between the Protestants and Catholics, this book really described the ends that Mary went to in order to force Catholicism on the English people.

It's all here, packed into a mere 366 pages. Well, almost. The book ends with Mary's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne. It then simply mentions that Elizabeth enjoyed a 45-year reign. I definitely plan to read some other biography about that reign. But I now have the background to understand it better.

I loved this book and was sorry it ended. Highly recommended.

This was a very well written and entertaining book. It was not dry and historical. I was very engrossed in it and found it a very good read if you are interested in Tudor history. I am glad she she spent time on Mary Tudor, because not as much is written about her or her brother as Elizabeth. I found this to be a very good book.

The author demonstrates meticulous research in this book. This is the fourth of her books I have read and find her style clear,dull and somewhat easier to read than the Congrsssional Record.If you are seeking an accurate history with overmuch detail, Alison Weir is the author for you. I prefer a history book with a theme which holds my attention and doesn't wander into taxing paragraphs of detail,dull detail.

Once again (I bought three books related with Henry VIII) the contents were the expected, the conditions in wich I received the book were perfect, and in a very reasonable lapse of time

From the moment I picked up this book, I got glued. I have never read anything about Henry or his children in the past. I had been wanting to read about Elizabeth but it took awhile for me to find the right book. I read many reviews on the books written about her and based on those reviews, Alison Weir was the biographer I chose. Many have commented how she has put this book and the book on Elizabeths adult life together very well. And she has by my opinion. I'm still reading the book and look forward to reading about Elizabeth's adulthood.

As usual Alison Weir has written a great non-fiction. The research that she does makes her my number one author.

This was my first voluntary non fiction historical read. I am impressed! This story was very easy reading. I don't think I really had any idea what was going on back then, the English "subjects" must have been completely at a loss as to what religion to practice. I was disappointed that the book didn't go more into Elizabeth's reign but I now understand that there is another book out there ready to explain it. The only advice I could offer someone who is about to read it is: keep up with people's names/titles. As they are given (and taken away) titles they are from then on referred to as their new title. If you miss the transition or don't make a metal note, you get lost as to who the author is talking about.

I think my biggest shock was when Mary took over, after complaining and moaning about being able to practice her own religion (Catholic), and how she shouldn't have to give up her beliefs...moan...moan...moan (she did a lot of that). She takes over and forces her own religion onto everyone else, I had no idea "Bloody Mary" was a real name, I just thought it was something you scared the crap out of your friend with in the girls bathroom back in middle school. I just dated myself didn't I?

Final thought: I enjoy fiction for the most part, I actually recommended this book to friends.

Alison Weir has done it again. I love historical fiction, including such as The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, and wanted to expand my reading to nonfiction. I started with Weir's Six Wives of King Henry VIII and was not at all disappointed! I just finished Children of Henry VIII and could not be happier with it. (though it is misleading to think that she discusses Elizabeth's actual reign because she does not) By this did not prevent me from giving it a well deserved 5 stars. She made historical nonfiction exciting! I am now looking for more of her books. She is fair, unbaised, and I truly appreciated how she would present ideas and clearly state what evidence did or did not support certain perspectives. I learned much and am thrilled to add it to my library.

Very well written, quite engaging. Alison Weir makes the Tudor family and their problems come alive. Great for anyone who enjoys history.

Very well written, quite engaging. Alison Weir makes the Tudor family and their problems come alive. Great for anyone who enjoys history.

In her forward, Ms. Weir states that this novel would be the first to look into the personal lives of the heirs of Henry the Eight and their relationships to one another.....well if that was PERSONAL then the heirs of Henry the Eighth must have known each other only as competition to the throne rather than siblings in the vaguest sense. I was disappointed by the book. While it was factually accurate it failed to hold my attention or provide me with a passionate look inside the lives of the characters. I suggest picking it up on a bargain table or borrowing it from a friend.

I read about Henry's wives, and loved Weir's writing, so I bought this one. I really loved the way she set it up, beginning with young Edward inheriting the crown, and the whole backstory about his disdain for Catholicism, then Mary and her bloody period of putting "heretics" to death. The book was structured with Edward's short reign, Mary's reign and her marriage to Phillip, and it ends with Elizabeth ascending the throne. She is pretending to practice Catholicism to placate her half-sister. Her next book, the Life of Elizabeth I, will be my next purchase! Excellent read!

This is history light, to be sure. A fusion of biography and history may be a more accurate description, but it is an engaging read. The writing is smooth and Weir keeps the story moving right along. She even manages to distinguish individuals sufficiently that it is easy to keep track of who played what role in each of the dramas, plots, and intrigues. That in itself is no small feat when discussing the history of England, given the tendency of English parents to name all of their sons Richard, Edward, or Henry.

This is not a serious piece of history, nor is it intended to serve as a comprehensice biography of any of the four monarchs discussed. it is strictly aimed at the casual reader, and serves that purpose quite well. If you have a casual interest in the era, but don't know much about it, it could serve as a good entry point before going on to more intensive biographies. If you know little more than that Henry VIII married a lot of women and would like to know a little more without getting bogged down in the doings of the various Richards, this is a good place to come. If your looking for intensive scholarship though, you should look else where.

Not everything in the book should be taken as doctrine (not intended as a pun, given the religious conflicts of the time, I just couldn't think of a more elegant way of phrasing it). Weir does have a tendency to rely on dubious sources, which I really wish she wouldn't do, though at least she does warn the reader that they aren't to be entirely trusted. Some times, you get the feeling that she thought the story they told was just too good to be left out even though she knew it wasn't true. Again, if you want a serious scholarly work where the author is too disciplined to give way to that impulse, look else where.

Weir succeeds admirable in giving a breath of life to figures that often seem remote and hard to understand. After reading this book, you have a sense of who these people were, what factors lead them to become those people, and how those traits lead them to the various fates that awaited them - tragic death, unfulfilled promise, reviled figure, and beloved (nearly legendary) monarch.

Not only was this an extremely enjoyable book to read but it was also very informative. The characters are well developed and Weir presents the material in a straight forward and organized manner. The cast of characters is large and the plots sometimes complicated and always intriging. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the world today and it's history. Obviously, one has very much to do with the other.

The best quality of Weir's book on the period between Henry VIII's death and Elizabeth's accesion is its quick pace and accessible language. While hardly a "heavy" or "in-depth" work, it will provide most readers with a basic understanding of the personalities and motivations of Edward VI, Mary I, Lady Jane Grey, and Elizabeth I. The Tudors and their times are endlessly fascinating; Weir skillfully transports the royal intrigues and scandals of the sixteenth-century across the centuries. Readers will find that the Tudors make England's present royals look like the Brady Bunch.

My biggest complaint was lack of footnotes. Most of the time, Weir notes the source within the text, and there is an extensive bibliography; however, there are several unreferenced quotations and pieces of information for which I would have liked to know the source. Particularly since many of the diarists and witnesses had deep biases and axes to grind - they could stretch the truth quite a bit. Also, Weir is annoyingly repetive, both in rehashing assessments of individuals and her repitition of several phrases, WORD FOR WORD, several chapters after they first appeared. I admit this is mainly a pet peeve, but I was reading along when I realized the phrase "she was comely rather than handsome" looked suspiciously familiar. Flipping back to find its identical twin, I broke the flow of my reading. This may be more my fault than Alison Weir's, but be aware that once you make acquaintance with a sentence, you may meet it again a hundred pages down the road.

I received this book as a birthday gift from a friend. It was actually a sort of gag gift - my friend and I have a two-year-old debate on the "true" interpretation of the Tudor years. She is sympathetic towards Mary Tudor; I am of the traditional school of "Good Queen Bess." In any event, Weir's book won't change our positions. Though she presents Mary as a long-suffering, sincere, and pious woman (which she indeed was), she still confirms the inevitable conclusion that Mary was a poor monarch and in her persecution of English Protestants fairly earned the name "Bloody Mary."

Mrs. Weir clearly did not do the in-depth research that she should have. Among the glaring inconsistencies is on page 248 in which Mrs. Weir indicated that Elizabeth was taken from Ashridge on Feb. 12, 1554 later spending a night on Feb 21 at the village of Highgate. Raphael Holinshed in his chronicles of 1587 indicates that Elizabeth was taken from Ashridge on the 15th of March.
John Foxe and Henry Ellis (Two early historians)concur that Elizabeth was moved to the Tower on Palm Sunday, the 17th of March, not February 22nd as Mrs. Weir indicates.
There are other inconsistencies, please enjoy the story and do not rely on the facts.
Speaking as a professor of early European history for 18 years, these types of accounts only serve to distort history for future generations.

This is a wonderful, interesting, and detailed read on the children of Henry VIII; Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Jane Grey (Henry's great-neice). The book describes each one of their reigns (although shame on Weir, two pages on Elizabeth's reign), their impact on the country, and their relationships with each other. A book no history enthusiast should be without!

I am fascinated with the Tudors, particularly Elizabeth I and her cousin, Lady Jane Grey. I have read many biographies on the different players in this time frame yet I have read few books that focus on the relationships between those people. I yearned to know those details, however. How did Mary and Jane go from being on friendly terms to rivals? How did Mary react to Edward VI? How did Elizabeth react to the news of Jane's death?

Weir started off doing a splendid job addressing all of those issues. She started off addressing the character of Mary, Elizabeth, Jane and Edward and their feelings and relationships with each other. She painstakingly chronicled in great detail the tumultuous nature of Mary and Elizabeth's relationship, as well as how Mary viewed Edward VI and him her. Yet after Edward's death, she sort of lost touch of that track, and focused primarily on the nature of Mary's relationship to those around her, which while interesting, still did leave me with some unanswered questions. For instance, I never did get a good feel for how Elizabeth reacted to the news of Jane's death (it might be one of those mysteries of history, but if nothing was written about it at the time, I would at least like to know).

The writing style is good and clear, especially for a work of history, and the pages seem to fly by. My only complaint was her repetitiveness. For instance, she mentioned that Mary thought that Elizabeth was the daughter of Mark Smeaton three times.

In all, the book definitely addressed a lot of personal issues I had not yet seen addressed and was a pure pleasure to read. It would also, I believe, serve for those who know little of the time period or of Mary I, be an excellent starting place, for the work is not so bogged down in details as many other historical works are.

Although not advertised as such, this book should really be considered "Part II" of Weir's Tudor trilogy. If you haven't read "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" first, you really should; and "The Life of Elizabeth I" picks up right where this one ends. Usually part 2 in a trilogy is the weakest link between the beginning and the end, but this is an exciting and engrosing book chronicling the reign of Edward and Mary.

Edward VI usually gets more or less ignored: probably a combination of his father and sisters seeming much more exciting, and the fact that he became king at age 9 and died only a few years later. Weir shows that this is unfair: despite his age he managed to smoothly manipulate those who held power over him, and shows a surprising maturity in the letters and papers that he left behind.

Mary, poor Bloody Mary, is so easy to despise and/or mock, but Weir turns her into a sympathetic, if pathetic, character. With no interest whatsoever in ruling, the pressures of the throne, her marriage, and her inability to conceive basically caused her to go mad.

Throughout the book we see Elizabeth, but really only as she interacts with her half-siblings. Still, this book offers the foundation of her personality and drive. This, as well as the 2 other books I mentioned in the first paragraph, is an essential book for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Tudor period, or Queen Elizabeth. Best of all, it is exhaustively researched and written in a simple, accessible style that you don't have to be a historian to understand.

I know it's an asinine way to start a review, but it's honestly the most apt title I can think of: this book is absolutely outstanding. I was completely absorbed the entire time. "Bloody" Mary is given fair treatment, as is Lady Jane Grey; Weir doesn't play favorites and tells the story in compelling and thrilling detail. Hate history? This book is a good place to start, as the rich personalities of the Tudor monarchs and their contemporaries are fleshed out into truly lifelike figures. Is there anything this woman can't write?

Aison Weir never fails to bring history alive. This novel was so engrossing I found myself reading it everywhere from the bathtub to my job. The intricate detail of the reign of Henry VIII's successors is so great that I am able to understand the Tudor monarchy even better. A vast amount of research went into this novel and the documented correspondance allows readers to have an introspective look into the personalities of Henry's heirs. An excellent read!

I had read a couple of books about Elizabeth I, and some about Henry VIII, but I did not know a whole lot about the time between Henry's death and before Elizabeth's accession. This book satisfactorily filled in that gap for me! Covers everything from young King Edward's reign through the intrigue that nearly got Elizabeth beheaded, the brief reign of the unfortunate Jane Grey, and Bloody Mary's years on the throne. The pace is very quick, and it's so interesting that it reads more like a novel. This is one of my favorite historical books on my shelf, and I've reread it more than once.