Tudor Roses by Amy Licence

Format: Hardcover

Publication Date: 15 February 2022

Author info: Goodreads

💭 My thoughts...

4/5 stars

I've read a lot of books on Tudor history over the years, but this one stood out as it focused solely on telling the story through the eyes of Tudor women. Everyone from Margaret Beaufort to Elizabeth I was covered, whether they were main stage players, or supporting figures in the court background. I would actually go as far as saying that I found the stories of those lesser known women more interesting to read, not because they were any more intriguing or distinct, but because they are often not discussed, especially not in this way.

The author makes the argument that the dynasty was built on the backs of its women, and she makes it convincingly. Her writing style made her points of discussion feel accessible and very digestible. It was also more conversational in tone than a traditional history book, which made the content feel very engaging.

Sadly, I found myself somewhat distracted by the number of typos in the printed version that I read, especially in the last few chapters. It's such a shame when a book like this is somewhat let down by its editing process.

📖 Synopsis...

Historian Amy Licence explores the impact that the women of the Tudor dynasty had on how that period of time is remembered by history, and puts forward a compelling argument for the fact that women are what made the Tudors what we know them to be today.