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To Hold the Crown The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York A Novel of the Tudors Jean Plaidy Books

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To Hold the Crown The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York A Novel of the Tudors Jean Plaidy Books

Dry facts of who was king from one date to t h e next, or the name of his queen can be dull. Jean Plaidy makes history come a live, even if most of it is with a writer's interpretation. Henry VII and Elizabeth may have been royalty, but they were also human and Plaidy allows the reader to glimpse that.


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To Hold the Crown The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York A Novel of the Tudors Jean Plaidy Books Reviews

I usually enjoy Jean Plaidy's books, and was interested in this one because it was about Henry VII & Elizabeth of York, two subjects that I've read some, but not a lot about. It definitely kept my attention, but was really more about Henry than about their relationship. It concentrated on Henry's insecurities regarding the crown and his guilt over the death of the princes in the tower. (Ms. Plaidy is of the opinion that he, not Richard III, was responsible for their deaths.) All in all, I found it entertaining historical fiction.
I have a love affair going with historical fiction author Jean Plaidy.

It's Plaidy that I turn to when I crave a good comfort-read.

This novel is Plaidy's take on the story of the marriage between King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York the marriage which effectively ended the War of the Roses by uniting the houses of York and Lancaster.

Like her other historical fiction novels, To Hold the Crown will never be compared to, say, a Sharon Kay Penman novel. Plaidy, rather, exists in a class of her own solid writing and a good historical foundation make her stories feel comfortable.

Kind of like your favorite pair of old sneakers.

The story of Henry and Elizabeth has been written about numerous times, but I still think Plaidy does it best. You won't find any heros or villains in this story. Instead you'll find human beings who make mistakes and are trying to do the best they can with the tools they have. Plaidy is the consummate professional she presents each character in a fair light, flaws and all, and allows the readers to draw their own conclusions, as opposed to leading you to those conclusions.

Those of you who are still tracking down the infamous Princes in the Tower will find an interesting idea as to their ultimate fate within these pages. Plaidy, as always, is plausible and sharp as a tack.

What didn't I like? The darned new cover chosen by Three Rivers Press!
For now, I'll forgive them simply because they are reprinting so many of Plaidy's historical fiction novels.

If you haven't read one, do so soon. And if you've read Sandra Worth's recent novel, The King's Daughter, you'll recognize that the subject matter is the same. For my money, I recommend Plaidy's version for a more complete and perhaps a more realistic look at the lives of Henry and Elizabeth.
It's well written and it's fine. But if you're looking for something romantic or something that draws you into the characters, this isn't the book for you. It never goes into personalities and describes the characters' thoughts in an over-simplified way. Also, I really hate how they took Elizabeth of York and turned her into a pleasant, boring automaton.
I have read many-a-book about the Tudors, but surprisingly, this is my first novel by Ms. Plaidy. I knew NOTHING about Margaret Tudor before reading this, other than she was Henry's older sister, and daughter of Elizabeth of York. Her story is an interesting, albeit irritating one.

Married to the Scottish King James IV at the still tender age of 14 (while he was 30), Margaret was forced to grow into her Queenly duties very quickly. While she appears to have loved her husband very much in the beginning, she was tormented by his many infidelities. I could understand her being hurt and angry while she was still young, but this was a trend throughout the entire book. Margaret being continually surprised and enraged by her husbands (all three of them) betraying her. Adultery in this period of time was VERY common among husbands, so why Margaret expected herself to be exempt from it was beyond me. Especially when she carried on an affair with Albany, who was married at the time, maker her the dreaded 'Other' woman!

Overall, Margaret seems to have lead a very hard and melancholy life. I don't know that the woman ever had an extended moment of happiness. She started out angry at James IV for cheating on her, then heartbroken when he was killed in battle. She recklessly married the Earl of Angus, whom she was happy with VERY briefly, only to spend the better part of 10 years trying to divorce him...all the while fighting to see her son, King James V, who, while King, was still a child under a Regent. Margaret fought for years to be in control of her son, but she never seemed to get very far for all the plotting and planning she did.

I won't go into the entire book, but just know that while Margaret herself may not be the most likable of women (or Queens), the book is very well written. I did think the last couple chapters felt a bit rushed though. It seemed years would fly buy in the space of a few paragraphs, but this aside, it's a very good book about the reign of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots. I can't vouch for it's historical accuracy since this is the only book I've read about Margaret, but I enjoyed it, and absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in reading it.
Dry facts of who was king from one date to t h e next, or the name of his queen can be dull. Jean Plaidy makes history come a live, even if most of it is with a writer's interpretation. Henry VII and Elizabeth may have been royalty, but they were also human and Plaidy allows the reader to glimpse that.