Mary I: Queen of Sorrows (UK) / The Passionate Tudor (US)
A lot has been written about Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and queen regnant of England, in the last 25 years. Most of it has been directed at rehabilitating her, revising her traditional reputation as ‘Bloody Mary’. In 1996 Weir published a non-fiction biography of Mary as part of Children of England, about Mary and her two siblings, which largely supported the traditional view. This year she is publishing a biographical novel about Mary. How far has she shifted her opinions?
Weir clearly sympathises with Mary for her unhappy childhood, even drawing parallels with her own experience, but she is too good an historian to fly in the face of the evidence. In three years (1555-58), Mary ordered about 300 people to be burnt alive for the good of their souls. She may have meant well, but this was considered excessive even by the standards of the day – even by the standards of the Spanish Inquisition! Mary was brave and resilient, leading the only successful rebellion in Tudor England and facing down another rebellion even when her palace was under fire, but she was also a ruthless fanatic who squandered the goodwill of her people.
Weir writes fictionalised biography rather than historical fiction, keeping close to the historical record. She tells the story from inside the head of her principal character, be they saint or sinner, and does it very convincingly. This is her 15th novel, and readers will need no encouragement to add it to their collection.
