Reviews of MaryTudor: The First Queen - Published in the United Kingdom
Not a real queen? Mary Tudor books reviewed by Peter Marshall TLS
"A sense of Mary as an individual emerges most strongly from Linda Porter's beautifully written and consistently engrossing study.
"'Mary Tudor, The First Queen' by Linda Porter is a marvellous new biography of one of England's most misunderstood monarchs. The first half of this highly detailed account of Mary's life focuses on her childhood years, particularly upon the turbulent times following her father, King Henry VIII's, divorce from her mother, Queen Catherine of Aragon, in 1533. Whilst this event was to ultimately result in England's break from Rome and the Roman Catholic Church, this book looks at the effect the divorce had on Mary who refused to give up her title of princess and refused to acknowledge her father's second wife, Anne Boleyn, as Queen. The second half of the book details Mary's accession to the throne in 1553 and her subsequent marriage to Prince Phillip of Spain. Naturally, much is said about the relationship between Mary and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer which ended with the latter's execution in 1556 (along with nearly 300 other protestant supporters during Mary's reign). Porter, however, manages to put a slightly new spin on the reasons for the 'Marian persecutions' as well as on Mary's general attitudes towards religion and foreign affairs. A fascinating book and a must for anyone interested in Tudor history."
"Linda Porter's biography is a must read for anyone who wants to debunk the myths surrounding this period of history and learn the real truth about this much misunderstood Tudor monarch" - Claire Ridgway, The Anne Boleyn Files
Posted By Claire on July 7, 2009
"The loss of the English enclave of Calais in 1558, these days the first port of call in France for millions of tourists, has always been blamed on Queen Mary I, who is alleged to have cried that the name of Calais would, after her death, be found engraved on her heart. . .
Complete review by Terry Sutton for Lloyd's List
Mary Tudor The First Queen Linda Porter (£20 portrait)
Hank's verdict This well-researched biography about "Bloody" Mary is fascinating. I loved the way the author shattered the misconceptions we have of her. Rating 4/5
Hank Arnott, Surrey [complete review]
Women's Own 5 November 2007
"There's something about Mary. Bastardised by her father, Henry VIII, abandoned by her husband, Philip II, overlooked for her sister, Elizabeth I, we might not remember her at all were it not for John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which recorded the 300 Protestants she burned at the stake in her four years of rule. Today her name is still as black as a charred corpse, but in Mary Tudor: the First Queen, Linda Porter puts forward an exhaustive and occasionally exhausting defence of the first queen regnant. . .
Complete review by Frances Wilson for Daily Telegraph
"LINDA Porter was brave to write a sympathetic biography of england's Queen Mary 1 - otherwise known as "Bloody Mary" - who to this day remains one of the most reviled of Britain's monarchs.
She was the elder daughter of the legendary King Henry VIII and ruled from 1553 until her death in 1558.
Her neurotic and obsessive behaviour, hard-line Roman Catholicism, and near-farcical marriage. . .
Complete review by Anthony Looch for Associated Press
"i cant recommend this book highly enough. i am thoroughly interested in the tudors and Mary herself, so jumped at the opportunity to read it when i saw it on the shelf! the book goes through mary's early life before her reign as Queen. it reads like a novel but with the underlying fact that its all historical. her opinion of mary really swayed my outlook on her and takes the popular reputation of bloody mary, that has plagued history, and rly undermines this awful perception. it covers mary from birth to death and leaves no stones unturned you also get really caught up with marys personal feelings and emotion, which makes this a page turner. so def go and buy it - its rly good
"Mary deserves her proper account and this friendly and appreciative biography gives her the credit she is due.
"a striking and sympahtetic portrait of the fist woman to rule England in her own right.
