'Wonderfully written book about Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII.'
Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, takes his child bride into Wales where Margaret must put aside childhood, acquire the dignity of a Countess and, despite her tender years, produce Richmond with a son and heir.
As the friction between York and Lancaster intensifies 14-year-old Margaret is widowed and turns for protection to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor.
At his stronghold in Pembroke, two months after her husband’s death, Margaret gives birth to a son whom she names Henry, after her cousin the king.
Margaret is small of stature but her tiny frame conceals a fierce and loyal heart and a determination that will not falter until her son’s destiny as the king of England is secured.
The Beaufort Bride traces Margaret’s early years from her nursery days at Bletsoe Castle to the birth of her only son in 1457 at Pembroke Castle. Her story continues in Book Two: The Beaufort Woman.
As many of you will know this book was recommended to me by Jamie over on The Whispering Bookworm, and I was really looking forward to reading it. Judith Arnopp has certainly written a compelling read, although be warned, some of the scenes are very upsetting.
The story is about Margaret Beaufort, who is so often portrayed as a power-grabbing madam, who has the soul as dark as any black hole, but who hides under a thin veil of Christianity. In this story, we are introduced to Margaret the child - the child bride. A child who is taken away from everything she knows and almost dies in childbirth as her husband was too impatient to wait for her to grow up. I thought this novel portrayed Margaret in a very human way, she suffers terribly and endures with a quiet sense of dignity.
I really did enjoy this novel, much more than I did The Red Queen. It is certainly a book that has captured the era superbly.
Find out more
You can find out more about Judith Arnopp and her books here.
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