Best Books of 2017

As is usual for me at this time of year, here are my best books of 2017.

1.  Without a doubt, the book I've been waiting a very long time for.  Kathryn Warner's 'Long Live the King! The Mysterious fate of Edward II'  is a fascinating, well researched read.  I've been an avid reader of Kathryn's superb Edward II blog, and have been fortunate to read all her posts on the possible survival of Edward II.   Kathryn's meticulous research, and well-balanced arguments are extremely readable.  A book I literally could not put down.

2.  'Young, Damned and Fair.  The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII', by Gareth Russell.   No doubt, Tudor bios are extremely popular and churned out regularly with very little, or indeed no new information on the subject.   There has been far too many on Catherine Howard, of whom we know very little.  Therefore, interpretation of her life has been the central focus, and revisionist historians have painted her as a victim of child abuse.  But not Gareth Russell, who opens his biography with a superb chapter on explaining attitudes in Tudor times, in particular, the Tudor attitude, and acceptance of, death.  We also get a Catherine set in her own context - in Tudor times, Catherine would not have been seen as a victim of child abuse - at 13, and once a girl had started her periods, she was deemed old enough to be a wife and mother.  Catherine Howard led a risqué life, knowing the consequences, and paid for it with her life.  She was not some innocent child dangled like an ornament by her family for Henry VIII to devour.   In many ways, she was responsible for her own fate.

3.  'Henry VII - The Maligned King', by Terry Breverton.  I always enjoys this authors books, and he has written an excellent, balanced biography of Henry VII, whose success is often over-shadowed by his much-married son and of course his predecessor, Richard III.  Henry VII is certainly maligned in that his successful financial and foreign policies are over-looked, as is his seemingly happy marriage to Elizabeth of York and his being free from scandal.  A worthy biography of a worthy king.

4.  'Richard II, a True King's Fall', by Kathryn Warner.  A well researched biography of the complex king Richard II.  Plenty of details showing many facets of Richard's personality.

5.  'Houses of Power -the Palaces that shaped the Tudor World' by Simon Thurley.  A well-researched and interesting book on the palaces occupied by the Tudors - those still standing and those that have disappeared.   There's a lot of focus on the design and architecture, which makes for a refreshing change for a book about the Tudors.


6.  'Richard III, Brother, Protector and King' by Chris Skidmore.  A balanced and fair biography of Richard III, and how it was circumstances, rather than personality, that 'bounced' Richard into the actions he took.

7.  'Take Courage - Anne Bronte and the Art of Life'.  A much needed biography of the neglected Bronte sister. 

8.  Just started 'Elizabeth's rival - The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys' by Nicola Tallis, and it's already shaping up to be a cracking read.


Biggest disappointments

A book I was so looking forward to - 'The King's Assassin - The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James 1st' by  Benjamin Woolley.  I know very little about James 1st and was intrigued by the title and blurb of this book - but basically, it turned out to be a biography of George Villiers and gossip from the court of James 1st.

Anne Boleyn - Amy Licence.  OK, I know there is only 1 definitive biography of Anne Boleyn - the one written by Eric Ives.  I always try to read every new bio of Anne, and am inevitably disappointed.  There is no new information on Anne Boleyn - but there have been plenty of interpretations and speculation.  And that's what we get here - Anne might have met Leonardo da Vinci, she might have been present at this meeting, at that palace, might have read this book, could have seen this piece of art , met this person - and then of course she may not have done any of them. Nothing new again and padded out with maybes. I had low expectations, and was right.  Amy Licence can do better than this, as her  previous biographies have proved.