2.5 Stars

A book purported to be about Bess of Hardwick, I looked forward to exploring the life of such an important figure in female history during the Elizabethan age. From what I've gleaned from Wikipedia and other research sources, I knew her to come from rough beginning to rise as one of the wealthiest women of her era, ancestress of throne claimants. However, what I got from this book was the history of the Tudors through the eyes of an onlooker. NOT what I wanted from this title…

I will say the author does a great job with historical details and scene setting. I got a clear mental picture of the glamour inherent to Tudor courts. The sumptuous fabrics of court costumes and the splendor of palaces and castles were easily visualized. This part of the book was experienced rather than just read.

The bits actually about Bess were intriguing. The author started out well, giving us a family situation hovering on the brink of poverty and debtors prison. Bess is lucky enough to find connections that launch her into court life where she finds opportunities to better herself and help her family. Throughout the book, Bess shows some intelligence and ability in being able to balance the dangers of intrigue and power-shifts as Henry the Eighth's family and courtiers vie for the throne. She protects and provides for her family, husband, and children as best she can in an ever shifting world.

However, I felt the author spent so little time on Beth herself that this book shouldn't be touted as a work on her. More time was spent talking about the history of the Tudor family, the various events in the different reigns of that dynasty. Little was shown on how those events impacted Beth and her family; it seemed like I was presented with a timeline of the various Tudor reigns rather than a book on Bess of Hardwick.

Despite having shown some intelligence, Beth’s characterization overall is of a doormat. She's too perfect. She's the perfect wife, perfect mother, perfect friend, and perfect subject. She's ever loyal and ever true. At least seeing her beginning with some aspects of her intelligence showcased saved her character in this book.

And then the author makes the added insult in neglecting to include the most dramatic and interesting part of Bess' life, that of her last marriage and her involvement with the jailing of Mary Queen of Scots. Of all her marriages, this one probably was the rockiest and most problematic. I think the including of this part of the story of her life would have helped elevate my doormat image of her. I think the author missed a golden opportunity by excluding this part of her life. It would have lifted the book from mediocrity into a truly enjoyable historical fiction, on a woman that stood out in history.

From the author notes, the author makes it clear that she wanted to concentrate on Beth early life. So the exclusion of that last part of her life, I suppose I can understand. However, this book still stands out only for how bland it is. Concentrating more on individuals that have had volumes and volumes written about them, I think the author missed the boat when it came to the opportunity on portraying a historical woman that could stand to have more exploration done on her herself. What little I got only made me thirst for more, but what I got to round out those wonderful glimpses was a doormat of a woman who is too perfect to be real. If you're looking for a light read and not expecting much, maybe give this book a look. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to look for a copy. ( )

About half way though, but this book is amazing!
-+ ( )

Although I have read plenty of Tudor fiction in the past, I haven’t read much about Bess of Hardwick, so I was thrilled with the opportunity to read this novel. What makes it even more fun is the author chose to start the book when Bess is just turning twelve, during a period of her life that is not as heavily documented, and while it uses the major points in her early life, there is room for dramatic license.
Bess is quickly sent off to serve in the house of Lady Zouche, which ultimately brings her to London and under the gaze of the court. We get to see the last three marriages of Henry VIII through her eyes, and witness her terror mounting as she sees the fate of Catherine Howard, wishing she herself could avoid getting married. However, Bess lives in a man’s world, and quickly learns that she’ll have to marry in order to avoid the same fate of her mother – a woman with a bunch of mouths to feed and no real income with which to do it.
Her first marriage doesn’t last long, with her husband falling ill and passing away about a year after they are married. His death sets Bess on a path towards being able to live independently if she would like to do so, as the laws at the time allowed for her to receive a third of the monies coming in from her husband’s estate. She ultimately decides to marry a second time, to William Cavendish, who proves to be a very loving and wonderful husband to her.
At this point in the novel, I started to cringe a little…not because of the writing or anything like that, but because I swear Bess is constantly pregnant. Her marriage to William lasts for ten years, and she has eight children during that period. I know the main goal of marriage during this time was to produce an heir, and the more children the better when it comes to that, but I still feel for any woman who becomes pregnant that many times!
The novel spends quite a bit of time with her third husband, William St. Loe, and is presented as a love match more than anything else. At this point in Bess’ life, it’s not likely she had to marry again, but likely she chose to for her love of Sir William. The couple had no children together, so this section was more focused on their relationship and the duties they performed for Queen Elizabeth I. By now, Bess had risen to being a lady in the service of the queen, which was one of the highest honors in the land, and quite an amazing climb considering where she started.
I quite enjoyed the novel, but I did have two small complaints with it. First, while the chapters did start with the date and location at the time, it felt like there was quite a bit missing. For example, during her marriage to Will Cavendish, it seemed like most of the chapters were focused on her pregnancies, but we didn’t necessarily get to see the children growing up. They were mentioned later on, but I would have liked to read a bit more about what Bess was like with them as they became toddlers and young children.
My other complaint is that the end felt rather abrupt. The novel doesn’t cover any of her fourth marriage to George Talbot, and while it is mentioned that he was courting her, there was hardly anything about the beginnings of their relationship. I think I would have liked it more had there been a little bit more of their courtship, to get more closure on her grief after the death of her third husband. Perhaps the author intends to write a sequel, which would be nice because I really liked the way this was written and how Bess was portrayed.
On the whole, a good read. I loved the somewhat outsiders take on Tudor England, and would be happy to see more of it! ( )

I tried, I really did, to get into this book. But after 100 pages, I've given up. I rarely give up on books, but I have two others to review and I just can't spend any more time with this one. All I got out of the 100 pages I read was a Tudor history lesson. Bess Hardwicke goes to court and witnesses Henry VIII wed wives 4 and 5. I'm told the story picks up and I may try again later. But writers of historical fiction should assume that readers kind of know their history and don't need to be hit over the head with it. ( )

A well written book looking at the life of an often over looked Tudor era noble. I found the book to be engaging but would have liked more detail into her later life. I would certainly read more books by this author and recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It is a refreshing take on a time period that has been overdone by many authors. ( )