Review Two of Innocent Traitor, by Alison Weir

This novel, about Lady Jane Grey, who became the "Nine Day Queen," and shortly thereafter was put to death by Queen Mary Tudor, is engrossing from beginning to end. The biggest downside is that from the very beginning, you know this book is going to have a terribly sad ending. There are different historical interpretations of Jane's life. It's debatable whether she really was quite as innocent as this book portrays. Nonetheless, even if she did have some part in the treachery, it's still horrible to think about a mere teenager being executed for political scheming that surely was not completely her own.

Along that same theme, this book caused me to realize exactly how different our ideas of childhood and adulthood are these days in comparison to the time of the Tudor reign in England. Jane was married when she was merely 15 years old. It was not unusual for boys and girls to be married, sharing a bed, and having children at age 14 in that period of history. Can you imagine? In a time in which so many hold off on marriage and childbearing until their early thirties, such a world is truly like another planet. Not only was the age of marriage much earlier, but the type of behavior expected of teenagers in that period of history was much different than now. King Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, was crowned king at age nine. Although a regency council helped him to rule during those years from when he was crowned to when he died just a handful of years later, he was expected to make decisions that no child would ever be expected to make in this day and age.

Overall, as long as you brace yourself for a terribly sad ending, this book is well worth reading for those who enjoy historical fiction. It is one of those books that will make you think about the way we do things today, and how different it is from the way of things in the past.

Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, by Alison Weir

I'm in the middle of the audiobook edition of this book right now. I definitely like it. At the same time, my main takeaway from this book so far has been, "Holy #%^&, I'm SO glad to be a woman of child-bearing age in this time period instead of during the era of the Tudors!" Women who had any difficulty in childbirth back then were just out of luck. If the difficulty was severe, it frequently resulted in the death of the mother, the baby, or both. Problems that today wouldn't be difficult to fix caused lasting discomfort, pain, and embarrassment for the remainder of many women's post-childbearing lives. I've found myself repeatedly counting my blessings and amazed at what these women put up with in their time. Had I lived during their time, I likely would have died during the birth of my first child. Scary!

Beyond that, this book is a fascinating peek into what the lives of those in and near the Tudor dynasty might have been like. Fittingly, for a time and place in which one had to have grit to get by, this book is pretty gritty. It doesn't spare you from many of the less pleasant details of life during that time period.

I'm only half way through or so, and I'll write a final review when I've finished the entire book. But I can already say, confidently, that if you're looking for a book set during the Tudor rule in England, and dominated by strong leading female characters, then this book will likely be exactly the right thing for you.

Esther: A Royal Beauty, by Angela Hunt

This audiobook transported me back in time to the 5th century BCE and fully immersed me into the Persian empire ruled by Xerxes I, or Ahasuerus. The story is narrated by Hadassah, later to be known as Queen Esther, and Harbonah, a eunuch in service to King Xerxes. I often find alternating narrators to be confusing, but the style works very effectively in the case of this book. The voice actors who read the parts of Hadassah and Harbonah each did an absolutely outstanding job of capturing the emotion and personality of the narrators. The characters really do sound their parts.

Although this book is based on a biblical tale from the Old Testament, and does contain a fair amount of inspirational content, do not let that throw you off from reading it if you're not the religious or spiritual type. There is plenty to draw you in as far as historical details, character development, and interpersonal relationships. Queen Esther's identity as a Jew is certainly a focus of the book, and there's some reference near the end of the book of the Jewish Messiah to come. Virtues such as prayer, humility, and putting others before yourself are also touched upon. However, these are virtues present in many religions and philosophies, and in my opinion, they don't limit the story to being appreciated only by those of a Christian or Jewish religious background.

I never felt drawn-in by the fairly brief book of Esther in the Jewish scripture. The fictional elaboration this book makes on Esther's story is enough to make me want to read all I can get my hands on about Esther, Xerxes, and the place, time, and culture in which they lived. Certain aspects of Persian culture in 5th century BCE are so foreign to me that I found myself astonished. For instance, if anyone-- even the queen-- approached the king without being summoned, that person would be immediately killed by the king's "immortals" (guards) unless the king extended his scepter in pardon. So, when Queen Esther approached her husband without having first been summoned, she really was staking her life on the hope that he would extend pardon to her. Can you imagine living in such a way as that? I know I can't. It's so fascinating to me how women such as Hadassah, a.k.a. Esther, made the best out of such a harsh existence.

One concern I had: Esther consistently speaks of loving her husband better, as well as respecting and obeying him. In her situation, she really had no choice. It was either that, or be deposed or killed. Her predecessor, Vashti, had been deposed for disobeying a single unreasonable request by the king. Women of this time period were property, not equals. My concern is that modern women who read this book will interpret it as a call to submit to and obey their husbands, as this woman did her king. I don't think that what Esther had to do in order to survive is applicable to what women should do today in healthy relationships with their spouses. That said, the message about putting others before yourself and respecting others is applicable not only in marriage, but in all areas of interacting with others. So the message isn't totally problematic.

Minus the above concern, this book is absolutely fabulous. It offers deep character development, historical details that bring the time and place alive, and a female character with strength and grit. A second book in this "A Dangerous Beauty" series just came out: Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty. I can't wait to read that one, too. When I do, you can bet another review will be coming your way.