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.
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