To Hold the Crown by Jean PlaidyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy delves into the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty in England. The historical events are well researched and her assumptions about what happened to the two Princes in the Tower are logical; however, the characterization and dialogue are flat and confusing. For example, the Tudor children often have thoughts and conversations much too adult for the ages of three- and five-year-old children. The retelling of historical events can be difficult, but the author should maintain appropriate characterization in the narrative to make it more readable because these errors shakes the reader out of the story and interrupts the flow.
Since I am an avid lover of English history, especially the Tudor period, I found the retelling of the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty fascinating. The focus of the book is mainly on Henry VII, a miserly yet strong king who gained the crown through winning the battle of Bosworth. The story begins after his marriage to Elizabeth of York, which ultimately ends the bloody War of the Roses by combining the warring houses of Lancaster and York. Plaid describes the era with great detail and includes the important events of Henry VII’s reign, including the births/deaths/marriages of his children, the execution of traitors, the imposters who tried to seize his thrones, and political intrigue that encompassed the events of Tudor England.
I usually do not comment much on grammatical issues in book reviews, but To Hold the Crown has an overwhelming number of them. The grammatical errors are such in nature that the publishing company should have caught them before printing the books. For example, repeating words, no capitalizations at the beginning of sentences, and omitted words in sentences were frequently discovered throughout the text. At one point, I stopped reading to make sure I had not accidentally picked up a pre-published edition, which was not the case.
Since I am an avid lover of English history, especially the Tudor period, I found the retelling of the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty fascinating. The focus of the book is mainly on Henry VII, a miserly yet strong king who gained the crown through winning the battle of Bosworth. The story begins after his marriage to Elizabeth of York, which ultimately ends the bloody War of the Roses by combining the warring houses of Lancaster and York. Plaid describes the era with great detail and includes the important events of Henry VII’s reign, including the births/deaths/marriages of his children, the execution of traitors, the imposters who tried to seize his thrones, and political intrigue that encompassed the events of Tudor England.
I usually do not comment much on grammatical issues in book reviews, but To Hold the Crown has an overwhelming number of them. The grammatical errors are such in nature that the publishing company should have caught them before printing the books. For example, repeating words, no capitalizations at the beginning of sentences, and omitted words in sentences were frequently discovered throughout the text. At one point, I stopped reading to make sure I had not accidentally picked up a pre-published edition, which was not the case.
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