Challenge: 50 Books discussion

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Excellent read. I have read several books that cover the lives of the Tudors and more specifically Elizabeth, Mary and Henry. However, none had done much with the wives of Henry VIII beyond Jane Seymour having been the mother of Edward VI. So I picked this one up and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Weir has written several first class histories on this period so there is much overlap. The first third of the book was not only familiar, but in some cases a direct re-tracing of steps. However, the details were oriented toward the lives of the wives, not the politics or religion. In the middle of the book the story provides detail on not only the lives of the wives, but of Henry as a husband and private person. Weir creates a portrait of a powerful leader struggling with ruling a nation while growing older, heavier and having massive issues with fatherhood and fathering.

As the book gets to Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, Weir does not disappoint. In many respects this is the same story I've read from the point of view of the Children of Henry, the Life of Elizabeth and other histories, but from the point of view and experience of these three women. Weir creates portraits of real people which allow the reader a meaningful experience beyond a simple understanding of the facts.

All six of these women had fascinating stories. Having been married to Catherine of Aragon the longest, the largest single portion involves her life. Having been married to Catherine Howard for the shortest interval, the book tells the tale and moves on. I enjoyed Weir's following through with the stories of Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr who outlived Henry.

The Children of Henry VIII

Alison Weir is a master of historical narrative. This is a well written, comprehensive biography of Elizabeth I. The book begins with her Grandfather and quickly sets the stage through the reign of her father and siblings Edward and Mary. After the story of her childhood, the real story begins with the reign of her younger brother.

Elizabeth's story is familiar in broad strokes - Bloody Mary, Mary Queen of Scots, the Spanish Armada, Shakespeare and the English Renaissance. Never the less, the details read like a spy novel, a romance, a treatise on civil government, religion and culture. From Sir Francis Drake raiding Spanish ships to Lord Essex at war in Ireland, the book covers her life and 45 year reign in style.

I particularly like the way Weir quotes her sources in an authoritative manner without disrupting the flow of the narrative. In this way the book reads like historical fiction - which it is not. Weir is simply knowledgeable enough having done adequate research to re-create scenes dramatically with the words of her characters.

Ultimately, there is little revolutionary in her point of view on Elizabeth. As a scholar, I don't think her research brings her to any new or shocking revelations though she clarifies and adds details to many points. Elizabeth was with little doubt a pivotal figure in the history of Europe and defining leader in the development of what was to become Great Britain. I suspect Weir's "The Life of Elizabeth I" is well on it's way to becoming a modern classic on the subject of the life of Elizabeth I. Well worth a read if you have any interest at all. This book is long, but quite accessible.

Henry V: The background, strategies, tactics and battlefield experiences of the greatest commanders of history

In my continuing quest to learn about the British monarchy, I picked up this short piece on Henry V which only took a few hours to read. I remember reading about Henry IV and V, but I can't remember. I'm pretty sure this one will end up in this category as well. There is a limited number of sources from this period, so the story is fairly straight forward. Until or unless massive archeology changes our understanding of the military campaigns or a trunk of personal letters and documents shows up, the story is what it is. Henry V built on the victories of his father to gain the crown of both England and France which were quickly lost after his death. Shakespeare romanticized the tales and took liberties with the timeline and characters to make his plays more compelling.

Looking for a quick review, "A little touch of Harry in the night"? This was more or less the Sparknotes edition which, again, gives the clear impression that their isn't much more.

The Life of Elizabeth I

Alison Weir is a master of historical narrative. This is a well written, comprehensive biography of Elizabeth I. The book begins with her Grandfather and quickly sets the stage through the reign of her father and siblings Edward and Mary. After the story of her childhood, the real story begins with the reign of her younger brother.

Elizabeth's story is familiar in broad strokes - Bloody Mary, Mary Queen of Scots, the Spanish Armada, Shakespeare and the English Renaissance. Never the less, the details read like a spy novel, a romance, a treatise on civil government, religion and culture. From Sir Francis Drake raiding Spanish ships to Lord Essex at war in Ireland, the book covers her life and 45 year reign in style.

I particularly like the way Weir quotes her sources in an authoritative manner without disrupting the flow of the narrative. In this way the book reads like historical fiction - which it is not. Weir is simply knowledgeable enough having done adequate research to re-create scenes dramatically with the words of her characters.

Ultimately, there is little revolutionary in her point of view on Elizabeth. As a scholar, I don't think her research brings her to any new or shocking revelations though she clarifies and adds details to many points. Elizabeth was with little doubt a pivotal figure in the history of Europe and defining leader in the development of what was to become Great Britain. I suspect Weir's "The Life of Elizabeth I" is well on it's way to becoming a modern classic on the subject of the life of Elizabeth I. Well worth a read if you have any interest at all. This book is long, but quite accessible.

Odd and the Frost Giants

Gaiman writes books for children, teenagers and adults. This Nordic fantasy was for young teenagers. Odd is the name of a boy whose father has died and whose mom has marries an evil stepfather. Odd runs away and finds himself in the company of Odin, Loki and Thor on his way to fight a Frost Giants.

I like fantasy and enjoy a quick read from time to time. I love Gaiman and have read lots of his stuff. I would put this one with books for children the same age as Coraline, though there is nothing frightening about this book. This is strictly a heroes tale wherein a young boys rises to a task and finds himself transformed into a man.

As always, Gaiman puts his words together elegantly and in a manner that creates vivid images. I was absolutely blown away by The Graveyard Book, Stardust and Neverwhere. I thought American Gods was too long, but loved the story, characters and ideas. Coraline was so creepy, I had to re-read it. Odd and the Frost Giants is worthy to stand on the same shelf, but it's a superlative work. It's just a good solid tale well worth an hour or two if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman, hero tales or fantasy for young readers.

Ray wrote: "The Six Wives of Henry VIII
..."

i love the story of Anne of Cleves. she doesn't have to consummate her marriage with Henry, she gets a nice settlement when they divorce, she's treated as the King's sister when she goes to court, and after coming from a very strict (Lutheran) background, she has her own house where she plays cards and has entertainment. damn, she was the luckiest of all his wives.

The Birth of Britain

I was reluctant to begin this one for which I now feel foolish. In my mind, Churchill is so strongly associated with World War II, that though I know he was a historian, I imagined his historical prose would sound like the radio broadcast addresses he made to rally the nation of Britain during the war. I know, I'm really silly. This book is a masterpiece of narrative history. Churchill is comprehensive in his coverage, easy to read and generous with interesting details and connections.

This volume is the first in Churchill's comprehensive History of the English Speaking People. This volume contains three books which cover Roman Britain, the age of the Anglo-Saxon Kings and Vikings and finally, the medieval kings of England. Churchill ends in the 15th century with the War of the Roses.

Churchill's genius is in placing Britain and the English in the context of the broader theater of Europe while keeping the focus clearly on the lives of the leaders and common people who populated the British Isles.

I'd like to note that this is hardcore history. Churchill covers a great deal of ground with names and dates and documentary references that might make it dense to readers not used to reading this style of writing. I've read far more stiff, less interesting and less detailed accounts of similar material, but that doesn't make this "historical fiction like" a la Alison Weir. Never the less, and particularly in the first book on Roman Britain, this is a readable work and well worth reading. To date, I have not read anything that explains and provides as clear a portrait of Roman Britain. Churchill's tales of war are also riveting. Edward I and III's French exploits as well as his tales of the Henry's gave me chills. Perhaps this is where the Churchill I expected comes through - though rather than a voice out of World War II, Churchill is truly a scholar speaking on the nation he loves in a voice for the ages. Good book!

The Conquering Family: The Pageant of England, Vol. 1

Works of history range from dry, straight up re-counting of the facts to reconstructions and imaginings that have to be called "historical fiction". Even when writing scholarly history, some authors are adept at choosing and quoting facts, characters and order of presentation in such a way as to create a story line and narrative worthy first rate fiction. If a straight recounting of facts is a 1 in terms of readability (bad), and historical fiction style non-fiction is a 10, then Costain's writing is a 7.

This book was first published in 1949. It's being re-printed and available speaks to it's readability. Costain is clearly re-telling history and can be dry at times, but the period is rich with intrigue and adventure, and Costain does an excellent job of putting the stories together into a very readable tale. And, as interesting as the facts are, Costain acknowledges and explains side stories that add depth and interest. This volume covers the period of King Stephen to King Henry III and includes Henry II, Richard the Lion Heart and King John I. Since the Robin Hood story is joined with Richard and John, Costain takes a chapter and explains the origin of the story, the truth of the tale as well as the evidence that the real Robin Hood live 100 years later.

This is the 1st volume in a series of four books that cover the Plantagenet Kings. Costain does not have the flowing novelistic style of Alison Weir, but he's not far off. I can't wait to start the next volume.

The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British

This is a critical, tongue in cheek look at contemporary British culture. Lyall is an American journalist who has lived in Britain for more than 20 years. She points to the usual stereotypes and attempts, rather unscientifically, to rationalize, justify and explain why they are true. Lyall covers bad teeth, bad weather, sexual dysfunction, the House of Lords debating the existence of UFOs, bad public healthcare, bad public schools, intense class division, economic stagnation, hedgehogs and cricket. While the book isn't laugh out loud funny, it is amusing so long as you are not offended by it or take it too seriously.

My grandparents were immigrants and my father, an only child, is very English in his character. Though his teeth and health are fine, even at 80, I know I inherited many attitudes and ideas that are British. So, while my wife and children look on in confusion as I find Monty Python brilliant, eat anything put in front of me and take bad weather in stride, I know I inherited these qualities from my British father. So, it's fun to read another American's send up of the good people of our little island.

Again, this is a memoir, a series of stories and reflections on the author's personal experience. While she sights some statistics and no doubt emphasizes the bit of truth in many comic aspects of British society, I know that any 2,000 year old community of several million people are bound to have their issues. Immensely readable, fun, funny, though clearly a send up. I almost didn't make it through the first chapter explaining the homosexuality of most British men quoting P. G. Wodehouse and other expert sources (this is sarcasm). However, I am glad I did. I wanted a light read as a break from a series of heavier non-fiction historical studies of British monarchs. The "Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British", was exactly what was called for. Did I mention you shouldn't take this too seriously?

The Magna Charta

This is a quick look at the specific details of how King John came to sign and affix his seal to this world changing document. The process was not his choice. Throughout a turbulent reign marked by struggle for control between the King, the nobility and the claims of France on Britain and British territories in France, John struggled with lack of funds and lack of support. After a damaging series of encounters over continental possessions, King John found himself with few options. A group of powerful nobles with the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, presented a document which articulated the rights of the nobility the king would guarantee in exchange for their support. Though unwilling and broken over the incident, King John agreed.

This is a short simply states argument. After an outline of the facts, Daugherty argues that this document laid the foundation for a tradition of representative government, democracy and ultimately, freedom in the western world. Daugherty's discussion takes us all the way to World War II placing the Magna Charta at the center of the shared culture that allowed Churchill and Roosevelt to join in their defense of freedom.

Again, very short and easy to read, but nothing special.

Mrs. Dalloway

I feel as though this is the female counterpart to Joyce's Portrait of the Artist. Apparently the setup is that Clarissa Dalloway is getting ready for a gathering at her home. As she prepares, we get the stream of thoughts about guests, past parties, scenes of days gone by, random impression of observations, India, the war... Like Joyce, this is a day of the inner life of thought. The abstract impression that comes across offers no story line, no direct character development, no traditional structure, nothing of what one might expect of a novel. Woolf's genius is that she makes this flowing narrative beautiful. There are turns of phrase, descriptions, patterns of proses that indicate tension, anticipation and climax. Woolf presents words the way a jazz musician develops a melody. She provides phrases that indicate story, though there is no clear story. She evolves a description that draws the reader in with fascination for what is going to happen in that scene, and then she changes scenes. She flirts with the reader imagination so consistently that the book is satisfying and brilliant.

The analogy that comes to mind is Jackson Pollock. There is a canvas at the MET in New York City which is easily 30' x 10'. It is one of his paint spatter works that seems absolutely random, which it may well have been, and yet, I can sit and look at it for an hour, and have. The eye follows a line which flows to a patterns that forms a shape that seems deliberate before dropping into a burst of color that is surprising and them swirling into a tornado of another symphony of color. Absolutely abstract and yet familiar.

I suppose one could extrapolate a story of sorts. Clarissa Dalloway muses on men she has known and returns repeatedly to Peter Walsh in contrast to her stuffy, athletic husband. Many strong impressions that form a story come across, but it comes out of her internal dialogue. There is no voice explaining or telling the story.

I would like to wrap up by saying that I really liked this. However, I liked it in the way that I like good jazz or Pollock's painting. I live with images of Constable's castle ruins and Turners storms at sea in my mind. I can see Renior's faces and Degas' dancers. I know I like looking at Pollock's painting, but I don't remember details of what they look like in the same way. When I hum "My Favorite Things", it's the words and melody, not John Coltrane's improvisation. Virginia Woolf was a genius and this work is well work reading. It is an experience of art though, not a story that will stay with the reader beyond the impression it makes of beautiful words forming impressions.

The Moon And Sixpence

I love W. Somerset Maugham. All the elegance of Fitzgerald but with an endless desire to express the meaning of life in prose. This a story loosely based on the life of Paul Gauguin. Maugham creates a character named Charles Strickland who leaves his wife to move to Paris and paint. Strickland has a striking lack of empathy for anyone or anything and is a bull in the emotional lives of the other characters.

The story is entertaining and interesting, but it is the extended conversations Maugham invents to explore morality, meaning and spirituality that make him a favorite of mine. I've read The Razor's Edge a dozen times and look forward to reading it again. The Moon And Sixpence is clearly a piece in a similar style and approach, but Strickland is not a sympathetic character and it lacks the charm that brings me back to The Razor's Edge. Never the less, an excellent read which i highly recommend.

The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars

Really, really, really good. The style reminds me of Deborah Blum's Poisoner's Handbook, but Collins is funnier. In what was the style of humor at the time, Collins puts in the adsorb as well as the accurate with timing that comes off as sarcastic. The book is the story of a murder which was the center piece of a tabloid war. Since the electric chair, yellow journalism and many aspects of the modern world were still emerging, this case was pivotal.

Apparently a love triangle resulted in a murder plot. The dismembered body is discovered floating in the river by a group of children. Since the identity, various body parts and other details were a tantalizing mystery, the various news papers latched onto it and made it "the murder of the century".

The history is accurate and well detailed, while the details are down right laugh out load funny at times. Contests with cash rewards were setup by rival newspapers to find body parts and generated leads. The resulting speculation, claims and antics create real drama and real silliness.

I won't give the end, but I will urge you to read this. It provides real insight in the year prior to the Spanish American War and how the carnival that is 20th century media began.