The Sisters Who Would be Queen

This collective biography explores the lives and fates of three sisters who were drawn into the turbulent politics of the Tudor dynasty. Wanda McCaddon enlivens this detailed account with her energetic narration, sounding as if she herself is intrigued by the descriptions of society in sixteenth-century England. Her brisk pace ensures that the story keeps moving, even as she outlines the particulars of various royal lineages and relationships. This factual narrative hardly calls for a dramatic reading, but McCaddon's tone still manages to convey a sense of regret that each woman had to come to such an unhappy end. Who knows what might have happened if one of them had succeeded as queen? A.E.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 15, 2009
Although the Tudor era has inspired a flood of literature, de Lisle (After Elizabeth
), in her second book, illuminates three remarkable characters of the time, the Grey sisters, who were named by both Henry VIII and his son, Edward, as heirs to the throne. But, says de Lisle, “Dynastic politics, religious propaganda, and sexual prejudice have since buried in legend and obscurity.” ' De Lisle demonstrates that while Jane, long viewed as helpless, was indeed young and pressed to accept the crown, she was exceptionally intelligent, educated and confident as England's first queen regnant and a passionate Protestant evangelical leader. Under Elizabeth I, Jane's sister Katherine married secretly without the queen's consent and was imprisoned because her pregnancy threatened Elizabeth with the possibility of a legitimate royal heir; after seven years in prison, Katherine died, likely of self-starvation. Mary also married without Elizabeth's consent and was imprisoned for seven years, but was eventually rehabilitated at court only to die of plague at age 33. De Lisle has produced an excellent, assiduously researched account of dynastic politics at its worst, focusing on three fascinating and often overlooked women. Photos.