Mary Tudor:  Princess, Bastard, Queen
by Anna Whitelock
New York: Random House, 2009

Felt this book was very unevenly written. Minute details would be penned about occasions such as Mary’s coronation while other important events (Mary’s handling of Lady Jane Grey, the loss of Calais, etc.) would be glossed over too sketchily. As I was reading, I wondered if I was being fair considering I do have a strong background in this topic or was it truly poor writing or editing. Unfortunately, I was left with a bit of a negative view (again, not sure if it was writing or editing) when Mary’s death was listed as November 16, 1557. Mary died in 1558. Seems like no big deal, but that error at the end of the book exemplifies the frustrations experienced by this reader.

On the plus side, there was extensive use of primary sources. Whitelock effectively used the published primary sources from the correspondence between the Imperial and English Courts.