#Jean Plaidy

[period-dramallama]

Jean Plaidy covers are so lovely and for WHAT

[shinyasahalo]

Writing a fem character as a villain by making her abusive toward her children, have her obsess over a man, and be vain about her appearance, makes her a boring villainess.

[m-andrade-87]

RECOMENDACIONES PARA EL #LEOAUTORASOCT 2024

Hola mis pequeños dragones, un año más os traigo algunas recomendaciones de libros escritos por mujeres para celebrar el mes de las autoras, y si, ya sé que hoy no es el día habitual de publicación, pero como ya dije en X (antiguo Twitter) y habréis podido comprobar este mes la celebración de Halloween (ya sabéis que la fiesta se celebra durante todo el mes en el blog) cae en jueves por lo que…

[angelfall33]

Mi Opinión: Madame Du Barry; Amante Real – Jean Plaidy 

[myprinceandprincessofwalesblog]

I used to collect Jean Plaidy books as I love Tudor history I found St Thomas Eve and The Royal Road to Forthingay in a charity shop and loved them then I started finding other ones and was thrilled to find Murder Most Royal as I had been dying to find that one, at first all of the ones I had were the 1970s Pan style ones then when I actively began collecting I found some of the older ones were a different style which I wasn't too happy with as I wanted them all too match  but hey it meant i had the book so...and then others I could only find in hardback then they started reprinting them and I thought great it will take a while but I can start re-buying them so I will have a matching collection but NO they have only reprinted certain titles so I would still have gaps...so frustrating 

think I have slight OCD in regards to having to have things like this matching as I have all my books in the bookcase just now and it really bugs me they are all different styles lol 

I know it wont happen but would love for them to reprint them in the old 70s style or at least reprint them all and not just certain ones 

Jean Plaidy paperback details, 1970s.

[fideidefenswhore]

Your thoughts on the prolific author Jean Plaidy? Did you read any of her books? Do you have favorite/most hated? What do you think about her view on the Tudors, Boleyn's, Yorks, Stuarts, Hapsburgs, etc?

I have found them very dull, paint by the numbers, etc. Honestly I find most of the novels from that era of that era that way, though, it's part of why I can't stand Weir's, hers just feel like a complete emulation of Norah Loft's which are also that way for me. I feel like newer authors of the genre are more likely to take risks, even if all their creative decisions are not my favorite, I can respect that (Suzannah Dunn, Christopher Rae, etc).

To be more specific, as a Henry VIII Enjoyer, these novels miss the mark for me. He's always very one-dimensional, sadistic satyr meets bluff hail-fellow-well-met, extremely pliable and easy to manipulate; it's just very boring and not satisfying to read.

[zippocreed501]

AUTHOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

'Respect your characters, even the ­minor ones. In art, as in life, everyone is the hero of their own particular story; it is worth thinking about what your minor characters' stories are, even though they may intersect only slightly with your protagonist's.'

'Treat writing as a job. Be disciplined. Lots of writers get a bit OCD-ish about this. Graham Greene famously wrote 500 words a day. Jean Plaidy managed 5,000 before lunch, then spent the afternoon answering fan mail. My minimum is 1,000 words a day – which is sometimes easy to achieve, and is sometimes, frankly, like shitting a brick, but I will make myself stay at my desk until I've got there, because I know that by doing that I am inching the book forward. Those 1,000 words might well be rubbish–they often are. But then, it is always easier to return to rubbish words at a later date and make them better.'

'Don't panic. Midway through writing a novel, I have regularly experienced moments of bowel-curdling terror, as I contemplate the drivel on the screen before me and see beyond it, in quick succession, the derisive reviews, the friends' embarrassment, the failing career, the dwindling income, the repossessed house, the divorce . . .'

'. . . Working doggedly on through crises like these, however, has always got me there in the end. Leaving the desk for a while can help. Talking the problem through can help me recall what I was trying to achieve before I got stuck. Going for a long walk almost always gets me thinking about my manuscript in a slightly new way. And if all else fails, there's prayer. St Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers, has often helped me out in a crisis. If you want to spread your net more widely, you could try appealing to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, too.'

Author Extraordinaire Sarah Waters

[celebrateeachnewday]

Artist Jane Crowther

My 2024 Booklist

Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson The Color Purple by Alice Walker Maskerade by Terry Pratchet (#18 of Discworld) The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey The Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey The Great Gatzby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Coraline by Neil Gaiman The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L'Engle Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshall

[bforbetterthanyou]

I hate when I'm trying to find good historical fiction centered around the wives and I have to go through all the Allison Weir novels to find decent stuff

On a semi-related note, do you have any recommendations?

Yeah, for some reason the Tudor period attracts a lot of trash (both fiction and, frankly, non-fiction). I honestly have no idea why this is. I don’t know maybe because I’m American so I didn’t learn about the Tudors in school growing up (in the World History class I was required to take in high school our textbook had a single paragraph that mentioned Henry VIII and the Reformation and then Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada: even when we studied Shakespeare we only read his plays as works of literature and learned nothing whatsoever about the time period he lived—for the longest time I actually didn’t know that Shakespeare lived in the Tudor period)…so maybe it has something to do with how the Tudors is taught in British schools (from what I’ve heard, apparently history in British schools is basically just Romans, Tudors, Nazis)

If you’re looking at fiction about the wives, specifically…shockingly there actually isn’t that much.

Jean Plaidy is always a good way to go. All of her novels were published in the 40s and 50s and they can be a bit overly romantic at times but they’re pre-when Tudor fiction started to get really trashy. The upcoming film Firebrand is based on a novel called Queen’s Gambit. I haven’t actually read the novel, but it’s one of the few that focuses on Kathryn Parr.

There are others not directly about the wives but that feature them like Adrienne Dillard’s The Raven’s Widow which is about Jane Boleyn post-May 1536.

Dead Queen’s Club is underrated.

Here are some others that are on my list (but I haven’t actually read them yet so can’t attest to their quality):

Anne & Henry by Dawn Ius

Anne Boleyn by Evelyn Anthony

The Kiss of the Concubine by Judith Arnopp

[brokenbluebouquet]

George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham in Fiction - a partial summary

CW: discussions of biphobia and homophobia in historical fiction and current historiography.

Feeling both inspired and outraged in equal measure by the upcoming Mary&George series, and having been fascinated with this remarkable man since forever, I have decided to post this partial overview of portrayals of George in fiction. The ones in bold are the ones I have read. Feel free to add to the list.

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas 

The Honey and The Sting, Elizabeth Freemantle 

My Queen My Love, E.M Vidal 

Cavalier Queen, Fiona Mountain 

The Dangerous Kingdom Of Love, Neil Blackmore 

The Fallen Angel, Tracy Borman

Wife Of Great Buckingham, Hilda Lewis

Darling Of Kings, P J Womack

The Queens Dwarf, Ella March Chase

The Smallest Man, Frances Owen

The Spanish Match, Brennan Purcell

Captain Alatriste, Arturo Pérez-Reverte

The Cardinal and The Queen, Evelyn Anthony 

Earthly Joys, Philippa Gregory

Myself My Enemy, Jean Plaidy

Charles The King, Evelyn Anthony 

The Young And Lonely King, Jane Lane

The Fortunes Of Nigel, Walter Scott 

The Crowned Lovers, E Barrington

The Minion, Raphael Sabiniti 

The Murder In The Tower, Jean Plaidy 

A Net For Small Fishes, Lucy Jago 

The Arm and the Darkness, Taylor Caldwell

Les Gloires et les perils (?), Robert Merle

And a few I’m not so sure about where George is mentioned in passing: . 

Viper Wine, Hermionie Eyre

John Saturnalls Feast, Lawrence Norfolk 

Rebels and traitors, Lindsay Davis

The Assassin, Ronald Blythe 

Some observations, in no particular order:

Novels set mostly in James reign often have George as a rival to Robert Carr and will attempt to foreshadow how much worse he will be compared to Carr.

The ones that feature Henrietta Maria as Protagonist or at least POV character, where George is normally a baddie trying to sabotage HM and Charles I's relationship, and his death is often portrayed as some sort of salvation for HM. In these books George will often be lamed for things which were IRL Charles's fault such as the expulsion of HMs French household in 1626.

Three Musketeers is practically a category in its own right due to all the film/tv adaptions but has had relatively few clones or imitators in English which is something of a surprise

George is only a protagonist in one of these books (Darling of Kings, P J Womack) in the rest he's a cameo or a villain

Rumours that I suspect authors know is nonsense are repeated verbatim such as Tracy Borman's baseless speculation about G offing the Manners brothers, king James, and his rumoured involvement with the occult.

Georges relationships with James and Charles respectively are mentioned but not meaningfully explored. neither are any other personal relationships he had.

The insights and shifts in terms of post 1970s revisionist and post revisionist scholarship esp. Roger Lockyer's bio of George have not found their way into any fiction set in this era. Georges capability as an administrator and manager of patronage is more often than not totally absent.

the general view of George and why he's often shown in such a negative light is pretty much "well, he was willing to god knows what with that dirty old man James; who knows what other depravities he was capable of" and its female authors who really seem to lean into this, which I find fascinating and disturbing.

EDIT (can’t believe I forgot this) George’s murder in 1628 is always the result of some sort of aristocratic conspiracy rather than the act of terrorism it was IRL. I do get why authors do this - the amount of world building and foreshadowing needed to make it seem plausible rather than random in universe. However making it the result of personal grudge rather than ideological violence detracts from why it was so shocking and important.

[pcppyy]

𝖌𝖔𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖆𝖙 𝖍𝖆𝖒𝖕𝖙𝖔𝖓 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙 | penelope walsingham, as  persephone, goddess of spring. 

the attendance of penelope walsingham and her husband, thomas, was well documented in the romance novel ' the spymaster's bride ' written by fledgling fiction author diana suno, inspired heavily by other tudor romance novelists such as jean plaidy and phillipa gregory. it included a very vivid scene that was heavily based on the true events of the pageant of the king's in the year of 1559, where penelope acted out a sorrowful scene of leaving her mother, demeter, to be with the king of the underworld. the two women soon dissolved into giggles once the scene was complete. adorned in mauve silks, it was noted that penelope maintained a higher neckline then some of the other women in attendance, however if the fictional novel is to be believed the fabric was sheer whenever penelope shifted, revealing long dainty legs and bare thighs and glimpse of her breasts if stood in the right position ( one that her husband was notably glued to most of the night as they drank ). historians have remarked in brevity in various writings of thomas walsingham's life that it was unintentional irony for his wife to portray the goddess of spring, growth, and fertility, as according to the timeline it was around this period of time that she became pregnant with their third, and final, child. 

[period-dramallama]

I do owe Jean Plaidy something of an apology, I posted a long while back about her rushing her historical fiction books by writing so many. It seems her publisher required 2 Jean Plaidy novels and 1 Victoria Holt novel (gothic fiction) every year. No wonder it was microwaved history. Jean Plaidy novels were probably the wikipedia summary before Wikipedia summaries were a thing.

Honestly a false economy if you ask me. Better wait for something nuanced and researched than churn out forgettable historical fiction that will never be reread.

[dragonstepp]

Salove in pants

I have to admit to a not-so-secret love of men. I think men are the most glorious invention of god, or their maker. That doesn't mean I don't think women are beautiful as well, but I really love to love at a well-made man. I bought a throw from Amazon of Jamie (not Sam, not really) in the nude with his hand holding a plaidie in an appropriate place.

But I have a real wish, one I will never be able to fulfill. I would love to see Sam in the nude, completely. When I see photos of him standing, or lounging, in a well-made suit, my eyes go immediately to his crotch. I just can't help it.

But then my fave view of any male is if he has a great butt. No loose jeans for me. I need them well-filled out.

C

[m-andrade-87]

LECTURAS Y PELÍCULAS VARIAS

Hola mis pequeños dragones, hoy, bajo un título tan genérico, os traigo un pequeño resumen de algunas cosas que he estado viendo y leyendo durante los últimos días y que, si bien no voy a dedicarle una entrada como tal, si quería hablar un poco sobre estas cosillas. Como siempre espero que alguna de estas cosas os resulte interesante. Empezamos BBC SIX WIVES WITH LUCY WORSLEY En este primer…

[iquote]

"Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience."

- Jean Plaidy

[absentpholosipher]

The Only battle you have to win is this life is the one inside your head.

You are your first and worst enemy.

Patience is a double edge sword.

Patience is necessary, but too much patience is dangerous. 

Stop feeling embarrassed for things no one care about. 

Relying on people all the time is more dangerous than you think. 

If you don’t learn not to care, you’ll never be at peace.

Loneliness can be a blessing or a curse.

Loving someone is easier than loving yourself.

It during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. – Aristotle

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. – Rumi

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still. – Lao Tzu

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. – Theodor Seuss Geisel

The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear. – Rumi

. "I just want a day where it feels like I'm not falling apart anymore." — Frank

I'm exhausted from trying to be stronger than I feel." — Brighton Early

Tears are words the heart can't express." — Gerard Way

I'm tired of fighting. For once, I want to be fought for." — Dick Tate

Don't cry over someone who wouldn't cry over you.” ― Lauren Conrad

The sadness will last forever." ― Vincent Van Gogh

34. "When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps." ― John Lennon

A void in my chest was beginning to fill with anger. Quiet, defeated anger that guaranteed me the right to my hurt, that believed no one could possibly understand that hurt." ― Rachel Sontag, "House Rules"

Who do you turn to when the only person in the world that can stop you from crying, is exactly the one making you cry?" — Anita Room

"When you're happy you enjoy the music. When you're sad you understand the lyrics." — Frank Ocean 

"There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy." — Dante Alighieri

"Today my forest is dark. The trees are sad and all the butterflies have broken wings." — Raine Cooper 

It is a part of the human experience to feel pain, do not be afraid open yourself to it- Rupi Kaur

When the shadows around you start to feel overwhelming, remember you are the lighthouse, remember the luminous in your existence. When your mind is the darkest place you’ve known-turn the light on there is still sunshine coursing through your veins

You do not see the sun apologizing for the way that it shines, so why should you?

The moon does not ask permission to take its place in the sky and the sun does not ask permission to rise; so take your place darling, your purpose needs no permission- Arielleestoria

It is quite alright for you to take all the time you need to mend all that has been broken

If the hurt comes so will the happiness- Rupi Kaur

We are all born so beautiful, the greatest tragedy is being convinced we are not- Rupi Kaur

How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.

You don’t need closure to find happiness again, you need to find reasons to start a new chapter and put down that old book; here is one reason you deserve to be happy- Pierre Alex Jeanty

Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe. 
– Mark Twain

1. “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. if it’s bad, it’s experience.” – Jean Plaidy

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

“Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together.”

“At some point you have to let go of what you thought should happen and live what is happening.”

“People say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone … truth is, you knew what you had, you just thought you’d never lose it.”

“Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.”

“Isn’t it pathetic how we waste so much time on certain people and in the end, they prove that they weren’t even worth a second of it?”

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

“The trouble is, you think you have time.” – Buddha

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." — 1 Corinthians 13

"Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time." — Maya Angelou

"We're all a little weird, and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it LOVE." — Dr. Seuss

"The regret of my life is that I have not said 'I love you' often enough." — Yoko Ono

"True love is putting someone else before yourself." — Frozen

"The art of love is largely the art of persistence." — Albert Ellis

"There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to make you feel my love." — Adele

"Love’s gift cannot be given, it waits to be accepted." — Rabindranath Tagore

"Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop." — H. L. Mencken

"The best proof of love is trust." — Joyce Brothers

"Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own." — H. Jackson Brown Jr.

"I will be a poet, and you will be poetry." — François Coppée

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is love!" — Sophocles

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
—Jack Handey

Bob: “Looks like you've been missing a lot of work lately.”
Peter: “I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob.”

“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are.”
—Will Ferrell

“Ned, I would love to stand here and talk with you—but I’m not going to.”
—Phil Connors (Bill Murray

“I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.”
—Michael Scott (Steve Carrell)

“I never feel more alone than when I’m trying to put sunscreen on my back.”
—Jimmy Kimmel

“Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.”

"The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love." — Henry Miller

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." — 1 Corinthians 13

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever." — Alfred Tennyson

"The giving of love is an education in itself." — Eleanor Roosevelt

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.” – Washington Irving

“Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third.” – Marge Piercy

“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.” – Barbara De Angelis