Elizabeth Norton (1) (1986–)

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-hidden-lives-of-tudor-women-a-social-history...

An interesting look at the experience of half of the English people during the reigns of the five Tudor monarchs, going from top to bottom – linking the lives and deaths of princesses and queens to what is known of the rest of the population. The framework is around Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man, taken as applying to all of us, so from infancy to old age and the various options between.

There are some very good bits here; the chapters on crime and religion in particular are fertile ground for the imagination. It’s also interesting to learn of Katherine Fenkyll, a multiply married businesswoman in the City of London. As usual with this sort of book, sadly, the word “Ireland” is missing from the index, and there’s not even much about Wales. But it’s good to come at a well-known subject – life in Tudor England – from a different direction, and I certainly learned as much as I had hoped from it.… (altro)

Ok, well, I can definitely see the progression of Elizabeth Norton as a writer, in reading this earlier volume of her work -- the meticulous research is still present, but the narrative laid over those carefully arranged bones is less well developed than her later work. It could also be that the sources from the 900s are far less in depth or available than later Tudor ones, but I found this to be a much more scholarly and dry work on the whole. I also think that there's a lot of positive thinking as opposed to actual evidence produced in her attempt to exonerate Queen Elfrida of her possibly murderous activities, but again, she's working with a mystery that's more than a thousand years old, so points for even trying.

The one thing that I really think this book could benefit from is a family tree, with coronations indicated. Especially giving the incredibly confusing naming conventions of the Anglo Saxons, it would help to keep the many Edmunds/Edwards/Edgars/Eagwigs, etc separate in the mind of the reader. Fascinating book, on a fascinating person. I hope more information eventually comes to light.… (altro)

Really wonderful contemplation on the lives of Tudor women. I enjoyed the thoughtful presentation, following the seven ages of man conceit. I enjoyed the overarching feel, which tackled both the most famous Tudor women and the most obscure in an intellectually sound way. While it lacked the practical household hints of Ruth Goodman's How to Be a Tudor, it presents a many-faceted and complex historical context for women in a another time. Accessible, interesting, and a delight to read.

advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.… (altro)