I felt the author did a fair job of trying to explain Margaret Tudors complicated and somewhat untraditional life. Margaret wasn't very likeable most of the supporting characters were flat. It was OK but not sure I would read another book by this author. ( )

What a fantastic historical novel! I enjoyed every minute of it. Part of it was due to the fact that I have never read much historically about Margaret Tudor and the rest was because of Bogdan's masterful storytelling.

Margaret Tudor is portrayed here as a multifaceted figure. She sets out to become queen of Scotland at the tender age of fourteen and yet she overcomes her doubts and proves herself to be a strong and proud woman--very much a queen. And yet, in her steadfast quest to see her son crowned, she seems to cast others aside along the way, unknowing in her own way, but realizing too late what she has lost. Despite her faults, I found myself endeared to Margaret. I shed tears several times throughout the book. As she faced the many sorrowful events in her life, I faced them with her. Much of the trials Margaret faces are largely due to her status as a woman. Women did not have many options or much power in those days. Perhaps Margaret best summed it up herself when she reflected, "The world did not belong to women, except for what they could do to further their men." Margaret's life was very much tied up in furthering men, often with heartbreaking consequences.

Another aspect of the novel I enjoyed was Bogdan's portrayal of Henry VIII, Margaret's younger brother. The way he is depicted in this book is very much how I imagined he would have behaved from what I've learned of him in previous readings. Margaret says about him, "Well, Henry has a code of conduct for the rest of the world to follow, then a separate code for himself." Spot on!

In the author's note, Bogdan explains that this work, like her others, is a "dramatic interpretation meant to entertain." That being said, I never felt the entertaining aspect of the book took away from a feel of historical authenticity. As she did with The Sumerton Women, Bogdan has once again written a fine historical novel. ( )

Historical novelist D.L. Bogdan's latest release, The Forgotten Queen, focuses on the life of a woman rarely featured prominently in historical fiction, Margaret Tudor, sister to England's King Henry VIII and mother of Scotland's King James V. Told from Margaret's perspective, the story follows her life from her childhood in England until the early years of her son's marriage to Marie de Guise.

It is somewhat surprising, given the events of her life, that Margaret is not the primary subject of more historical fiction. After finishing this novel I can't help but wonder if the reason has to do with Margaret not being a particularly likeable figure. While I did find Margaret agreeable at the outset of the novel, once she married James IV and moved to Scotland my opinion of her quickly soured. Although described in the novel's synopsis as an exceptional woman, I found the Margaret of The Forgotten Queen to be anything but. Selfish, unreasonable and politically naive is how she came across to me and, despite feeling some sympathy towards her given the tremendous number of losses she had to endure during her life, I didn't find her behaviour or actions to be particularly regal. This may be, in part, because many of the steps Margaret took to secure her son's throne after the death of her first husband, her attempts to bring about lasting peace between England and Scotland, as well as the actions she took later in her life to force the release James V from the grip of her second husband, Archibald Douglas, occur primarily off the page. Margaret's interactions with the Scottish Parliament, with the Privy Council, and with Scotland's most powerful nobles, with a few exceptions, are glossed over or only mentioned in passing. The inclusion of such exchanges may have given the reader a better sense of why Margaret, who was initially named by Parliament as Regent during her son's minority and, after years of absence from her son's life, was named by Parliament as James V's chief advisor, has been called exceptional.

While this novel didn't work particularly well for me overall, it was refreshing to read about a less well-known Tudor and it is evident that a lot of research went into the writing of the book. Although I would have preferred the inclusion of more detail regarding Scotland's political dynamics, I do think it provides enough of an overview to ensure that readers unfamiliar with Scottish history will still get a sense for how complex the politics of this age were. Given Bogdan employs the same writing style in The Forgotten Queen as she does in her earlier works, readers who enjoyed the author's three previous novels will likely also find this one appealing.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

This is a LibraryThing Member Giveaway which I started shortly after I received it, and, ironically, forgot about. I am doing my best to clean up my needs-to-be-read list, after several months of the abyss, so I started over.

It's not really fair that I forgot about it, as it's a heck of a story: Margaret, older sister of he who will become Henry VIII, is sent to be the bride of James of Scotland, leaving all she knows, leaving her family with the knowledge that she well might never see them again, the trials and tribulations of living in a foreign, barely-English-speaking, "barbaric" land, knowing that her husband the king has children by other women, and of course the usual ordeal of the royal wife trying – and often failing – to provide her husband and her country with an heir – and so on. The agonies of that alone, especially since the book is from Margaret's first-person point of view should have bought the main character tremendous sympathy.

But they didn't. Instead of experiencing more and more compassion and commiseration with Margaret, I just liked her less and less as the book went on, till I wanted to throw a small party when I finally finished the book. This Margaret was histrionic, juvenile (understandable when she was a child, though I foolishly still expect to learn that royal children have been raised to handle themselves better), marvelously self-centered, hypocritical … what else? Fickle. Needy. A smothering mother for one child, and absolutely absentee for another, seeing nothing wrong with it. Ludicrously easily distracted by fripperies and parties. In short, one of the most annoying characters I've read in a while.

It actually seemed like the author was just as annoyed with Margaret at times, which is pretty funny on several levels. Even Margaret in narration refers to herself as hysterical. She certainly feels sorry for herself: "Surely no one could have as impressive a catalogue of regrets as I!" Yeah, 'cause the poor got nothin' to complain about.

King James IV of Scotland is depicted as some combination of Prince Charming, Don Juan, and that albino monk from The DaVinci Code - and that's criminal. Just the small amount of background research I did for this review makes it so obvious that he was an amazing human being: patron of the arts and alchemists and sciences, polyglot, intellectual, gun manufacturer. He sounds fascinating. Very little of that came through.

The writing was, for the most part, very readable and held interest (despite my months-long lapse), but there were some missteps that just made me tired.

"…His eyes wide with terror. He was afraid, I realized at once." - Captain Obvious is obvious

"Each long-suffering plod of the exhausted horse's hooves, each step we rode along the way was a torturous hindrance to my goal." How is a step forward, however weary, a hindrance?

"I like you… I enjoy being together." I don't know, maybe this is correct, but "I enjoy being together"?

One line I did find amusing, and I believe it was intended to be: "Eat your peacock, darling, and stop fretting like an old woman."

The biggest problem I had with the writing, though, was something I never understand in historical fiction: textual anachronisms. There was nothing so egregious as an "okay" tossed out, praise be, but there was a consistent use of modern phrasings that got completely under my skin. There were so many that I have to acknowledge the possibility that the author purposely used contemporary language to enhance the readability. While I get that it would be unreadable if the language was authentic to 1500 England and Scotland, I can't help taking issue with the inclusion of phrases like:
"She's playing you"
"You are reaching"
going it alone
that he should dare play that card
"in on" a secret

When all's said and done, I'm not sure about the title. I presume that Margaret Tudor/Stewart/etc is said forgotten queen, but she hardly seems to have let herself be forgotten in her lifetime. She was constantly making a her presence and needs known, pestering her brother Henry VIII to remember what she was due and to work with her husband, her son's regent, her son. She never let up. Then she was in constant communication with those running Scotland, and then constantly shoving her oar in with her son, giving unwanted advice. I was not sorry for her, but for Scotland. ( )

THE FORGOTTEN QUEEN by D.L. Bogdan is a poignant Tudor era Historical Fiction. Who was the forgotten queen, you ask?? Why Margaret Tudor,daughter of Henry VII. Margaret is sent to Edinburgh to become Queen of Scotland, is was married to James IV by proxy, when she was barely out of the schoolroom. Ms. Bogdan has written a story with vivid descriptions of the Tudor times, the betrayal,the fate of two kingdoms, and the extraordinary woman who help to shape a country. The quest for power is often done behind the throne. Margaret has seen ambition turn to betrayal, secret alliances made,but through it all, her ambition is to preserve Scotland for her own son at all and any cost. A powerful tale of intrigue, betrayal and love. Received for an honest review from the publisher.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More ( )