Margaret Beaufort

Mother of the Tudor Dynasty

By: Elizabeth Norton

Narrated by: Debra Burton

Born in the midst of the Wars of the Roses, Margaret Beaufort became the greatest heiress of her time. She survived a turbulent life, marrying four times and enduring imprisonment before passing her claim to the crown of England to her son, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor monarchs.

©2013 Amberley Publishing (P)2013 Amberley Publishing

Good story about a questionable woman

Maybe every woman up until recent history was questionable, but the War of the Rose's produced some females that were more ruthless than the men. The author didn't change my opinion that Margaret Beaufort ranked with Margaret of Anjou as a she-devil, but i do think that Margaret Beaufort was smarter. There is new and entertaining information in this but the narration is a little off, but not badly

Love those Crazy Tudors

Would you consider the audio edition of Margaret Beaufort to be better than the print version?

I personally enjoy holding and reading a book to listening to it. That said, I have very little time actually sit down and read but AM on the road a lot. For this reason audiobooks are a GODSEND!!!

What other book might you compare Margaret Beaufort to and why?

I would say that books in this same venue would be similar to The White Queen or the Red Queen. However, those are not completely based in historical fact. It is my understanding that this book is, and perhaps one of the reasons I liked it so much is that it was still written in a way that did not feel like I was reading out of a textbook.

Which character – as performed by Debra Burton – was your favorite?

Most of the book, if not all, was from Margaret's point of view so this question does not really apply.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Learning more about the live of Margaret before the birth of her son was the most interesting. You get a better feel for how difficult life was for her, and women in general, and just how much she went through even before the birth of Henry the VII.

Any additional comments?

I would strongly recommend this book!

A True Giant

This was a fair and balanced biography of one of history's grandest schemers and tougher women to walk this earth. Few can boast to have lived for so long while never wavering in their faith or daring to reshape destiny in their image. Margaret triumphed because she took advantage of her intellect, her money, bloodline and (eventually after many surprising events) her son's sudden status. More importantly, she never stepped into the limelight because she knew that to win the game of thrones was to play the long game: winning allies, networking, and observing so when an opportunity presented itself, she would not hesitate to act.

Margaret was a crafty politician and courtier. She was also a devoted Christian and family woman who also became known for her patronage of philosophers and other intellectuals during her son's reign.
For a woman who had the odds stacked against her, her life story is very admirable. She took the reins of her own destiny and carved a path for herself, her son and descendants that altered the course of world events.
She was a true game changer and one of the few people of whom one can undoubtedly say, made history.

She won me over!

This biography have me a better appreciation for Margaret Beaufort's life and struggles. She had to work through the realities of having a claim to the throne while being a woman and a Royal pawn.

This books corrects some of the popular culture portrayals of her.

Awesome narrator and great historical analysis of 15th century England.

Interesting but flawed

Much of the analysis and background is sound. I enjoyed learning more details about Margaret Beaufort and her life. She is sometimes reduced to a very one-dimensional figure, and it was a pleasure to encounter her more human and complex aspects. I question the use of certain texts in the narrative without discussing their strength as actual historical sources. There is a difference between using a popular ballad as indication of how people and events were viewed at the time and using it as evidence of factual events.

The main problem here is the narration. The flow is choppy and often robotic. Many words are mispronounced, and the narrator has real trouble reading original documents in a way that they make sense. There's an art to reading history books, and there are so many really good narrators out there.

Finally, there were incorrect words used. I don't know whether it was the author/editor or the narrator, but it happened quite often. While sometimes it was just an odd substitution of a similar-sounding word, sometimes it was jarring and confusing. As an example, Mary I was referred to as Margaret Beaufort's great grandfather rather than her great granddaughter. There is a difference!