Tudor

Passion. Manipulation. Murder. The Story of England's Most Notorious Royal Family

By: Leanda de Lisle

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

The Tudors are England's most notorious royal family. But, as Leanda de Lisle's gripping new history reveals, they are a family still more extraordinary than the one we thought we knew.

The Tudor canon typically starts with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 before speeding on to Henry VIII and the Reformation. But this leaves out the family's obscure Welsh origins and the ordinary man known as Owen Tudor who would fall (literally) into a queen's lap - and later her bed. It passes by the courage of Margaret Beaufort, the pregnant 13-year-old girl who would help found the Tudor dynasty, and the childhood and painful exile of her son, the future Henry VII. It ignores the fact that the Tudors were shaped by their past - those parts they wished to remember and those they wished to forget.

By creating a full family portrait set against the background of this past, de Lisle enables us to see the Tudor dynasty in its own terms and presents new perspectives and revelations on key figures and events. De Lisle discovers a family dominated by remarkable women doing everything possible to secure its future; shows why the princes in the Tower had to vanish; and reexamines the bloodiness of Mary's reign, Elizabeth's fraught relationships with her cousins, and the true significance of previously overlooked figures. Throughout the Tudor story, Leanda de Lisle emphasizes the supreme importance of achieving peace and stability in a violent and uncertain world and of protecting and securing the bloodline.

Tudor is bristling with religious and political intrigue but at heart is a thrilling story of one family's determined and flamboyant ambition.

©2013 Leanda de Lisle (P)2016 Gildan Media LLC

Entertaining and filled with Information

Well written history of the most influential Royal family in History. One of my favorite periods in History. This book covers all aspects of the Tudor family in an entertaining and knowledgeable ways.

Clear and detailed

A straightforward and engaging history, mostly sympathetic, starting with (the sometimes neglected) Owen Tudor and ending with Elizabeth. Hillary Huber's narration is clear and steady. The final picture of Elizabeth is painful to listen to: old, toothless, forgetful, and alone: and it was found afterwards that she wore a ring that secretly contained a portrait of her executed mother. I found this book preferable to the one by GJ Meyer: de Lisle treats the Tudors as human beings without soft-pedaling the brutality of the politics. (Meyer's book at times seems more like a prosecutor's brief.) Would definitely be interested in more books from either author or narrator.

Not finished yet but....

The narrator is American (so am I), and she slightly mispronounces some of the words. She has a fine voice, and reads well, but I picking up on some slight mistakes. I wish someone had told her.

very organized and precise

it's a greatly crafted story, organized with details taken in context. Very informative. It takes the details important then and tries to understand the reactions of the characters and their duties in a modern context.

Great book, terrible narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For historical purposes, I would recommend this book. The account is well documented and laid out in an interesting way.

Would you be willing to try another one of Hillary Huber’s performances?

Definitely not. She cannot pronounce English words properly. Her constant mispronunciations are very irritating. While some of this is forgivable for a non-English person, her failure to pronounce simple words like "priory", which in her tongue became "preory" took away from the author's excellent work.

Any additional comments?

I would advise the author to use an English narrator....at least one who is familiar with the pronunciation of titles and place names.