Some interesting historical facts, wrapped up in a fast moving tale of intrigue and power struggles. Philippa Gregory's latest historical novel highlights the precarious position of a Queen of England unlucky enough to be married to Henry VIII. A little simplistic to paint Henry as a serial killer who happily murdered his wives. There seems to be a tendancy to judge the past on the values of the present. Tudor England was a time of great change in a feudal society and the motivations of the main players were deeply complex and not done justice in this novel. The writing style was very repetative and sightly patronising. Not to be relied on for historical fact but for lovers of romantic fiction a good read.
'Bouchon' in Hexham provided the setting for our discussions this month. Not much change to the menu from our last visit but if it works why change it ?
Join us next month when we will be reviewing classic novelist Jane Austen and her less well known work 'Lady Susan'
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