This was something I got my bum bitten for, a few weeks ago and with good reason too, Books that are based on the Tudor period have a very diluted version of what really went on. There may be a little bit in them that is based on fact but for the most part the gaps are filled in by the authors by non sensical claptrap. Phillipa Gregory in particular has a habit of doing this, and some of her books based in this period I simply want to hurl out of the window,The Other Boleyn Girl being one of them. Not saying she’s not a good writer because she is, and for the most part I enjoy reading her books. but as long as you read and view them for what they are simply a story your’ll get along fine with them. I agree completely with you about the I felt and she felt books, because how do we know that they felt that way about something? Grrrr. I find these books are always good for calming your mind down when your’ve read something that is based on fact, such as Eric Vives etc.. Brilliant Author and a brilliant book.

Jean Plaidy is another one of my favourite Authors, as is Enid Blyton strangely enough, but again do not take these books as sancrosanct.
Like you I do feel that now i’ve brushed up a little on George Boleyn I don’t think for one minute he was either homosexual or Bi sexual. In fact I sort of get the impression he was a womaniser, an was rogering maids left right and centre. I don’t think George loved Jane and I think his feeling towards her were mearly plutonic in nature.
I’m sorry to hear your’ve been unwell, and I hope that your health is now improving a little. I look forward to your posts as there are certainly some thought provoking comments in them. I liven things up for certain, when I throw a few fireballs into the mix of Boleyn history.

My take on all this is that not one person alive today can ever know 100% of what happened in Tudor England, we can only read of these accounts so ANY book I read can NEVER be 100%. I just enjoy ALL Tudor material

Anyanka said

For me and living in the Internet age…..when a story can’t get simple facts like descriptions right…There’s websites out there…Heaven help us but … even Wikipedia has some good information on it.

But reading Katherine was typical dark-haired dark-eyed Spainard or KP was Henry’s nursemaid. That sort of thing irriates the stuff out of me.

I let Margaret Cambell Barnes and Jean Plaidy have more leeway since they appeared to rely on Stickland’s Queens of Engalnd. But She-who-must-not-be-named doesn’t have that excuse. Cynthia Harrod Eagles’s early Dynasty books suffered from not using good primary material.

For sure, take a half-baked theory and run with it but please, please say it’s a theory in the same way that George and Jane were “sooooo in lurve!” and would have lived happily evah after.

Yeah I agree Anyanka it does tend to grate on my nerves too, but like I said after getting a well deserved bite on the bum about something that was made up, I tend to view the whole lot of them as storybooks, nice to read if you don’t want or feel like taxing the old brain cells at the time but for anything with a little more meat in that does challenge your perhaps pre conceived Ideas about who was what and where, and who did what to who and why. It’s best to stick to reading material that is based on facts not fripperies or as I stated nonsencical claptrap.
I enjoy reading Cynthia Harrod Eagels and other historical authors, but there is a fine line there and you must learn where that line is drawn between fact and fiction.

Oh Maggyann, I find it depressing you’d let the fear of angering Tudor history fans stop you from writing your book. Fans of anything, whether it be historical figures or fans of books made into movies will always nitpick and complain about stuff. That’s why we’re nerds and glory in our geekiness The fact is history won’t always translate perfectly into fiction or film. I’ve gotten riled up after reading a really horrible book on Jane Parker, but other than that I take them for what they are, stories and interpretations and often a good read.
If you feel responsible for those that take fiction as fact (which you shouldn’t) and want to be conscientious about it then you can always put notes at the end of the book about the parts based on fact and the parts that are fictional. Even PG does this, and although I think she is, er, evasive about it, she also includes a good bibliography in her books. I’ve read all her books and have picked up some good reading material from the bibliographies. In fact as you seem to be sensitive to the feelings of history fanatics I imagine you would be conscientious about this anyway.
So please, keep at your book, and good luck. I also hope you’re feeling better.

Maggyann said

Hello everyone
My question may come out a bit convoluted but bear with me please.
Reading through the boards I have noticed that authors like Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory are somewhat vilified for their books. (I think because their opinions do not chime with each reader’s personal opinions on the subject of, in this case, Anne and the whole Tudor period.)
I wondered why a novel or novels, should cause so much anger? Surely nobody can say anything is definitely true from such a long time ago so in writing a novel an author does have to make up/imagine a lot in putting together a story?
I realise there are a lot of papers and documents which when studied and consulted by those who are qualified to do so then brings to us as many actual facts as can be gleaned but in a novel we are reading a story, a made up fantasy or a bringing together of known events in a smooth, possible explanation of how things were.
I suppose what I am asking is basically why a novel which is based on the lives of people who lived a long time ago should upset and anger people so?
I am asking for selfish reasons I suppose as a long time ago I began writing a novel based around Henry, Anne et al and though I have not looked at it in couple of years due to being ill I have recently started to read through what I have down which has been good as my eyes are really fresh to it after the break but I have this feeling that it is not worth continuing with if in the end it will only upset people (assuming of course that it ever saw print).
I know I still wander all over the place when trying to get my thoughts out but that is improving all the time so had hoped to return to writing.
I personally will read anything written on the Tudors and agree some of the books are excellent and leave me feeling refreshed and enlightened or encouraged to go off at a tangent to discover more about one person or another. I also agree some of the books are really annoying. There was one which I can’t recall right now where it was full of ‘probably thought’ or ‘could have felt’ sort of statements.
I also feel annoyed by statements like George was a homosexual, wife beater etc but I accept that this is simply an opinion voiced, a thread or plotline to carry the story along.
Maybe it is because these were real people who lived real lives rather than Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler who were totally from the imagination?
Sorry this went on a bit but I do hope you get the gist of what I am asking.

I love reading anything about Tudor. That being said, the only thing that really gets me annoyed is when a novelist tries to portray his or her novel as historical fact. TOBG made me upset because, although is was a novel, Gregory gives the impression that it is something else. I would think that for anyone writing about the Tudor era, because it was so long ago, imagination has to play a part, perhaps a big part, but it should be clear to the reader that it IS a work of fiction. Even though it may say “novel” in the description, many readers that don’t know any better will take everything as fact. I guess some of those readers will be curious enough to go and search for historical facts, but not all will and I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do about that. Plaidy got me interested in Anne because of the story. I wanted to find out more. I guess Gregory made me angry because I did know so much more. I think works of fiction set in Tudor times are great, as long as the author’s characters ring true. I really hope you keep writing. I enjoyed Henry’s Defense immensely. Your characters were so real and so ‘in character’ that it made me want to read more.