I recently had the pleasure of reading the third book in Janet Wertman’s Seymore Saga trilogy, The Boy King.
I have read, and enjoyed, the first two books of the trilogy, so I had high hopes for The Boy King. I’m happy to report I was not disappointed.
Once again, Wertman’s history is either spot on, or — where there are gaps in the historical record she had to fill in with speculation — extremely plausible. I have a personal pet peeve about history books that are loosey-goosey with facts, and adherence to accuracy was every bit as important to me (as a reader) as the quality of the writing. Wertman has always come through with both facts and good writing, which is why I continue to by her books.
Nonetheless, I was a bit hesitant to read The Boy King at first; it was told from Edward VI point of view starting with the earliest part of his reign, and how can anyone do a credible job explaining history through a perspective of such a young boy? I shouldn’t have worried. Wertman does an excellent job putting the reader in the king’s shoes and showing them his world through his eyes. Realistic dialogue between Edward and his advisors informs the reader of the historical context as much as it moves the story along, and Edward’s struggle to make sense of the socio-political chaos of his ‘protectorate’ reign makes the whole story feel immediate and real.
The most telling thing about how well-written the book was is that I enjoyed it despite having very different personal opinions of who the ‘bad-guys’ around King Edward were. Wertman writes with a kindly view toward Edward Seymour, the Duke of Somerset, and presents John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, as the foil. I am not a historical fan of Somerset, by any means, and have a great deal of sympathy for Northumberland. However, Wertman positioned Somerset so well (but with no distortion of the facts) that I couldn’t help feeling a little more charitable toward him by the end of the book.
In sum, if you are interested in the Tudor era and want to glean more information about the too often overlooked short life and reign of Edward VI — yet wish to read an enjoyable story rather than a dry history – I can enthusiastically recommend The Boy King. It is the kind of wonderful historical novel that can both educate and entertain the reader.
This fascinating book by Kyra Kramer gives a brief look at the possible ailments suffered by King Henry VIII. Kramer is a very engaging writer and I found myself immediately drawn in by her candor and humor. She made these very complex medical diagnoses very easy to understand and relatable to what is factually known about the King. I had heard of the theory that Henry was Kell Positive from an earlier work by Kramer, and while I am not entirely certain that was the case, she made a very reasonable and convincing argument and I would certainly not be surprised if that had been the case. I enjoyed this entertaining read very much and I highly recommend it! I have always found it very interesting to hear theories about the health of historical figures and I was thoroughly impressed with Kramer’s research and conclusions!
Regarding the Johnny Depp’s History Of Violence article.
Mr Deuters, Depp’s former employee, claims that “At no point did Ms Heard ever mention any physical abuse and I never saw evidence of any injury to Ms Heard”.
“”I knew that Ms Heard was the abuser in the relationship and I was appalled that she would behave in this way,”
“This was a common theme on the multiple times when Mr Depp was abused by Ms Heard – he would take himself away from the situation, often to a bathroom, and lock himself out of harm’s way,”
Mr. Deuters is the “European president of Mr Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil,” it’s very possible that his testimony is biased and maybe even untruthful.
I got this from the BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53393254