The May Bride, Suzannah Dunn
The May Bride, Suzannah Dunn
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
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The May Bride
A Novel

Author: Suzannah Dunn

Narrator: Nicola Barber

Unabridged: 9 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/15/2014

Synopsis

Jane Seymour finds herself in the midst of scandal and intrigue at Wolf Hall, in Suzannah Dunn's masterful new novel of the Tudor era.Jane Seymour is a shy, dutiful fifteen-year-old when her eldest brother, Edward, brings his bride home to Wolf Hall. Katherine Filliol is the perfect match for Edward, as well as being a breath of fresh air for the Seymour family, and Jane is captivated by the older girl.Only two years later, however, the family is torn apart by a dreadful allegation—that Katherine has had an affair with the Seymour patriarch. The repercussions for all the Seymours are incalculable, not least for Katherine herself. When Jane is sent away to serve Katharine of Aragon, she is forced to witness another wife being put aside, with terrible consequences.Changed forever by what happened to Katherine Filliol, Jane comes to understand that, in a world where power is held entirely by men, there is a way in which she can still hold true to herself.

About Suzannah Dunn

Suzannah Dunn is the author of numerous novels, including The Sixth Wife, The Confession of Katherine Howard, The Queen’s Sorrow, and The Queen of Subtleties. She lives in Shropshire, England.

About Nicola Barber

Nicola Barber, is an Audie Award and Earphones Award-winning narrator whose voice can be heard in television and radio commercials and popular video games such as World of Warcraft. She is also an Audie finalist in the prestigious category of solo female narrationfor her work on Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen and Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. She has performed on the stage in New York City and at a number of top regional theaters in the United States. Her film and television roles include The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson, and Law & Order’s 2009 season premiere. Originally from England, she currently resides in New York, a multicultural background that enables her to bring a broad range of accents and characterizations to her role as a full-time voice-over actor.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on December 05, 2014

Suzannah Dunn’s latest novel is narrated by Jane Seymour, the unassuming maid of honor who became the third of Henry VIII’s six queens. That said, if you’re hoping to read a standard tale about political scheming and juicy scandals at the treacherous royal court, head elsewhere. The May Bride is refr......more

Goodreads review by Martine on April 03, 2014

I always feel that I have to defend Dunn. There are those that hate her style, but I find her writing compelling. She brings historical figures to life like no one else I've read. The competitive talk among the women about who had it worse in pregnancy and childbirth; the modern speech - these serve......more

Goodreads review by Ryana on June 09, 2023

I have been wanting to read this one for a while. There are very few books told from Jane Seymour's perspective, and I feel that I could have done without this one. While Suzannah Dunn is very good at using figurative language to set the scene, she lacks in progressing the story whatsoever. Jane pro......more

Goodreads review by Helen on May 13, 2014

One day in May 1536, Jane Seymour became Henry VIII’s third wife – but she is not the only May bride in Suzannah Dunn’s new novel. The other is Katherine Filliol, the wife of Jane’s elder brother, Edward. Jane is only fifteen when Edward first brings Katherine to Wolf Hall, the Seymour family home,......more

Quotes

“Dunn’s  novel shines like a bright, welcome star in the deluge of Tudor historical fiction, giving readers a glimpse into a little-known scandal that rocked the Seymour family and may have shaped the character of the future third wife of Henry VIII. Tudor fiction fans will enjoy a fresh take on a well-trod period of English history in which the author, like Philippa Gregory, focuses on the life of a notable figure before she became famous, looking at the whole woman and not just as she relates to Henry VIII.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Dunn breathes life into Tudor-era England, giving readers a view of teenaged Jane Seymour…Dunn brings a fresh voice to historical fiction, embracing the humanity of her characters in modern language. Yet it is her exposure of the innermost secrets of the nobility that will resonate most with historical fiction fans.” Publishers Weekly

“It’s Wolf Hall revisited. While Hilary Mantel borrowed the name of the Seymour family’s historic manor house for the title of her Man Booker prizewinning bestseller, for English novelist Dunn, it’s the prime location for her closely observed sidebar-to-history account of Edward Seymour’s doomed first marriage to mercurial Katherine Filliol…Dunn embroiders a capable historical novel around the few known facts about Katherine Filliol.” Kirkus Reviews

“A remarkable writer, a lyricist of ordinary life and ordinary people transfigured by extreme emotions.” Daily Telegraph (London), praise for the author

“Nicola Barber’s genteel voice and elegant diction prove to be a fine fit for historical fiction…Barber channels the excitable, breathless Jane, while making her portrayal of Katherine sound worldlier…Barber’s performance is top-notch…often better than the material in this scandal-rife foray into the genre.” AudioFile

Awards

  • Library Journal Editor’s Pick
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