The Tudors, G. J. Meyer
The Tudors, G. J. Meyer
8 Rating(s)
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The Tudors
The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty

Author: G. J. Meyer

Narrator: Robin Sachs

Unabridged: 24 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/23/2010


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the first time in decades comes a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country.

“A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative . . . Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.”—Associated Press

In 1485, young Henry Tudor, whose claim to the throne was so weak as to be almost laughable, crossed the English Channel from France at the head of a ragtag little army and took the crown from the family that had ruled England for almost four hundred years. Half a century later his son, Henry VIII, desperate to rid himself of his first wife in order to marry a second, launched a reign of terror aimed at taking powers no previous monarch had even dreamed of possessing. In the process he plunged his kingdom into generations of division and disorder, creating a legacy of blood and betrayal that would blight the lives of his children and the destiny of his country.

The boy king Edward VI, a fervent believer in reforming the English church, died before bringing to fruition his dream of a second English Reformation. Mary I, the disgraced daughter of Catherine of Aragon, tried and failed to reestablish the Catholic Church and produce an heir. And finally came Elizabeth I, who devoted her life to creating an image of herself as Gloriana the Virgin Queen but, behind that mask, sacrificed all chance of personal happiness in order to survive. 
 
The Tudors weaves together all the sinners and saints, the tragedies and triumphs, the high dreams and dark crimes, that reveal the Tudor era to be, in its enthralling, notorious truth, as momentous and as fascinating as the fictions audiences have come to love.

Praise for The Tudors

“A rich and vibrant tapestry.”—The Star-Ledger

“A thoroughly readable and often compelling narrative . . . Five centuries have not diminished the appetite for all things Tudor.”—Associated Press

“Energetic and comprehensive . . . [a] sweeping history of the gloriously infamous Tudor era . . . Unlike the somewhat ponderous British biographies of the Henrys, Elizabeths, and Boleyns that seem to pop up perennially, The Tudors displays flashy, fresh irreverence [and cuts] to the quick of the action.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“[A] cheeky, nuanced, and authoritative perspective . . . brims with enriching background discussions.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“[A] lively new history.”—Bloomberg

About The Author

G. J. Meyer is the author of four popular histories: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War; The World Remade: America in World War I; The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty; and The Borgias: The Hidden History. Meyer received a Nieman Fellowship in Journalism from Harvard University. He earned an M.A. from the University of Minnesota, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and has taught writing and literature at colleges in Des Moines, St. Louis, and New York. He now lives in Wiltshire, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Claire on December 04, 2013

I was a history major at U.C. Berkeley, and my specific field was English Tudor-era history, so you can imagine that a huge hunk of my bookshelves are devoted to this subject. There is something of an embarrassment of riches on this topic, from J. J. Scarsbrick's definitive biography on Henry VIII t......more

Goodreads review by Mara on May 14, 2020

While author G.J. Meyer would be the first to admit that there is no way to cram the minutiae of more than a century of history into a single volume. However, he's captured a whole heck of a lot in this book. Furthermore, as promised, The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on March 05, 2014

This book is bad. It reeks, it is derogatory to its subjects, it insults the reader, and the author is pushing his own agenda here. I really wanted to like this one, and went into it with some optimism that I could learn something new. But no, the author is fixated on religion here, especially in wh......more

Goodreads review by Emelia on April 07, 2017

Murder, mayhem, betrayal, paranoia, curses, and egomania. Sound like a horror story or a who-dunnit? Actually it is the story of the most notorious dynasty ever know, which the title so aptly states. Beginning in 1485 when Henry Tudor crossed the channel from France and laid claim to the throne of En......more

Goodreads review by Jodi on April 10, 2010

Not sure what to rate this book. Meyer promises to write a book that doesn’t dwell on Henry VIII and Elizabeth like all other authors do and then spent about 300 of 569 pages on Henry –focused on the “King’s Great Matter”. Would have enjoyed more on Henry VII. Elizabeth was not admired at all by this......more


Quotes

"[A] sweeping history of the gloriously infamous Tudor era. Unlike the somewhat ponderous British biographies of the Henrys, Elizabeths and Boleyns that seem to pop up perennially, Meyer displays some flashy, fresh irreverence…Meyer cut[s] to the quick of the action…Energetic and comprehensive."—Kirkus Reviews

"History buffs will savor Meyer's cheeky, nuanced, and authoritative perspective on an entire dynasty, and his study brims with enriching background discussions, ranging from class structure and the medieval Catholic Church to the Tudor connection to Spanish royalty."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Historian/journalist Meyer does an excellent job of recreating the Tudor epoch, both in his dramatic narrative and in the alternating "background" chapters that illuminate 16th-century culture, politics, etc...Meyer's book is a rich and vibrant tapestry depicting England's most notorious—and most remembered—monarchs."—The Newark Star-Ledger