Book Review: Myself My Enemy

Myself My Enemy is a terrific account of Henriette-Marie’s life by my very favourite author, Jean Plaidy! This novel is told in the first person and so vividly described and filled with emotion that it definitely has become another of my preferred reads.

In Myself My Enemy, you inmmediately get the feeling of what this loyal- to her- king –lady is all about. Henriette-Marie was first and foremost, the great King Henri IV de Navarre’s last daughter. As a daughter of France by blood and by right, she is sent to marry Charles I of England. Wanted and chosen by Charles-The Queen of France relinquishes her daughter in the hopes of reuniting differences amongst not only the French and the English, but especially the religions (Protestant and Catholic).

From the very beginning we get to see that this fine Queen Consort of England is no push-over. She stands firm for her beliefs and choices when it comes to religion, friends, principles and ideas…unfortunately for her, this tenacity sometimes borders big time stubbornness. Such defiance is not always pleasing to the King; yet, he loves his Henriette dearly and although it would seem that they were opposites- in terms of sticking to their own point, they were actually quite similar.

Their relationship becomes one of give and take in where they both need it most. As time goes on, they develop a strong love and bond that will keep them faithful and caring deeply for eachother until the very end.

I really wanted to read this one in particular, especially becauseI'm way gaga over Charles II and so it was only right that I read Plaidy’s novel on his mother. I’m so glad I did! Reading Myself My Enemy gave me an inside look on Charles as a youngster seen through the eyes of his mother as well as his siblings and their situation amidst the terrible fate of Charles I. What I enjoyed mostly though was getting in closer on Henriette Marie’s last child, and Charles II’s favourite sibling- the absolutely delightful and charming young Henriette, or Minette, as her big brother called her. (see my post on her here).

The book is filled with a lot of the history and turmoil of the time period and makes no excuses for Charles I ‘s somewhat lacking traits for a King…The details are incredible and although I did get a very good sense of his leadership weakness, I did see the magnitudes of his strength in character when it came to love for his wife, family, and England (as he saw it), as well.

Henriette Marie loved her husband and did all she could to help him. After her escape to England (to save her pretty head), she and Minette lived in almost utter poverty without ever giving up hope. Her biggest wish was for Charles II and all her children to turn to the Catholic faith- and this she struggled towards achieving right up to the end. Minette, her favourite child would live her life taking on this role as crusader for the faith as well. Strange coincidence how both mother and daughter of the same name were both born by Kings who never got to see them into their childhood and on…

Excellent Book! I strongly recommend it.

Sidenote: Charles I was a one-woman-man. On this aspect, Charles II absolutely did not take from his dad. But if we can base ourselves on the positive way his dad treated and loved his strong-character mom, then it’s fair to say that it’s no wonder Charles the Rake was an absolute fine and understanding man when it came to treating the ladies; making him an absolute gentleman.

Jean Plaidy autographed items

I've stumbled across an auction site that has some Jean Plaidy items for bid and thought I'd share. My husband recently bid for an autographed photo like the one below (though I have not yet received it).

A beautiful color photograph, autographed.



You can bid on it here.

A note card thanking the recipient for birthday wishes:



You can bid on it here.

A typed letter with signature:



You can bid on it here.

A handwritten letter:



You can bid on it here.

And on eBay I found a SIGNED 1959 copy of The Road to Compiegne for $142 am was set to buy it (after begging the hubby) and when I went back they had upped the Buy It Now cost to $489! I was very upset, but then the hubby told me I can buy the remaining Arrow reprints I needed for my collection (a total of $190) for my Christmas present. So, either way, it's a Plaidy Christmas for this fan! I now have 81 of 94 single Plaidy novels!

review: The Shadow of the Pomegranate

The Shadow of the Pomegranate

This is my first Jean Plaidy audiobook and the fact that I had already read the book (more than 3 years ago) did not diminish my enjoyment of the story. I’ve been reminded why Plaidy’s version of the Tudors is my favorite, and for the same reason I like all of her books: they mix political intrigue perfectly with the character’s personalities and offer excellent explanations as to the thoughts and actions of those characters.

The Shadow of the Pomegranate is the middle book in the Katharine of Aragon trilogy, the first being Katharine the Virgin Widow and the last The King’s Secret Matter. Though it is in a trilogy it reads as a stand-alone, beginning shortly after the marriage of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon. The foundation of Katharine’s relationship with Henry is laid, while she watches him slowly change from petulant boy to tyrannical man. She holds her place firmly in his affection until the perfidy of her father – using Henry to pay for his wars, while promising him conquest for England – and, of course, her many failures at producing the male heir Henry so greatly desires.

This novel covers the European powers of the time, from the Emperor Maximilian, Ferdinand of Spain and Louis XII of France to Charles V and Francois I of France. Henry’s disastrous early campaigns to gain territory in France and Katharine’s great defeat of the Scots are expanded upon, but there is also much intriguing in the court between courtiers , statesmen (like Cardinal Wosley) and the foreign ambassadors trying to rise in favor and in the process degrade one another. I really enjoy a book that can tie all of these together to make an intriguing story.

As usual there are mini-stories happening in the background to explain the actions of the main characters. A relationship between a peasant woman and one of the King of Navarre’s secretaries claims a chapter of the book in order to explain how his schemes were found out by Ferdinand and thus a war was started which robbed Henry of his desired campaigning on the continent. I marvel at small details like this because it is the product of such immaculate research.

As for the format, I really enjoyed listening to this book being read on my commute to and from work. Anne Flasnik is an excellent narrator and I plan to buy more Jean Plaidy audiobooks read by her. She can flawlessly execute a different voice for each character – so feminine for the ladies and a deeper tone for the men. She also has a gift with pronunciation and foreign accents.

I have nothing but praise for this book and hope to own more Plaidy on audio soon!

Did you know?

When I first discovered Jean Plaidy, apart from being overwhelmed at the number of books she published, I noticed many had strange titles. To name a few: The Vow on the Heron, The Passage to Pontefract, Health Unto His Majesty, The Rose Without a Thorn, Epitaph for Three Women; some are not so strange, but have a special meaning pertaining to the main character in the book and are sometimes from a poem or an unofficial title. I’ve enjoyed finding out the meanings behind the titles. Here are a few examples:

Revolt of the Eaglets – Henry II had a painting of himself as an eagle and his four sons as eaglets. Three of the eaglets are attacking the eagle while the fourth eaglet is waiting, watching. Historically, his three older sons spent their lives battling against him and John, the youngest, waited in the shadows and just before Henry’s death he found his ‘loyal’ son had gone over to the other side as well.

Uneasy Lies the Head – The story of Henry VII, though ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’ is from Shakespeare’s play, Henry IV, it still fits the story well. Henry Tudor may have won the crown on the battlefield, but he is plagued with potential usurpers who may have a better claim than himself. He spends his reign rebuilding a broken country and firmly planting his house of Tudor as the rulers of England.

In the Shadow of the Pomegranate – Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII, was perpetually pregnant, but had trouble producing a full-term, healthy male child. It was customary for the queen to have an official symbol, and unfortunately for Katherine, hers was a pomegranate fruit – the symbol of fertility. This inability was ultimately her downfall, for if she had a son Henry never would have divorced her.

St. Thomas’s Eve – This is the story of Sir Thomas More, writer, humanitarian and unwilling Chancellor of England. He was beheaded on orders from Henry VIII on the eve of St. Thomas (Catholic Saint Day).

The Lady in the Tower – Anne Boleyn signed her last letter to Henry VIII ‘The Lady in the Tower’.

Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord – An outrageous poem of Rochester, daringly nailed to King Charles II’s bedchamber door (who thought it was quite witty, though banished him for a while anyway):
Here lies our Sovereign Lord,
the King whose word no man relies on:
He never said a foolish thing
nor ever did a wise one

review: Goddess of the Green Room

Dorothy Jordan, actress extraordinaire and royal mistress, was unlike most woman in her position: she was honest, loyal and completely selfless. She always used her pay to take care of her loved ones, and was devoted to one man at a time, even if he didn’t deserve her.

The daughter of an affluent, Irish actress, Dorothy was born for the stage. When her father left and her mother was too ill to work, she made the money the family needed to survive. So much they depend on her that she had to do things that were against her better judgment (and her values) to keep the bills paid. One of such was becoming the mistress of a selfish and vindictive theater manager.

She finally had enough of that scene and moved to England to try her luck, and became an instant hit. A few years acting in the provincial theaters and she received an offer from London: Richard Sheridan and Drury Lane! She became the most popular comedy actress and continued to be adored by the public throughout her acting career.

Perhaps the most notorious scandal Mrs. Jordan was involved in is her role as the Duke of Clarence’s mistress. They lived together for 20 years and had 10 children before he left her to pursue various young heiresses, as he was deep in debt and perhaps going through a mid-life crisis as well.

Dorothy is a very likable character, but she gives too much and it’s heartbreaking to see all of the bad things that happened to her. This is a great story and covers much on the actors and actresses of the time, as well as, the politics – especially between Pitt and Fox. Even so, I didn’t enjoy reading about Dorothy’s problems and I wish she had had something to hold on to at the end.

The Prince Regent is tolerable in this novel, which is a complete change from a Plaidy novel I read earlier this year, Indiscretions of the Queen (Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales). It is strange that she could write a character with so many facets that he is likable in one scenario and detestable in another – and it still makes sense. Jean Plaidy was such a clever writer and her early studies in psychology really show in her novels.

Incidental…or not so Incidental, Lady Rosamund Clifford

Lady Rosamund Clifford (?- 1176)

In reading the Plantagenet Prelude, we come across more than just a passer-by incidental type of lady; this one happened to be a favourite mistress of Henry II, or so I beleive... 

I was intrigued by this mistress who was most probably a total change of pace for Henry, when compared to Eleanore.  Wherever you read about her there’s this sense of Rosamund bringing peace, joy and love in a warm, gentle and feminine haven for the rambunctious king to be enveloped in; extremely the opposite, when compared to the very intense, passionate and sporadic Eleanore (hey, even a king needs his respite;)

Whatever opinion I may have concluded to, the fact remains that there is little more than legend attributed to this fair lady.  There are so many stories that make for interesting reading and this is especially true of the books written about Eleanore. The one that prevails is the one of a very jealous Eleanore poisoning Rosamund at the Woodstock lodge that Henry put her up in.  And, still in others, she was murdered, tortured, or even roasted by the evil Eleanore- ahh!

It’s believed that Henry met Rosamund around the time that Eleanore was pregnant to their last child. Henry apparently met her during one of his campaigns on one of his stop-overs.  She was a young maiden,  daughter of a lord (marcher) and had several siblings as well.  Henry was taken by her beauty and she was to become his lover until death- or almost.  Two years before passing, Rosamund took up the veil, putting an end to their ‘grand’ love affair- she died two years later.

And so, how many heirs did the affair produce? This too is all based on legend and hearsay.  It’s speculated that she may have bore Henry at least one child, but no records can even prove that.  The story that she gave birth to Geoffrey Plantagenet and William Longespee would both prove wrong as well; Geoffrey was apparently born before the couple ever met and William was born four years after Rosamund died.  Historians claim that the two sons were born by two other different mistresses- but that’s another story.

Rosamund Clifford, Henry’s great love, with no facts and no records to substantiate the stories…was she merely but a passing concubine of the times or is there more to her story?

Here is a beautiful painting of Eleanore and Rosamund

The Wandering Prince- Reading Group Discussion Continued...

Here are the 2 last questions for our September read: The Wandering Prince (First volume of - The Love of Charles II).

3. Louis' love for Henriette is increasingly tainted by his jealousy over her relationship with her brother. At what point does his obsession turn threatening? Does Henriette recognize the shift? How does Anne of Austria's death affect Louis' attitude toward leadership and love?

4. Why does Henriette consent to a rigorous Catholic education, when she knows it is against the express wishes of her late father and most of her siblings?

Please let us know what you think:)

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