The Pleasure Palace

i didn't really like this book as much as i have enjoyed other historical fiction books in the past but i was interested in the view point of jane popyncourt.
It was very badly written and a sad tribute to the many great tudor novels out there. I could have gone without reading this book easily ,it had a good ploy but horrible delivery. ( )

I wanted to like these books. I wanted to like them enough to keep them in the library and recommend them to other Tudor history buffs. Even after reading all three, I kept looking for a reason to like them. But that just never happened.

Kate Emerson advertises herself as an “expert in all things Tudor,” which right off the bat makes me suspicious. Tudor history is large and messy; covering many decades and hundreds of players. From the seamtresses who designed the gowns and costumes for the royals to the scullery maid in any given kitchen, Tudor history is crowded with people wanting to tell their story. Being an expert in all things Tudor can’t be done.

These books were written poorly, even woodenly at times and are overwrought with romantic conjecture and conniving. They are set in the Tudor court, and they follow minor characters of the Tudor court, but they are not about the Tudors. These are romance novels dressed up in Tudor regalia. These are not the stories of fully-rounded people whose stock in trade must be courtly intrigue and politics in order to survive. I found these books to be flat, boring at times and kept hoping for more … something.

If you want to read really good historical fiction about the Tudor era, especially Elizabeth I, stick to Phiippa Gregory ( )

The title of this book made me pretty embarrassed to have this book on my Goodreads shelf. It was, however, a good read. (ha!) This is yet another view of the Tudor court, as lived and seen and experienced by Jane Popyncourt, a real person, but fictionalized here. ( )

From beginning to end, this was a fluffy book that made for painful reading.

It is the story of Jane Popyncourt, who flees 1500's France to England with her mother at a young age. There, she does her best to blend into the royal court of King Henry VIII.

I was bored by the hollow characters here, especially Jane herself. Her thoughts seemed so wooden and scripted.
The writing was abrupt and hurried through, certain things struck me as a bit too unrealistic, and there were a few plot points that were never really tied up.
The basis of the story, which has Jane's mother fleeing her country, is never fully explained.

For a few chapters, Jane spends a great deal of pages coming up with an involved, elaborate plan to get the king alone in order to speak with him privately. However, this never made much sense to me because Jane seems to have a good relationship with the king, and sees him as often as she wishes. Surely she could simply ask to speak to him privately, or lower her voice? But no. Instead, she hatches a scheme to pretend-seduce the king, culminating in his being in his bedroom with her and about to undress her (is that alone enough?). At this moment, Jane tells him that actually, there will be no sex. In fact, quite the opposite - she wants him to do a favor for her. Considering the fact that Henry VIII was known for being so lusty and prone to tantrums (not to mention being a man), I found it very suspicious that he accepts this bewildering changing of the tides with little more than a twinge of disappointment. And to make everything even worse, Jane's secret request isn't even secretive. It wouldn't have mattered if she had asked the King in public after all. The whole thing was ridiculous.

The above paragraph is simply one example of writing that often made no sense. A smaller thing would be that Jane recognizes her brother immediately after not seeing him since she was 9 (I cannot remember how old she was at the time, but most likely around 20), and doesn't even make that big of a deal of their reunion.
Jane is always being described as innocent and good and child-like, though she does take a lover, which would almost certainly have lost her these titles in her day and age. The King himself calls her "child" when she is in her 30's, and not as a pet name. Um...
I was annoyed at Jane constantly referring to her romantic interest, Guy, as if it was the first time the reader was hearing of him. Hundreds of pages after we first meet Guy, she is still saying "I saw his brother, Guy..." or "I say a young man named Guy Dunois walking by..." Alright, we know who he is now!

I cannot think of anything I enjoyed about this poorly written book. ( )

In the famous British court of Henry VIII, political games, ambition, secrets and lust are commonplace. Understanding these concepts and being able to utilize them is crucial. In the case of the Jane Popyncourt, secrets are a method of survival. After being brought to Henry VII's court at a young age and under strange circumstances, Jane becomes the ward of the king and teaches his daughters, the Princesses Mary and Margaret, French. Jane grows up around the royal family, eventually installing herself as one of Princess Mary's ladies and a spy for King Henry VIII. Jane's life at court seems to be secure, until the mysterious secrets surrounding her past begin to resurface.

Kate Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace is another entry into the massive (and still growing) collection of historical fiction novels set in the dramatic, soap opera-like Tudor era. And it's not a bad entry by any means -the writing is easy to understand, the characters are three-dimensional and enjoyable and many of the plot concepts in the novel are fascinating.

However, the interesting plot points seem to not come often enough. The book does move, but very slowly at times, making the action a little uneven. Also, I had some issues with Emerson's playing with history. While I do understand that this is a historical fiction novel, some of the fiction just felt too forced when integrated with the history. I'm usually just fine with the fiction, but in The Pleasure Palace it seemed to cross a line -plus much of the dialog just felt too modern for me to feel completely engaged in the period. Overall an enjoyable and fun read, but there are better Tudor novels out there...

Fans of romantic Tudor era fiction may enjoy The Pleasure Palace, but those who are sticklers for historical accuracy should give it a miss... ( )