Deborah Meroff

4.5 stars

Lady Jane Grey was 16 years old when she, somewhat reluctantly, accepted the crown as the new Queen of England after her cousin Edward VI (Henry VIII's only boy) died. Edward placed her in succession ahead of his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and ahead of Jane's mother (Henry's sister's daughter). Jane was queen for only nine days.

This fictional account of her life shows Jane as someone who always wanted, but never seemed to attain, her mother's approval. For part of her life, Jane show more grew up alongside Elizabeth, in the household of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's widow, and Thomas Seymour, Catherine's new husband and Jane's guardian. In this novel, Jane does fall in love before she is married to another man. Jane was blindsided when, after Edward died, her family, her new husband's family, and those in power wanted to proclaim her queen.

Jane has always been my favourite Tudor; her story is so tragic that I am in tears every time I read something about her, even though I know the outcome. So, no surprise that I really liked this book. I liked the entire book, and I did enjoy the love story before her marriage, but the book really picked up for me after she got married. show less

The book tells the story of Lady Jane Grey from about the age of 10 to her execution at 17, with all the familiar characters and events. In her brief author's note Deborah Meroff states that she believes that one cannot improve on the dramatic force of what actually occured, therefore she chose to adhere closely to the known historical facts, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree if, and I believe she succeeded on that count. I liked that Jane wasn't cast as either the helpless victim (as is so show more often the case) nor the ursurping villian (as has become fashionable lately); instead, Meroff gives us a young girl at the very beginning of her adult life, with strengths and flaws like everyone else, but in a situation like no-one else. While Jane's character development was good, the same can't be said for a lot of other characters; e.g. Frances Brandon got the usual stereotypical treatment as the abusive cold-hearted mother without any redeeming features whatsoever, who only had her eye on the throne. Overall, I think it's a shame this book is long out of print; it's a good version of a story that continues to fascinate. show less

The memoirs of Tom Hamblin, who was a missionary based in Cyprus for some years. I heard him speak a few times and found him a very engaging speaker. The book doesn't quite live up to his talks, but is still an amazing account of Tom's life. It opens with a typical example: he's trying to take 100kg Bibles into an Arab-speaking country, and the officials in Cyprus want to charge him $2000 to do so. Then someone waves him through with no charge at all.

Tom was always upfront about what he did show more - he didn't smuggle, or try to deceive anyone. People around the world were praying for him and his wife Edna, and some incredible things happened, as recounted in this book. Tom's childhood was difficult, often harsh; this is only mentioned fairly briefly but gives a good background. Tom comes across as a humble man, sure he was called to this work, and succeeding beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

Definitely recommended to anyone who came across Tom and Edna Hamblin - and millions were affected by their ministry - or to anyone interested in taking Bibles in other languages to countries which would not normally allow this to happen. show less

A wake-up call to crises facing women around the world, told through the eyes of nine courageous women. Includes hard-hitting 'Vital Statistics' files. This is a simple yet powerful guide to women's issues around the world.